I’m a big believer that odd meters don’t have to be mysterious or elitist — they simply need to be heard, felt, and practiced in small, consistent doses. Over the years I’ve helped students and session players make 5/4, 7/8 and other uneven time signatures feel natural, and what keeps...
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Technique
Electronic kicks often sound tight, precise and—let’s be honest—sterile....
Technique
I used to avoid recording snares with anything on them because I feared killing...
Technique
I love the challenge of getting a roomy, vintage 1970s jazz drum sound out of...
Technique
I’ve spent a lot of gig and studio hours coaxing samples out of my Roland...
I love the challenge of getting a roomy, vintage 1970s jazz drum sound out of the least likely spaces — like my tiny bedroom. Over the years I’ve learnt that you don’t need a huge live room or an arsenal of mics to capture the warmth and air...
I’ve spent a lot of gig and studio hours coaxing samples out of my Roland SPD‑SX so they sit naturally with acoustic drums. Two of the most persistent issues I see on forums and in lessons are flammed (double) triggers when you hit once, and an...
Dense mixes are a beautiful problem: they mean your arrangement is full, players are doing their job, and there’s energy happening across the spectrum. The downside is your kick can start to feel small, thin, or simply vanish under basslines,...
I’ll keep this short, practical and focused — a ten-minute daily routine I use to lock a neo‑soul ghost‑note pocket at any tempo. The exercises are built to develop taste, control and consistency rather than speed for its own sake. Do them...
I love the sound of vintage toms: warm, round fundamental, a quick attack that still sings, and that woody decay that sits beautifully in a mix. But what if your kit has thin-shelled toms—cheap ply or modern poplar—where the attack is brittle...
I’ve spent countless gigs and sessions refining pad setups so I can move between songs without thinking about which pad holds that vocal chop or which bank has the rim click sample I need. Mapping an SPD‑SX (or similar sample pad) alongside a...
I used to get frustrated when my ride-hand phrasing felt like it belonged to another drummer than my left hand and feet. Ghost notes would either disappear or sit awkwardly behind the pulse, and no amount of playing along to records fixed the...
I often get asked how I make a hybrid kick — a sampled or synthesized low-end layered with an acoustic beater — sound like a single cohesive instrument rather than two tracks fighting for space. It’s one of those deceptively technical jobs...
I practice groove every day, and over the years I’ve built a compact routine that consistently locks my neo‑soul pocket across tempos. This 15‑minute sequence focuses on feel, subdivision control and musical choices you can apply to real...
I love vintage snares for the character they bring—those slightly woody overtones, the slow bloom, and a thickness you can’t fake with modern shells. But when I’m tracking pop records or doing session work that needs tight rimshots and a fast...