Custom Drum Tracks Just For You

EDIT: Travis now provides remote drum recording services out of his new studio Blue Sprocket Sound

What you can do in a home studio these days is limitless. Technology and mass competition have driven prices of gear down and opened up new opportunities for music making, removing the excuses. With just a simple $500 studio (or even the $300 version) you take your ideas to finished product, and have it sound fantastic!

One thing though may still be dogging you…how to get great drums on your songs when you yourself are not a drummer. Many times we can turn to virtual drummers and plugins, but what about if you want real drum tracks for your songs? I may have just the solution for you…

SilverLake Studio

SilverLake Studio (www.silverlakestudio.com) is an online collaborative studio focusing on delivering custom, professional drum tracks to songwriters and recording artists. The studio is owned and operated by Travis Whitmore, a talented drummer who has recorded for and toured professionally with artists such as Matt Brouwer and Sawyer Brown, while sharing the stage with Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, Pat McGee, and the list goes on. Here in Travis’ own words is what you can expect from a collaborative project with SilverLake Studio.

The sole purpose and inspiration of putting together the studio was to offer custom, online drum and percussion tracks to musicians, artists, bands, etc. This is possible through easy file transfer and studio collaboration.  What I’ve learned throughout this process, is that there are an unbelievable amount of talented musicians and songwriters creating great music, within the comforts of their home.  Home studios are becoming more and more attainable and affordable.

What I’ve noticed, however, is that the majority of songwriters and musicians that are recording their tunes are missing one thing: a live drummer. The reason for this, is that it’s super easy and affordable to record amazing sounding music with affordable technology and digital software – but it’s not as easy and affordable to lug a bunch of drums into the bedroom. Even if you do – you’ve got reflections, room acoustics, etc to deal with. Additionally, to hire a studio drummer to cart their gear to a traditional studio, set up, tear down, go through the tunes…etc – It defeats the purpose of having a home studio in the first place! Then you start thinking about hourly rates and cartage for the session guy to do the gig.

So – what happens next is the musician, home studio owner, etc – begins laying down their own drum tracks through the MIDI keyboard, virtual drums plug-ins, loop creations, etc.  Granted, these drum plugins are fun and fairly easy to use, and sound great! So why not use them right? Well, the problem I have with this (biased here being that I’m a drummer) – is that most of the time (not all of the time) – these drum parts might sound pretty cool, but they are noticeably and obviously virtual drums.

The second thing that happens is that you begin the ‘humanizing’ process.  Hours are spent on these virtual drums making them sound like they actually have soul.  So, that’s where I come in.  I work directly with the individual to create custom drums and/or percussion tracks for the song.  Why me?  Because I care about the music.  I don’t get off on playing as busy as I can, or showing off my best drum roll – I take my time with the song and work directly with the artist to determine the best direction for the song. If you’re not happy with it – money back, done deal.

Just What The Doctor Ordered

For some of you this may be just what you’re looking for. Why not check out Travis’ site and see if he’d be a good fit on your next project. I can tell you one thing, having spent some time playing music with this guy back when I lived in Virginia, this guy is the real deal on drums. Talented, precise, but tastefully musical. He’s a great guy to boot.