It is an honor to be acknowledged by member of the legendary “Wrecking Crew” of studio musicians that included studio drumming greats Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer.  Kaye has played on countless recordings including hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Zappa, Ray Charles, and the list goes on.  You have also heard her hundreds of movie and television soundtracks.

I think it is time someone made a movie about the Wrecking Crew.  It could be done in a similar vein to “Standing In The Shadows Of Motown”.  These brilliant studio musicians deserve credit for all the music they made, and for being an integral part of American culture.  Their anonymity is no longer historically appropriate.  If a documentary does get made, it will be bittersweet as Earl Palmer has passed.  Sometime I will write about how nice and supportive Earl Palmer was to me when I first moved to Los Angeles.

eDrumSessions has also delivered online drum tracks for other commercials in the US as well as overseas. Commercial composers like to rely on eDrumSessions because they get the job done quickly and efficiently, with energy. eDrumSessions makes commercial composers look really good in front of their corporate clients.

Usually, commercial composer clients of eDrumSessions send session drummer Shay Godwin a midi drum “mock-up” for him to perform live.

If no chart is provided, Godwin transcribes the midi drums and performs them note-for-note on the drum tracks, giving the composer the exact parts they wanted but now with a human feel and unique drum sounds. Godwin also gives composers his own version, off the chart, if they desire. All of this is done quickly, which is usually necessary due to deadlines. Also, corporate clients of the composer are often listening live as the online drum tracks are recorded, so speedy efficiency is required. And eDrumSessions delivers.

For years professional recordings were made only by those who had a large budget. Artists signed to major labels and those with investors were predominately the privileged ones who got record professionally.

The difference in sound between recordings made in a professional studio and demos made otherwise was always as chasmic as it is now.

However, with the advent of online recording studios has come a real “power to the people” type of situation. Now artists that don’t have huge budgets can get the professional studio recordings they need to make their music really stand out. This goes especially for drum tracks, as recording drums is the most complicated procedure requiring the most expertise.

Now artists don’t have to rent a room to record in, nor do most of the other work that used to be involved in obtaining pro drum tracks. One can now simply pay on online recording studio to track drums or other instruments, with no logistical fuss and huge budgetary requirements. Welcome to the revolution.

You have received your WAV’s from an online recording studio, imported the tracks into your session and pulled up the faders to zero. “Wow, that’s a lot of room”, you say. Sure, that is a lot of room if you solo the drums. But when you start adding keys, vocals, guitars, bass, etc.

is there still too much room? Or are the drums now sitting in a nice “space” in the mix eliminating the need for artificial reverb? I usually like to record my room mics on the hot side, with plenty of level. Often I will use even more than I’ll actually use in the final mix, but that way it’s there if I need it.

You will get the same results from this, in that it will give you a lot to work with when it is time to create atmosphere and space.

Now,if you want a Beach Boys type thing or a dry drum sound reminiscent of the 70′s, then back the faders down.

If you are going for that tight modern R&B sound, then mute the room mics completely. For a rock project, crank those room mics up from the start!

Here is a creative, fun use of room mics: bring the room mics in during choruses, or during big drum fills, leaving them low or out on verses. This creates sonic excitement without resorting to EQ or level changes. Again, don’t be afraid to experiment with processing.

Healthy use of compression on room mics is pretty much standard practice for rock productions. The aim is to get the compressor pumping in time with the track so that the drums start to get lively. You want the drums to sound like they’re about to explode out of the speakers!

But dig this: once you realize that a good drum track isn’t merely about punch and impact, that it should have depth and a real sense space as well, your productions will take on a whole new life. The quickest, most natural way to a cool sonic landscape is through the creative use (and non-use) of room mics in your mix.

Check out my other articles on drum processing on this site, covering topics such as use of compression and gating. In Part 5 equalization will be the focus. Until then, enjoy applying what you have just read.

I tend to favor hardware over software, but often times a plug-in allows more surgical moves so I’ll utilize them with drum tracks when necessary. I am going to share some concepts that I think about when I approach a mix.

In terms of kick drum and bass guitar, you must decide where each element will live. Will the bass carry the low end while the kick drum track provides punch above it or will the deep impact of the kick dominate the lows while the bass hovers above? There are no rules, but I tend to let the tempo and activity level of the bass line dictate who lives where. If you have a down tempo number with a fairly slow bass line, it may be nice to have the bass carry the bottom octaves while the kick drum track smacks you in the chest. Conversely, if you have a busy 16th note bass line on a fusion track, the kick may want to live in the basement while the bass surfs the stairs. This is usually my first critical decision when I start a mix and it will set up the way I address the rest of the tracks beyond the drum tracks.

Now lets talk about snare and vocals. How do you get a snare drum track to “crack” with punch and clarity without stepping all over the lead vocal? You either have the snare sit above or below the frequency of the vocal. In a lot of modern R&B tracks, you’ll find that the snare drum track sits well above the lead vocal, with much of the bottom end pulled out. The snare takes on more of a “snap” than a “whack” type quality. This leaves a lot of room for the dozens and dozens of vocal tracks that are the norm for this style of music while still providing a solid backbeat. A lot of Rock and Pop settings will have the snare EQ’d slightly below the vocal so that the voice is the next brightest thing to the cymbals. This allows the snare drum track to really “smack” like it would if you were sitting next to it. This would give the snare track more body than the R&B approach of having the snare sit way above the vocals. In this type of situation, I tend to boost anywhere from 100Hz to 250Hz in subtle amounts to give the snare some “weight” and “slam”. Remember, a well-tuned snare will have some throatiness in a good room. The snare drum track should have some low end. Again, there are no rules, just things to think about as you’re searching for your sonic bliss. Often times, a good notch around 300Hz – 400Hz will remove the honk and boxy quality of a snare (or any drum track, for that matter) so experiment there. Additionally, boosting in the 3.5kHz – 4.5kHz range can do wonders for finding the right amount of “crack” and presence for your snare drum track.

Go ahead and experiment with these concepts, and be sure to read my other articles on this site. Part six will continue the subject of equalization of drum tracks with a focus on overheads, toms, hi-hats, and room.

Traditionally, you have to pay for studio time by the hour. Even if you are well prepared with arrangements, time can fly by quickly in the studio and end up costing you plenty. And in terms of drum tracks, if the studio does not have a kit permanently set up you will be paying for studio time during the drum setup, while getting levels, of course while recording the drum tracks, and while tearing down.

All of this is enough to deter many from getting the tracks they need for their music. Some may play their own keyboard tracks or guitar tracks when they really need professionals to play them at the level needed. Some may end up programming backing drum tracks with drum sample software, ending up with uninspired, “canned” sounding drum tracks.

There is a solution to the high costs of getting pro tracks whether you need guitar tracks, bass tracks, keyboard tracks, drum tracks, mixing, or any other service.
That solution is the use of an online recording studio. This refers to a recording studio that offers its services online. In almost all cases, these services are offered at a significantly discounted rate compared to normal rates.

Of course once prices get below a certain point you may be dealing with a less-than-professional organization, but that is for you to research a and determine for yourself. Generally, there are some excellent online recording studios that offer great services at very low prices.

For example, many of these online studios offer custom drum tracks for prices ranging from $100 to $300 per drum track. Even the $300 per drum track price could save you money, because you are paying for the drum tracks but NOT the studio time. That means not paying for the setup and teardown time, no paying for cartage (transport of instruments), and you don’t have to watch the clock. No worrying about how much time the drum tracks take to get together because it is a flat fee! This of course applies to guitar tracks, bass tracks, or any other instrument.

These online recording studios are also very convenient in that the logistics are easy.

You don’t have to go anywhere, except to your computer, and you also are not responsible for getting studio musicians to the online recording studio. This saves you more money, because often session musicians charge for transportation costs, including gas expense, possible plane tickets, and a per diem.

Because of the traditionally high costs of getting professionally recorded tracks, only high-budget projects could afford pro recording studio services in the past. Everyone else had to use their own home recording devices (from old four tracks to ADAT machines to Pro Tools). Now those with a fairly modest budget can afford to get drum track and other professional studio services. This great for music and for the ability of more and more people to develop their musical ideas in to something that really sounds the way they envision it, or sometimes way better!

It is also worth noting that many of these online recording studios offer mixing and mastering services as well. To be very blunt, too many talented people ruin their music by trying to mix it themselves. It takes a trained ear to get a great mix within a remotely reasonable time frame, and a professional mixing job can make an
incredible difference in your music.

So do yourself a favor and research the various online recording studios that are out there. You will end up with the pro sound you need and you might not even have to take off your PJs!

Click the image below for a larger view: