Remote Drum Tracks

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I started as a drummer, studied music at the Bachelor level and Post Graduate level, then started to teach as well as work in the film industry as a composer and music editor. To this day I'm active in all 4 of those aspects of my career and keep busy. I have been drumming professionally for over 2 decades, teaching for the last 15 and composing/music editing for the last 10.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My ability to communicate and understand my clients musical vision. Along with being a drummer I am also a well versed composer, this allows me to understand how to best express the main artistic vision of the track. This is an essential skill in creating a drum part that plays to and really completes a song.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Generally I start by listening to the client's demos and discussing the artistic vision of the project. What do they want their listeners to feel? What inspired each song? What types of grooves or artists were they hearing in their minds when they were composing? All these questions allow me to hone in on what my drum arrangement will be as well as what instruments I will use to bring them to life and how I will mic them to telegraph those emotions and performances appropriately.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work out of my home studio in Toronto, ON. My room is acoustically treated so I'm easily able to achieve a very controlled sound. I run a Pro Tools HD system using Apollo and API pres and have a wonderful selection of microphones including an AEA R88 for a beautiful room tone, KM 184's which are absolutely killer as overheads along with your standard arsenal of 57's, D112's and some tasty ribbons drizzled in for some colour. I also carry around a Neumann M-147 tube for special mono applications. I have access to a great selection of drums that I like to use such as Stage Customs for a present and modern birch sound, a warm Ancient Kauri kit which is made out of Ancient Kauri that is over 50,000 years old (the only one of it's kind in existence) or a set of Vintage Ludwigs (1966) which sound great for anything requiring a warmer vintage tone, a 60's Luan Mahoghany Stewart kit in rock sizes for larger rock sounds along with a great selection of snares (70's Supraphonic, 70's Acrolite, Mapex Bird's Eye Maple, Benny Grebb Birch Model, Ancient Kauri snare and more) . Whatever tone you’re going for I have a kit to get you there. I provide clients with the following track list (more or less tracks can be requested to accommodate a specific setup): - Kick Sub (Solomon Sub Kick for extended low end response) - Kick In (D112) - Snare (Rode NT2A) - Snare bottom (SM57) - Tom 1 (57) - Tom 2 (57) - Floor Tom (PG52) - Hats (KM184) - Ride (KM184) - OH (Stereo Pair of KM184’s) - Room (AEA R88 further back in the room for a larger room tone) - Ribbon Back (Apex 210 Ribbon below drum throne facing kick) - Room Far (M147 20 feet in front of kit pointing towards the ceiling to capture more room ambience) I find this track list allows clients maximum flexibility in sculpting any drum tone you want. Keep the spot mics for a tight, dry and focused sound or utilize the room mics and overheads for a beautiful natural sound that will bring the drums to life.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Mark Wilson, he’s a killer bass player, and I work with him often. Can’t recommend him enough!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: The satisfaction and impact that only a live drum part can bring. Some music just needs the real deal, don't get me wrong programmed stuff can sound fantastic and some styles call for it (i.e. hip hop loops) but some times you just can't replace the intention of a live musician. The emotion that a live player can express can really add to the emotional impact of a song in a way that is completely unique and unlike anything else.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your song about? How do you want the song and/or the drums to make your audience feel? What are some drummers or drum tracks that inspire you?

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both have their place. Eventually everything goes digital, despite the small resurgence of vinyl it is very hard to deliver and listen to a product in a fully analog domain. The answer lies somewhere in the middle, digital gear that is augmented with analog gear or Vice Versa.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Currently working on my solo project as well as a Ska project and other things pending the end of the Covid-19 pandemic!

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Probably my work with Carbon Memory, the drum parts are rooted in tradtional approaches to the Genre but borrow from many unorthodox inspirations and sound exciting and fresh.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: To bring you a drum track that completely fulfills your expectations and artistic vision.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Working with and meeting new people as well as facing the challenges of creating something new. Every project is unique and requires a different approach, that is something that keeps life interesting and exciting for me.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Have a strong artistic vision, you don't need to know exactly what you want the drum part to be for your song, just a strong idea of how you want them to make you feel. Many times examples of drum tracks or drum tones from records that inspired your writing can really help hone in on what your drum part might be.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I like to take chances and avoid things that are idiomatic as much as possible. I try to be unique and I like to perform with finesse.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: It ranges, I've done, Country, Rock, Jazz, Funk, World Music of all sorts, Singer/Songwriter, Folk, Ska, many things really.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Too many to count but off the top of my head in the drummer world some of my favourite would have to be Mark Guiliana, Nate Smith, Marcus Gilmore, Anderson Paak, Billy Kilson, Larnell Lewis, Mark Kelso, Paul Delong, Chendy Leon, Dafnis Prieto, Willie "Mean" Green, Chad Smith, Bill Stewart, Bernard Purdie, and Steve Ferrone among many others. As a film Composer I love Bear McCreary, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Don Davis, Mark Isham, John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans to name a few.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Typically remote drum tracks but I am also a competent mixer and a professional film composer. I'm also a Music Editor and have worked on numerous Hollywood productions such as the SAW franchise and many primetime shows for CTV/Global/CBC/CBS, etc.