Kyle May

Drummer, Producer, and Mixer

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438 Reviews (431 Verified)
Kyle May on SoundBetter

Hello! My name is Kyle and I am a session drummer, producer, and engineer based out of Nashville, TN.

I will record high quality drum tracks from my home studio! All I need is the song with & without temp drums (if applicable), tempo, and any instruction regarding parts & tones and I will deliver tracks to you within 1-3 days! I typically cut up to 3 takes of the song to send over for review and then we can discuss revisions, edits, punches, etc. if necessary. I play on many sessions and tour professionally. I've appeared on Good Morning America, The TODAY show, CMT's Hot 20 Countdown, Pickler and Ben, the Grand Ole Opry and more.

Drums
Gretsch Broadkaster
Gretsch USA Custom
Gretsch Renown
Mapex Bop

Snares
Craviotto Ash
Ludwig Black Beauty
Ludwig Aluminum Acrolite
Gretsch Hand Hammered COB
Ludwig Bronze Acrolite
Pearl Masters Maple
Gretsch Maple
Gretsch Brooklyn COB
Vintage Marching

Cymbals
Over 3 dozen Meinl Cymbals - Foundry Reserve, Traditional, Polyphonic, Sand, Brilliant, Jazz, Dry, etc.

Mics
1. Kick in (sE electronic vKick)
2. Kick out (Fet 47)
3. Snare Top (Beyerdynamic M201)
4. Snare Top (sE8)
5. Snare btm (akg 451)
6. hat (oktava mk-012)
7. tom 1 (414 b-uls)
8. tom 2 (414 b-uls)
9. Overheads (sE Rupert Neve RN17's)
10. Rooms (Coles 4038)
11. Knee (sE v7)
12. Mono Crush (WA44)

Gear
Heritage Audio, API, Grace Designs, Focusrite, SSL, Neve, Apollo x16 (x2), Midas, Neumann, Dangerous Audio, Warm Audio, DBX.

Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.

Endorse Kyle May438 Reviews - 69 Repeat Clients

  1. Review by Matthew Hu
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    Amazing working with Kyle. Followed the vision I had laid out and then added even more to contribute to the track. Will be returning again!

  2. Review by Thomas L.
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    Kyle works very professionally and creatively with his own distinctive style. In his latest project, he delights us with a fantastic drum solo. Thank you very much.

  3. Review by Keegan Ferrell
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    Awesome work as always! The tones on this song fit so dang perfect for the energy we were going for.

  4. Review by Tony T.
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    Kyle is an amazing drummer, great feel incredibly intuitive, highly recommended

  5. Review by Tony T.
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    Kyle is an amazing very versatile drummer. His sonics are top notch, he’s a pleasure to work with

  6. Review by Niko (.
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    Working with Kyle was a pleasure. Super fast communication and turnaround, great sounding drums, and exactly what the track needed. Would definitely recommend him and work with him again. Thanks!

  7. Review by Keegan Ferrell
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    If you want that radio drum tone that's sometimes so hard to capture, just hire Kyle. He delivers it every time

  8. Review by Keegan Ferrell
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    Kyle went crazy on this one!

  9. Review by Keegan Ferrell
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    My artist LOVED the drum tones Kyle delivered. He's become an integral part of my workflow and even my artists are starting to request him on the next song and the next song and the next one after that!

  10. Review by Keegan Ferrell
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    Perfectly dialed in for this song. Kyle can do it all and never has to say no to a style/sound you want.

  11. Review by Keegan Ferrell
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    I love how Kyle can give me the most warm, gentle, Lizzy McAlpine tones on one song, and then give the nastiest meanest heavy rock tones on the very next. Versatility at it's finest!

  12. Review by Keegan Ferrell
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    Killer tones on this one! So perfect for the song. Every song is custom built to slap like it should

  13. Review by Craig H.
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    Kyle has become my go-to drummer and I can't say enough good things about him or his excellent playing, communication and great attitude.

  14. Review by Adiya A.
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    Amazing drummer

  15. Review by Bill B.
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    Kyle played some great tracks. I love the energy in the fills, solid groove and sounds... Just what I needed.

  16. Review by Alex
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    by Alex
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    Fast, communicative, and an overall fantastic drummer. Kyle took my song to the next level with his performance, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. The entire process was smooth, simple, and highly productive. I highly recommend working with him!

  17. Review by Tony T.
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    Kyle is a real pro, easy to work with, great musician and super organized. He got the concept of the track completely and nailed it! His tracks are recorded very Hi-quality

  18. Review by Peter H.
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    Kyle is a professional with genuine soul and passion.
    He is an excellent and wonderful drummer.
    Great a pleasure. Highly recommend!

  19. Review by Keegan Ferrell
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    Absolutely LOVED the drum tones Kyle picked out on this one, and love how he gives options so I almost have what I need every single time after I comp.

  20. Review by Keegan Ferrell
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    Kyle's ability to take ideas/direction and dial it in perfectly is remarkable. True elite level ear

Interview with Kyle May

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

  2. A: I love working with Zachariah Witcher on bass. I would also recommend Peter Ferguson for guitar. A few other notable folks on here are Keegan Ferrell for production, Mark Prentice for Bass, Brian Seligman for utility, and Abbie Parker for vocals.

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

  4. A: Folks typically ask how many tracks they'll get. It's around 12-16 tracks. I have a mic or 2 on every drum, 2 pairs of overheads in different configurations as well as room mics and I'll print my drum bus compression so they can use it if they like. I also get asked about turn around time which is typically 1-3 days.

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

  6. A: I have been playing drums and producing for over a decade now. I've toured with Maddie & Tae to Billy Ray Cyrus and have cut on songs for Walker Hays, Clay Walker, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Runaway June, to name a few.

  7. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  8. A: I try to never stop learning. There's alway something new to discover, so I encourage folks to constantly be on the lookout for ways to grow.

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

  10. A: Country, Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Indie

  11. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  12. A: Communication and timeliness. Professionalism for me starts with punctuality.

  13. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  14. A: I currently have a Protools rig with all UAD, Soundtoys, Safari Pedals, Plugin Alliance, Native Instrument Komplete Ultimate and WAVEs plugins. My mics include sE Electronics, Neumann, AKG, AEA, Coles, Shure, Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser and Miktek. I have various Gretsch drum kits and an assortment of snares from Craviotto, Ludwig, Gretsch, Pearl, and more.

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

  16. A: I'm really inspired by drummers like Aaron Sterling, Jerry Roe, Paul Mabury, Nir Z and incredible sound chaser drummers like Dan Mayo and Brody Simpson. My producer inspirations are Busbee, Jay Joyce, and Dann Huff.

  17. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  18. A: Both. Each is extremely valuable.

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

  20. A: That they'll be 100% satisfied. I can back it up too with every review and money back guarantee as well as my flexibility when it comes to revisions

  21. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  22. A: That it's different every day.

  23. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  24. A: I typically ask for references so that I can have a clearer understanding of their background and what they're looking for.

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

  26. A: I've loved everything Sabrina Carpenter has put out. I love the acoustic and electronic elements in her music.

  27. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  28. A: Familiarity. Artists always have an idea of what they're looking for even if they can't describe it and I try to find that reference and make it feel like it's their own.

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

  30. A: I am working on sampling all of my drums. They'll be released in a package for use with Trigger, Native Instruments, Logic and ProTools samplers and many more. I'm really excited because we got to do some of it at The Tracking Room Studio in Nashville that is going to be torn down soon. It's one of the best rooms in town and I'm so grateful to have recorded so many amazing sounds there.

  31. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  32. A: I'm cutting drums on a few projects that I recorded from my home studio and it'll be exciting to hear them on the radio.

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

  34. A: Just be as clear and concise as possible in terms of what you need from me! I'm very flexible and always willing to work until you're happy.

  35. Q: What's your typical work process?

  36. A: I'll typically import the files from the producer and start to map the song out in ProTools. Then I'll look at the temp drum track and have a listen to the references that may have been sent along with the song. After that, I'll begin the kit, snare, and cymbal selection along with any other mic or gear changes that need to be made. I'll typically cut a couple of takes and then send them over for approval. Once everything is finished, I'll print and export files to send the client!

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

  38. A: My most common work is recording drums on songs for clients.

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Terms Of Service

Drums: Almost unlimited revisions. Fast turn around.
Producing: Minimal revisions. Fast turn around.
Mixing: 2 revisions (½ rate per revision after) Fast turn around.

GenresSounds Like
  • Kelsea Ballerini
  • Elevation Worship
  • Morgan Wallen
Gear Highlights
  • Distressor
  • API 3124
  • BAE 1073
  • HA 1081
  • DBX 560
  • Neve 5043 & 5015
  • SSL UVEQ
  • Midas 512
  • API 560
  • WA Bus-Comp
  • Tubesessor
  • Dangerous Audio
  • Focusrite ISA
  • Grace Designs
  • Apollo x16 (x2)
  • Neumann
  • Coles
  • sE Electronics
  • AKG
  • Shure
  • Miktek
  • Telefunken
More Photos
More SamplesDrums
SoundBetter Deal

Please contact for flexible pricing! Willing to work with any budget.