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Custom Drum Tracks

I can now accept payments for Custom Drum Tracks through Pay Pal. It's fast, easy and secure...and it saves a lot of hassles! Click on the button below to initiate the transaction.


Custom Drum Tracks FAQ
Testimonials from satisfied clients!
2 Guyz & A Fader Studios
Musical Friends

Custom Drum Tracks for your CD, Demo, Jingle, Film or any other Audio Production

Many songwriters, composers and other musicians have commented to me over the years that they just hate having to program drums when they are working on their songs or compositions, but that they very often have no choice because they are usually working in their home or project studios. They would always lament the fact that, in order to get a great sounding track with real drums, they would have to go elsewhere (to one of the bigger, and usually pretty expensive, commercial studios) because their studio was not equipped to record a full set of real drums and that, even if it was, the setup time alone made it too much of a hassle for a lot of the productions they were doing. 

After hearing these comments over and over again, I decided to put together a studio that could alleviate that situation for a lot of people. So if you too, are tired of laboriously programming a drum machine, sequencer or some generic drum loop for your production, I can provide you with CD quality live drum tracks (separate tracks--not just a stereo mix) for very little money. This is a win-win situation because it allows people to get a real, live performance specifically tailored to their piece of music and it allows me to work without leaving the comfort of my own studio, which means I don't have to charge as much! Believe me, YOU CAN afford it!

My studio is equipped with great microphones, excellent microphone pre-amps and state of the art drums.

I have toured and/or recorded with people like Richie Sambora, Foreigner, Cher, The Storm, Gregg Rolie, David Lee Roth, Bill Champlin (Chicago) and many others.

I am well versed in all styles (Rock, Pop, R&B, Country, Jazz--I went to Berklee College of Music--etc.) and I can deliver tracks to you via ADAT, Hard Disk Files for your Digital Audio Software or DA-88, whichever you prefer.

When working with a Hard Disk system, this process works with most of the popular software programs out there including Logic Audio, Cakewalk, Cubase VST, Pro Tools and others, as long as the program can read WAV files...and just about any digital audio software program available now can work with those files seamlessly.

Another great thing about working this way is that it is not limited by geographical location although, so you know, I'm in the Los Angeles area. When doing it long distance, I can send you a CD-ROM with the audio files on it or an ADAT or DA-88 tape with the tracks on it.

Click here to read Frequently Asked Questions about doing drum tracks this way.

Click here to read testimonials from satisfied clients!

Click here for some audio examples of drum tracks that I've recorded in my studio. There are several clips from various tracks featuring some very diverse kinds of feels.

In addition to the fact that many people are operating their studio in their home or apartment, where doing live tracking of any kind can be a problem, some of the advantages of the custom drum tracks that I offer are that:

A.    You wouldn't need to hire a commercial studio or go through the setup process that's entailed there...I have state of the art gear permanently setup in my studio and ready to go. I have over 20 different snare drums available and many different types of cymbals (I'm a Sonor Drum & Zildjian Cymbal endorser).

B.    You wouldn't need to hire an engineer or a 2nd engineer.

C.    You wouldn't need to waste a lot of time programming a drum machine or sequencer in an effort to get it to sound & feel like the real thing and ultimately not really ever achieve that.

D.    There would be no carting of gear to a commercial studio and, therefore, none of the associated expenses of cartage.

E.    You can finish your project in your home studio and still have real drums on it...as many as 13 individual tracks! I record using 2 kick mics--one inside and one outside, 3 snare mics--one top, one bottom and one rim, 3 tom mics--one for each tom, 2 overheads--left and right, 2 room mics--left and right and a hi hat mic which are each saved as it's own individual track unless you specify that you would like to have less tracks than that. You can then mix and effect the tracks however you like…just like you would in a full sized studio.

F.     It's not expensive and it will ultimately make your production sound much more professional than using programmed drums...AND it would be CD ready.

G.    I'm very experienced and have been recognized as a world class drummer. I'd be happy to provide you with a complete list of my credits (see some of them above) and I have a lot of experience in the recording studio. I can deliver great sounding tracks in a wide range of styles and genres. I would guarantee your satisfaction!

H.    It can be done by mail (snail or electronic, depending on your situation)! Or, if you’re in Los Angeles (or going to be here), you can come to my studio and we can work together.

Live Tracks versus Drum Loops

      I'd just like to point out that I am in no way opposed to the use of drum loops, drum machines or sequenced drums. In fact, I use them myself when the music calls for it (some music absolutely must have that type of drum track or it wouldn't be true to the style) and I know that they can be quite useful in many instances where recording real drums may not be practical. 

      I am also very often asked to add a live drum track to a song that already has a loop or drum machine pattern, as a way of enhancing the groove of the song. This can be a very effective sound for some kinds of music.

      Having said these things, there are many kinds of music where there is no substitute for the real thing and the comparisons made below are with that in mind.

A.    The live track that I play is a specific performance for your piece of music. I will play a track that is appropriate to your music, taking into account the various breaks, kicks etc. that you have in your arrangement. This would require a substantial amount of time and editing if you were using loops, with a fairly low likelihood of achieving the desired result.

 B.   When I deliver the tracks to you, you can have as many as 13 individual tracks (2 kick mics--one inside and one outside, 3 snare mics--one top, one bottom and one rim, 3 tom mics--one for each tom, 2 overheads--left and right, 2 room mics--left and right and a hi hat mic) that you can then mix and effect however you like…just like you would in a full sized studio. Of course, if you need the configuration to be different than that I can provide that as well. Some people prefer to have me give them only 4 or 6 tracks depending on their personal situation. In any case, this offers a lot more flexibility than a simple stereo mix of a loop. You can eq and effect each element of the drum track until you have it just the way you need it for your music.

C.    With a live performance, you get all of the nuance and subtlety that can only be achieved by playing real drums to a track with live microphones picking up a performance. If you use samples, the perfection of the samples does not allow for that type of interplay without a lot of programming and even then it's a time consuming and unnatural process. It doesn't have the "air" that a real track has.

Live Tracks versus Drum Machines or Sequenced Drums

A.    I can play a track in probably 1/10th of the time it would take to program it on a drum machine or sequencer. This allows you to spend more time worrying about the rest of the music instead of spending hours trying to get a drum machine track to sound right.

B.     As with the comparison to drum loops, with a live performance, you get all of the nuance and subtlety that can only be achieved by playing real drums to a track with live microphones picking up a performance. Machines and sequencers are just that, machines and sequencers. They are not living, breathing people giving a performance and as such, they do not allow for that type of interplay without a lot of programming. Even then it's a time consuming and unnatural process that rarely achieves the same thing that a live track can deliver. They almost sound too "perfect".

I can also do full productions utilizing some of the best musicians in LA.

For more information feel free to e-mail me at anytime. Thanks and happy music making!!

E-mail: ron@ronwikso.com

Custom Drum Tracks FAQ
Testimonials from satisfied clients!
2 Guyz & A Fader Studios 
Musical Friends

I can now accept payments for Custom Drum Tracks through Pay Pal. It's fast, easy and secure...and it saves a lot of hassles! Click on the button below to initiate the transaction.

 
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