Keith Larsen on SoundBetter

I've been an active member of the music industry for over 20yrs. I've written and/or recorded hundreds of songs, toured nationally and internationally, made music videos, and built studios. My writing, recording, and performance credits include: Oedipus, Jennifer Corday, Doug Grean, Jason Mezilis, and Lily Haydn.

My focus is always on the song and what the artist wants to convey. I create drum tracks that properly fit songs and build loops and beats both acoustically and electronically. My goal is getting the right feel for the music via quality sound and performance. Some producers I have worked with are: Doug Grean (Stone Temple Pilots, Sheryl Crowe), and Grep Papania (Snoop Dogg, Amy Winehouse), and Kevin Bowe (The Replacements, Johnny Lang). I've recorded in all environments, from home studios to A list studios in Los Angeles. I am comfortable in and quickly adapt to virtually any musical environment. I am endorsed by Paiste Cymbals, Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets, and Thrust Drums.

In short I've been around the block enough times to know how elevate your song and can play nice in the sandbox.

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Keith Larsen

Larisa Stow
Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe
Larisa Stow
Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe
Oedipus
Oedipus
Oedipus
Oedipus
Oedipus
Oedipus

7 Reviews

Endorse Keith Larsen

by Per H.
Verified
Keith went above and beyond to provide me with rock solid drums. We did two different genres and he nailed them both. Great communication and Keith added a lot of musicality and personality to the tracks. I will definitely use Keith again!
by Greg
Keith is a brilliant session drummer who is extremely diverse and adept in all genres of playing - his out of the box approach ushers in unique rhythms and textures in the studio and he’s a joy to work and collaborate with!!!
by Casey
I've recently have had the good fortune to work with Keith on a project. Great attitude and amazing player. He's a tasteful and creative drummer. Keith plays for the song and has done an outstanding job with our pending project.
by Jason Achilles
I've musically collaborated with Keith (recording, touring, etc.) for well over a decade when he was in Los Angeles, and *disclaimer^ through it all we became great friends as well - but the reason we DID become friends was through our work together, and Keith's professionalism and attention to detail has always shown through. He is dedicated to his craft and a very good dude who wants the people he works with to be happy with the result...often going above and beyond to assure that. Plus he murders those drums...no joke. Dude kills it every time, it's beyond impressive...
by Jennifer Corday
Keith is the man! Top-notch talent and killer attitude. Keith's talent is undeniable- his drum solos at live shows were always draw-jopping, but more importantly is his ability to play for the song and craft great grooves and beats with heart and soul. His knowledge in the studio is incredible and his ability to handle technology is a rarity. He is rock solid with a click, and someone I relied on to lead the band, on stage and in the studio. His willingness to collaborate, take direction, and work with a team without ego and attitude makes working with Keith an awesome experience!
by Kirsten Holly Smith
There are very few drummers out there who are as talented and versatile as Keith Larsen.
I have had the good fortune to have him play on several of my songs. I feel like I understood my songs better having him play on them. Plain and simple, he is a world class musician. Anyone who wants to kick their sound up a notch and have it be more professional, should hire him. When you have an incredible talent like Keith play on your tracks, they have specialness about them that only he can bring. I am a better musician for having worked with Keith. He is a super pro, kind and awesome to work with.
by Tariq J.
Keith played for me on several songs and was amazing. He truly knows his craft and has a real feel for the context of a song. He is also able to adjust anything you wish very quickly and can even provide his own suggestions. I would highly recommend him!

Interview with Keith Larsen

Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Pay attention to gain staging from the jump.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Most of what I do is Rock/Pop/Singer-Songwriter with a good amount of electro, electro-hybrid.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Simultaneously engineering, performing, and producing. Doing all three at once is challenging yet incredibly gratifying. If I absolutely had to pinpoint I would say its precision and focus on the details.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Creativity, feel, and support for the song.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I like to attack things with hammers first. I find it's easier to just straight demolish something and build it back from the bits and pieces...oh we're talking about music. A typical work process is receiving a track from a client with an email describing tempo, feel, texture, and maybe some inspirational tracks. Usually then I listen to the song and get a feel for what sounds would work, and put a kit together. Then if I have any questions I'll contact the client to get approval otherwise I start getting takes and putting together some options if necessary. Once a good edit has been realized and it sounds right I'll send it off for approval. I'll then do more takes or edit further if need be. This process continues for three rounds max then the final drum cut is delivered, high fives are smashed and everyone is stoked!
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have 16 Channels of mic pres, API, UA, Warm Audio, Sytek, going through a Lynx Aurora converter and into Logic. I use a Dangerous Music ST monitor controller and monitor through Mackie HR284s, and Yamaha NS10s.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: My session drumming heroes are: Ash Soan, Larnell Lewis, Aaron Sterling, Earl Palmer, and Steve Gadd. From an Audio/Engineering perspective I'm a huge fan of Steve Albini.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Live drums is my most common type of work. I record, edit, and process drums and deliver either stems of each instrument or a stereo, mixed drum track.