Go behind the scenes on Sylvia Massey & Taylor Hawkins’ mammoth drum recording session with Antelope Audio

What’s the secret to a great drum recorded sound? Well, it certainly helps if you pair one of the most creative audio engineer/producers of the last few decades with the drummer of one of the biggest bands in rock, and place them in one of the best recording rooms on the planet with a top-notch audio interface.

That’s exactly what Antelope Audio has done to help promote its Galaxy 64 Synergy Core interface. The studiophile brand recently teamed up with Sylvia Massey (Tom Petty, RHCP, Tool, Prince and more) and Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins for a session at the legendary EastWest Studios in Hollywood.

In order to demonstrate the stability, processing power and I/O track-count of the Galaxy 64 Synergy Core, Sylvia placed a dual microphone setup around Taylor’s kit: one set of ‘tried-and-tested’ drum-micing staples, and another set of more unusual “museum microphones” from Sylvia Massey’s famous collection. In total, the total setup comprises over 40 microphones placed around the kit.      

Antelope Audio produced two versions of the video: a shorter edit, plus a deeper-dive clocking-in at almost 30 minutes (below).

The results can be heard on Taylor Hawkins’ track, “One And The Same”, and Hawkins can be heard saying “That’s one of the raddest f****ng drum sounds I’ve ever had!” in the ‘making of’ video above. 

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Stuart Williams
Drums

Stuart has been working for guitar publications since 2008, beginning his career as Reviews Editor for Total Guitar before becoming Editor for six years. During this time, he and the team brought the magazine into the modern age with digital editions, a Youtube channel and the Apple chart-bothering Total Guitar Podcast. Stuart has also served as a freelance writer for Guitar World, Guitarist and MusicRadar reviewing hundreds of products spanning everything from acoustic guitars to valve amps, modelers and plugins. When not spouting his opinions on the best new gear, Stuart has been reminded on many occasions that the 'never meet your heroes' rule is entirely wrong, clocking-up interviews with the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Foo Fighters, Green Day and many, many more.