Live Drum Tracks

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Recently finished a project for a Nigerian Afrobeats artist. I performed and recorded the drum set parts on the song, as well as added authentic African percussion (shakere, hand drums and more) to the song. It was a very complex and challenging song with many different layers, and the song sounded really great in the end. The artist was very impressed and pleased.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: What I like most is that I can work with people all over the world and help them complete their songs! As musicians, we understand the value of songs, in that they can change an entire persons perspective, mood and even their entire day! The song may be free on youtube, or .99 cents on iTunes or whatever, but the real value is in the deeper meaning of a song, the nostalgia and feelings it brings to people, the memories or profound ideas we gather from a song. And it all starts with the work we do here.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: If I were on a desert island and could only take 5 pieces of gear to record music, I would choose: 1) Small drumset (kick snare hat) 2) 1 Overhead Microphone 3) Laptop with Logic Pro 4) Audio Interface 5) Pork Pie Drum Throne (gotta have something comfortable to sit on lol)

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I learned how to record in college, taking intensive studies on the topic. After college, I started to acquire my own equipment to record for clients and have been doing it ever since. I've been recording remotely for 10+ years

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Chill, groovy

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Tom Misch - Love his music!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If you want your song to GROOVE, don't quantize everything. The pocket and human feel is created by not having everything quantize all the time.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I like working on challenging instrumental material to challenge myself. I always like to push the boundaries of my instrument and my playing

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: POCKET

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring the energy, groove and pocket: The drums baby!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: First I have the client describe to me exactly what they want and send me their song idea. I like to get samples of what they want the drums to sound like, so any song references are usually appreciated. I then send an initial take and from there, we can make adjustments to try and capture the perfect feel for the song.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is located in Burbank/North Hollywood, surrounded by professional music and movie industry studios. In my studio, I have carefully curated some of the best instruments over the years and microphones to capture their timeless sound. I use AKG C214 for overheads, internal/external microphones to capture a full kick drum sound (Shure Beta 52), top/bottom mic on my snare (Shure SM57), DW + Ludwig Drums and Zildjian Cymbals.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Some of my favorite musicians include: Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Bruno Mars, Tom Misch, MoonChild, Stevie Wonder, Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding... and so much more!

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I do mostly live acoustic drum tracking and programmed drumming for my clients. Songs vary by genre as I have done R+B, Pop, Funk, Soul, Jazz and Latin songs.