Rob is very excited to announce the first in a series of new & exciting drum masterclasses.
Rob along with Earthworm/Amber Studios in Swindon, invite you to sign up for a day course to learn all about drumming in the recording studio environment. It’s a one day course where you will learn everything from the mic’ing of the drum kit, microphone choices, room placement and understanding the complete recording chain, right through to the tuning of the drums, drum head/kit choice, charting for songs, working with clicks, working on your dynamics/musicality in the studio and much, much more..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4pvowE06p8
All the information you’ll learn throughout the day will help you in a professional/remote studio session and will greatly improve your drumming & drum sound in the studio environment.
The course is £165 and is only open to 4 students at a time so the demand is very high, so please check the upcoming dates and email if you would like to book a space.
Booking now for:
October the 15th 2016 – 10am to 6pm
November the 12th 2016 – 10am to 6pm
December the 10th 2016 – 10am to 6pm
2017 dates to follow . . . .
* For booking info please email: studiodrumday@gmail.com
The Littlemen Komedia Gig In Bath!
/in News /by robbThe recent ‘Littlemen’ gig at Komedia in Bath was a real success both musically and commercially for the band. We got about 350 people to the gig and the band played absolutely great, performing many new songs for the very first time live. It was nice to actually play with a slightly bigger kit than usual as I would normally rehearse with just the 18″ bass drum and the smaller toms. I decided though a few weeks before this gig that the new material needs the 22″ bass drum, and that DW Collectors maple shell bass drum just sounds so full and musical. I also used the 12″ rack tom and 14″ floor tom which sound so good together, I may move to using the 16″ floor tom too at some point as well….We shall see!
Also, you may have noticed from the pics that I was using my Roland SPD-SX, but I was also rocking my LinnDrum II which was a real pleasure to hear in that beautiful big room. We are starting to use a few more analogue style sounds here and there in the drum and keyboard parts just to keep the sounds interesting and supply some new ear candy. I am more than happy with that shift I have to say, I need little or no excuse to dig out my LinnDrum I love using it!! 🙂
So, a great gig was had by all and thanks to everyone who came along, we really appreciate the support…….More gigs to come!
Listen to the band here: https://littlemensounds.bandcamp.com
Buy the album ‘Long Road Home’ here: iTunes Long Road Home – Littlemen
Pics by Rob Brian and Barry Savell
Rob Drumming On Goldfrapp’s Silver Eye Album!
/in News /by zonkeyThe great new album ‘Silver Eye’ by the band Goldfrapp is now available to buy and download.
I am so happy to have been a part of this record as I have been a fan of the band since I first heard the album ‘Black Cherry’. On this new record I played on the track ‘Everything Is Never Enough’ and from the original phone call with Will Gregory to the very last beat of the session it was a real pleasure and exploratory journey!
Will explained the vibe for the track and him and Alison asked me to go to his studio and run through the song and a few other ideas that they were working on. So, armed with the audio reference knowledge of the track I took a combination of my DW Collectors and 1968 Ludwig Super Classic kits, which I thought would be the perfect combination. At the session it worked out great and we changed up some snares like the good old Ludwig 400, DW Collectors 13″x5″ and ended up using the DW 14″x7″ with the DW 12″ & 13″ rack toms and 16″ floor tom. Interestingly though we used the 18″ Ludwig Super Classic floor tom alongside the 16″ DW and it worked out great. On the other tracks we brought in some cymbals and used other groove ideas and really just experimented over the ideas that they were working on at the time.
As for those other ideas, I am not sure whether they morphed into other songs or have been placed on a back burner, but the new record sounds absolutely fantastic and I am sure the live shows will be just as stunning!
Robs Grammy Nomination!!
/in News /by robbI have just found out that the Laura Pausini album ‘Simili’ has gone 3 times platinum, and was also nominated for a Grammy in this years award ceremony!!
Alas, we didn’t win….But, another career box ticked!
I played on the opening track ‘Lato Destro del Cuore’ which was recorded at Riverside Studios in Batheaston with fellow Muso friends Seb Pecchia producing, Charlie Jones on Bass and David Rhodes on Guitar. The track was the first single from the album ‘Simili’ and it went gold in 2015.
I am very proud of this and I reckon it’s another boxed ticked for the Rob Brian career!!
Recording session drum day featured in Rhythm Magazine!
/in News /by robbI am very proud that the ‘Recording Studio Drum Day’ course that I work on with the brilliant guys at Earthworm/Amber Studios in Swindon, is featured in Januarys UK drum magazine Rhythm!
The article explains what drummers can expect from the course and has some awesome pictures from Jennifer Berry. The idea of the day is to show drummers how to properly mic their drums, how to get characterful drum sounds, how to reference to get famous drummers sounds, working and building click tracks, charting tracks for a session, tuning and making certain head choices and so much more . .
The whole day gives you a very thorough background to the recording chain, both in a professional studio and recording yourself at home.
For more info please email: studiodrumday@gmail.com
Recording tracks for the new Clara Ponty album.
/in News /by robbMy first recording session of 2017 is working with the brilliant French pianist Clara Ponty. I have been asked to work on some tracks for her new album to be released later this year and what we have recorded so far sounds fab!
Trusty friend and producer Stuart Bruce is at the helm and we are getting a very characterful drum sound and finding some very cool drum parts. I am using a mixture of my DW and vintage gear for the tracks, I have found that sometimes a mixture of the old & the new gets the right sound for certain projects. The cymbals are mostly XT Editions with a few Black Pearl/Vintage ranges added in here and there. The 2 snare drums pictured are my 1968 Ludwig Pioneer and a 1970’s Slingerland Aluminium Student Model, both of these sound soooo good in the studio….I never leave home without them!
More news to follow . . . .
XT cymbal range voted number 5 in UK Rhythm poll!
/in News /by robbI am very proud that my cymbal design which became the Bosphorus XT Edition cymbals, were recently voted the fifth best new cymbal range of 2016 in the UK drum magazine Rhythm!
The Bosphorus XT Editions came 5th out of seven new ranges in the poll and to reach number 5 on my first cymbal designing outing is quite an achievement. People are still writing to me from all over the world and telling me how much that they are enjoying playing their XT cymbals. I very much wanted them to be a ‘players’ cymbal and it seems that I am getting my wish!
Time to design a new range for 2017 I think!!
XT Edition Cymbals in Rhythm Mag best of 2016 poll!
/in News /by robbRob is very proud to announce that the XT Edition cymbal range that he worked on with the guys at Bosphorus, is in the running for the best cymbals of 2016 in the UK drum magazine Rhythm!
To cast your vote please go to: http://bit.ly/bestcymbals16
Please cast your vote and make 2016 the year for Rob’s XT Edition range of cymbals!
****Studio Drum & Recording Masterclass****
/in News /by robbRob is very excited to announce the first in a series of new & exciting drum masterclasses.
Rob along with Earthworm/Amber Studios in Swindon, invite you to sign up for a day course to learn all about drumming in the recording studio environment. It’s a one day course where you will learn everything from the mic’ing of the drum kit, microphone choices, room placement and understanding the complete recording chain, right through to the tuning of the drums, drum head/kit choice, charting for songs, working with clicks, working on your dynamics/musicality in the studio and much, much more..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4pvowE06p8
All the information you’ll learn throughout the day will help you in a professional/remote studio session and will greatly improve your drumming & drum sound in the studio environment.
The course is £165 and is only open to 4 students at a time so the demand is very high, so please check the upcoming dates and email if you would like to book a space.
Booking now for:
October the 15th 2016 – 10am to 6pm
November the 12th 2016 – 10am to 6pm
December the 10th 2016 – 10am to 6pm
2017 dates to follow . . . .
* For booking info please email: studiodrumday@gmail.com
Rob now doing remote sessions!
/in News /by robbAs from now we are pleased to announce that Rob can record remote sessions. If you are looking to improve your songs and give them top professional drum parts and sound, then email Rob today.
More information is available here on the ‘Remote Sessions’ page, with a list of drum and recording equipment for you to look over as well.
So, Rob’s 30 year drumming experience is finally now available to be placed onto your music and songs, if you are seeking that quality, then contact him to take your music to the next level.
Rob at Musikmesse!
/in News /by robbRob performed on the Centre Stage at this years Musikmesse in Frankfurt.
The performance was in front of 200/300 visitors to the show and he played solo drums for 30 mins. The set consisted of a 15 minute drum improvisation followed by 3 pieces written by Rob from an upcoming solo release. The drum kit was a DW and the cymbals were Rob’s Bosphorus XT Edition range of cymbals. The crowd enjoyed the performance and Rob even signed a few autographs after the show!
Rob will appear next year at the show and hopefully be part of a larger drummer collective that perform there.