WHY WE’RE HERE?

‣ DRUMS ARE THE FOUNDATION OF

EVERYTHING— IF THE DRUM SOUND SUCKS,
THEN EVERYTHING SUCKS
‣ DRUMS ARE ALSO ONE OF THE HARDEST,
MOST COMPLICATED THINGS TO RECORD
 WHO AM I AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE?

‣ PLAYED IN A BAND CALLED DAATH

‣ SIGNED TO ROADRUNNER & CENTURY MEDIA
‣ PLAYED OVER 1000 SHOWS ALL OVER THE
WORLD, MADE VIDEOS THAT GOT PLAYED ON
MTV, ETC.
‣ RECORDED WITH PRODUCERS LIKE ANDY
SNEAP & COLIN RICHARDSON
 WHO AM I AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE?

‣ THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER

‣ WHITECHAPEL
‣ DEVILDRIVER
‣ AUGUST BURNS RED
 WHO AM I AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE?

‣ SEAN REINERT - JUST TO NAME A FEW…

‣ CYNIC
‣ DEATH - HUMAN (1991)
‣ LEVI/WERSTLER
‣ GORDIAN KNOT
 DAY 1 - REAL DRUMS

‣ EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT

CHOOSING, MICING AND TRACKING
ACOUSTIC DRUMS
‣ PLAY CLIP
 DAY 2- VIRTUAL DRUMS

‣ HOW TO GET ALBUM QUALITY, PROFESSIONAL

TRACKS USING TOONTRACK’S SUPERIOR
DRUMMER
‣ PLAY CLIP
 DAY 3- MIXING & EDITING

‣ HOW TO TAKE YOUR TRACKS FROM A TO A+

‣ MIXING
‣ EDITING
‣ SAMPLE REINFORCEMENT/REPLACEMENT
‣ PLAY CLIP
THE TONE PIE
 QUESTION:
WHAT’S THE MOST 

IMPORTANT PART OF GETTING
A GREAT DRUM SOUND?
 Player Mix/Post

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Preamp Head/Tuning

Mics Sticks

THE TONE PIE

 THE TONE PIE

‣ THE BIG TAKEAWAY: EVERYTHING MATTERS!

‣ AS ALAN DOUCHES SAYS, EVERY RECORDING IS “AN
ACCUMULATION OF SUBTLETIES”
‣ USE THE TONE PIE AS YOUR STARTING POINT FOR
EVERYTHING YOU DO— GETTING TONES, PROBLEM-
SOLVING, ETC.
‣ WE’LL BE REFERRING TO THE TONE PIE A LOT, SO
KEEP IT IN MIND
PROCESS OVERVIEW
 DRUM TRACKING PROCESS

1. GET THE LAY OF THE LAND

2. ASSEMBLE YOUR GEAR
3. GET ROUGH TONES
4. FINE TUNE IT
5. TRACK IT!
 HOW LONG IT TAKES AT AUDIO HAMMER

1 2 3 4

DRUM & CYMBAL

MIC THE KIT! TWEAK THE KIT RECORD
SELECTION

1/2 Day! 2 Hours - 1/2 Day 1/2 day - 4 days! Days to Weeks

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER “EVERBLACK”

2 DAYS TO GET TONES, 5 DAYS TO TRACK
!
DEVILDRIVER “WINTER KILLS”
3 1/2 DAYS TO GET TONES, 7 DAYS TO TRACK
!
WHITECHAPEL - 2014 ALBUM
3 DAYS TO GET TONES, 5 DAYS TO TRACK
 PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

‣ WE’RE CRAMMING 5-10 DAYS OF WORK 


INTO 3 DAYS
‣ WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET PERFECT
TONES IN 1 DAY, BUT WE WILL SHOW YOU
THE *PROCESS* TO GET PERFECT TONES
‣ WE’RE NOT MAKING AN ALBUM, WE’RE
SHOWING YOU *HOW* TO MAKE AN ALBUM
 1.
GET THE LAY 

OF THE LAND
 GET THE LAY OF THE LAND

‣ TALK TO THE BAND

‣ “THE BOSS”
‣ THE DRUMMER
‣ FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY WANT
‣ WHAT SOUND DO YOU WANT?
‣ WHAT DO YOU NEED IN ORDER TO GET THAT SOUND?
‣ WHAT ARE YOU WORKING WITH?
‣ WHO IS THE DRUMMER? HOW AND WHAT DO THEY PLAY?
‣ WHAT’S PROGRAM MATERIAL
 EXAMPLES

‣ SHANNON LUCAS (BATTLECROSS, BLACK DAHLIA

MURDER)
‣ INCREDIBLY CONSISTENT AND TIGHT; MEDIUM-
HARD HITTER. AMAZING FEEL.
‣ LITTLE EDITING REQUIRED; LEVELS WILL BE LOWER.
‣ MARK CASTILLO (DEVILDRIVER)
‣ INCREDIBLY TIGHT. HITS ABSURDLY HARD.
‣ LITERALLY BEATS THE GEAR TO PIECES.
 GET THE LAY OF THE LAND

‣ A FEW BIG DECISIONS TO MAKE

‣ BAND’S DRUMMER OR SESSION DRUMMER?
‣ ACOUSTIC OR VIRTUAL DRUMS?
‣ KICKS OR PADS?
 TRIGGERS & KICK PAD

‣ TRIGGER ARE NOT CHEATING!

‣ KICK PADS CAN REPLACE THE PHYSICAL
KICK DRUM.
‣ KNOW WHEN AND WHY TO USE TRIGGERS
OVER REAL DRUMS.
 KICK PAD PROS AND CONS

‣ PROS
‣ DRUMMER DOESN’T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING
THE KICKS RIGHT
‣ NO KICK BLEED
‣ EASIER TO EDIT
‣ CONS
‣ FEEL CAN THROW OFF SOME DRUMMERS
‣ NO KICK BLEED
 QUESTION:
WHO’S YOUR 

FAVORITE DRUMMER? 

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE
CHALLENGES WOULD BE 

WHEN RECORDING THEM?
 KEY
get rough tones TAKEAWAYS

‣ THIS IS WHERE YOU MAKE ALL YOUR BIG,

UP-FRONT DECISIONS— EG, ARE YOU GOING
TO RECORD THE DRUMMER AT ALL?
‣ MAKE SURE YOU THINK THIS STUFF
THROUGH NOW, BECAUSE CHANGING YOUR
MIND ABOUT IT DOWN THE ROAD CAN BE A
BIG PAIN IN THE ASS
Q&A
 2.
ASSEMBLE YOUR GEAR
 ASSEMBLE YOUR GEAR

‣ SOURCE THE GEAR

‣ “SOURCE” = BEG, BORROW, STEAL (OR
RENT)
‣ DRUMS, MICS
‣ ROOM
 CHOOSING DRUMS

‣ IT’S OK TO MIX AND MATCH— IN FACT, 


YOU ALMOST ALWAYS WILL
‣ DON’T MAKE IT PERSONAL: 

JUST PICK WHAT SOUNDS GOOD
 SET UP THE KIT

‣ HAVE THE DRUMMER SETUP HIS OWN KIT

FIRST.
‣ HAVE HIM PLAY - LISTEN TO WHAT’S GOING
ON.
‣ TWEAK IF NECESSARY.
 SET UP THE KIT

‣ YOU’RE ALSO A PSYCHOLOGIST.

‣ IT’S YOUR JOB TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS
BETWEEN THE DRUMMER’S WANTS AND
WHAT THE RECORD NEEDS.
 Player Mix/Post

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Hoops Shell Size
Preamp Head/Tuning

Mics Sticks
Bearing Edges Shell Thickness

Shell Interior Shell Depth

Shell Material

THE INDIVIDUAL DRUM TONE PIE

 SEAN’S KIT

‣ SEAN EXPLAINS WHY HIS KIT IS SET UP THE

WAY IT IS
 DRUM TUNING

#1 RULE OF TUNING DRUMS:

!

ALWAYS TUNE THE DRUMS SO THEY

SOUND LIKE PIECES OF THE SAME SET.
!

A ringy snare, boomy kick & short, thuddy toms 


sounds dumb (except when it doesn’t…)
 HEADS

‣ NEW HEADS ARE A *MUST*

‣ USE THINNER HEADS - THEY WEAR OUT
QUICKER BUT SOUND BETTER.
‣ IDEALLY CHANGE EVERY 2 SONGS
‣ WHAT YOU USE LIVE MAY NOT WORK IN THE
STUDIO— BE OPEN TO CHANGE
 OK! SO LET’S
HEADS
TALK SPECIFICS

‣ FOR EACH PIECE OF THE KIT, WE’LL EXPLAIN:

‣ (LAYMAN’S) PHYSICS OF HOW IT MAKES
SOUND
‣ GUIDELINES FOR TUNING IT
 PITCH THE “NOTE”

RESONANCE HOW LONG IT

RINGS OUT
TOP VS BOTTOM DRUM HEADS
 SNARES: BASIC TUNING

‣ TUNE THE HEADS HIGHER OR USE THINNER

HEADS FOR MORE RING.
‣ TUNE THE HEADS LOWER OR USE A THICKER
HEADER FOR LESS RING.
‣ IF YOU LIKE THE PITCH, BUT IT RINGS TOO
MUCH APPLE A MOON GEL.
 SNARES: FOR LESS BUZZING

‣ LOOSEN THE BOTTOM HEAD.

‣ RU-TUNE THE TOMS.
‣ MAKE SURE THE SNARES THEMSELVES ARE
FLAT.
‣ CHANGE OUT TO SMALLER SNARES.
‣ NEW DRUMS
 TOMS: BASIC TUNING

‣ LOOK FOR DENTS IN THE TOP HEAD.

‣ FOR LESS RING, RAISE THE BOTTOM HEAD.
‣ FOR MORE RING, LOWER THE BOTTOM
HEAD.
‣ CHECK EVENNESS BETWEEN HEADS.
 BASS DRUM: BASIC TUNING

‣ FOR MORE ATTACK, REMOVE DAMPENING.

‣ IF THE DRUMMER INSISTS ON USING THE KICK,
ADD LOTS OF DAMPENING.
‣ FOR A HUGE SOUND, TUNE IT JUST ABOVE THE
POINT OF WRINKLES.
‣ CHANGE THE HEADS TO ONE WITH BIGGER OR
SMALLER CUT OUTS.
 CYMBALS: TUNING (YES, CYMBAL TUNING)

‣ HEAVY CYMBALS ARE FOR LIVE USE - 


THEY SOUND LIKE GONGS IN THE STUDIO.
‣ GO WITH LIGHTER CYMBALS IN GENERAL.
‣ IF USING HEAVIER, MAKE SURE THEY ARE
LIGHTER IN VOLUME.
 CYMBALS: TUNING (YES, CYMBAL TUNING)

‣ CHECK FOR CRACKS

‣ DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN OR LOOSEN THE
CYMBAL - SHOULDN’T BE STIFF BUT NOT
SWINGING OR ROTATING
‣ DEMO RIGHT/WRONG TIGHTNESS
‣ EXPERIMENT
 THIS IS
get rough tones YOUR TOOLKIT!

‣ THIS ISN’T JUST NERD TALK OR PREP FOR

THE REAL THING— THIS IS YOUR TOOLKIT
FOR GETTING DRUM TONES
‣ NO MATTER WHAT YOUR BUDGET IS, YOUR
TOOLKIT IS THE SAME— IT JUST HAS MORE
EXPENSIVE STUFF IN IT
 MAKE
get rough tones AN INPUT LIST

‣ PUT SIMPLY, AN INPUT LIST IS A MAP OF

YOUR SESSION, SO YOU DON’T FORGET
STUFF
‣ MICS -> PREAMPS -> OUTBOARD GEAR ->
INTERFACE -> COMPUTER
 DEMO:
WALKTHROUGH

OF OUR INPUT LIST
 DEMO:
WALKTHROUGH

KICK PAD SETUP
 KICK PAD SETUP

KICK 
 DI

DAW
PAD BOX

TRIGGER
BRAIN
 KEY
get rough tones TAKEAWAYS

‣ DON’T GET PERSONAL— USE WHAT SOUNDS

GOOD, NOT WHAT YOU *WISH* SOUNDED
GOOD
‣ GET THE DRUMS SOUNDING GREAT
ACOUSTICALLY BEFORE YOU EVEN THINK
ABOUT MICING THEM UP
 3.
GET ROUGH TONES
 STARTING A SESSION

‣ SESSION NEEDS TO BE APPLICABLE FOR THE

ENTIRE ALBUM— THINK AHEAD AND MAKE
SURE YOU’VE GOT ALL BASES COVERED
‣ CLICK, SCRATCH, TALKBACK, ETC
‣ ANY ONE-TIME-USE PIECES OR EFFECTS
‣ BONUS CONTENT: THIS DRUM SESSION!
 LINE CHECK

‣ GOAL: CONFIRM THAT EVERYTHING IS

PHYSICALLY CONNECTED AND MAKING
SOUND
‣ FIRST, *TURN DOWN THE INPUTS*!
‣ TAP THE MICS
‣ WHY TAP THE MICS, NOT THE DRUMS?
 GUIDELINES
get rough tones

‣ MAKE SURE THE DRUMMER IS PLAYING AS

HE WILL ON THE ACTUAL RECORDING (EG,
NOT PLAYING AT 75%)
‣ GET A VARIETY OF STUFF— FAST, SLOW,
FILLS, GHOST NOTES, ETC
 DEMO:
RECORD 

ROUGH TONES
Q&A
LUNCH
 4.
FINE-TUNE IT
 FINE TUNE IT

‣ WE’VE GOT OUR FIRST TONES— NOW WHAT?

‣ ADJUST EVERYTHING WE JUST TALKED
ABOUT UNTIL WE LIKE IT!
‣ IT CAN BE PAINSTAKING— AGAIN, WE OFTEN
SPEND 2-3 DAYS ON THIS AT AUDIOHAMMER
‣ THIS IS THE HEART OF THE DRUM
PRODUCTION PROCESS
 FINE TUNE IT

‣ THERE’S NO REAL FORMULA FOR THIS

‣ LISTEN FOR WHAT YOU DON’T LIKE, AND
MAKE ADJUSTMENTS UNTIL YOU LIKE
EVERYTHING!
‣ GO BACK TO THE TONE PIE!
 Player Mix/Post

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Mics Sticks

THE TONE PIE

 BUT FIRST, A WORD ABOUT PHASE

‣ WHAT IS PHASE?
‣ HOW TO SPOT PHASE ISSUES
‣ COMMON CAUSES OF PHASE ISSUES
‣ HOW TO FIX THEM
THIS PART IS BORING 

BUT PAY ATTENTION!!!
!

IT’S REALLY REALLY 


IMPORTANT
 BUT FIRST, A WORD ABOUT PHASE

‣ WHAT IS PHASE CANCELLATION?

‣ BASICALLY, ONE MIC IS PULLING AWAY
FROM ANOTHER.
GOOD

:) = IN PHASE

BAD

:( = OUT OF PHASE
 DEMO:
IN/OUT OF PHASE
 WHEN TO FLIP PHASE

‣ ALWAYS
‣ MICS UNDER ANY DRUM OR CYMBAL
‣ SOMETIMES
‣ ROOM MICS
‣ RARELY
‣ OVERHEADS
‣ EASIER TO SIMPLY ADJUST THE MIC POSITION
 PHASE PROCESS

‣ MEASURE MIC DISTANCE

‣ USE THE 3:1 RULE AS A STARTING POINT
‣ KEEP MICS THE SAME DISTANCE FROM THE
SOURCE.
‣ CHECK YOUR OVERHEADS
‣ MOVE MICS AS NEEDED - COULD BE A TINY
ADJUSTMENT
 PHASE PROCESS

‣ CHECK BIG PICTURE MICS AGAINST CLOSE

MICS
‣ START BY BRINGING IN SNARE, THEN
EVERYTHING ELSE
‣ CHECK CLOSE MICS AGAINST EACH OTHER
(AS NEEDED)
‣ EG KICK AND SNARE
 HOW TO SPOT PHASE ISSUES

‣ THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY OUT OF PHASE— 


BUT SOMETIMES IT’S NOT IMMEDIATELY
OBVIOUS. HERE’S HOW TO SPOT IT:
‣ COLLAPSE TO MONO
‣ DOES IT SOUND BIGGER OR SMALLER?
 DEMO: 


CHECK PHASE ON WHAT 


WE JUST RECORDED
 NOW YOU CAN START TWEAKING!

‣ YOU CAN’T START FINE-TUNING UNTIL

YOU’VE ELIMINATED ANY PHASE ISSUES
‣ WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, LET’S GET
STARTED!
 DEMO: 


PLAYBACK
ROUGH TONES
 FINE TUNING

WHAT DID YOU HEAR?

HOW WOULD YOU 

CHANGE/IMPROVE IT?


*ANSWERS MUST BE IN THE FORM OF THE TONE PIE
 DEMO: 


FINE-TUNING 

OUR TONES
 REMINDER:

‣ OUR TONES PROBABLY AREN’T PERFECT—

REMEMBER, WE’RE SHOWING YOU THE
*PROCESS*
‣ IN THE REAL WORLD, WE COULD SPEND
ANOTHER 2-3 DAYS ON THIS
 FINE-TUNING: KEY TAKEAWAYS

‣ THE TONE PIE IS YOUR TOOLKIT. MAKE VERY CLOSE

FRIENDS WITH IT <3
‣ IT CAN BE VERY TIME-CONSUMING AND PAINSTAKING,
BUT IT’S BETTER THAN DOING IT IN POST
‣ CHECK PHASE!
‣ TAKE BREAKS. EAR FATIGUE IS BAD NEWS BEARS AND
VERY REAL.
‣ NO CUTTING CORNERS!!
Q&A
 5.
TRACK IT!
 GENERAL GUIDELINES

‣ DON’T BE IN A RUSH TO START TRACKING—

IT’S POINTLESS IF YOU DON’T HAVE YOUR
TONES RIGHT
‣ MY PERSONAL OPINION OF HOW A DRUM
SESSION SHOULD BE STRUCTURED:
‣ 75% TONES
‣ 25% TRACKING
 GENERAL GUIDELINES

‣ FIRST QUESTION: DOES THE DRUMMER

NEED TO BE COACHED?
‣ IF NOT, THEN GET OUT OF THE WAY AND LET
THEM DO THEIR THING (AND COUNT YOUR
BLESSINGS!)
‣ IF SO, HERE’S SOME TIPS:
 COACHING THE DRUMMER

‣ HAVE THE DRUMMER WARM UP

‣ THEY SHOULD FEEL LIKE THEY ARE 3-4
SONGS INTO A SHOW.
‣ LOOP THE SONG TO BE RECORDED.
‣ 1 HOUR OF WARM UP = 15-20 MIN.
RECORDING.
‣ THIS WILL TELL YOU IF VIRTUAL DRUMS ARE
NEEDED.
 SETTING UP A HEADPHONE MIX

‣ THE MIX YOU GIVE THE DRUMMER WILL

AFFECT THEIR PERFORMANCE
‣ EG TOO QUIET? THEY MIGHT PLAY TOO
SOFT
‣ RIGHT BALANCE OF CLICK, SONG, AND KIT
‣ HEADPHONE AMP VS. HEAR BACK UNIT
 DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO TRACKING

‣ TWO BASIC APPROACHES

‣ WHOLE SONG AT ONCE
‣ RIFF-BY-RIFF
 WHOLE SONG AT ONCE

‣ PROS
‣ FASTER
‣ MORE “MUSICAL” — FEWER STOPS AND STARTS
‣ EFFICIENCY— LESS FILES TO KEEP TRACK OF
‣ CONS
‣ IT’S HARDER— REQUIRES A SOLID DRUMMER
WHO CAN PLAY
‣ POTENTIALLY LESS FOCUS ON INDIVIDUAL PARTS
 RIFF-BY-RIFF

‣ PROS
‣ LESS OPTIONS— ONE MASTER TAKE
‣ CONS
‣ TAKES LONGER
‣ TOUGHER TO MAINTAIN CONSISTENCY:
TUNING, VELOCITY, OVERALL FEEL
 DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO TRACKING

‣ WHICH IS RIGHT? DEPENDS ON THE

DRUMMER, YOUR WORKFLOW, ETC
‣ UNLESS YOU KNOW THE DRUMMER, YOU
WON’T KNOW WHICH IS RIGHT UNTIL YOU
START TRACKING.
‣ IT’S YOUR JOB TO FEEL OUT THE SESSION
AND MAKE THE CALL.
 DEMO: 


3 TAKES WITH SEAN!

 PUNCHING IN

‣ PUNCH IN ON A DOWNBEAT (ON A HIT), NOT WHEN

SOMETHING IS RINGING OUT
‣ START 4-8 MEASURES BEHIND
‣ CYMBALS CAN BE TRICKY: USE THE SAME CYMBALS HIT
WITH SAME INTENSITY
‣ DON’T CHANGE PARTS WHEN PUNCHING. PLAY THE
SAME THING
‣ PRO TOOLS USERS: ALWAYS BE IN QUICK PUNCH MODE
 DEMO: 


PUNCHING IN
KEY TAKEAWAYS
FROM DAY 1
 Player Mix/Post

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Mics Sticks

TATTOO THE TONE PIE INTO YOUR BRAIN!!!

THIS IS YOUR PLAYBOOK FOR EVERYTHING.
 DRUM TRACKING PROCESS

1. GET THE LAY OF THE LAND

2. ASSEMBLE YOUR GEAR
3. GET ROUGH TONES
4. FINE TUNE IT
5. TRACK IT!
 KEY TAKEAWAYS: DAY 1

‣ GET IT RIGHT AT THE SOURCE: TECHNOLOGY

IS A TOOL, NOT A CRUTCH
‣ MY BEST-SOUNDING RECORDS ARE (USUALLY)
THE ONES WITH THE LEAST DOCTORING
‣ EVERYTHING MATTERS: “ACCUMULATION OF
SUBTLETIES”
‣ NO CUTTING CORNERS!!!
 KEY TAKEAWAYS: DAY 1

‣ CONGRATULATIONS, YOU MADE IT!

‣ YOU NOW HAVE THE TOOLS TO CREATE
AMAZING DRUM RECORDINGS
‣ REGARDLESS OF BUDGET, STYLE, OR
ANYTHING ELSE, THE PROCESS STAYS THE
SAME (AND THEY DON’T TEACH IT IN
SCHOOL)
Q&A