NEWSLETTER

Few issues come up on the RW Forum more often than the need for additional InstantDrummer Sessions. In response to your pleas, the guys at Drums On Demand (DOD) have been busy playing, recording and formatting to give you exactly what you've been asking for, fifteen brand spankin' new RiffWorks InstantDrummers. Since you'll soon be spending ludicrous amounts of time jamming along with these new grooves, we thought you should get to know the real life drummer who'll be backing you up.

Todd Sorensen of DOD is the guy, your drummer and percussionist. If you haven't heard of him, you've probably heard his work. Watch any of the morning news programs? college football? A talented session drummer, Sorensen has composed and played for most of the major television networks, including ABC and NBC. He's also done work on blockbuster movie trailers, TV and radio promos and several local albums.

Sorensen received a degree in music and established himself as a successful session drummer before partnering with Guy Randle and Quint Randle to form DOD in Salt Lake City. Together they create products directed at computer-based musicians.

The process of creating an InstantDrummer begins with a three day recording session to build one of DOD's genre-specific Song Set volumes. Every Song Set folder they record contains all parts of a song: verses, choruses, bridges, intros, outros and endings.

The recording set up for these sessions is fairly standard, according to Sorensen. Guy Randle uses a variety of different mics and placements on each instrument depending on the sound he wants.

"[Guy] will put two or three [mics] on the bass drum, and the same with the snare," said Sorensen. "He feels he gets more of what he's looking for if he has a variety of mics from which to choose from."

An admitted drum junkie, Sorensen also appreciates access to a variety of gear. More authentic gear means a more authentic sound for the InstantDrummer Sessions.

"I'll bring in different equipment based on what we decide to play," said Sorensen. "When we were doing the jazz recordings, I brought in a 60s Gretsch drum kit, which is what they used to play that stuff on. Nothing sounds like it, and it worked great."

After recording, Randle spends about three days mixing in his studio, followed by six weeks of editing and fine tuning by Sorensen. Then, Randle and his teenage son, Murphy, map out the sound of each Drummer.

"We create a REX file out of the recording," said Sorensen. "Then, we take that REX file and import it into [Sonoma Wire Works proprietary software] and create a Drummer out of it."

Randle and son audition the work, tweak it to perfection and add reverb.

"Murphy and I have a lot of fun making it all just work when you turn the knob," said Randle. "I think [RiffWorks] is great for all those people, who just want to play guitar and not delve into how it's all done."

RiffWorks newest InstantDrummers were chosen to diversify already available styles and tempos. Included in the new selection are traditional jazz styles, blues and rock shuffles, slower ballads and power ballads, country and acoustic brushes and even more pop tunes.

"We heard from Line 6 and Sonoma Wire Works, A, more stuff, B, more stuff, and C, more variety," said Sorensen. "We tried to start filling in the gaps and provide them with different tempos and different styles."

A few of the new grooves include some creative stylistic layers to add depth and interest.

"We did something new in the acoustic-ish Sessions," said Randle. "We used a shaker and a tambourine in the first couple of layers of volume level. Then, farther along, as you crank it up, the drum set starts in. It really rounds it out."

More new InstantDrummer Sessions are already in the works.

"We're working on more; more will be coming down the pike in a month or two," said Sorensen. "We'll continue to feed the InstantDrummer pipeline."