Callum Edwards on SoundBetter

I record bespoke drum and percussion tracks from my studio, Brookwood Recording. I have a huge collection of drums, cymbals and percussion instruments to suit a wide range of styles and genres. I also have an excellent collection of vintage and modern microphones in my collection, to achieve the perfect sounds you are after for your project.

I am a session drummer from Glasgow in Scotland with 15+ years of experience playing and recording drums and percussion. I've toured extensively through the UK, Europe, Asia and the USA with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, playing drum kit, marching snare and percussion.

I've performed and recorded with a variety of artists in Scotland and beyond such as Tom Walker, Cameron Barnes, Fidra, Ross Miller, Craig Irving and November Lights. I've also performed live with Madness and The Script at the SSE Hyrdo arena in Glasgow.

I've spent years building a collection of drums, cymbals and percussion instruments to suit a wide variety of styles and genres, particularly specialising in folk, pop and rock. I've also been building my microphone and studio gear collection in recent years in order to achieve some top quality sounds from the comfort of my own studio.

My studio is a fully acoustically treated space that sounds great for recording drums and percussion, and can achieve a variety of sounds such as tight and dry drum sounds, right up to massive drum sounds by using ambient microphone techniques using some of the other available rooms in my house.

Get in touch, and we can discuss sounds and song vibes to get the exact sound that YOU are after!

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

Credits

14 Reviews

Endorse Callum Edwards

by Siobhan W.
Verified
Excellent session musician! Super timing. Really efficient. Highly recommend
by Ross Saunders
Callum is a fantastic, professional and meticulous drummer that I cannot rate highly enough. Unlike some professional players who only live and breath drumming specifics, Calum has an extensive 'listening' taste in multiple genres and productions which brings more than just 'great drumming' to the table. He is also a proficient and very talented recording and mixing engineer, which only further enhances his drum production skills. Highly recommended!
by Peder J. Reksten
Callum is a stellar drummer who's exceptionally easy to work with. His expertise definitely shines through, and the end product is in my experience always fantastic. A flexible musician capable of great mixing as well as outstanding drumming.
by Duncan McDowall
Callum was great to work with. Really quick turn around from making contact and sending over the track to tracking the drums and getting the final sends. He has a great array of gear for a range of sounds and genres as well as being a very versatile musician.
by Stewart
Callum recorded drums and percussion for a folk singer-songwriter album project I was producing. He was flexible and fun to work with and had a lot of creative ideas to bring to the project. The quality of the recordings and performances were excellent. He went the extra mile to deliver over and above what was required and I highly recommend him.
by JW
With an attentiveness and enthusiasm befitting of a true music lover, Callum's experience and expertise make for the most wonderful collaboration. No matter the nature of the project his attention to detail and willingness to serve the music make for the ideal candidate for anyone seeking out a drummer who is more than just a drummer.
by Kenneth Macfarlane
I have worked with Callum for many years, in various settings and on different projects. His technique and knowledge of various percussive instruments is excellent, and adapts ably to any situation.

I look forward to working on more projects with Callum in the near future.
by James
Callum did the drums for an EP of mine last year. Very professional and creative. Got the vibe I needed right off the bat and delivered on time too. Would definelty hire again.
by Robbie Mackenzie
I have worked with Callum in many capacities as a drummer and an engineer and couldn’t recommend him highly enough. Each project we’ve worked on, he approaches with enthusiasm and professionalism not to mention useful ideas and insight.

The equipment Callum has amassed in his studio is extremely high quality and you can tell a lot of hard work and experimentation has gone into achieving the sounds he wants.
by Joachim Sohn
I have worked with Callum on my first Single! He was very professional and did his job outstanding! He has the right feel for the song and the many stems had a good Quality! He helped me also with good ideas for the mix and could make some change to my preference. He is a very nice guy to communicate. If You hire him, You won't regret it!
by Neil wood
I know Callum from university where he graduated in Electronic and Music Engineering (University of Glasgow).

As well as being a very passionate and accomplished musician, I know Callum to be a smart and technically savvy guy. I'm sure his musical experience combined with his technical and music/accoustic theory background mean he has the skillset to create and record some great sound and run a crackin wee studio

Also a good guy and I wish him the very best!
by Paul Casey
Through his experience gigging with bands such as Cassien, Red Hot Chilli Pipers, and Foot Stompin’ Ceilidh Band, Callum has shown his versatility. However, through his work with the pipe bands across Scotland, he has really shown his calibre. Not enough to come runner-up as UK Young Drummer of the Year, Callum has since won the World Pipe Band Championship and is now credited as Drum Sergeant to the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland. Callum’s diligence and commitment to his own drumming progression has led to international accolade, including playing in Dubai, the USA and across the UK.
by Nigel Akam
Callum put together the first recording of our 'virtual' choir at Brisbane Evangelical Church in Largs, Ayrshire. The choir chose the modern Christmas carol 'Adore' as the recording took place just before Christmas during lockdown. None of the choir members had ever done this before and a lot of effort was required by Callum to edit and merge the audio and video recordings to produce an excellent result, demonstrating his professionalism.
Don't just take my word - see for yourself at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s_F1PwxVVE
by Ross Miller
Callum played drum kit ans snare drum on my album, the Roke. His extensive knowledge and variety of styles made the process and music making easy. Callum’s recording experience saved studio as he was able to complete his parts and recording quickly and effectively.

Interview with Callum Edwards

Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love being able to make great music with people, whether it be in person or remotely. I do like the remote way of working, but I am looking forward to getting back to playing music in person again. Hopefully soon!
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Sonor SQ1 kit, 1979 Ludwig Acrolite, 22" Istanbul Sterloid crash/ride, 14x5.5 Recording Custom Snare and finally, a boat large enough to safely carry these items and to also allow me to escape such a silly scenario.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I worked on an album for an artist called Stewart Robbie earlier this year, for his album Fidra! It was one of the first remote session projects I undertook in lockdown, so it was good to put my studio to use. It was also good to have some work again after a few quiet months! Stewart is also a great pal, and I grew up with him and all the other musicians who played on the record too, so it meant a lot to me for a whole bunch of reasons.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm working on planning the recording of an album for one of my close friends I went to school with, and also working on a few other odds and ends for various remote session clients. I've particularly enjoyed playing drums on some tracks for my pal Cameron Barnes too! He's a great singer songwriter from Scotland, and he's gonna be bigger than Lewis Capaldi soon! You heard it here first!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital for me...as this is the way my studio is currently set up. I would love to add some analog gear in the future though! I've recorded in a few lovely analog studios here in Scotland, and they always sound amazing!
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I always like to know who influences them musically and also sonically, as this helps to get a better idea of where the project is going and also helps to create a better relationship with the client. I will also always ask for some reference tracks in order to get an idea of what sort of sounds, feel and vibe they are going for.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Typically, I will ask for stems or simply a stereo mix from the client, which will allow me to figure out what sort of feel and groove is required. Sometimes clients will send a demo or a programmed performance of the drum part they are after, which I can use as a guide and as a helpful reference! I will also ask for some reference tracks for drum sounds that they like, which will help me choose microphones and drums to try and get as close to the sound they're after as I possibly can. I will then do a few takes of what I feel is right, and do a rough fader balance of my drums with their sounds before sending this over to the client as a first draft. I will then take a feedback until the client is happy, before sending over the finalised stems to them. If I am also mixing the song, I will hold onto the session I've created and then will add in the rest of their stems when they are ready.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have a variety of spaces I can use with my own home. I have plumbed various multicores to different places in the house, so I can record several people in multiple places simultaneously. Drums are one of the few instruments that are majorly affected by the environment they are recorded in, so having access to these different spaces, combined with the use of different microphones, creates a huge variety of sounds. I can create anything from tight, funky drum sounds in my small treated control room, right up to modern and massive sounding in my living room, which has wooden floors and lots of places for ambient micing.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I am very inspired by drummers such as Aaron Sterling and Paul Mabury, who also both do a lot of remote tracking. Aaron Sterling has done drum tracking for the likes of Taylor Swift and Harry Styles from his own house, which I think is a seriously cool concept in itself! Along with this, he is also an absolutely amazing player and is incredibly knowledgable in the field of drums and recording. Paul Mabury more specialises in drum samples, but has also tracked for the likes of Ben Rector and Lauren Daigle from his own house. His samples always sounds amazing, and I will use them to to beef up my own recordings if it's ever required. He has also produced some absolutely amazing records!
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been playing the drums for over 15 years, and professionally for about 6 years. I've been mainly doing live work, but I have also done a fair bit of studio work which has ignited my passion to pursue the recording path in greater depth too. I've been doing home recording for a while now, but only started taking it seriously in the last few years.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise that you'll always get 100% effort on any project I deliver.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: They usually ask about turnaround times, and also ask for some previous examples of my work. They usually like to get to know any other musicians that are playing on the recordings, and some previous examples of their work. I'll usually try to not give unrealistic answers on turnaround time, as I would rather not rush a project and get the best possible results. I will also always ensure that any external musicians I have playing are of the highest quality, and can give examples of their work.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Make sure you find a drummer and a producer that will bring out the best in your music.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Simplistic. Always trying to get the best possible and organic sounds with what I have here, without doing excessive editing and processing.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I would love to work with John Mayer. I love the fact he not only writes great music, but also has fantastic musicians backing him in a live scenario and also in the studio. I feel like working in the studio with him and his band would be a lot of fun!
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Always make sure that the source of the sounds that you're recording are as good as possible. It's a lot easier to get a great sounding finished product if the pre-processed sounds that you're working with already sound great.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I do a whole variety, but I mainly work on pop, rock and singer songwriter type stuff. I also work a lot with folk musicians and Scottish traditional musicians too.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Creating drum parts and textures that compliment the song in the most musical fashion.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I will bring a unique drum and percussion texture, and an attitude that makes sure the client gets exactly what they want!
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I do a lot of remote drum and percussion tracking for clients from my home studio in the West of Scotland. I also offer remote mixing, as I believe that drums are the foundation of any good track. This means that I can work effectively on building a track as I know exactly how my sounds have been recorded, and I can build the track up from there!