Kaol Porter on SoundBetter

I'm a gig hardened, studio polished drummer and recording engineer with experience playing genres ranging Jazz to Country, Hardcore to Indie, and anything in between. I love crafting drum parts that support a song in just the right way.

I've been obsessed with drums and getting "that sound" for every song since I picked up the instrument. I've played drums with a variety of acts ranging from free-form jazz to contemporary pop.

As the owner and engineer at Funkushima Sound, a fully loaded analog/digital recording studio, my favorite part of every project is recording and producing drums. With my combined expertise in performance and engineering, I'm confident I can get you exactly what you need to give your music the right groove!

With the gear on hand at my studio, I can give your tracks the character and sound that can be hard to achieve when recording and mixing in the box. My studio features top of line new and vintage gear from API, Jeff Hardy, Sony, Avalon, Antelope, Urei, Neumann, Sennheiser and many more.

On the instrument side, I have a huge array of drums and cymbals from Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste, Yamaha, Ayotte, Ludwig, Pearl, along with too many percussion instruments to list. Plus, a great sounding room. If you have a sound in mind we can make it happen.

I love the process of working and creating with new musicians and collaborating to make a captivating sound. My goal is always to serve the song.

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Credits

2 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client

Endorse Kaol Porter

by Jonathan D.
Verified
Kaol is very easy to work with, he works hard, and I'm a repeat customer.
by Jonathan D.
Verified
Kaol is fluent as a drummer, friendly as a person, and professional as an artist.

Interview with Kaol Porter

Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I’m working on an exciting rap album with an artist named Brayden Alexander. Also some really cool singles with Andrew Shier.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: I like the combination. Great analog gear can get you halfway to the sound you want without turning a single knob or pushing a single button. But the workflow of a DAW can’t be beat in the analog realm.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Just because it’s what I love doesn’t mean it isn’t work, and I approach every project with the mindset I’m showing up to get a job done.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What artists do you like? What inspires your writing? Where are you from? What news do you watch? What’s your favourite drink! I need to know the artist to know their music.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: If there’s spots I think a song can be improved I will let you know. Not every opinion is the right one, but great songs are made through collaboration and sharing ideas
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My Martin acoustic guitar.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started out as a software engineer but left that to study Jazz at university. From there I found a passion for recording and production. All the years of playing in bands listening to other peoples parts from behind the kit have given me a good ear for what makes songs work.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: When I write a drum part for a track my goal is always to make it support the other instruments. I like to play with a nuanced style that brings feel and groove to a track.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I would love to work with Jason Isbell. His songs and playing are the best of the best.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Go to far with you’re processing and then dial it back if it’s too much. Some great results can come from pushing things past the line.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I usually work on rock centric projects. That being said I have a couple rap and R&B projects under my belt.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Drums and their place in the song. Big drum fills aren’t what every song needs and I like to bring a minimalist, thoughtful approach to every song I work on. That being said, every instrument needs to be approached with the same mindset and I have a knack for fitting together all the pieces of the puzzle.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring a good balance of creativity and technical proficiency. In my opinion a good song is made by a good arrangement. All the parts need to work together to make a great track.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I like to take an artist first approach. I want to hear an artists influences, past work and reference tracks for the project. From there we can construct parts and sonics to build the perfect track.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: At the heart of my studio is a Sony MXP series console loaded with API preamps and EQ’s and other custom preamps from John Hardy and Greg Norman. Depending on the song and style I have an 8 track Ontario tape deck from the 80’s to track to. I use Antelope Audio converters for all of my AD/DA and also have a bunch of outboard compressors and EQ’s from Urei and Warm Audio.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Some of my biggest inspirations are Father John Misty, Pinegrove, Charli XCX and Michael Brauer
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: My work is mostly combination of full song recording and production drum production and recording