Session Drummer, Mixer

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

A: Recently I recorded and produced a very interesting album in my studio. It's a mostly solo saxophone meditative music. No drums included.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I just finished working on a session on Soundbetter. It was vintage Beatles sounding like track. I had great time playing and setting up the drums so they sounded proper for the era.

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

A: Me.. and of course beside that, there is dozen of incredible musicians here, not only drummers. The will surely make your song sound great.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Currently I work digital. I would love to invest in more analog gear as I believe from my experience in different studios that it makes a difference. Hopefully Soundbetter will help me achieve that. :)

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

A: The best sounding drum tones and the music performance that will elevate the song to another level.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like that I can geek out about achieving specific tones in my studio. It's a never ending journey of learning new things.

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

A: - Could it be played in a style of <drummer name>? - Yes :)

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

A: That I have a fixed setup. I always choose different drums and different mic setups for every song.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What would they like to achieve, how they want me to play, what are their reference tracks.

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

A: Tell me everything you want to achieve with as much details as possible so I can fit your song as you desire.

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

A: If we talk only mics, Coles 4038, AKG D20, Lauten Audio Snare Mic, pair of Lauten Audio LA-320

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

A: Before I started playing any instrument I was a contemporary dancer so I can say I know which type of sounds make people move. I started playing drums 15 years ago. I finished National Music School in my home city Konin where I come from. After that I finished Music Academy in Poznań with M.A. degree in jazz and stage music. During my time at university I started being interested in recording engineering and music production so I decided to finish postgraduate recording school. Then I came back to my home city where I run my own studio which is located in a forest so it's definitely charming and inspiring to work in. My dance roots are still with me. I compose and produce music to Konin Dance Theatre, sometimes even play drums on stage with dancers.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I would describe myself as a chameleon. I am comfortable in a lot of music genres, I truly love all the music. I am able to set up a drum set and play it the way that will perfectly fit the style of any given song.

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

A: It's hard to give just one answer here! I spend a lot of my teenage years playing Foo Fighters albums from top to bottom, so it could definitely be my choice. My all time favorite band is the 1975 and I would love to contribute in a project in this style. In case of singer-songwriter stuff my dream collaboration would be Ben Howard or Paolo Nutini.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Top to Bottom thinking! The song as a whole need to sound good, not soloed snare drum!

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

A: Usually I work on rock, pop, singer-songwriter songs. These are the genres I feel the most comfortable in and have the most experience.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is finding the right tones for the song. In 90% situations it's way more important than circus, karate drumming. I take proper amount of time to choose correct drums and tune them properly. After that I set up the mics in a way that fits the song the most.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring whatever is needed! Beside having a lot of experience I listened to a lot of music in my free time. I bring the sound, feel and groove! Everything that is needed to serve the song well.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: After listening to a song and reference tracks I start building the kit. I set up, tune the drum set and choose cymbals so whole kit sounds proper for the song. After that I set up the mics. Every session is different. Every time I use different techniques and mics so the sound is as close as possible to the final product.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work fully in the box right now, but would like to invest in analog gear and will definitely in the close future. My main interface is Focusrite Clarett 8PREX and RME Octamic as an ADAT extension. The mics I proudly use are: AKG D12 VR Heinrich Concept Subkick 2x Shure SM57 3x Sennheiser MD421 Shure SM7B 2x Oktava MK-012 2x AKG C214 Warm Audio WA47 jr 2x t.bone RB 500 Ribbon Microphones 2x Lauten Audio LA-120 2x Lauten Audio LA-320 Lauten Audio Snare Mic and bunch of noname cheap mics I use as flavor and nonsense mics. In case of instruments I have multiple drum sets and snare drums allowing me to achieve any sound that song needs. Beside that I have a bunch of percussions including shakers tambourines etc..

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

A: The drum session players that inspire me are: Dan Bailey, Aaron Sterling, Paul Mabury, Ash Soan.

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

A: The most common work I do are remote drum session. Beside that I do mixing and mastering.