10 Technique and Etiquette Tips for Drummers from an Engineer/Drummer

Feel free to share with your clients and add to the list! These are in no particular order…

1. Watch out for when you’re supposed to hit a kick and snare at the same time and they flam too far apart. Get them right on top of each other.

2. Have the technique to either dig the kick beater into the head or being able to pull it off for some nice resonance. Those are two totally different sounds that can make or break a groove.

3. If we didn’t set a talkback mic up in a hasty setup, don’t start playing the drums while you’re talking to me, I have to turn up the volume to hear your voice and drums are loud.

4. The lower your cymbals are, the more bleed there will be in the direct mics of the drums. Your comfortability is priority, but the higher you go the better.

5. Use the proper size sticks for the style of music you’re trying to play. Tappy taps use thin sticks and smacky smacks love a good heavy stick.

6. Don’t bash your cymbals if what you’re playing doesn’t ask for it…. Which is like 99% of the time.

7. Know the arrangement ffs.

8. Don’t rush your fills.

9. Dynamically consistent playing is almost always the objective, but a good engineer should be able to fix your shitty playing if you can’t.

10. I can tune the kit as good as anybody else, but if you come to the studio with fresh heads, at least have them slightly tensioned first.

…Don’t let your photographer girlfriend move my mics for a better angle of you.