Cal Johnson on SoundBetter

UK Studio Drummer with a versatile palette of sounds and experience in various genres. Drum recordings featured at the height of UK broadcast including BBC Radio 1, ITV1, BBC TV and more.

Every recording session starts with the same philosophy; play what the music needs. This encapsulates my thought process throughout the entirety of the project, prioritising the artists vision and helping to bring out the best in the song by writing and recording parts to suit. I offer multiple takes with varied approaches so to give creative choice and add my own ideas to the mix.

My remote drum sessions have been used for various applications, from pop artists to sync music for television and everything in between. I pride myself on my ability to recognise what a project needs, vary my playing style, equipment choices, and microphone selection/setup, bespoke for the project.

Let's bring your studio drumming vision to life.

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

Credits

Languages

English

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Interview with Cal Johnson

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I recorded drums for some backing tracks for The Masked Singer UK. It is always surreal to hear your recordings live on top flight television.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Future hits.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Morten Jepson. A brilliant EDM producer from Denmark.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both. They both have their pros and cons.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: That we will bring your vision to life.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: The variation.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Q: What is your idea for the drum part? A: Play what the music needs and feel it. The best drum part comes natural.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: How many moving parts are in a drum recording.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What is your vision for the song and do you have any reference songs you would like it to sound like,
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Ask as many questions as you like, and be descriptive in what you're looking for.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: MacBook Pro (with solar powered charger) Midi Keys UAD Apollo Shure SM57 Drum Kit
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: Music University, straight onto stages and into studios. 10 years
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Versatile, with a strong emphasis on groove, feel and tone.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: John Mayer. Top groove in the biggest and best venues.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Export your files properly!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Recognising what a song needs to be its best, bringing the artists vision to life.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Carefully curated drum parts bespoke to the song with an emphasis of playing what the music needs.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Have an initial chat to determine the artists vision for the song and any specific ideas for the drum part, working together to shape how to drums are going to sound. After this I will set about creating the right sound for the project, choosing the correct equipment and adjusting the room, drums, tuning, etc to fit. Finally I will record the part and send over a minimum of 3 takes with varying ideas. Any revisions can be made from here.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Fully acoustically treated studio with movable gobos to create a range of room sounds, a larger sounding room room for cinematic big reverb songs, or a smaller sounding room for dry pop drums.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Ash Soan, Jack Antonoff, Fraser T Smith and Steve Jordan
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Remote drum recording from my home studio

Pop Song Example

I was the Studio Drummer in this production

Live drum trackAverage price - $70 per song
PercussionContact for pricing

Recording days are Thursday-Sunday with tracks delivered within 1-2 days of this time period. Unlimited revisions (within reason). Minimum of 3 sets of multi-tracks delivered per song.