Teching, Tuning and Tracking the "Funky Drummer" Breakbeat

Recreating the genius of Clyde Stubblefield and King Studios

How do you get a drum sound like the "Funky Drummer"?

What was so effortless for Clyde Stubblefield and the engineers of King Studios in 1969 is a HUGE challenge to recreate in the digital age. Session drummer Dylan Wissing  and assistant Steven Katona demonstrate their detailed process for taking on this recording project, from choosing the instruments, tuning, muffling, and performance to miking the kit, treating the room and recording the drums for this iconic breakbeat masterpiece. Dylan covers every step of the process, from starting with a bare drum riser up to sending the final raw tracks to the mix engineer.

These are the real world techniques that Dylan has used for recording superstars and countless independent artists alike. Filmed at Dylan's own Triple Colossal Studios, this course includes countless techniques, tips, hacks and stories from decades spent in the recording studio.

    1. 1. Opening Thoughts

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. 2. Setting Up the Session

    3. 3. The Big Idea

    1. 4. Bass Drum Introduction

    2. 5. Bass Drum Shootouts

    1. 6. Snare Drum Introduction

    2. 7. Bottom Snare Head Tuning

    3. 8. Top Snare Head Tuning

    4. 9. Snare Mic Placement

    5. 10. Snare Hoops and Muffling

    6. 11. Ghost Notes and Final Selection

    1. 12. Hi Hat Introduction

    2. 13. Hi Hat Shootouts

    3. 14. Drum Set Recap

    1. 15. Hi Hat Mic Placement

    2. 16. Adding Additional Mics

    3. 17. Changing the Room Sound

    4. 18. Fine-Tuning Microphones

    5. 19. Mic Preamp Shootout

    6. 20. Character Mics and Final Tweaks

    1. 21. A Word on Clyde Stubblefield

    2. 22. Final Performance

    3. 23. Prepping the Tracks

    4. 24. Closing Thoughts

About this course

  • $67.00
  • 27 lessons
  • 2 hours of video content

Combine this course and "Mixing the Drums" with the Full Recording and Mixing Bundle - Save 26%!

  • $99.00

    $99.00CREATING THE SOUND OF THE FUNKY DRUMMER | Complete Recording & Mixing Tutorial Master Classes

    Save 26%

Gear used in this course:

INSTRUMENTS

Bass Drums:

  • GMS 16x22" GrandMaster Series bass drum
  • GMS 12x20" SE Series bass drum
  • Ludwig 14x22" bass drum (early 1970s)
  • Rogers 14x22" bass drum (mid 70s)


Snare Drums:

  • GMS 5.5x14" Seamless Aluminum
  • GMS 6.5x14" Super Vintage
  • Gretsch 5x14" Brooklyn Series Brass
  • Ludwig 5x14" Supra-Phonic (mid 60s)
  • Ludwig 5x14" Acrolite (mid 60s)


Hi Hats:

  • 14" A Zildjian Transition Stamp (late 40s)
  • 14" Sabian AAX Studio Hats
  • 14" Sabian HHX Legacy Hats


Heads:

  • Aquarian Texture Coated
  • Aquarian Hi Frequency Coated
  • Aquarian Force 1 Coated
  • Aquarian Super Kick I
  • Aquarian Classic Clear Snare Side


Accessories:

  • Innovative Percussion Legacy 5AB sticks
  • TnR Products Little Booty Shakers
  • Innovative Percussion KDB-1 Kick Drum Beater
  • Vic Firth felt, wood, and fleece-covered VicKick Beaters 


ELECTRONICS

  • Native Instruments Maschine Mk3


MICROPHONES

  • AEA R84 ribbon
  • AKG C414 XLS LDC
  • Audio Technica AT4047 SV LDC
  • BeyerDynamic M201 dynamic
  • BeesNeez Lul FET SDC
  • Cascade Fathead II ribbon
  • RCA dynamic (vintage)
  • RM BIV ribbon
  • Shure SM57 dynamic
  • Solomon LoFrEQ dynamic
  • Telefunken M80 dynamic
  • Telefunken M82 dynamic


MIC PREAMPLIFIERS

  • Black Lion Audio Auteur
  • Daking MicPreIV
  • RME Fireface UFX+
  • Sebatron VMP-4000e


CONVERSION

  • RME Fireface UFX+
  • Ferrofish A16 MkII


OTHER AUDIO GEAR

  • ADAM A7x monitors
  • UBK Gain Train Monitor Controller
  • ART S8 Channel Splitter


SOFTWARE

  • Logic Pro X
  • Native Instruments Maschine 2
  • Soundtoys Little Plate

Meet Your Instructor

Dylan Wissing

Session Drummer, Engineer

Dylan Wissing exploded onto the international scene drumming on Alicia Keys’ smash hit “Girl on Fire.” His credits include drum tracks for Kanye West, Drake, John Legend, Eminem, Jay Z, Rick Ross, Fabolous, Needtobreathe and many more. Drawing from a huge collection of instruments, both cutting-edge modern and crusty vintage, Dylan creates live drum loops and samples with vibe for days from his own Triple Colossal Studios. Dylan is an endorser of GMS Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Aquarian Drumheads, Innovative Percussion Sticks, and TnR Products.

Ready to create the "Funky Drummer" sound? We'll show you how to do it!

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