Recording for Olalla Bay Music

I had the privilege of tracking drums last year for a wonderful project with Olalla Bay Music. Joy and Hope in Tanzania by Sing Truth Global, was inspired by a father singing Bible stories to his children. Sixteen years later, these children's songs have grown into a full fledged album featuring musicians from all over the world. There were many drummers [including myself] who contributed to the album, which gives each song a unique rhythmic feel. I played on a few songs, a couple of which I want to take you behind the scenes into the recording process.

Joy In Your Presence

This song was a blast to play. It has a playful, rock foundation with tribal elements featuring shakers and djembe. For the main drum track, we recorded in the studio with one of the house setups- a 1960’s era Rogers set. My daily driver is also a Rogers [cira 1980’s], so I felt right at home playing it. The standard sizing of the set was a perfect fit for the rock elements of this song. For the snare, I used my trusty Ludwig Acrolite.

The mic locations this track included snare top & bottom, rack & floor toms, bass drum, hit hat, and two overheads. Michael Proctor, the producer, and the engineer did a great job capturing the right sound for this drum track. His knowledge and attention to detail are amazing.

Joy in the Holy Spirit

This song is one of my favorites on the album, and I’m not biased here because I played on it. I love the jazz feel of this track, especially with the upright bass [played by Art Robles] leading the charge. As a drummer, when the bassist is on point, it makes my job that much easier, which was certainly the case here. For tracking the drums, instead of using the studio room, we set up in “the barn,” a music venue next to the studio. The goal was to go a little old school with a live room sound. We used a Gretsch set for this recording- I believe it was the Catalina Club Jazz Series. It's smaller, more lively sound was perfect for this song. Again, I used the Acrolite for the snare.

The mics used here were minimal, with just a couple of room mics along with a snare and bass drum mic. I really like how it turned out.

Enjoy the Full Album Out Now.

Of course, this is just a couple of songs on this record- be sure to check out the whole album. Also, big shoutout to all the other musicians, producers, and singers who put their heart and soul into this album- it was truly a group effort. Amazing job everyone!

You can find Joy & Hope in Tanzania on Bandcamp or iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and more!