Inside Russ Miller's Drum Studio
Russ Miller takes us through his studio and shares it all. Every video is filled with funny, insightful, and revealing anecdotes, great gear talk and - very important- all the videos below are really more drum and music lessons in sync with the 'Fundamental Drum Tutorials' that we are publishing with master drummer Russ Miller.

You get to see a lot of Russ Miller in his separate article that will have 7 videos. He shares his daily drumming job, his music business and how he runs it, the studio gear, the tracking room, and some serious studio drumming lessons - without even touching the drums, but he gives a tell-all on how you can get those microphones record you in the best possible way!
Spoiler: it is not the job of the mics to sound great.

Jump in, learn, and have fun with the stories and lessons of the drummer that you are listening to when binging the next Continuum episode or entire Tyrant season.
Added with this article are all Russ his solo releases and a few other albums from his R.M.I. Record label (including Kirk Covington's 'Cpt. Kirk and the Devil Horns'). And, some of the mega selling hits that feature Russ Miller with names like Hilary Duff, Tina Turner, Nelly Furtado and his work with movie composers Jeff and Michael Denna.

Fundamental Drum Tutorials with Russ Miller
Don't miss the free drum lessons with Russ Miller we are publishing on Drummerszone as well. You can study the lessons in Russ his Fundamental Drum Tutorials video channel, or watch them in this article and learn much more about Russ Miller.

Inside Russ Miller's Drum Studio: the Wall of Fame and the Control Room
Entering the lobby of R.M.I. Studios in Los Angeles is where we start our interview series with Russ Miller. First, we have a quick conversation in the lobby, checking out his Wall of Fame - with a very diverse and mixed palette of Gold and Platinum records.

A key moment in his career was recording Nelly Furtado's mega hit I'm Like a Bird, selling over 9 million copies. Notice Tina Turner and Hilary Duff on the wall as well. While watching the video, make sure to check the walls in the Control Room - there are a lot more mega selling names on the walls.

In the control room, the second part of this video, has a more technical level. But do not let this scare you, Russ is a really funny guy and makes watching this really easy!

Russ also explains how his studio is built, and why all his equipment is matched with the highest standards in the industry. Next we talk about how drummers on his artist level have drum kits 'moving around,' kits that are going from studio to studio and then have to be at a live gig the same evening. This is a fun one!

We've saved the best for last in this video. It is a very true statement that Russ makes when asked: How do you stay relevant in the music business?

Russ Miller's Wall of Fame and Studio Control Room
Fun fact: Russ did the surround mixing for Steve Gadd's 'Way Back Home Live From Rochester, NY' in this studio.


The Studio Equipment
Here Russ shows and talks about all the gear in the control room of his R.M.I. Studios. Are you interested in how you can improve your home studio as a drummer? Then you should watch this one.
Not interested in studio gear? Just go to the next video.

As Russ says in a later video: "Every artist should at least have some sort of recording at home," he is absolutely right stating that. But you can come a long way in recording with gear and software that is not the high-end level he uses - which will cost you a fortune anyway. It is always best to start and learn with the gear you can afford or just grow into it starting with the cheaper recording gear.

Russ Miller's Studio Equipment
Watch the video for all the equipment in Russ Miller's studio. A quick shortlist is below the video.


Equipment shortlist: Pro Tools HDX, Yamaha monitors, Rosendahl Nanosyncs, Motu Audio Interface, Z-Systems OptiPatch+, Hear Technologies Hear Back Hub, JBL LSR Monitors, M-Audio Surround, Arrel Audio, iMac, Slate MTI Touch screen, Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A compressor, Akai MPC Renaissance Music Production Controller, Roland.

The Secrets of Recording Drums
In a few weeks, we are going to cheat on YouTube with a section from this video. In that one, we are emphasizing the part in this video where Russ explains why John Bonham sounded so great. In this video, Russ also refers to several other drumming legends that not only have shaped music history, but are considered the best players when it comes to recording drums. In a flash, Russ mentions Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, Jim Keltner, Carlos Vega, JR Robinson and elaborates on their drum sounds with John Bonham as... well, a pretty good example of one of the best drum sounds ever.

The drummers that Russ mentions represent a time in which all these heroes had to play and record flawlessly for every single take. They recorded at a time when there were no easy digital fixes. Recording was done at a zero-failure rate. And it still is, because drummers the likes of Russ, Thomas Lang or Curt Bisquera and Gregg Bissonette are delivering it daily. (Read our recent interview with Thomas Lang about this.)

Notably, we saw Steve Lukather, guitarist for Toto, Ringo Starr and countless others, joke during an interview at the 2019 North Sea Jazz festival: "Pro Tools is for Pro Fools," meaning you could make a mistake or two in the studio, but at the third you probably had to go.
These are all major league pro's that are still working on this flawless level. They are still there because of one reason, and we have to quote Russ here:

"The business hasn't really changed, the business plan has changed."
- Russ Miller

Drum Recording Secrets
Russ explains the secrets of what it takes to be among these drummers. Spoiler: one clue is to have the Right Mix in your Playing.

The Fundamental Drum Tutorials with Russ Miller

Free drum lessons with Russ Miller here on Drummerszone.
Exactly on topic, the first drum lesson is called: Playing the Perfect Mix

The Key to Playing Drums
There is a zero-failure rate on Russ his level of professional playing and recording. Below, he elaborates on it and reveals the Most Important Word in Music for probably every instrument.

We start the video with a fun story from Russ when he was playing on American Idol. Included is footage we have with Russ from a few years ago, to illustrate the topic he is explaining here: about playing the most stressful situations, and the ones you have absolutely no control of. And he makes fun of it! With all that pressure an artist has to endure, there is only one rule: play it like never before!

The second part of the video has Russ explaining what it takes to do his job. This might be one of the best lessons on how to approach your instrument when playing a song, or when you feel insecure about performing it. We almost gave this video the title: 'The Most Important Word in Music.' Russ reveals the key to playing drums and how it actually counts for every musician.

The Global Drummer Coincidence
A few months ago, we published a huge interview series with The Voice drummer Hans Eijkenaar on Drummerszone. This Dutch drum icon says exactly the same as Russ on this very topic in this video. Is it coincidence, or are they just the guys that have that Key to playing the drums?
Fun fact: Drummerszone was the first media outlet ever to get an interview inside the studio and on the stage of The Voice.

Russ Miller gives you the Key to Playing Drums


Recording for Movies
With over 200,000 musicians in Los Angeles, you can count the drummers on two hands that are on speed dial for major studio jobs like movies and TV series. The right term for this is being a first call musician. The skills and experience it takes to play what is asked for - combined with the stress of the job, is only for a few that can keep it cool.
Watch how Russ explains the workload of playing a movie score and what is asked of the musicians - which goes for all musicians of course.

Why is recording for movies such a hard job? Russ explains it easily with a joke: "Movies are just not written in 4/4."
Even more interesting is how he shows how a score can be written, and also explains how this part of the industry works and how you get these recording jobs.

Recording for Movies with Russ Miller


The Crazy Drum Warehouse and Snare Drum Collection
This is the ultimate fun stuff for drummers! Russ stores his drums and instruments in this room and the fun here is the cool stories behind all the snare drums. The real treat is the story about the unique Pork Pie snare with Jeff Porcaro's Blue color - a story every drummer will enjoy, but notice how it's built!

A few of the magic snare drums in the video

• Russ his original 7x12" Custom Yamaha Bamboo snare drum
  
• 1953 Slingerland Radio King
  
• 1968 Premier Royal Ace
  
• Ludwig Supraphonic
  
• A handmade carbon fiber Hunter drum
  Check out Russ his video on this snare which is added to this article as well.
  
• Ludwig and Ludwig Top Hat and Cane - the Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa sound!
  • Read more on this unique snare below the video.
  
• Another signature Yamaha Bamboo snare drum
  Used on Nelly Furtado's mega selling hit I'm Like a Bird. The 12" version of this snare is used on Lady Marmalade. Imagine being the drummer on that song backing the vocals of Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya and P!nk.
  
• Guy Drums
  A snare with incredible hand-layed artwork.
  
• Even a copper handmade snare by a pan maker from Italy.
  Hence the reasons why this section is named the Crazy Snare Drum Collection.
  
• The Jeff Porcaro Blue
  A snare drum made by Bill Detamore from Pork Pie. It has a brass layer sandwiched between two maple layers. Back in the day, Bill Detamore did all the finishes on Jeff Porcaro's drums.

Russ Miller's Crazy Drum Warehouse and Snare Drum Collection
Yes, it is a long and weird title, but that's what we actually called it during the recordings. And we didn't come up with a better one, because for Russ this room is not chaos - and every drummer should understand that!

Ludwig and Ludwig Top Hat and Cane

Russ says in the video his Top Hat and Cane-snare is from 1948. A few sources (donnbennett.com & chicagomusicexchange.com) tell us that this snare and the drum kits were built around 1941 and have an interesting history.

As the absolute top of the line drum set at the time, due to the extremely limited supply of materials during early World War II, only a very small number of these 'Top Hat and Cane' sets were made in 1941 and discontinued in 1942. The Top Hat model was never offered in any Ludwig catalog. However, a small number of the sets have appeared that were date stamped 1946. [source: donnbennett.com]

The drums that were offered later got the timestamps of that same year. So, Russ does have a 1948, but it was probably made in 1941 or 1942. Which is actually good, because in 7 years wood used for drums can get a completely different character. And with Ludwig we know that most of their drums age very well.

The complete and very rare 'Ludwig and Ludwig Top Hat and Cane' drum sets nowadays range in price from €14,000 up to $30,0000. Imagine what Russ his very rare snare drum is worth now!

Russ Miller uses
Click here for the complete list of the drum gear Russ uses live and in the studio.

• Mapex Drums and Hardware
  
• Zildjian Cymbals
  
• Remo Drumheads
  
• Vic Firth Sticks
  
• Meinl Percussion
  
• SKB Cases
  
• DW (Drum Workshop) Racks/Hardware
  
• Cympad
  
• Switchkick Beaters
  
• Puresound Snares
  
• NFuzd Audio Electronics, May E/A Mic Mounts, Zoom AV Products, Hercules Mic & Music Stands, P&D tactile Monitoring, Arrel Audio Mic Pre-Amps, Aspirar Sig. Drum Shoes and Prologix Pads