SSD4 Blackbird Drums Kit 1 Demo

Ashley Smith
Engineer/Producer/Musician

Credits inc. - Brad Whitford, Derek St. Holmes, Leona Lewis, X-Factor and American Idol finalists/artists, Velvet, EMI and more…  Former Slate Digital QA Manager (SSD and Trigger, and dicretionary lead for others all), Beta Test Co-Ordinator and Senior Technical Support Specialist.

Contact ashley@mixititb.com for your drum programming, mixing/engineering and producing requirements.  Rates available upon request.

SSD4 Blackbird Kit 1 Demo - Ashley Smith

Music - Ashley Smith
Lyrics - Ashley Smith and Vanessa Leinani

Uploaded as part of the Waves/Chris Lord-Alge competition...

https://apps.facebook.com/promotionshq/contests/189059/voteable_entries/47923928

Public voting takes place - April 4th-10th, 2012

Enjoy!!

Thank you for voting.

Photographs and Memories

Want a bigger live studio sounding snare drum in BFD2?  Here's a tip...

Route the Room send in the KPI to an aux channel ("RmOrig").

Route that aux to another aux ("Rm Fx"), so you now have the original and one we're going to effect.

Place a Comp Chan followed by a Comp Bus on the "RM Fx" channel.  And here what we'll do is raise the noise floor to give us more "controlled" sustain.

Settings: -

Comp Chan
Input: 22.8db
Output: -26.4db
Ratio: 4
Attack: 0.58ms
Release: 106ms

Comp Bus
Threshold: -30db
Ratio: 4
Attack: 0.1ms
Release: 0.6ms
Make Up Gain: 23db
Wet/Dry Mix: 72%
Key HP: 74Hz

Finally, feed the snare top via a send to a 3rd aux ("Sn Reverb") and place Breverb Plate on there.

On the Master I have a Comp Bus knocking off around 1.5db.

Live Studio Snare - FXpansion BFD2

A Double Paradiddle groove taken from the forthcoming "26 Essential Drum Rudiments grooves pack as classified by N.A.R.D. (National Association of Rudimental Drummers)". 

Double Paradiddle groove

Youtube Videos - Intro Music

Currently reworking the track.  Let me know what you think!

Photographs and Memories - Rework

Testing out my new Pro Tools template, with Steven Slate Drums 4.0.  Here's me rockin' some Nickelback.

Nickelback - Follow You Home - Demo

Working on some new songs, laying down some riffs!

Rock Song - working progress

Working progress of "Every Road Leads Home To You" by Richie Sambora for the contest.  Gtr's and Vox to be tracked, then everything mixed.

Every Road Leads Home To You - RSambora Contest Print Check

Liza Colby's 'Oh Baby', mixed for the Gearfest Puremix Contest in Pro Tools; utilising Sonnox, Slate Digital, Waves, Kush Audio and Digirack plug-ins in pursuit of a powerful, punchy, up-front, live rock extravaganza.  

Sonnox EQ was my main tool to sculpt each instrument; using the GML setting for smooth contouring of frequencies, and Type 1 preset for notching.  

I used Slate VCC and VTM, former on the Brit 4k setting for controlled low-end management and warmth, and latter mainly on the Drums and 2-buss to round the high end.  

Sonnox's TransMod is an awesome tool for taming snares (buy it!), props to the one and only Paul Frindle for his works.

Kush Audio's Clariphonic plug-in was used on the 2-buss to brighten the mix and bring focus in the mid range.  Another great tool!

Enjoy the mix children! :)

Liza Colby Band - 'Oh Baby' (A.Smith Mix) - GearfestPuremixContest

Ashley is a professional Sound Engineer, Musician, Producer from the UK, former QA Manager, Beta Test Co-Ordinator and Senior Tech Support Specialist for one of the worlds leading audio software/hardware companies "Slate Digital/Yellow Matter Entertainment"; now proud CEO of Seattle Underground and Mix It In The Box companies, as an Engineer and Audio/Media content provider (specialising Drums grooves, multi-track sessions, presets, and more to come).

Ashley's career works extend to overseeing productions for Leona Lewis, X-Factor live finalists '04 for ITV, 
Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and the cast of 'How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria' for the BBC, 
Velvet, label work for EMI, and many more artitst credits to point. His recent works include that for Brad Whitford (Aersomith), Derek St.Holmes, Jack White (drummer) and artists at Lattitude Studio South, Nashville.

Ashley is also held in high esteem; known for his consummate professional workings as a beta tester within 
the global music industry, with affiliates and endorsers including: -

• Avid 
• Native Instruments
• Overloud
• Platinum Samples 
• Sonic Reality
• MusicLab 
• Novation
• M-Audio
• and Focusrite... to name a few.

Seattle Underground

Popular tracks