Mauricio plays through one of his original songs and, again, shows some razor-sharp, precise and completely obliterating drum work! As always, his kit is hooked up to Superior Drummer 3 and, in this case, a custom kit from the Death & Darkness SDX. Enjoy!

You’ve played drums since an early age. When and how did you discover e-drums?
Yes, I’ve been playing drums since around 1992, if I remember correctly. I discovered e-drums when triggers started becoming popular in Brazil, around 1998. In the extreme music scene back then, every drummer wanted to trigger their kicks, so I became familiar with modules and similar gear. After the early 2000s, I bought a very cheap e-kit to use as a practice kit, but then I realized I could connect my old Alesis D4 to it, – and that was a life-changing moment! After that, I started following everything related to e-drum technology.

To you, why is the e-kit so convenient? Would you consider it your main “instrument” now?
There are many aspects of e-drums that I really love. Today, what’s most important and convenient for me is the fact that I can start making content or practicing very quickly and efficiently. My drums are always ready with great sounds – no need to worry about tuning, microphones or EQ. I could never create this much content if I had to go through all the steps of recording acoustic drums. Another thing I love is the incredible variety of sounds available in Toontrack’s libraries. It’s so much fun! People only realize how great it is once they actually try it. The power of customization is amazing, and with good pads and modules, the experience is fantastic. E-drums have definitely become my main instrument. I’ve even used my full setup for live performances – and it worked great!

For this video, what was your setup in terms of sounds?
For this song, I used a preset called BB Ocean Blue, featured in the Death & Darkness SDX for Superior Drummer 3. This preset is based on a Yamaha Recording Custom 1990s kit with Zildjian cymbals. I replaced the kicks with 24” Sonor Designer Series ones, keeping the slight tonal difference between each kick. I kept the amazing Tama Brass Bell snare and replaced the ride with the unbeatable Paiste Rude Reign Signature, which is featured in the Area 33 SDX. I also tweaked the mix a bit – mainly adding some high-frequency clarity to the kicks and greatly reducing the overall reverb, especially on the toms. I like my drums a bit more raw.