Ryan Michael Tant on SoundBetter

Hello! I'm going to keep this simple. My passion, actually my obsession, is creating masterful feeling drum tracks ! I have spent a significant portion of my life dedicated to the art of drumming, both live and touring. It’s what I do and it’s who I am.

I have been a professional touring and recording drummer for over 15 years now. Since arriving in Nashville, TN over 10 years ago, I developed a wealth of knowledge and a wealth of experience creating music with humans. As you already know, creating music with people is one of the most amazing experiences you can have in life. I have already put in my 10,000 hours and I'm wanting another 10,000, 20,000, or 30,000 hours! Being able to mix and master a song properly can and will add so much depth, emotion, and feel to a song that it can do nothing but elevate that song to an entirely new level. THAT is what I promise to deliver to each and every song I am tasked with. I am very well versed in many different genres such as Country, Rock, Funk, Blues, and Pop-Rock. Cheers!

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Credits

6 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client

Endorse Ryan Michael Tant

by Brandon Ray
Verified
Ryan knocked my song out of the park! He always does! His drum tracks are massive, rich, and in the pocket. His mixing and mastering is also phenomenal. Hire him today - you won't regret it!
by Katie L.
Verified
Extremely fast and professional -- delivered exactly what I needed. I hope to work with Ryan again.
by Joshua J Schmidt
Verified
Always a pleasure working with Ryan. He delivered top notch tracks as expected, ready for mixing.
by Joshua J Schmidt
Verified
Michael is fast and knows exactly what the song calls for. I barely had to give him any directions and he nailed my Country track within hours of my request. I honestly hope we can play live together someday.
by Ryan Kinder
This guy just gets it. Everything he has played for me in the past is absolutely on point and raises the song to a new level. His drum sounds are always what I want and sound amazing. I highly recommend Ryan for your drum needs.
by Brandon Ray
Ryan is the kind of drummer who knows exactly what a song needs. His approach is tasteful, professional, and radio-ready! ALSO, his pocket is better than any drummer I've ever worked with! Hire him for your next project whatever the genre - you'll be glad you did!

Interview with Ryan Michael Tant

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I worked on my band, Badland Sons, first 5 song EP that we released a couple of months ago. I am so proud of this because it sounds and feels amazing. I recorded all drums on this EP.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I am working on original tracks with my band, Badland Sons, as well as working with a few different producers/songwriters by putting live drum tracks on their songs that used for film/tv/commericals.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Yes I do; Brandon Ray and Ryan Kinder
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: I run digital because it's more efficient and it also sounds great when you are running 8 microphones at once to record only drum tracks
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise to deliver a fantastic sounding live drum track that brings your song to the level, or even higher than the level you were hoping it would become
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I honestly love just creating music with other humans. It is my favorite thing in the world to do.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: The most common one is "What sets you apart from every other drummer out there?" My answer is a lot of drummers have not studied song structure and the building blocks of a song. I have had years of experience with playing with many different artists and bands and most drummers play with no plan or consistency.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I always ask what they're looking for as far as the "feel" of the song is concerned. The best way is asking them what 3 different artists/songs it compares to.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: If you are looking for live drum tracks that feel great and sound amazing, I'm your guy.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: kick, snare, hi-hats, and ride/crash cymbal. ( I only need 4!)
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: My career path has always been and will always be drumming. I have been a touring and recording professional for over 15 years now. I have provided myself a great living by playing music and I am grateful every single day to be able to do so.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My style is groovy, greasy, and swampy but I will absolutely push it when it needs to be.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I would love to work with Marc Broussard or Allen Stone because their music is so incredibly groovy and funky and it just absolutely makes me feel so good
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Each studio space is completely different, so your microphone positioning should 100% reflect THAT space and how sound works within that space.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I usually work on country, rock, funk, R&B, and blues.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is simply to play for the song and not for myself.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: What I bring to a song is strong pocket and space. A song needs to breathe and it has peaks and valleys and my decades of experience with playing with humans has absolutely prepared me for this.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: My work process is to start by listening to the song without playing a note. I believe that is one of the most important aspects of being a drummer; listen! Once I have listened to the song to get the right feel of the song, I do several passes and incorporate different patterns to each pass and then listen back to each pass and determine which pattern fits. I do a new pass with all of those chosen things and there it is!
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My setup is solely for recording drums! My studio has treated walls and sound baffles, as well as the best drums, cymbals, microphones, and interface you can find.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I am inspired mainly by drummers that are "Pocket Drummers" such as Steve Jordan, Steve Gadd, David Garibaldi, and Vinnie Coliauta, just to name a few.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: The most common work I do is provide a live drum track that I also fully mix if the client chooses to do so. Clients are looking for a certain FEEL to their song and I have been able to successfully interpret what they are trying to convey through the song - and also providing a very wonderful sounding drum track
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: A lot of people believe that having live drums on their songs will be "busy" and "over the top" - I stray away from those unless that is what is asked of me