Drummer and Pseudo Outdoorsman

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

A: Kristian Attard. He is a great guy and bass player.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. I enjoy physical equipment for the tactile creative feeling I get twiddling knobs and manipulating sound (although I love electronic computer music so not a rule). Sonically there seems to be an indescribable "IT" factor to analog circuitry. However I love the access and connivence to high quality sound that digital offers.

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

A: I come from a musical family and I've been playing drums since I was 3 or 4. I played in bands and studied music in one way or another my whole life and always planned on making a living doing it. After college I moved to LA with a band and we played around town a fair amount. At that time I started doing other drum "work". Recording with artist, learning the book for the cover music gigs, going to jams around town meeting people. After a few years that original band disbanded but I had made enough connections to keep working steadily in music. It took about a 2 years to become a full time musician and I've been doing that now for coming up on 15 years.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Get the sound right at the source. We all know that we can manipulate sound in post with great results but having a great recorded source will save time and often end up with a better and more cohesive sound.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Every situation is different and dependent upon the style and production. Are there guide drum tracks? Am I playing along and adding to programmed drums? Am I creating a part from scratch? However in general once I receive the music I listen through from beginning to end to get a sense of the tone and form of the song. Usually the wheels are turning and i'm thinking what live drums can bring to the song. I'll then reach out to the artist and ask questions to get a sense of what they want live drums to bring to the track. Sometimes artist are very specific in a technical sense and other times they will talk in color or energy and it's my job to interpret what that means on the drums. I'lll ask questions for drum sound that are great for shaping the live drum sound. Hi hat - bright, medium or dark? Cymbals - bright, medium, dark? Tom resonance - open, medium or closed, etc... Some artist have a specific sound they'd like captured , others haven't really considered it or don't care so much and I use my judgment. At that point I have what I need to start creating the sound of the drums (what cymbals and snare to use, how to tune and muffle the toms, kick and snare). Now that I have a sound and a sense of the song and what the artist is looking for I begin either the process of learning guide parts or the full creative process of creating parts by playing along with the song for awhile to see what works. Once I know the parts I record as many takes as needed to get a few good performances that I can send to the artist (as a stereo wav.) for review. If they're happy I send over the stems.

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

A: Some of my favorite drummers are Ringo Starr, Levon Helm, Zigaboo Modeliste, Mitch Mitchell, Chris St. Hilaire, Matt Chamberlain, James Gadson, Jim Keltner, Steve Gadd, Josh Freese, Brian Blade, Elvin Jones, Billy Martin, Art Blakey. For producers Jon Brion, Nigel Godrich and George Martin

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a home studio that was constructed specifically for drum recording. It's an acoustically treated room that is18x9 with a high ceiling point of 15ft. I have a1965 Ludwig Super classic that sounds fantastic (22,13,16). New bearing edges cut by Professional Shop In Los Angeles and it tunes up great high or low while maintaining the warmth and character you'd expect from a 3 ply mahogany shell. I also have a wonderful 2010 Grestch USA Custom (22 and 18 kick, 12, 14, 16). It has a well balanced modern "hifi" and warm sound with great character and nuance. I have several snares of different depths and materials and many cymbals of different size and character. I record these kits with a variety of Mics (typically: KSM 32 overheads, Shure 57 top/bottom snare and hi-hat, e-604 toms, D112 kick in, e-902 kick out, Rode NT1A room). Top tier cabling running into 16 channels of RME Octamic ii analog pre's. That signal is sent to Apollo x16 for top quality conversion into my DAW (Ableton typically). I have many wonderful UA plugins and typically have each drum channel running through a Neve 1073 preamp and Oxide Tape for appropriate and milld eq/color.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: I'm not sure I even know what conception there is about me let alone a misconception. That question is a bit more then I want to chew on at the moment.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I'll ask questions to get a sense of what they want live drums to bring to the track. Sometimes artist are very specific in a technical sense and other times they will talk in color or energy and it's my job to interpret what that means on the drums. I'lll ask questions for drum sound that are great for shaping the live drum sound. Hi hat - bright, medium or dark? Cymbals - bright, medium, dark? Tom resonance - open, medium or closed, etc... Some artist have a specific sound they'd like captured, others haven't really considered it or don't care so much and I use my judgment.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the creative and collaborative spirit and i'm happy that I get to tap into it as a job.

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

A: I worked long and hard on solo EP under the name "The Keep Running". I wrote, recorded and produced 99% of it. Very much a labor of love and I still enjoy listening to it years later.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on a reggae track with an artist on SoundBetter. In addition to drumming I write original music under "The Keep Running" and I'm releasing a single soon.

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

A: I promise to serve the song to the best of my ability. That mind set and agreement has worked out for me over the years.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: What DAW I use... Ableton.

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

A: Be responsive and proactive. I love what I do and good communication is absolutely paramount to a productive and enjoyable creative and work experience.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: Acoustic guitar, kick, snare, upright bass and a multi track tape recorder.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Strong contagious groove and musical.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Beck. I love the the creativity and variety of styles and sound in his music while never taking his focus off good songs.

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

A: I work with producers and songwriters in rock, pop, indie, RnB, soul, reggae and country primarily. I have tracked and do track for jazz, latin and progressive music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Keeping a strong sense of groove with my ears open and playing for the song.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring musicality and groove. I play for the song and for the artist. I really care about music as a whole and the drums are just one element that should be supportive to the whole. Sometimes that means playing with subtly and restraint, other times it means being big and busy. However whether it's a tight pop or rnb pocket beat, a big rock groove with fills, a clever indie beat, swing or jazz the drums always have to feel good. That's priority number 1.

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

A: I'm primarily asked to record live drums. More specifically client typically want drums that have "the right" parts along with quality and appropriate unprocessed tones to allow for flexibility in production when mixing.