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Live Drums & Samples w/ Rhiannon Mair

Live Drums & Samples w/ Rhiannon Mair

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Course Lessons

Course Preview

Microphones for drums

Kick drums

Snares

Working with room mics

Toms

Making drums more punchy in the mix using sampling

Bussing and working with auxiliary sends

About This Course

Songwriter and music producer Rhiannon Mair shares her knowledge on working with drums and making them sound professional.

Using a track recorded at Universal Publishing Studio’s on Pro-Tools, she shows us how she treats her drum channels and what her go to plugins are.

You will learn: 

Lessons: 

1. Microphones for Drums: 

  •  Studio space and types of mics used.

2. Kick Drums

Rhiannon discusses her go-to plugins when it comes to treating Kick drums, as well as miking techniques to get the best sound possible. She also shares valuable tips on working with kicks of different frequencies and layering them. 

  • Working with the kick - using Sonnox Oxford Drum Gate
  • Treating the kick (using Waves Q10 EQ, Brainworx BX Hybrid, UAD Little Labs, Sonnox Oxford Dynamics, Dynamic EQ, Steven Slate Trigger)

3. Snares

Rhiannon shares her tips on recording the right snare, and getting it right in the studio. She then shares her methods of treating snare drums to achieve clarity and snapiness in the mix. 

  • Treating the snares (Soundtoys Decapitator, Plugin Alliance SPL Twin Tube, UAD 1176)
  • Layering snares

4. Working with room mics:

Rhiannon mentions the room she recorded in was small which led to the overhead mics sounding ‘boxy’. She shares valuable information on working her mixing chain and how to deal with issues from the recording stage.

  • Fixing a boxy sound of the recording room
  • Mixing chain for Overheads (Compression, EQ)

5. Toms

Using triggers and processing functions to achieve a desirable tom sound. 

  • Working with triggers and treating toms 

6. Making drums more punchy in the mix using sampling.

Rhiannon shares creative techniques to make drums sound punchy. She talks about troubleshooting midi sampled drums vs live drums to make them sit in time, using trigger functions and specialist plugins - Massey DRT. 

  • Sampling a kick from a live drum loop to MIDI.
  • Triggering the MIDI sample from the live recording take
  • Using NI Battery to sample. 
  • Sampling a snare from a  live drum loop to MIDI. 

7. Bussing and working with auxiliary sends

Rhiannon shares her plugin chain for her bus channels that all the drums are sent to. This helps the drums stand out in the mix and can sound more polished, punchy and warm. 

  • Routing drum channels to busses. 

8. Live Q&A

  • Is Easy Drummer good for live drums?
  • With regards to layering drums, what are the key elements you would layer? 
  • Where should drums sit in the stereo image?

Meet Your Teacher

Rhiannon Mair

Rhiannon Mair is a producer, engineer and songwriter championed by Music Tech Magazine as one of the ‘UK’s rising stars of production’. She has worked with artists including Martha Hill, Charlotte Clark, Laura Marling, Bryde, Emma McGrath and LUNA with her work receiving national radio playlisting and multiple Spotify New Music Friday placements.

Following her nominations for Breakthrough Engineer and Breakthrough Producer of the year at the 2019 MPG Awards, Rhiannon was voted onto the Board of Directors for the Music Producers Guild and currently stands as an Executive director. As a songwriter, Rhiannon has co-written with artists, as well as writing for brand clients such as Netflix, Sky and STARZ Play.

Discussions

Dream of finally finishing that draft or launching that side-hustle? Make your next creative project your best yet, with simple steps from creative superstar Emma Gannon!

Discussions

Dream of finally finishing that draft or launching that side-hustle? Make your next creative project your best yet, with simple steps from creative superstar Emma Gannon!

About This Class 

Dream of finally finishing that draft or launching that side-hustle? Make your next creative project your best yet, with simple steps from creative superstar Emma Gannon!

In this new class, Emma shares the framework that allowed her to overcome self-doubt and carve her own path as an author, broadcaster, and podcast host. The secret to her success? Fed up with feeling afraid—of failure, of not being good enough, even of success—Emma dug into the science behind self-sabotage and learned exactly how to get out of her own way.

Now, Emma is sharing what she’s learned so that you can do the same: unlock your creative potential while feeling energized and empowered! 

Together with Emma, you will:

  • Identify the patterns in your life, and let go of habits that don’t serve you
  • Cut out comparison to figure out what you really want and need
  • Silence your inner critic by talking back to negative beliefs and behaviors
  • Own your success and vulnerability—both go hand-in-hand with creativity

Packed with insights and examples from Emma’s personal journey, this class is designed for every creative who needs a pep-talk or extra push to get started—and includes five exclusive downloadable worksheets to support you along the way.

Whether you’re looking to break through block, remove self-imposed pressure, or simply approach each new project with intention, this 45-minute class will unlock your confidence as a creative. Get started and celebrate taking the first step!

______________________________

All you need to follow along is a pen and paper. Download the worksheets to follow along with Emma’s exercises, or jot your thoughts in a notebook.

Resources

  • Introduction
  • Week one

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