Martin Evans on SoundBetter

Are you an artist, band, or producer looking for high-quality drum tracks? I provide organic, tasteful MIDI drum parts delivered as raw MIDI files or studio quality multitrack audio.

Hi, I'm Martin Evans, a versatile drummer with over 30 years of experience. Originally from the UK, I work exclusively from my home studio in Philadelphia, providing organic and tasteful MIDI drum tracks for bands, solo artists, and producers worldwide.

As a drummer, I like to keep things simple, making sure I play for the song and nothing else. I need to stay true to who I am as a player and not let technology get in the way so, I record live, with no programming or loops. What you're getting is a living and breathing drum track played live by an experienced song drummer.

You get a lot of benefits from using MIDI for your drums. Editing and mixing are a lot easier - we can control every aspect of the track, including bleed, but the two main things for me are the room sounds and the choice of kits. The magic is in the room, and with me, you can virtually access a host of world-class rooms such as Capitol, Sound City, Air, Hansa, and many others. This, along with libraries such as Superior Drummer, means you'll have access to a ton of professionally recorded drum kits.

If you have any questions I'm here to chat! Please reach out.

Thanks for your time! - Mart.

Would love to hear from you. Click the contact button above to get in touch.

Credits

Discogs verified credits for Mart Evans

Steve Donnelly
Steve Donnelly
Soundcode
Milton & The Devils Party

21 Reviews - 2 Repeat Clients

Endorse Martin Evans

by Clayton
Verified
Mart was fantastic to work with! Highly efficient, knowledgable, and easygoing.
by Steve M.
Verified
Once again, Martin turns the work around quickly and with his usual skill and communication.
His work is first class and he is able to interpret my ideas and turn them into solid drum tracks. I have used a remote drummer before and all his work will be replaced by Martin.
by Gary D.
Verified
Mart did a great job! He was super responsive, sent me options that worked for the song, and was happy to do a bit of back and forth as we settled on the final version. I will definitely be working with him again!
by Richard C.
Verified
Martin was super helpful and willing to go the extra mile. His communication was brilliant and moreover seemed like a brilliant guy!
by Aldo G.
Verified
Transitions and professionalism excellent once again!
by Aldo G.
Verified
Amazing sound, groove, and communication!
by Steve Milford
Verified
Martin is the real deal. He has an incredible feel and musicality but just as importantly, he's a great communicator and surprisingly for a drummer, has a great sense of humour! :)
His turnaround times are fabulous but without compromising the quality.
As I've said in previous reviews, I wouldn't go anywhere else for my drum parts.
by Johannes M.
Verified
Everything great and very fast response.
by Mike F.
Verified
Very professional, a pleasure to work with, I expect to send more material Mart's way.
by Chris L.
Verified
Mart is just perfect! I highly recommend working with him! He is very professional, easy to communicate with and provides his tracks very fast.
by Aaron Z.
Verified
Working with Mart is awesome! Firstly, he is VERY musical and delivers great performances—always making sure I’m happy with what was delivered. Secondly, and no less important, he’s reliable and communicates extremely often and clearly. He is a pleasure to work with, I highly recommend Martin, and I will definitely hire him again!
by Nick D.
Verified
Very quick and plenty of communication. He gave me a drum track which fitted the guide track to a tee. I didn't need to give him any other guidance and he completed the (albeit simple) track on the first iteration.
by Mike Lawson
I was curious about using a MIDI kit drummer, but you sure would not know it was by the sound, feel, response, and otherwise delightful parts I got from Evans. I liked having the MIDI parts to manipulate if I want to, plus his choices of kit samples was stellar.
by Eric McLear
Mart is an absolute rock star and pleasure to work with. Professional, courteous, and talented - Mart takes the time to understand the direction and specific needs of a piece and delivers flawlessly. Great sound, great tracks. Highly recommend.
by Anna B
Mart is great to work with - fantastic drummer and really dedicated. Finds what works for the song! Fast, reliable service and easy communication. Highly recommended!
by Steve M.
Martin is a fabulous drummer, great feel and a great understanding of the music he's working on. Just as importantly, he's a nice guy, easy to communicate with and his turn around times are amazing. I won't go anywhere else for my drum tracks.
by Steve Milford
I have been working in the industry in the UK for many years and I have used remote drummers for my songs before with mixed results. Martin is a different class, tight, solid drum parts, great communication, quick turn around times and his prices are very competitive.
by david levy
Martin is absolutely fantastic.Being semi retiring, i had previously had 3 session drummers on part time staff as our teams sub contractors. (50_ years) So i know a few things about session drummers. Martin is the exact kinda drummer i want and need. Always honors the story. Always listens. Always open to creative steering. Love his chops and taste.
by Freddie Banks
Martin is a fantastic drummer! He plays with precision, and delivers dynamic, consistent quality drum performances. He’s a great asset for your production needs, hire him for sure!
by Stephen Paul
5 Stars+ Martin is the best. One of 2 go-to drummers on all of my work,

Interview with Martin Evans

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Clients are spoilt for choice these days so take your time, do your homework, and make sure you're hiring the right person. ALWAYS reach out to a prospective hire first to find out if they're a fit.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I played the drums on a cover of Jethro Tull's "The Whistler" by Celtic World Orchestra. I was so happy with how it came out, and as a self-confessed song drummer, it was fun to cut loose and get the BIG drums out. It was also a pleasure sharing credit with some real top-flight players on there. It was one of those tracks that gave me goosebumps during tracking. That's a rarity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE8YjQG82bA
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm halfway through working on an album of Philly Soul covers and having a blast. All the tunes I grew up on, and I'm surrounded by great musicians, which makes my job so much easier. This is one of those projects that doesn't feel like work.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I get to work on all different types of music with folks from all over the world. I love that aspect of it.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: "Can you put a fill there?" and the answer is always yes. If I feel it's not needed I'll voice that and give my reasons but at the end of the day, I'm being paid to do a job and provide a track that the client is going to be happy with.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That MIDI drums can sound machine-like. In the wrong hands, they can, but I've worked with this medium for years now and I know how to get the very best out of it.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Apart from technical questions such as BPM, sample rate etc., I would ask them what kind of mood they wanted to come out of the track. Also, I would ask if they have any reference files, whether an already available demo drum track or a track by an existing artist that they'd want to capture the feel of.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started playing in 1986 and spent the following few years gigging around the South London pub and working men's club scene. I turned pro in 93 and spent the rest of the decade doing the cruise/seasonal thing. I moved to the States in 2000 and spent the first ten years playing with local singer/songwriters and bands in Philly and playing such venues as World Cafe Live/North Star Bar/Grape Street, amongst others. A wrist break in 2012 slowed things down for a while, as well as the arrival of my son, and in 2020 I decided to pursue my dream of recording from home.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I am a song drummer, so I focus on feel and simplicity.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I have done some work for producer Stephen Paul on other platforms and Freddie Banks has been very supportive. He's killing it on here!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both! It's 2024.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: That I care as much about the end product as they do.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Just a kick drum so I could use it as a boat to get off the island! In all seriousness, I can't do what I do to the level I do it without Superior Drummer 3. There's not a drum VST out there that gets close.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Steven Wilson. He wears his love of Pop on his sleeve, as do I.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Step away from something if you're getting frustrated and in the remote recording world also communicate clearly and honestly - you need a thick skin in this business and be able to take criticism and instruction in your stride.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: My roots are in Rock and Pop, so it leans more towards that, but I'm always up for a challenge and love it when something comes through the door out of my comfort zone.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My ears. I know what works and what doesn't, and I can usually get that pin-pointed pretty fast.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Space. There's nothing worse than a song being choked by an overly-busy drum part. I'm a self-confessed song drummer, leaving the chops in the rehearsal room.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Once I've received the files and instructions from the artist/producer, I'll listen, make a basic chart, and then record a few takes using a kit sound I think will work. I then send them over over as a stereo stem to see if we're in the ballpark. If they're happy, I'll do a few more takes... usually one simpler and one a bit looser to give the artist options, and we'll refine it from there.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: It's simple but effective. I have an upgraded Roland V-drum kit (with the digital snare, ride and hats) and a UAD Apollo interface, all going into a Mac. I've switched to Studio One but can access Pro Tools, Logic, Reaper and Luna. I rarely get to mix as most clients prefer their files to be sent dry, but I have a curated collection of plug-ins just in case. I tend to leave that to the experts. The Apollo may seem overkill, but as I track live, I aim to get the latency down as much as possible between the DAW and the kit, so I need the fastest connection, and Thunderbolt was the way to go.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Every drummer has a top five list and if they say they don't they're not telling the truth! Not in any order -- Phil Collins, Jeff Porcaro, Mark Brzezicki, Phil Gould and Stewart Copeland. I'm inspired by pretty much anyone out there doing this whether they're an artist, producer or whatever.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Mostly providing custom MIDI drum parts. Sometimes, I’m asked to program a track or fix up an existing part, but that’s rare. I’m finding more and more folks working directly with Superior Drummer 3, so I’m sending the basic project file out and letting them do their thing with it. I always track live with no programming to keep the human element going.