• The ideal situation is you arrive at the studio with new heads for both sides of every drum - batter and resonant - but we understand the cost involved in that. Second best is all new batter heads. At the very least, your heads need to be dimple-free - it is simply impossible to tune or get a decent tone from a dimpled head. We usually have some commonly sized drum heads on hand, but there are no guarantees. Of course, if you use our heads you will be charged for them. Contact us if you need recommendations for suitable heads for recording.
• All drum lugs and lug casings should be in working order - good threads and receivers, easily screwed in and out with no sticky areas, lightly lubricated if necessary, good casing springs if used, no loose or otherwise noisy pieces, etc. Please replace problematic lug and lug casing hardware before arriving.
• Lubricate bass drum pedals and hi hat hardware as necessary, and replace worn parts - eliminate any squeaks or noises. We do have quiet Yamaha and Gibraltar pedals on hand, but pedals are very personal and you will play best with ones which are familiar to you.
• Tom and other drum holders/stands are best for recording when they don't allow the drum itself to move when hit. We understand you may not be able to replace all springy holders and stands. At the very least, drums should not be rubbing or banging against each other when hit.
• Your drums will be tuned before any recording takes place. We tend to tune both heads to the same pitch - the resonant pitch of the shell, if we can find it easily - although we are open to other methods if you are experienced and feel your tuning is a big part of "your sound." Our tuning method produces toms that ring quite a bit more than most drummers are used to; we can then dampen heads as necessary to get the appropriate amount of ring for your taste/songs/style of music. We feel it is best to start with a full, deep tone - and rein it in from there as necessary.

What to Expect - General Information

What to Expect - Guitarists and Bassists