Joshua Hill

Multi-Genre Session Drummer

Joshua Hill on SoundBetter

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

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

  2. 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."

  3. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  4. 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.

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

  6. 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.

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

  8. 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.

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

  10. 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.

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

  12. 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...

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

  14. 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?

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

  16. 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!

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

  18. A: Genelec 8361s, Genelec 7370, UAD Apollo Twin X, Neumann U87, Arturia KeyLab Essential mk3.

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

  20. 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.

  21. Q: How would you describe your style?

  22. 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.

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

  24. 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.

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

  26. 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.

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

  28. A: I typically like to produce electronic music and I like to drum within the rock, pop, and country domains.

  29. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  30. A: Aside from my winning personality and charming smile... I would say my strongest raw skill is my fluid feel on the drums.

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

  32. 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.

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

  34. 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!

  35. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  36. 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.

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

  38. 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.

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

  40. A: The bulk of my work is session drums and mixing both in stereo and atmos.

Terms Of Service

3 Revisions
1-Week turnaround
Comped track upon request at no uncharge
Project file available upon request
Editing/mixing available!

Gear Highlights
  • 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
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