I am an experienced studio and touring drummer, producer, engineer, and Berklee grad. I love working with people to make their musical dreams a reality, and I will work my best to elevate your track to the next level!
Hello! I am Joshua, a 25 year old drummer, producer, and engineer! I specialize in the pop, rock, and country domains, but have experience with a vast range of genres. I have been drumming my whole life, but honed my skills during my undergrad under the tutelage of 7x Grammy winning drummer, Paul Wertico. I furthered my education with a masters degree from Berklee College of Music in music production, technology, and innovation, giving me a very versatile skillset both behind the drums and the recording console.
My experience ranges from country, to rock, jazz, and even salsa. With my diverse background, I can lend a unique take on any track and offer various avenues that you may not have thought of! I work out of my Milwaukee based studio with a room dedicated to drum recording.
Send me a note through the contact button above.
Interview with Joshua Hill
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm currently working on producing/mixing an acapella project! It's been a fun challenge to learn and adapt new mixing techniques to a vocal only setting. Additionally, I'm working on an EP with an up and coming Milwaukee based country artists called "Maddie Jo."
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: There is a time and place for both. My recording philosophy tends to be enter the DAW clean and add more color later. It's easier to add than to take away.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I will work as hard as possible to achieve the sound and music you hear in your head. No matter how far out of my comfort zone I may be, I promise to deliver my best effort to make your "dream" come true, as well as make the process as fun and stress free as possible.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love the collaborative spirit of it. It's always a privilege when someone entrusts me with their music, and I always love the special moments when people exchange ideas that neither would have thought of before on their own. It's a really great human moment every time and reminds me what music is all about.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: How fast can you get this done? As fast as it takes... I'm no stranger to deadlines and pressure, and if you are under a legitimate time crunch then we'll make it work. However, impatience is the enemy of quality and creativity. I will usually give you a slightly inflated timeline and deliver well before the "deadline" I set.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: There's a lot of "unsexy" work that goes into any project. Many people say "you get to do music all day I'm jealous!" However, what they don't know is I spent half the day listening through and renaming improperly named stems...
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What do you listen to in your free time? Is it different than the music you make? How does the music you listen to influence the music you make?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Don't be afraid to reach out and learn more about the person you're going to hire. Music is a very personal and sometimes vulnerable endeavor - don't go into business with someone you don't really gel with or like all that much. Sometimes communication styles just don't match either, and that's ok!
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Genelec 8361s, Genelec 7370, UAD Apollo Twin X, Neumann U87, Arturia KeyLab Essential mk3.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started playing drums around the age of 4. As I got older, I realized I had an enhanced natural skill set for it, so I decided to go to college for it. I attended the Chicago College of Performing Arts and studied jazz & contemporary drum set performance under 7x grammy winning drummer, Paul Wertico. By the end of my time in undergrad, I had become increasingly interested in the recording and producing side of music and decided to pursue it further. I earned a masters degree in music production, technology, and innovation from Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain. After school, I returned to Milwaukee and opened a music and recording studio. I have been gigging and recording out of Milwaukee since 2022.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: As a player, I'm very versatile, but I would say my style is "flow." I like the use of a lot of inverted paradiddles as it allows me to flow around my kit very naturally. As a producer, I'm not afraid to say I'm still finding and defining my style. I love to experiment while staying true to the clients vision for their track.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Matt Bellamy from MUSE. I absolutely love the influence of classical chord progressions creating atypical and asymmetrical song forms. I think it creates such an interesting and intriguing product to listen to. I also love his lyric style as well as the "story" type albums.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: If it sounds good to you, it probably is! Trusting your gut in the moment and returning later with a critical ear is the fastest way to level up your production.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I typically like to produce electronic music and I like to drum within the rock, pop, and country domains.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Aside from my winning personality and charming smile... I would say my strongest raw skill is my fluid feel on the drums.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I have a vast background in many different kinds of music. I marched drum corps in high school which has given me an advanced knowledge of rudiments and technique. I studied jazz and played in salsa bands all throughout my undergrad, and my post-grad focused on modern music. With this background, I can provide the sound you are looking for, as well as give a unique spin that you may not have known you needed.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: For drumming, I'll typically ask the client what they're looking for. If you don't know, that's ok! I'll send over 2-3 different rough takes with different ideas. The client then chooses the style they like the most, and I'll then record the final take. I will usually provide a comped take and can do editing upon request. Mixing will generally start with a conversation with the client and listening through reference mixes provided by the client. My mix process usually takes 2-4 days, with editing being the first day (if needed), the main mix the next day, and automation on the third day. I will then take revision notes from the client and fine tune the mix to their liking!
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: The highlight of my studio is a full 7.1.4 Genelec Dolby Atmos monitoring system. Everything is run through a UAD Apollo x16 via DB25. My live room is connected to 16 channels of Neve 1073s into Pro Tools. My mic locker includes 4 Sennheiser MD421s, 2 AKG C414XLIIs, 2 SM57s, Warm Audio WA-87, Warm Audio WA-47jr, 2 sE Electronics sE7s, and a Sennheiser e602-II.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I love the way Charlie Puth's brain works. Obviously he has perfect pitch, but the way he is able to craft a song in his head and then execute it in the DAW is amazing. It reminds me to sometimes think of the DAW as an instrument rather than a tool. I find this injects more inspiration into my process.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: The bulk of my work is session drums and mixing both in stereo and atmos.
- Live drum trackAverage price - $100 per song
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $100 per song
- Dolby Atmos & Immersive AudioAverage price - $150 per song
- Full instrumental productionContact for pricing
- Post EditingContact for pricing
- Post MixingContact for pricing
- Vocal TuningAverage price - $40 per track
3 Revisions
1-Week turnaround
Comped track upon request at no uncharge
Project file available upon request
Editing/mixing available!
- Genelec 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos Monitoring system
- Universal Audio X16 interface and conversion
- Neve 1073 preamps
- Mapex Saturn V Drum Set
- Collection of versatile and profession Mics
Deals for multiple songs!