Does Your Song Need to Be Finished Before Recording Drums?
No. If you want to know how to prepare your song for a session drummer, start by knowing it doesn’t have to be finished before you bring in a drummer. Plenty of good drum tracks get recorded while the song is still coming together. That said, a little prep makes the whole thing smoother and means fewer revisions down the road. Here’s what I like to have before I start.
Send the Drummer a Demo
Send whatever you’ve got: guitars, keys, bass, vocals, even a scratch vocal or a hummed melody. I play to the song, so the more of it I can hear, the better the drums will fit.
An MP3 or WAV is fine. If there’s a scratch vocal, leave it audible so I know where to stay out of the way and where to open up.
For the technical hand-off, prepare a clean reference mix, tempo or click information when available, and clearly labeled supporting files so everything is easy to line up when recording begins.
Determine the Tempo or BPM
If you know your tempo, send it. If you don’t, check your DAW’s project tempo, or tap it out with a tap-tempo tool while the song plays. Even a rough number helps.
Also let me know about tempo changes, spots where the song speeds up or slows down, and any odd time signatures. If the tempo drifts on purpose, tell me that too.
Give the Drummer a Clear Song Structure
Nothing fancy. Just:
- Intro, verse, chorus, bridge, outro
- Bar counts, if you know them
- Anywhere you want a fill, a stop, or a big build
Even a quick note like “second verse is stripped back, last chorus goes big” helps a lot.
How to Prepare Your Song for a Session Drummer With Reference Tracks
“Rock” or “pop” can mean a hundred different things. Reference songs say it better. Something like “I want the groove from this one and the energy from that one” tells me more than a paragraph of description.
Explain What You Want From the Drum Part
A few things worth thinking about:
- Tight and polished, or loose and organic?
- Big room sound, or dry and close?
- Busy, or simple and steady?
- Should the drums drive the song, or sit back in the pocket?
Not sure how to put it into words? That’s fine. Send the references and I’ll take it from there.
Tell the Drummer What You Don’t Want
This is just as useful as knowing what you do want. If you hate big tom fills, don’t want cymbal crashes on every downbeat, or need the verses to stay quiet, say so. A short “please avoid” list can save a whole round of revisions.
Should You Send a Click Track?
If your song was built to a click, send it, and make sure your reference audio lines up with it. That’s the easiest way to work.
If the song is looser and there’s no click, just tell me. It’s totally doable, I just approach it differently, and I’d rather know up front. You can also read more about recording drums to a click track.
How to Prepare Your Song for a Session Drummer: Stems and Audio Files
A full mix without drums is usually the best starting point. If you have stems, click or tempo information, include them when they help explain the arrangement. Keep every file clearly labeled and aligned to the same starting point so the session can be set up quickly and accurately.
How Should You Label Your Files?
Keep it simple and clear. Include the song title, the part, the tempo, and a version number, like SongTitle_Guitars_120bpm_v2.wav. If you update a file later, bump the version number instead of overwriting the old one, so we’re never guessing which is current.
Leave Room for the Drummer to Be a Musician
When a song comes in, I listen to it multiple times and try to take in as much of it as I can, as quickly as I can. I want to feel the song before I start playing it. If you’re open to it, give me some room to bring ideas. That’s usually where the best parts come from.
And if you’d rather have something safe and simple, just tell me. Either way works, as long as we’re on the same page.
After You Prepare Your Song for a Session Drummer: What Happens Next?
Once I have your track, I listen to it several times to absorb as much as I can, and I make my first pass within the first few hours of hearing it. Depending on the client, I may send a rough take first, especially if you have a particular thing you’re looking for. From there, revisions happen as needed. If you’ve given me good references and a clear structure, there usually aren’t many.
For more detail on that process, see how revisions to a drum performance work.
Ready to Put Real Drums on Your Song?
I’m Patrick Hennessey, a professional drummer with more than 40 years of live and recording experience. I provide studio and remote drum recording for artists, songwriters and producers who want a real drummer bringing feel, dynamics and musical experience to their tracks.
Learn more about working with me as a professional session drummer, or send me your project details and let’s talk about what your song needs.