
Hello! My name is Kyle and I am a session drummer, producer, and engineer based out of Nashville, TN.
I will record high quality drum tracks from my home studio! All I need is the song with & without temp drums (if applicable), tempo, and any instruction regarding parts & tones and I will deliver tracks to you within 1-3 days! I typically cut up to 3 takes of the song to send over for review and then we can discuss revisions, edits, punches, etc. if necessary. I play on many sessions and tour professionally. I've appeared on Good Morning America, The TODAY show, CMT's Hot 20 Countdown, Pickler and Ben, the Grand Ole Opry and more.
Drums
Gretsch Broadkaster
Gretsch USA Custom
Gretsch Renown
Mapex Bop
Snares
Craviotto Ash
Ludwig Black Beauty
Ludwig Aluminum Acrolite
Gretsch Hand Hammered COB
Rogers Powertone Steel
Rogers Dynasonic Aluminum
Ludwig Bronze Acrolite
Pearl Masters Maple
Gretsch Maple
Gretsch Brooklyn COB
Vintage Marching
Cymbals
Over 3 dozen Meinl Cymbals
Mics
1. Kick in (sE electronic vKick)
2. Kick out (Fet 47)
3. Snare Top (Beyerdynamic M201)
4. Snare Top (sE8)
5. Snare btm (akg 451)
6. hat (oktava mk-012)
7. tom 1 (414 b-uls)
8. tom 2 (414 b-uls)
9. Overheads (sE Rupert Neve RN17's)
10. Rooms (Coles 4038)
11. Knee (sE v7)
12. Mono Crush (WA44)
Gear
Heritage Audio, API, Grace Designs, Focusrite, SSL, Neve, Apollo x16 (x2), Midas, Neumann, Dangerous Audio, Warm Audio, DBX.
Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.
Credits
- Billy Ray Cyrus
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Brandon Lay
- Adam Sanders
- Abby Anderson
- Michael Ray
- Jimmie Allen
- Old Dominion
- Carlton Anderson
- Runaway June
- Matt Stell
- Kaleb Lee
- Clay Walker
- Lynryd Skynryd
- Levi Hummon
- Walker Hayes
- Maddie & Tae
- Willie Jones
- Amanda Jordan
- Lindsay Ell
- Kelsey Lamb
- CB30
- Thomas Day
- Halle Kearns
- Tyler Braden
- Derek Austin
- David Morris
- Carter Faith
- alexandra kay
- Sophia Scott
- Iam Tongi
- Walker County
- unsecret
- GREYLEE
- Sam Tinnesz
- Sacha
- Lecade
- Chet Hanks
- Filmore
- Willie Jones III
- Sammy Ariaga
- Sadie Bass
- Anna Vaus
- Danny Worsnop
- Tony Vincent
- Drew Green
- Ashley Walls
- Jaden Michaels
- Conner Smith
- Jeremy Camp
- Mae Estes
- Madden Metcalf
- Rachel Purcell
- Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line
Endorse Kyle May491 Reviews - 74 Repeat Clients
check_circleVerifiedKyle was awesome to work with. He understood the direction right away, sent over three great takes, and turned everything around super fast. Great player, easy to communicate with, and really added something to the song. Would definitely work with him again.
check_circleVerifiedKyle absolutely nailed it. Great feel, killer drum sounds, tasteful fills, fast turnaround, and super easy to work with. Super cool dude. He understood the production immediately and delivered exactly what the song needed. I’ll definitely be back for more.
check_circleVerifiedGreat variety of drum tracks to work with and good communication! Highly recommended.
check_circleVerifiedKyle is so versatile. He can do any tone you want for any genre. His playing is so customizable that I never have to get a different drummer to hit a different sound. He has that level of creativity beyond just being a good drummer/engineer
check_circleVerifiedMy expectations are sky high every time I get a track back from Kyle because he always delivers at an exceptional level. I'm thrilled with the part, my client is, everybody is happy!
check_circleVerifiedKyle has cut 2 drum tracks for me recently. His groove and feel are second to none. Hire him !
check_circleVerifiedFirst time working with Kyle and definitely will work with him again! He nailed the exact drum part I was looking for! Super nice guy and very professional all the way through!
check_circleVerifiedMy second song with Kyle and he delivered the perfect drum tracks again! Just sounds right, fitting and so tasteful exactly what I was hoping for. Kyle has been so prompt and professional and just a joy to work with and would highly recommend him to anyone or project! Thanks again Kyle!!
check_circleVerifiedKyle is a beast, such a great drummer! We’ve done many many songs and not once was I disappointed, highly recommended!
check_circleVerifiedGREEEAATTTT
check_circleVerifiedKyle has the perfect balance of taking direction from your vision, while making great suggestions of his own that make the song even better. We have this down to a science at this point.
check_circleVerifiedKyle has a natural talent and ear for music which makes him a no-brainer for your session
check_circleVerifiedKyle was a pleasure to work with. He delivered extremely quickly, was super responsive through a couple rounds of revisions, and was very attentive to the details. He even swapped out the snare to get closer to the snare tone I was hearing in the track. The final drums came out great. Would definitely work with Kyle again!
check_circleVerifiedI love working with Kyle! Such a great musician, respectful on timeline, attentive with style and references that I send over, and overall incredibly professional. 10/10 would recommend!
check_circleVerifiedKyle assisted me with my drum arrangement and delivered in one day! He was excellent to work with and created a top-notch drum production for my song.
check_circleVerifiedHappily a broken record with my reviews for Kyle. Phenomenally talented and efficient. Same day turnaround on this one, which I would never expect, but dang, it's awesome.
check_circleVerifiedKyle has outdone himself again and recorded a fantastic drum track that perfectly captured the intention of the composition. I look forward to the next project with Kyle.
check_circleVerifiedKyle is the best! Look forward to working with him every time! Also a real good dude! Highly recommended!
check_circleVerifiedJust hire Kyle.
Same day turnaround. Took something I liked and turned it into something I love. Thank you so much!
check_circleVerifiedKyle was awesome, everything went very smooth, communication was swift and so was the turnaround. Very clean and polished tracks!!!
Interview with Kyle May
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I love working with Zachariah Witcher on bass. I would also recommend Peter Ferguson for guitar. A few other notable folks on here are Keegan Ferrell for production, Mark Prentice for Bass, Brian Seligman for utility, and Abbie Parker for vocals.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Folks typically ask how many tracks they'll get. It's around 12-16 tracks. I have a mic or 2 on every drum, 2 pairs of overheads in different configurations as well as room mics and I'll print my drum bus compression so they can use it if they like. I also get asked about turn around time which is typically 1-3 days.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I have been playing drums and producing for over a decade now. I've toured with Maddie & Tae to Billy Ray Cyrus and have cut on songs for Walker Hays, Clay Walker, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Runaway June, to name a few.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: I try to never stop learning. There's alway something new to discover, so I encourage folks to constantly be on the lookout for ways to grow.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Country, Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Indie
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Communication and timeliness. Professionalism for me starts with punctuality.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I currently have a Protools rig with all UAD, Soundtoys, Safari Pedals, Plugin Alliance, Native Instrument Komplete Ultimate and WAVEs plugins. My mics include sE Electronics, Neumann, AKG, AEA, Coles, Shure, Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser and Miktek. I have various Gretsch drum kits and an assortment of snares from Craviotto, Ludwig, Gretsch, Pearl, and more.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I'm really inspired by drummers like Aaron Sterling, Jerry Roe, Paul Mabury, Nir Z and incredible sound chaser drummers like Dan Mayo and Brody Simpson. My producer inspirations are Busbee, Jay Joyce, and Dann Huff.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both. Each is extremely valuable.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: That they'll be 100% satisfied. I can back it up too with every review and money back guarantee as well as my flexibility when it comes to revisions
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: That it's different every day.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I typically ask for references so that I can have a clearer understanding of their background and what they're looking for.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I've loved everything Sabrina Carpenter has put out. I love the acoustic and electronic elements in her music.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Familiarity. Artists always have an idea of what they're looking for even if they can't describe it and I try to find that reference and make it feel like it's their own.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I am working on sampling all of my drums. They'll be released in a package for use with Trigger, Native Instruments, Logic and ProTools samplers and many more. I'm really excited because we got to do some of it at The Tracking Room Studio in Nashville that is going to be torn down soon. It's one of the best rooms in town and I'm so grateful to have recorded so many amazing sounds there.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm cutting drums on a few projects that I recorded from my home studio and it'll be exciting to hear them on the radio.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Just be as clear and concise as possible in terms of what you need from me! I'm very flexible and always willing to work until you're happy.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I'll typically import the files from the producer and start to map the song out in ProTools. Then I'll look at the temp drum track and have a listen to the references that may have been sent along with the song. After that, I'll begin the kit, snare, and cymbal selection along with any other mic or gear changes that need to be made. I'll typically cut a couple of takes and then send them over for approval. Once everything is finished, I'll print and export files to send the client!
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: My most common work is recording drums on songs for clients.

I was the drummer and engineer in this production
- Stupid by Greylee
- 20% by Walker County
- Ain't Got Enough Faith by Conner Smith
- In A Car
- Live drum trackAverage price - $200 per song
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $250 per song
- ProducerAverage price - $1000 per song
Drums: Almost unlimited revisions. Fast turn around.
Producing: Minimal revisions. Fast turn around.
Mixing: 2 revisions (½ rate per revision after) Fast turn around.
- Distressor
- API 3124
- BAE 1073
- HA 1081
- DBX 560
- Neve 5043 & 5015
- SSL UVEQ
- Midas 512
- API 560
- WA Bus-Comp
- Tubesessor
- Dangerous Audio
- Focusrite ISA
- Grace Designs
- Apollo x16 (x2)
- Neumann
- Coles
- sE Electronics
- AKG
- Shure
- Miktek
- Telefunken
Please contact for flexible pricing! Willing to work with any budget.



