Andrew Marshall on SoundBetter

Touring drummer for Billie Eilish.

I'm a touring and session drummer based in Los Angeles. Touring credits include Billie Eilish, VÉRITÉ, Tkay Maidza, Tor Miller, and others. I've played on Jimmy Fallon, The Ellen Show, SNL, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and the American Music Awards, as well as at festivals like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Governor's Ball, Coachella, and Glastonbury, among others.

I provide custom drum tracks and programming in rock, pop, country, and electronic styles from my home studio in Highland Park. I have multiple kits and a selection of vintage snares and percussion to suit clients' needs.

I'm also well-versed in Ableton Live and nerdy electronic gear. I enjoy coming up with creative ways to execute today's heavily programmed pop music in the live environment using Ableton automation and MIDI mapping, and have designed and built playback rigs for tours.

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

Credits

9 Reviews

Endorse Andrew Marshall

by Nat B.
Verified
Andrew is a great drummer! He was able to bring the right energy to two very different tracks and on a very tight deadline. He was easy to communicate with and very receptive to notes and revisions.I will definitely hire him again for future projects.
by Liam S.
Verified
ace job
by Neil Sethi
Verified
Andrew is a professional and a creative genius! He was able to bring his experience and deep knowledge of contemporary music style to my project and lift it with some amazing drum progressions. On top of this, he is quick to communicate timeline and very receptive to feedback. I wasn't sure about hiring someone to help with for drums or beat programming, but after working with Andrew I feel confident about doing so again (especially if it's with him)!
by Joe Endozo
Andrew Marshall is as true to the craft as one aspires to be. His work ethic is maniacal but swaddled with gentility. It’s the love of knowledge and music that excites new projects whether you’re in the room with Andrew, or working remotely.

The best session players listen and serve the music. They get out of their own way and share in the enjoyment of creating something new. Andrew Marshall has always been my #1 choice for that reason.
by David Colicchio
Andrew is the man. We toured together and gigged together a ton. When I was recording my EP (Eranoid by Future Dave) I went straight to Andrew. I asked Andrew to take a listen to the MIDI drums I had recorded and add his own flare. Needless to say, he improved upon what I had done by lightyears. I still listen back with awe. His technical ability and creative ear are so in sync, I believe Andrew's sound would greatly improve any recording. During our many jam sessions, we played through many different styles. Andrew was always two steps ahead of me playing lyrical, clever parts and patterns.
by Noelle Tannen
Andrew Marshall is an incredible Drummer, Musician and creative force. He is an absolute delight to work with. He is patient, precise, highly creative and very professional. He recorded on an album I recorded in 2016. I cannot imagine what it would be without Andrew Marshalls incredible finesse and talent. I highly recommend him for any session work. Also, if you are looking for a drum teacher, he would be a fine choice to say the least. I have worked with lots of drummers and Andrew is serious quality. I could go on and on!
by Carl Culley
I have worked with Andrew for years and he brings so much to the table. His talent as a drummer is unmatched, and he is such a joy to work with. He balances bringing magically creative ideas to the table with an ease of adaptability & willingness to listen. He has appeared on several of my tracks via his own recording setup, as well as performed with me live. I can't recommend him enough!
by Josh Jacobson
Andrew has recorded live kit and percussion on several of my records, and the results are always top notch. His years of touring experience in a variety of different styles all contribute to an amazing level of musicianship and intuition. He brings the perfect balance of delivering on spec and also contributing his own creativity in thoughtful ways. Always understated and perfectly suited to what the song needs. Andrew also has great ears from an engineering perspective and is attentive to the finest details of tone, delivering high quality recordings that fit right into the mix.
by Dillan W.
I hired Andrew to play on two tracks for my indie rock band’s ep. it was somewhere between rock and Bon Iver and he really nailed the vibe. His feel is pretty incredible, and the tone was also really nice. The drums were easy to work with and dial into the rest of the track during mixing and he paid close attention to the arrangement when deciding what to play. He’s also fast, efficient, and easy to work with. 10/10 would recommend.

Interview with Andrew Marshall

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have 6 kits (Gretsch Broadkaster, vintage Ludwig, two vintage Rogers, a Gretsch Catalina Club, and a DW Collector's), and lots of vintage and modern snares. The mic locker includes Coles 4038s, AKG C414s, Sennheiser e604s, a Solomon LoFreq, a Shure Beta91A, an AKG D112, and of course an sm57. I use Universal Audio Apollo interfaces--an x8p and an 8p for 16 inputs total, with their Unison preamp emulations and plenty of UAD and other plugins. My DAW of choice for recording drums is Pro Tools, but I'm also very well-versed in Ableton. My room is treated and works well for a variety of different drum sounds.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My vintage Rogers kit (I'm counting that as one piece of gear!), a '60s Ludwig Supraphonic, my Istanbul Agop Om hi-hats, a pair of Coles 4038s, and an Apollo x8p.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Of the modern session drummers, it's Aaron Sterling, Blair Sinta, and Dan Bailey. Then there's the all-time greats: Steve Gadd, Steve Jordan, Jeff Porcaro, Carlos Vega, Hal Blaine, and Jim Keltner. And the touring players: Joe Clegg, Brendan Buckley, Adam Christgau, and Kenny Aronoff.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I played on a record called "Sweaty Poetry" by a great New York songwriter named Joshua Hatcher. I played on every track and I think that record came out incredibly. Great songs, great tones, and an awesome band.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm always trying to improve my playing. Other than that, just various sessions for clients and my own weird experimentations. Unless someone reaaaallly wants me to put the overheads through a Space Echo for them...
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital. Modern emulations of analog gear are so good that it's no longer necessary to have refrigerator racks of preamps, EQs, and compressors in the studio. My instrument is analog enough anyway--I can get those warm, vintage, analog tones to translate in the box.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: To work and revise until they're happy, to put my very best work into every track, and to never use their music as a vessel for my own ego.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love getting to work on all kinds of music and add something that elevates great songs.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That I'm a super-"hybrid" drummer that only does things with electronics. I'm best known for touring with an electronic pop artist and I do love that world, but I've played tons of gigs and done many sessions with just a four-piece kit. I've played in country bands and grew up playing pop-punk.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What sort of drum sound are you going for? Are there any reference tracks I can hear to approximate that sound? Is there a mic-ing style or number of mics you prefer?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: If you have any questions about me or want to hear more music I've played on, just ask!
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been playing professionally for 15 years. I started out playing in New York in clubs, with songwriters, with wedding bands, and in musical theater productions. That slowly grew into touring with indie-pop artists, until I moved to LA and got the call to work with Billie Eilish. I've been touring with her for the last 2.5 years--around the world multiple times, at lots of major festivals, and on plenty of TV shows.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I tend to err on the minimal side--I find that fewer notes often work better than more notes. That works across many genres, and sound-wise I'm definitely a musical chameleon. I pride myself less on having a specific style and more on being able to fit into any artist's sound.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Ben Rector. Amazing songwriting, great grooves, and a killer band.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Less is often more. Less EQ, less compression, and fewer mics.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Most of my work is in the pop and rock styles--ranging from guitar-driven heaviness to electro-pop. I also work on plenty of softer folk-style music as well.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Musically, it's finding the right sound and part for the song. I've been playing behind songwriters for my entire professional career and I know how to do what the music needs--whether it's brushes on a soft singer-songwriter project or aggressive, loud, bashing drums on a rock tune. Professionally, I'm a great communicator, reply quickly, and turn projects around fast.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring musicality, support, and great tones. My goal is never to show off or put "my stamp" on anything, but rather to always serve the music and to complement the artist's voice and vision.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I get tracks from artists and producers and think hard about which kit, snare, cymbals, and mic selection will work best for the track. I set it all up, write a chart if I need to, and do as many takes as I need to nail the part. Then I mix it and send the raw multi-mic stems and my drum mix for reference or even for use in the production if the client wants.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I record drums and percussion as well as program drums on songs for clients in all modern pop, rock, country, and hip-hop styles.