You started out playing trumpet in grade school and took piano lessons as a teenager. How did your musical interest transition into a fascination for sound and recording?
I always loved music and listening to the radio. When I was very young I had a small mono transistor radio, only AM channels, but I loved it and listened to music all the time. So, early on it was a lot of popular music. In school, I was more exposed to jazz and ‘classical’ music. Piano lessons were mostly classical, but I loved pop and would play that on my own. As a teenager I started collecting vinyl singles and albums. At some point, I became fascinated by the sound and how the records were different from each other. I also noticed some albums by different bands had the same “producer,” having no idea what a producer was. I think it was obvious how different guitars sounded different, but I had no concept of how to make everything sound different. The only way to learn about how records were made was by reading magazine articles, so that became a great source of information.

You’ve won Grammys, TEC Awards, received Emmy nominations and recorded with some of the biggest artists of all time. Is there still that one project on your bucket list that you haven’t checked off yet?
Oh, there’s probably a few of them! I feel very fortunate to have worked with the artists I have, many of whom I was always a big fan of. I never thought I’d work with Keith Richards, and ended up doing a lot of work and spending a lot of time in the studio with him. Recently, I got a chance to work with The Rolling Stones, so being with Keith, Mick and Ronnie together was about at the top of my list. Other favorites I never met are Pete Townsend, Peter Gabriel, Elton John. I would love to do a big band jazz record at some point, and I did recently record the Count Basie Orchestra. Classical music is a whole different field, and to record an Opera would be a thrill, though I don’t see that happening. There are many contemporary artists that are very talented who I would enjoy working with, some known, some lesser known.

Why was Sound Emporium the obvious choice of studio for this project?
I love the studio and the staff. It has a real ingrained sound and feel from all the work that’s been done there over the years. I recorded basic tracks with Lindsay Lou there and we had a great experience. It’s a well known place, but has a very ‘indie’ feel. Sonically, Studio A is a large room but not real live, so for some of the things we wanted to record it was perfect. It’s spacious but not overly reflective and without any weird resonances. Studio B is kind of the opposite – small but explosive! I’ve used the software myself and was familiar with it. I wanted to capture sounds that are a bit different than other expansion packs. Working at Sound Emporium I felt we could get a wide array of different sounds using both rooms.

To you, what defines a great drum sound?
Well, it starts with the player, then the actual drums, the way they’re set up and tuned – and then the room and the gear used to record them. To me, drummers are as unique as singers, and two different drummers playing the same kit will sound completely different. So, to capture a drum sound well you need to focus on what the drummer is doing, listen in the room, hear what they hear and feel what they feel. A great sound is one that’s exciting on its own – it makes you want to get up and move or inspires you to play along and write. It also works with the rest of the band, whatever that may be, and enhances the music. One thing I love about Toontrack is that the libraries have a wide variety of drums and presets, so very quickly you can go through and find something that captures your imagination without a lot of tweaking. It also has variables that let you adjust the sound quickly, from tuning the individual drums to adjusting levels and EQ (in Superior Drummer 3). When working with these sounds, I always had an image of a band playing along, and how the drums would work in various contexts.

“When working with these sounds, I always had an image of a band playing along…”

Having had the chance to work with the sounds when making presets and really digging into the product, how do you feel it all came out?
I’m very satisfied with our end result. It’s amazing how much planning and work goes into creating this, there’s a LOT of detail. Norman is an amazing drummer and also extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of the software. I felt I was able to capture the drums how I wanted to and also make the various presets to my satisfaction.