Blog · guide
How to prepare your song for a remote drum session
With remote drums we are not standing side by side in the studio. What you send me, plus our talk before the session, decides whether the drums land first time.
Almost everyone who gets in touch for the first time asks the same thing: what should I send you? The good news is you don't need a finished session or any knowledge of microphones. A handful of things that take you fifteen minutes is enough, and they tell me where we're heading before I hit the first note.
1. The song, as it is
A phone demo is fine. So is a rough backing track, or a nearly finished song with programmed drums. Send a link or a file — YouTube, Dropbox, WeTransfer, whatever works. Don't wait until everything is perfect. Real drums often change the rest of the arrangement, so it pays to bring them in early.
If you can, send a WAV at 48 kHz, 24 bit. That's the format the drum tracks come back in, so everything drops straight into your session with no conversion.
2. Tempo and a common start point
Tell me the tempo, and if it changes, tell me where. Bounce the file from the very start of your session — the same point you count bars from. Then the tracks I send back just go at the top of the session and line up where they should.
3. Two or three songs whose sound you love
This is the most underrated part of the whole process. Words like "punchy", "dry" or "vintage" mean something different to everyone. A reference record doesn't. Send two or three songs and add one sentence about what you like in them: a short, dry snare? A big room? A kick that carries the whole low end? That's what I use to pick the snare, the cymbals and the mic setup.
4. What the drums should do in this song
Should they drive the whole track, or sit back and stay out of the vocal's way? Keep it simple, or leave room for fills? If your demo has programmed drums, send them. They show me your idea. I won't copy them note for note, but I'll know where we're starting from.
5. A quick call before the session
Before I sit down at the kit, we talk online about the feel of the groove, how big the sound should be and the drums' role in the arrangement. That conversation settles more than anything else. I'd rather ask three questions too many before the take than guess after it.
What you get back
Drum tracks recorded with a full mic setup, locked in time with your song, labelled and ready to mix. WAV, 48 kHz, 24 bit. I shape the sound while recording, so the tracks already sound right before anyone touches them in the mix. If the song needs percussion — shakers, tambourine, hand drums — I'll record that too.
When I'm home in the studio, you get the tracks within a day. When I'm on tour, I give you a firm date with the quote. One round of changes is included, though after a good call it's rarely needed.
What it costs
PLN 600 to 1,000 per song. The final figure depends on the project and on who is paying — an individual artist, a company or a sponsor — and it's always open to discussion. Several songs can mean a discount.
Checklist before you send
- the song: a link or a file (ideally WAV, 48 kHz, 24 bit), bounced from the start of the session
- the tempo, and where it changes
- two or three reference songs, with one sentence on what you like about them
- the drums' role in the song, plus the demo's programmed drums if you have them
- when you need the tracks
Got all that? Get in touch — we'll set up a call, and you'll have your drum tracks within a day.