Modern Soul and R&B

We wanted to be able to capture the sounds of this classic kit in beautiful isolation.

Situated on a small island in the centre of Stockholm, Riksmixningsverket is one of the best sounding old naval warehouses in the industry. And at its centre is a classic analogue heart through which to capture some sweet sonic love, the Neve 8068 console.

Old desks like these do something magical to music, they give their own character, enforce the punchines and thickness of the sounds. It's hard to put into words, but your ears can definitely tell.

• Big kick, fat snares, crisp toms and smooth cymbals
• A clean sounding kit that sits perfectly in the mix
• Recorded through a Neve 8068 desk... on a tiny island

An absolute classic. Clean and crisp and smooth like butter. This Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple kit is made of sheets of Maple ply wrapped around a single layer of African Wenge hardwood, delivering a finely tuned tone that plays rich and clear across the full dynamic range.

However you want to hear them, slamming out the breaks, or simmering in the back, they have the perfect balanced sound to sit super comfortably in the mix.

For snares we felt we needed two. A deep Longo Solid Ply Cherry for big, fat hits and thick side sticks and a shallower, high tuned 1968 Ludwig Acrolite for tighter, snappier hits. To top it off, we hand-picked smooth Meinl cymbals to glue the whole kit together, wrapped in warmth and balanced highs.

Kit details

Kick:

• 22x16" Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Kick

Snare:

• 14x5.5" Longo Solid Ply Cherry
• 14x5" Ludwig Acrolite 1968

Toms:

• 10x7.5" Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Tom
• 12x8" Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Tom
• 14x13" Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Tom
• 16x15" Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Tom

Cymbals:

• 15" Meinl Byzance Dual Hihat
• 18" Meinl Byzance Extra Dry Crash
• 20" Meinl Byzance Extra Dry Crash
• 22" Meinl Byzance Vintage Crash
• 21" Meinl Byzance Transition Ride

Extra:

• Clap
• Stomp
• Snap
• Lap