Well, Let's try something a LOT HARDER to learn to play and to mix . . . . (drums are all me, alone).
[Been working on this one for months - it just came together tonight after about 20 failed starts and this 9th take I got all the way to the end with].
When writing "Seven Days", Sting sought to build a song around a reggae-inspired beat in quintuple meter with chord changes akin to music from a Broadway show.[2] Sting stated that "Seven Days" was the first song he wrote in quintuple meter and that it "begged to be played with in a frivolous way."[3] He also reckoned that the song's time signature would challenge his backing band "by asking them to do things that aren't natural."[2]
The song was recorded in (5
8) time at a tempo of 184 beats per minute.[4] For the purpose of making the odd time signature more digestible for the listener, the song utilizes rhythmic displacement in the drums by implying a duple rhythmic organization.[5] The drum pattern spans two measures with drummer Vinnie Colaiuta playing a two bar repeating eighth note figure on the hi-hat where the accents fall on the odd numbered beats for the first measure and even numbered beats on the second measure.[4] Colaiuta commented in a 1993 interview that he "phrased it by playing over the bar line, so the hi-hat pattern resolves every two bars".[6] During both measures, the kick drum and snare drum land on beats one and four respectively.[4] He also overdubbed some brush work during the middle of one of the verses so that the song would "chug a little more and differently "
The trick is in achieving a proper balance between close and ambient mic mix for each drum and cymbal for each song.
Additionally getting the decay /sustain of each [drum/cymbal] mic just right is needed and I am really starting to get my ears attuned to all of this detail but it has to be mixed and remixed over several sessions and days apart so the ears are fresh along with the mind.
Swapping earphones or speakers while mixing is a big NO-NO - gott'a stick with the reference phones and stop second guessing the mix/work.
The kick mix is just my take at it after testing the mix on several playback devices and it sounds really good/balanced/detailed on the Yamaha NS10M and JBL Coaxial Monitor speakers; Sony MDR-V6, Sony MDR-7506, SSA-VSX headphones and in my car so I let it ride. Didn't want to walk on or smear Sting's crazy Bass work . . .
Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot Take 3, Mix 1 . . . Another one I am borrowing to learn how to mix and play in a more disciplined fashion at my age . . . [and play it MY way].
That ^ mix is what happens when you have mastering headphones on your head and the speaker monitors playing/bleeding through the headphones - Bass is weak as a result of trying to compensate for the extra bass in the perceived mix. (Sigh).
OK, tonight I pretended I was a pro studio session drummer, recording engineer, mixing/mastering house then pushed this one out in 3 takes, one mix . . .
Smooth - Rob Thomas & Santana - Learning to mix project . . .
Not sure about this mix because my ears are demonstrably a bit tired from all the drumming/mixing/tuning tonight - Probably going to re-mix it later but;
I was pleased enough with the drumming to push this one out to you guys & gals.
[That AI track separation software removed the drum kit from this song but left most of the congas and backing percussion - Very Cool to have had that to remain and accompany me as I try to learn mixing drums using this tune].
. . . for the 1st time in over 25 years on that last take [A tired/sloppy spot in my drumming posture - I need more practice] . . .
I still have about 6 pairs of these custom sticks left from the case I bought back in around 1989, thankfully . . . Promark Oak 737's - no longer made . . .
Went back and tweaked the kit levels and decays [numerous other settings as well - I won't bore you] plus EQ'd the vocal track a little - much cleaner - drums are pushed back in the mix where they belong to sound more commercial.
Drums sound nice in that, pretty good mix. I just couldn't get into the song, I didn't like her timing on the vocals. The piano in the middle was really recorded well.
Samba/Bossa Nova fusion isn't for everyone but I like a lot of different styles myself and love well captured acoustic instruments that are played by real people and not AI generated/Autotune sourced.
No matter how I try I just cannot warm-up to steady 4/4 time head banging music - it just wears me down/out playing to it - must be due to my age and African ancestry who made the canoe trip to the Ukraine about 200 years ago or some such stuff as that.
Glad you approve[ish] and for your feedback, Eric.
Dreams - Molly Hatchet - SJL Drums 5-29-2025.T1M1 . . . (this one was a bit difficult to play in a few spots but this is just me doodling . . . on a 1st take/recording):
I know this song sounds simple to play but I worked my butt-off to get my timing/physical dynamics correct and the mix turned out really well in my opinion.
Some old bee-bop from my youth on the radio - hope you enjoy!
I put more work in trying to get the mix acceptable - that AI stuff couldn't cleanly separate the drums without messing up the rest of the instruments and vocals - so I did a lot mixing - hope it sounds good on your device.
I went back and listened to the last mix - it excited my tinnitus and the toms sounded thin so I had a lengthy mixing session and became absorbed in it - this is what I came away with:
Comments
Well, Let's try something a LOT HARDER to learn to play and to mix . . . . (drums are all me, alone).
[Been working on this one for months - it just came together tonight after about 20 failed starts and this 9th take I got all the way to the end with].
Seven Days - Sting - SJL Drums 3-25-2025.T9.M1 . . .
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cbtk4bwm74lvbo8sa14bs/Seven-Days-Sting-SJL-Drums-3-25-2025.T9.M1.flac?rlkey=os5sspwih38mc346x1skst6gz&dl=0
Seven Days - Sting - SJL Drums 3-25-2025.T9.M2 . . . New Mix
Arguably a better mix - cleaner, more detailed/refined.
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Days_(Sting_song)
When writing "Seven Days", Sting sought to build a song around a reggae-inspired beat in quintuple meter with chord changes akin to music from a Broadway show.[2] Sting stated that "Seven Days" was the first song he wrote in quintuple meter and that it "begged to be played with in a frivolous way."[3] He also reckoned that the song's time signature would challenge his backing band "by asking them to do things that aren't natural."[2]
The song was recorded in (5
8) time at a tempo of 184 beats per minute.[4] For the purpose of making the odd time signature more digestible for the listener, the song utilizes rhythmic displacement in the drums by implying a duple rhythmic organization.[5] The drum pattern spans two measures with drummer Vinnie Colaiuta playing a two bar repeating eighth note figure on the hi-hat where the accents fall on the odd numbered beats for the first measure and even numbered beats on the second measure.[4] Colaiuta commented in a 1993 interview that he "phrased it by playing over the bar line, so the hi-hat pattern resolves every two bars".[6] During both measures, the kick drum and snare drum land on beats one and four respectively.[4] He also overdubbed some brush work during the middle of one of the verses so that the song would "chug a little more and differently "
Hope you enjoy.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/a0tjmtsvrjcjojage7mo1/Seven-Days-Sting-SJL-Drums-3-25-2025.T9.M2.flac?rlkey=pa32eonf8jz23iigwon7197ee&dl=0
Edited to add link/snippet to Wiki article explaining complexity of the song.
That's the best one yet! Good mix, my nit pick, kick is a little dry, but not bad by any means. Cymbals sound good and level. Nice workπ€πΌ
Thank you Eric - You made my day, Man!
The trick is in achieving a proper balance between close and ambient mic mix for each drum and cymbal for each song.
Additionally getting the decay /sustain of each [drum/cymbal] mic just right is needed and I am really starting to get my ears attuned to all of this detail but it has to be mixed and remixed over several sessions and days apart so the ears are fresh along with the mind.
Swapping earphones or speakers while mixing is a big NO-NO - gott'a stick with the reference phones and stop second guessing the mix/work.
The kick mix is just my take at it after testing the mix on several playback devices and it sounds really good/balanced/detailed on the Yamaha NS10M and JBL Coaxial Monitor speakers; Sony MDR-V6, Sony MDR-7506, SSA-VSX headphones and in my car so I let it ride. Didn't want to walk on or smear Sting's crazy Bass work . . .
Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot Take 3, Mix 1 . . . Another one I am borrowing to learn how to mix and play in a more disciplined fashion at my age . . . [and play it MY way].
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cx2ntjkcaxpw9ex6vcgw5/Edmund-Fitzgerald-Gordon-Lightfoot-SJL-Drums-4-11-2025.T3.M1.flac?rlkey=2arncs3dokibaod0eqehvtjci&dl=0
Let me know your thoughts on the mix - I spent more time mixing than playing it tonight.
Probably need to remix it with fresh ears . . .
Fresh ears = ON.
That ^ mix is what happens when you have mastering headphones on your head and the speaker monitors playing/bleeding through the headphones - Bass is weak as a result of trying to compensate for the extra bass in the perceived mix. (Sigh).
I'll try redoing the recording and mix soon . . .
OK, I rested my ears for a while and remixed everything about this last tune as a continued education in music production.
This version should sound much cleaner and possess better detail everywhere within it.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/36huy7hfefmaxdbvn0f4j/Edmund-Fitzgerald-Gordon-Lightfoot-SJL-Drums-4-11-2025.T3.M2.flac?rlkey=gdhyqeaa4hlc0lg1ozpfy5bq9&dl=0
OK, tonight I pretended I was a pro studio session drummer, recording engineer, mixing/mastering house then pushed this one out in 3 takes, one mix . . .
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nlwrtgbby815yj9cok13b/Test-of-Time-Patti-Austin-SJL-Drums-4-16-2025.T3.M1.flac?rlkey=bafybm00reqpkzdjg4ikk5d2c&dl=0
(This ones' for the girls, men . . .)
Smooth - Rob Thomas & Santana - Learning to mix project . . .
Not sure about this mix because my ears are demonstrably a bit tired from all the drumming/mixing/tuning tonight - Probably going to re-mix it later but;
I was pleased enough with the drumming to push this one out to you guys & gals.
[That AI track separation software removed the drum kit from this song but left most of the congas and backing percussion - Very Cool to have had that to remain and accompany me as I try to learn mixing drums using this tune].
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/9ii1f4xk8n2lkjc73teg4/Smooth-Rob-Thomas-Santana-SJL-Drums-4-24-2025.T7.M1.flac?rlkey=8h6xlfqdk44av2i0cpdj6e1w4&dl=0
The groove cadence/tempo of any song is the most important part to me . . . Hope you enjoy.
Broke a stick last night . . .
. . . for the 1st time in over 25 years on that last take [A tired/sloppy spot in my drumming posture - I need more practice] . . .
I still have about 6 pairs of these custom sticks left from the case I bought back in around 1989, thankfully . . . Promark Oak 737's - no longer made . . .
π
You rocker, you!ππ€πΌ
Eric, I'm doing pretty good for the shape I'm in . . . [won't bore you guys]:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Arc+Angels+pretty+good+for+the+shape+I'm+in&atb=v350-1&ia=videos&iax=videos&iai=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82w6OFaq_Gw
From Me to You - Janis Ian - SJL Drums 4-29-2025.T3.M1 . . .
Still learning to mix but I got my drums in here pretty well defined (except for a few AI track separation-induced distortions):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/v9fpiuvn7s6w4bk75ap0o/From-Me-to-You-Janis-Ian-SJL-Drums-4-29-2025.T3.M1.flac?rlkey=7exnufh4gk7zzdlfx8gvf0r9t&dl=0
Yes, that's all me alone [drums] on this one - got into the vocals/lyrics while following the bass-line . . .
Sorry for this quick intrusion but I asked myself if I could play that last tune a little tighter and more commercial sounding - So . . .
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/comu4hw8fyhxrgpuk0hxm/From-Me-to-You-Janis-Ian-SJL-Drums-4-29-2025.T4.M1.flac?rlkey=v7ulley2te94nunaac1xvh0cn&dl=0
(I like this one better . . .)
FYI - I need to clean out old files from my music sharing folder on Dropbox.com.
I'm just going to leave the takes/mixes that I am most happy with for now - I might go back and remix a few as my skills improve.
If there is anything you want to keep a copy-of just go ahead and download it to your device as soon as you can.
Always With MeYou - Joe Satriana - SJL Drums 5-7-2025.T5.M1 . . .
May need to remix this one (ears are tired) . . .
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/s1f0rfurf2tcvob8zvxu7/Always-With-MeYou-Joe-Satriana-SJL-Drums-5-7-2025.T5.M1.flac?rlkey=8c3m4igcimofbf6hubpjay99k&dl=0
When you play drums like this . . .
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7pal0zp8nmbopai7csqnz/Always-With-MeYou-Joe-Satriana-SJL-Drums-ONLY-5-7-2025.T5.M2.wav?rlkey=gseebqu1608kqugftkz6dyjat&dl=0
To this tune . . .
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3yjinnu2eko01d0s41k2l/Always-With-MeYou-Joe-Satriana-SJL-Drums-5-7-2025.T5.M2.wav?rlkey=s9tv749avz7jsgv3qdrgzvvr7&dl=0
You really start to understand that the mix of all instruments together is more important than the individual instruments, alone.
I sound really bad playing soloed and yet when I add my "perspective" [drumming interpretation] to the mix it takes on a whole new sound.
"Seal" the deal with this new song and whole new room mix . . .
Lots of learning went into this mix of the 1st take (too tired/sloppy of late to play much - lack energy - but it will pass).
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/eqry4jhv7mfy78aevvovi/Crazy-Seal-SJL-Drums-5-11-2025.T1.M1-FadeOut.flac?rlkey=ix0ib62ywel7rd9iph9ozcnvk&dl=0
Love the lyrics . . . kinda deep [in the weeds?]
Crazy - Seal - SJL Drums 5-11-2025.T1.M2-FadeOut2 . . . REMIX . . .
Went back and tweaked the kit levels and decays [numerous other settings as well - I won't bore you] plus EQ'd the vocal track a little - much cleaner - drums are pushed back in the mix where they belong to sound more commercial.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/k0o2te43fppabmp3iyr4t/Crazy-Seal-SJL-Drums-5-11-2025.T1.M2-FadeOut2.flac?rlkey=5ri6cwet01mmocjni2z89ayr0&dl=0
Always With MeYou - Joe Satriana - SJL Drums 5-7-2025.T5.M4 . . . REMIX . . .
With my recent successes with mixing I had to go back and remix this tune again - I like this one better.
The focus is on the sound of the drums and not on any imperfections in my playing for now - it's all getting better with time/practice:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/280pddyngftluw471zb9s/Always-With-MeYou-Joe-Satriana-SJL-Drums-5-7-2025.T5.M4.flac?rlkey=7rjujo08dtehehdbpp3j71h4g&dl=0
I Can See Clearly Now - Holly Cole Trio - SJL Drums 5-18-2025.T5.M1 . . .
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zyqrypsshxssul45he740/I-Can-See-Clearly-Holly-Cole-Trio-SJL-Drums-5-18-2025.T5.M1.flac?rlkey=uby1m2uvonxaho99locu7w1zj&dl=0
Hope you notice the difference in this mix/kit from previous attempts . . .
This just sounded like a fun tune to listen too so I gave it a go.
(They thought they could trip me up with that Hootie stuff inserted in there . . .) π
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/uqh1rbxqwokzxx3t885li/Bottle-Rockets-Scotty-McCreery-SJL-Drums-5-20-2025.T5.M1.flac?rlkey=xvp2l175hy6cwhw17ygjuu7xn&dl=0
enjoy . . . .
I Can See Clearly - Holly Cole Trio- SJL Drums 5-18-2025.T5.M2_Experimental . . .
I'll give your money back if this mix isn't acceptable to your ears and better than the last one . . . π
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/fwlns8sbweh4j87eyih20/I-Can-See-Clearly-Holly-Cole-Trio-SJL-Drums-5-18-2025.T5.M2_Exp.flac?rlkey=39kt4wwxpmcnkuh4oe19hhybu&dl=0
Drums sound nice in that, pretty good mix. I just couldn't get into the song, I didn't like her timing on the vocals. The piano in the middle was really recorded well.
Samba/Bossa Nova fusion isn't for everyone but I like a lot of different styles myself and love well captured acoustic instruments that are played by real people and not AI generated/Autotune sourced.
No matter how I try I just cannot warm-up to steady 4/4 time head banging music - it just wears me down/out playing to it - must be due to my age and African ancestry who made the canoe trip to the Ukraine about 200 years ago or some such stuff as that.
Glad you approve[ish] and for your feedback, Eric.
My "Eminence Funk" [emulating a sedated Keith Moon on drums]:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tzmms1cs1szxmjda8tbhv/Made-of-Tears-Joe-Satriani-SJL-Drums-5-24-2025.T5.M1_Fade-Out.flac?rlkey=9l6ms6wqtq7he7aipeeq35se7&dl=0
Added: Got some complaints that the drums are too soft - mixed it to be played loud - turn it up if you want more drums - I'll work on a remix . . .
3 songs recorded on the 1st take tonight . . .
. . . And I didn't think I had any music in my bones - until I just started playing anyways.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/w4vi5svbei4xkdwr8llxx/Can-t-Fix-World-Toronzo-Cannon-SJL-Drums-5-29-2025.T1.M1.flac?rlkey=t5hn1lxdb8sg0giql9zax614l&dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/epzy2qp2q98dqmz1ehteo/Dixie-Chicken-Little-Feat-Sjl-Drums-5-29-2025.T1.M1.flac?rlkey=4j3ebhwuzm1mp4tmh9zflg6g3&dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/c03cgcbnxtyk59gyt0v64/Dreams-Molly-Hatchet-SJL-Drums-5-29-2025.T1M1.flac?rlkey=t81kzqyvqof313f19xm3dtykr&dl=0
I got most of it right though!
π
I know this song sounds simple to play but I worked my butt-off to get my timing/physical dynamics correct and the mix turned out really well in my opinion.
Some old bee-bop from my youth on the radio - hope you enjoy!
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/41kamgh4ip4x6dyc3xhl2/Bad-Blood-Neil-Sadaka-SJL-Drums-6-2-2025.T3.M1.flac?rlkey=pay1ets2rr5ccx79g66d9yaft&dl=0
Dare you to call me candy ass . . .
Couldn't resist playing this groove . . . I'm still training my old limbs to keep up with my mind (goof near the end):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0hnuae4j5g3h1yivqfaxy/Voices-Russ-Ballard-SJL-Drums-6-4-2025.T4.M1.flac?rlkey=sksbszxbtrg2ozfes9oi08f56&dl=0
I put more work in trying to get the mix acceptable - that AI stuff couldn't cleanly separate the drums without messing up the rest of the instruments and vocals - so I did a lot mixing - hope it sounds good on your device.
Big speakers sound best - even at low levels/SPL!
I went back and listened to the last mix - it excited my tinnitus and the toms sounded thin so I had a lengthy mixing session and became absorbed in it - this is what I came away with:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/20i1qayb9d8njq3wpem8p/Voices-Russ-Ballard-SJL-Drums-6-4-2025.T4.M2.flac?rlkey=umth58haap5isg1d37he1c3i6&dl=0