GREAT SOUND - CREATIVE DRUMS

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

A: 10 years ago I was in the Village Studios of LA for the production of an italian artist. I was the drummer and the artistic producer and I was very proud to be there with that role. It was an amazing experience and it was wonderful to record and producing music in one of the most famous studios in the world and where albums like Breakfast in America was made! So grateful of that

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I,ve just finish a beautiful upcoming library project for a film soundtrack maker Stefano Switala with acoustic and electronic sounds. My project Deelay, experimental music in between on post rock - electronic and prog atmospheres, coming out soon with the second album. The production of the second album the jazz singer Federica Baioni. My blues trio, School Mates Blues. Pop recordings for other artists, I.ve just finished a recording for the Austrian artist August Grabher.

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

A: When I was a child I started singing and taking piano lessons. I always listened a lot of beautiful music, my parents also play piano and guitar and my granparent was a professional classic guitar player. At 13, in 1991 I falled in love for drums. I started emulating the drum lenguage of my drum heroes playing on the records I had, also tacking drum lessons. I started doing live gigs at 15 years old with rock and blues bands. By myself I developed a lot of repertoires of famous rock band as Queen, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Supertramp. Later I wanted tu emulate the songs of Genesis, Police, Sting, Dave Matthews Band, and then a lot of fusion, jazz and pop songs, I was always pushed by great passion and curiousity. Then at 21 i decide to make music my life and to studing professionally in one the best schools of Italy, UM the University of Music. Later I taken private lessons from many famous pop and jazz drummers and tryed to be in all the master class of international drummers as possible. In that period I also discovered the jazz, fusion and experimental music, and I had also firsts jobs in music. I had the opportunity in my career to play many venues in the world, from clubs, to theathres, to auditoriums to big stadiums, and I recorded for many artists in different studios in Italy and abroad, including the Village Studios of Los Angeles. In parallel during the years I started doing drum recordings from my studio. I had a great room sound thanks to my building project, I had also a very carefull way to tune, to play and microphone my drums, but I was scared about audio engeneers judgment, because at the beginning I was with cheaper audio gear. Instead great congratulations arrived from different great audio ingeneers that was working on the project of my clients and they encouraged me investing on recordings, with a lot of suggestions about all microphonse and preamps to buy. Now I'm really happy about all the sounds and my work in recording is significantly increased.

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

A: The music productions and musicians that inspire me are that productions where there is a research of a beatiful and real played sound, or in a precise sylistic direction, or at the opposite, that productions where contamination is the rule, and where you can find vintage sounds, modern sounds, percussions and electronic sounds. I love so much artists as Robert Plant, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Adele, Sting, Lenny Kravitz, Fiona Apple, Jaga Jazzist. But I listen and play also jazz, r&b and progressive rock, and artists as Brad Mehldau, GoGo Penguin and Becca Stevens have influenced me so much.

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

A: Normally clients ask me to put drums on their tracks. Sometime they have a precise idea of what they want, sometime they ask me to give my rhythmic ideas in to the song. I choose the right setup for the song, setting microphones and sounds. Then I play on the song and when I'm satisfied I send and MP3 to the client of a quick mix made by me. If for the the client is ok, after the payment I can sent up to 18 separate tracks in the Sample Rate etabilished. If something must to be reviwed, I let all the instrument, microphones and settings the days after for any changing. For any last minute request anyone can always find a professional top drum kit mounted with top microphones and the sound always set. It's a very fast service and anyone can have real drums from 2 to 5 days.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Solid and refined. Present and sensibile at the music. Creative but always serving the music. Very carefull at the touch, dynamics and at the sound

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Beautiful drums with great feeling and sound with a real research on any detail. Drum tracks on the beat that mostlty don't need to be edited, and my musical taste and my rhythmic ideas, that come from so many influences, wich I'm very proud of.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: The room of my studio is really amazing for the sound of the drums, it maximizes the sound of my instrument! I have the privilege to be endorser of Ludwig, Paiste, Remo and Vic Firth and I have all top Ludwig drums, a modern one with 24"bass drum, a vintage one with 22" Bass drum, a Club Date with 20". Supraphonic (1966), Black Beauty, Classic Maple and other snare drums, a big collection of different Remo drumheads. Great collection of Paiste Cymbals, 2002Black Big Beat and Giant Beat for a 70 vintage rock sound, Masters and Dark Energy for a more complex and misterious and jazz sound, PSTX for experimental, and electronic sound. Many percussions and Roland Electronics, V Drums for espressive electronic drums or midi drums, TM-2 Sampler with triggers and pads for hybrid drumming . LUDWIG DRUMS: Snare Drums: - LUDWIG BLACK BEAUTY Hand Hammered Brass 14"x6,5" - LUDWIG SUPRAPHONIC Vintage of 1968 14"x5" - LUDWIG CLASSIC MAPLE 14”x8” Vintage White Marine Pearl finish - Custom hand made Maple Piccolo 10”x5” - LP Micro Snare 8” - LP Micro Snare 6” Drumkits: - LUDWIG CLASSIC MAPLE - Vintage White Marine Pearl finish: Bass drum 24"x14”, Tom tom 10”x7,5”, 12"x8", Floor toms 15"x14" & 18"x16" - LUDWIG BIG BEAT Vintage of 1977 - Black Oyster Pearl finish: Bass drum 22”x14”, Tom tom 12”x8”, 13”x9”, Floor tom 16”x16” - LUDWIG CLUB DATE Downbeat - Ruby Strata Finish: Bass drum 20”x14”, Tom tom 12”x8”, Floor tom 14”x14” PAISTE CYMBALS: MASTERS: Dark Crisp Ride 22” Dark Crash - Ride 20” Dark Crash 18” 2002 BLACK BIG BEAT: Ride 24” Crash19” GIANT BEAT: Hi Hat 15” SIGNATURE DARK ENERGY: Hi Hat Mark One14” 2002: Cup Chime 6" Cup Chime 8" PSTX: Hi Hat 16” Crash 18” Splash 10” PST5: Mini China 14” ALPHA: Swish Crash Thin 18" VIC FIRTH DRUMSTICKS: SD10 Swinger, Wire Brush, Rute, Rute505, Rute606, Steve Smith Tala Wand Slats [TW4], Dreadlocks, Fleece - Covered Felt Bass Drum Beater REMO DRUMHEADS: Ambassador Coated, Colorotone Smoke, Ambassador Clear, Diplomat Coated, Powertroke3, Vintage Ambassador, CS Clear, Powestroke77, Black X, Felt Tone, Fiberskine Diplomat WAMBOOKA DAMPERS: Performer Pads Kick Damper ROLAND ELECTRONICS: V - Drum: TD9-KX HYBRID KIT: TM - 2 Trigger Module & Sampler RT - 30HR Dual Trigger for Snare Drum, RT - 30K Kick drum Trigger, BT - 1 (x 2) Trigger Pads PERCUSSIONS: Cajon Schlagwerk & various cajon accessories - Bongos - Djambè - Darbouka - Pandeiros - Tambourines - Finger Cymbals - Rain Tree - Cowbells - Woodblocks - Shackers and many other effects. MICROPHONES NEUMANN KM184 (x 2) AKG 214 (x 2) AKG C 451 B SHURE SM57 (x 4) SHURE Super55 - Special Edition SHURE BETA 52 SENNHEISER MD 421 (x 4) SENNHEISER e901 SALOMON SUBCKICK RODE NT-1 Large diafram condenser SAMSON SADK7 7KIT 7 pieces drum set mics Antelope GOLIATH audio interface and Class A preamps

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Versatility