What Do You Look For?

BamRam · Little Goldfish Joined: 27 Oct 2003 Posts: 53

I've often considered attempting to become a studio session drummer. I can play most styles and any time signature. But I have little practical experience. So my question is, what exactly do you want from a session drummer? What qualities are the most important. Finally, what equipment do I need to own?

averagedrummer · Kitten Joined: 03 Nov 2003 Posts: 149 Location: TN

I would think a studio session drummer would have to know all the popular and unpopular drum beats ( which you said you know many ), have a very accurate time signature( which you said you had ) and have a job that pays more than minimum wage because it's gonna cost some money. Probably a lot of money.
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BXS · Hamster Joined: 02 Feb 2004 Posts: 88 Location: LB-426

You need to be able to sight read at the drop of a hat. You need to be able to play to a click track perfectly. While your equipment doesn't have to look that good (although it is a plus) it needs to sound great, you also will need to be able to tune quickly. And, you will need to have at least some experience with working in a studio, so that you can not only be able to recognize the sounds that you are asked to produce, and make it happen, but also so that you can communicate easily with the engeneer and producer. Just to name a few things.
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Premier Artist · Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2004 11:43 pm Post subject:

From my experience in session jobs I've noticed that there's a completely different syntax to get a grip on, way different from live gigs which I'm normally used to. As a session drummer it helps to know a lot about sound processing and knowing Your way around a common studio. Once in the studio there's just no time for explanations or tutorials, it's just picking up the headphones, a quick sound check and boom - the click track goes on.

Also, studio jobs are funny. In my case, the tech would suddenly halt everything and go "Hey, I'd need You to get some more meat out of that bass drum". I just went "Huh?", and he replied "Yeah, like, I want the bass drum to sound just like when You drop a turkey into wet concrete."

Clear as plastic wrap. I tuned the bass drum slack, the tech moved the mic a little and - bingo. I could almost picture that poor turkey fighting for its life!

Then he'd go "The snare sounds like 'pisch', can You get it more like 'posch'?" and "The smallest tom sounds like You hit it with a tennis racket, can You move the mic just a little further from the head? I can settle with a badminton racket or squash, anything but that tennis sound."

Studio tech's have a LOT of fantasy, I say...
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BamRam · Little Goldfish Joined: 27 Oct 2003 Posts: 53

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm seriously thinking about approaching a couple of the local studios and see if they'll let me hang out and possibly play if/when the opportunity arises. Maybe offer to play for free for the first 3 months and then start charging once I've gained a little experience.

What do you think? Is this a reasonable approach to getting a toe into studio gigs?

zaragemca · Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2004 11:11 am Post subject:

Well the several times when i've been involved in sessions,or as producer,(both in the Latin and English side)the first thing is to get together with the Band's member to get the feeling of the structure of the music,the breaks,the crossovers(if any),so to have the whole parameter of the metrix available to me for doing the fill-in
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