Potentially hiring a session drummer. What to expect?

[u6crash]

Hey folks! I'm wandering over from the guitar forum to get your advice. All of this is still tentative, but I like to know as many of the details and potential issues before I start spending money and such.

 

I've got about an album worth of songs that I want to record and I'm hoping on later this fall. I've had drums in the past, but don't really play well and don't have any at the moment. So my options as I see them are:

 

1. Drum loops/MIDI drums done in the computer. Sounds boring and runs the risk of sounding flat and inauthentic (because, let's fact it, is is).

 

2. Getting a modest drum set and mics, playing things myself or from whatever drummer friends I can recruit. In this situation I'm still limited by own recording knowledge and ability to drum myself. I have one friend that is a pretty decent drummer, but have a difficult time communicating with him as I can talk in terms or "1 e + a" and he talks more in terms of "boom chick tss boom".

 

3. Hiring a session drummer to play in a studio. Which brings me to my questions.

 

If I go this route, what can I expect to pay and how quickly should I expect said drummer to pick up the parts? I plan to have demos recorded beforehand with digital drums, but will want to modify/add some fills that I'm not up to crafting digitally.

 

Any insight would be much appreciated! I'm not even sure what questions I should be asking.

[agogobill]

for starters: http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/26367-session-musician-rate.html

[kmart]

 

I'm not even sure what questions I should be asking.

 

Of a potential drummer?

 

Rate

Experience/resume

Availability

Etc.

[GoranGrooves]

If you get a true session drummer, he should be able to get it down within 3-4 takes. The more clear you are on what you want, the quicker and more successful the session is going to be. That doesn't mean that you have to program the exact drum part for the drummer to hear, but just to be able to clearly communicate what kind of feel and groove you want.

 

If you are going the traditional route of going into the studio, make sure to get the guy that can really cut it. Getting a friend or a cheap drummer may sound enticing, but you it may cost you a lot more in the long run if they take too long to get the part right or if you have to redo the session again with a true session drummer. Remember, studio drumming is very different to a live gig performance. Every nuance is recorded and heard as if it were looked under a microscope. It is a different ball game all together.

 

Here is some further info on what you should look for in a session drummer:

http://gorangrooves.com/drums/why-hiring-a-regular-gigging-drummer-could-spell-disaster-in-your-recording-session.html

 

Another option you have is get the drum tracks done by an online session drummer. That way you are paying a flat fee and don't have to worry about the ticking clock in the studio. Depending on who you get, you can have world-class results at a fraction of the cost.

 

Here is something for your consideration:

 

http://gorangrooves.com/session-drummer-tracks/drum-tracks-session-drummer.html

 

 

I hope that helps.

 

Cheers!

Goran

[rdrummer322]

Another suggestion..network more, meet more drummers. As a guitar player I'm sure you've met your share. Talk to someone local who you really respect as a musician. If he has much experience that could help a ton. I think you are doing the right thing by staying live, though there are some really good online services..the experience you go through recording drum parts live will pay off next time you do it. As far as cost, again, talk to local musicians. There could be someone willing to rent some decent recording gear, or trade off some drumming for you laying guitar tracks down on something they are working on..you never know. Are there any local studios in the area? Get their price and see if they have an on call drummer..(I did that many years ago for a couple of studios).

One last easiest option, have your drummer friend spend an hour or two touching up your own digital tracks with better fills, off-beat stuff, layering parts. Probably would do it for a couple of beers..

[u6crash]

Thank you all for the suggestions! Lots of good ideas here. I'd sort of forgotten about looking into online session drummers and that might be a real possibility. Hopefully when I have all the demos done I'll have an even better idea of what it is I want to accomplish. And if I go into a physical studio I don't want to waste too much studio time so I think I might be better off paying for the quality drummer.

[zildjian@consol]

 

If you get a true session drummer, he should be able to get it down within 3-4 takes. The more clear you are on what you want, the quicker and more successful the session is going to be. That doesn't mean that you have to program the exact drum part for the drummer to hear, but just to be able to clearly communicate what kind of feel and groove you want. If you are going the traditional route of going into the studio, make sure to get the guy that can really cut it. Getting a friend or a cheap drummer may sound enticing, but you it may cost you a lot more in the long run if they take too long to get the part right or if you have to redo the session again with a true session drummer. Remember, studio drumming is very different to a live gig performance. Every nuance is recorded and heard as if it were looked under a microscope. It is a different ball game all together. Here is some further info on what you should look for in a session drummer: http://gorangrooves.com/drums/why-hiring-a-regular-gigging-drummer-could-spell-disaster-in-your-recording-session.html Another option you have is get the drum tracks done by an online session drummer. That way you are paying a flat fee and don't have to worry about the ticking clock in the studio. Depending on who you get, you can have world-class results at a fraction of the cost. Here is something for your consideration: http://gorangrooves.com/session-drummer-tracks/drum-tracks-session-drummer.html I hope that helps. Cheers! Goran

 

 

....smells like a setup on the forum....fishy,in the nick of time

[1001gear]

Haha. Cool page though. Good primer. The samples were good too.