Jonah Summerfield on SoundBetter

Hi-fi Drum Tracking through pro grade mics, preamps and compression. Berklee grad, experienced session & touring musician. Record producer.

I track record-quality drums out of my studio in North Hollywood, CA - allowing Artists and Producers to have live drums on their projects, at a much lower cost than hiring out a fully commercial studio and engineers.

With a wide background in recording drums for Pop/Rock, Soul and Hip Hop projects, as well as mixing and music production - I can tailor my performance and sound to serve the song or project best, and I'm able to offer more edited/'mixed' versions of the raw stems as well.

Producers will either send me stems or a stereo file without drums, plus a guide mp3 or reference tracks if necessary. I track drums at the studio, sending mp3 bounces of my progress to help with the creative process. When the track is in good shape I send WAV files (raw or rendered) for the producer to import into their session.

Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.

Credits

4 Reviews

Endorse Jonah Summerfield

by Brady M.
Verified
Jonah was amazing and was so easy to work with, since I am still new to recording he helped out with everything and made it very easy for me to record him. The drums sounded perfect and he is incredibly talented at what he does, I will definitely be back to record him again! Thanks again Jonah!
by Jaime E.
Man this guy is just my go to for drums. Combine a great room, great gear, a great drum set and a great musician and you can expect your drums to sound amazing. Jonah is an outstanding professional that delivers pristine recordings full of soul at a fraction of the cost.
by Jakob R.
Jonah is one of my favourite drummers and musicians. He is extremely professional and exceptionally tasteful in his choices as a player and producer. I've used him as a drummer on several projects, because I know that he can guarantee excellent sounding recordings from his home studio. More than that, he not only gives me exactly what I ask for, but always provides me with useful ideas of his own.
by fff
Jonah is a killer drummer with a great sound! I regularly have him add drums to my tracks, and I am always pleased with the results. Would highly recommend!

Interview with Jonah Summerfield

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I just finished an EP with a great up and coming singer Jessie Leith Munro that's coming out any day now. I cowrote, produced, played on and mixed it all - so it was exciting to have a much more hands-on role than I've had in the past.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: I like both. I love the sound of analogue preamps and compressors going in - but also enjoy the flexibility and ease of digital processing and editing. I'll usually track with analogue gear, but then edit and mix stuff in the box.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Groove-based, always focusing on sound and feel, and serving the song as best as I can.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: I always try to empathise with someone listening to my project for the first time - and what each of my choices will make the listener feel. Keep it interesting and make aggressive but tasteful choices.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: A wide range of genres, but usually within the realms of contemporary pop/rock/soul/r&b.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is getting the sound and groove right for THE SONG. That's the most important thing.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I'm always thinking about serving the song first. Creating a good groove, an effective build and dynamic throughout the song, and keeping it interesting for the listener, whilst almost always leaning to the simpler, most concise grooves.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I usually record on some combination of 60s Ludwig Drums, depending on the sound we're going for. Mic-wise, I usually go with a stereo OH pair as well as a close-up mono OH (U87 style mic). Close-mic Kick (AKG D112) AND Snare top and bottom (SM57s). The rest of the set up I'll change depending on the project.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Steve Jordan, Questlove, Bernard Purdie, James Gadson, Steve Gadd, Al Jackson Jr, Chris Dave. Prince, Stevie Wonder, D'angelo, Kevin Parker/Tame Impala, Kanye West, Blake Mills, Ariel Reichstad.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I record drums for producers and artists across a wide range of genres - often out of bigger commercial studios, as well as my own home studio. The remote tracking model is great because I have all my gear set up how I know it'll sound great, and I can tweak it from there to get the perfect sound for each song, whilst working flexibly with the needs of each producer and artist.