GEAR

I feel extremely proud and privileged to be an international artist for Mapex Drums, I’ve played them since 2004. The team look after me no matter where I am in the world and gave me the opportunity in 2020 to launch my own signature Snare Drum “The Machine”. I play a mixture of series both live and in the studio and on the current Steve Hackett tour I’m playing a Design Lab Cherry Bomb series set up, 24” kick, 8/10/12/13 racks, 16/18 floors and an 18” aux drum which I’m using as a gong drum, my Machine snare and a “Wasp” as a second snare. Check them out HERE. On the recent Frost* dates I used a Saturn Evo

I joined the Paiste family in 2006. I feel completely at home with my set up and have the perfect sounds at my disposal. They are a very special company that I have so much respect for. They branded my 2002’s for Steven Wilson’s “To The Bone Tour” and have made me a few prototypes for my studio set ups over the years including my current 24” ride cymbal on this tour, a Masters extra dry. I play a mixture of cymbals in the studio depending on the project but live my set up is currently 2002 Big Beat Crashes 20/21/22/24. 15” Giant Beat hats, 2002 bells, 8/10 602 splashes, 14” swiss flanger stack, 10/8 pstx stack and a 22” 602 modern essentials ride.

My relationship with Roland goes back over 20 years, they gave me a chance when I was just starting out and continued to have faith in me all the time I was in my “day job days” I used to do lots of Saturday music shop demos up and down the country. Eventually, Roland put me into Europe doing shop demos and launch events at trade shows to learn my trade and then the drum clinics and festivals started to arrive. In 2008 I joined the R&D team and have been involved in creating sounds and play-alongs to many of the modules that countless drummers around the world play today.

I’ve used Sennheiser all my professional career, from clip on 604’s a few years back to industry standard MD421’s now in the studio. They are also my choice of "in ears" on tour and headphones tracking in the studio. They are still a great family company and one that I feel very privileged to be a part of.

I will always be super grateful to Alan Vater and Chad Brandiolini for having faith in me in the early years. They have supported me so much around the world and gave me the opportunity to have a signature stick. Once again, they remain a family company and their attention to detail in their “end product” is simply unrivaled. Currently I'm using a Classics 5b on tour

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I will always have the story that I was Protection Rackets first artist signing in 1994! I remember speaking to a very cool surf dude down in Cornwall and we hit it off great. Dean and the team have truly stood by me, even when the work dried up in the early days. The company have gone from strength to strength in the industry and now hold the reputation as the best-case manufacturer in the world.

All that know Russ Miller will know that outside his incredible playing he is a true pioneer in drum industry manufacturing and has had a hand in over a hundred products in the industry from Yamaha’s Sub-Kick to the Groove Wedge. Russ approached me a while back to play the X-Click and I’ve never looked back. If you’re looking to take your sonic palette to the next level then check out Gruv-X, You’ll be glad you did.

Back in 2021 my gear on the “Seconds Out” tour was being flown all over the world. It was a fairly big concert tom rig and getting it all on a 8x8 riser was an issue for me and my tech. We decided that a rack was the best option. I’d known the guys at Gibraltar and GEWA for years but never really looked at rack systems. Fast forward a year later and I will never look back for touring. Gibraltar are the true masters of this stuff and from very poorly designed drawings I am using three different systems on three different tours, they are a true game changer.

The one product that poses more questions on my rig than anything else! A product that once you use, you’ll never go back. Basically, it acts as a real time noise gate. If you mount your cymbals and toms on the same stand or on a bass drum, you’ll always get resonant cymbal sounds when you hit your drums, especially on splashes. The inner gasket of the CRS makes the cymbal almost “free float” on the stand, making every hit completely isolated.

Adding cympads to my set up was a very easy choice, especially on the smaller cymbals. They don’t choke the cymbals and help them to ring out as much as possible. There is a vast range of different sizes so if you want to take the edge off the bell sustain or crashes, you can with ease. They come in a huge number of colours for all your vanity needs 😉

The gel market is fairly saturated, and you can find lots out there. Slapklatz stand heads and shoulders above them all and have been a welcome addition to my touring and recording rigs over the last few years. They come in a plastic protection case, you can wash them, they come in different sizes and even after they been washed, they can also work underneath cymbals. Using them on my ride cymbals in the studio has been a true revelation

I’ve used Zoom products for years and recently got the opportunity to join the team. I record a lot of video content and use their 4K cameras for my online masterclasses and content on tour. I have just started using a Live track 8 on tour and it is outstanding. The ability to preload scenes for different stages is brilliant, ie if the bass traps are under the stage I load a pre-set monitor eq with less low end, or if they are in front I can load a pre-set with more low end eq. I used a 12 on the SW tours and it was just perfect, especially for headphone monitor mixes, the 8 is just PERFECT for my work with Frost.

Another recent and welcome addition to my rig both in the Recording Studio, Streaming Studio and on tour are Hercules stands. They are part of the KHS group of which I’ve had a relationship with for nearly 20 years. They have flown everything for me currently for Steve Hackett and Frost, phone holder to adjust virtual monitor mixes, tablet holder for my “guides”, overhead stands and camera clamps, they do it all with ease and are a massive part of making the job easier.

George Frederick is a bit of an industry legend and a friend for over a decade! if you ask most pros around the world, they’ll know George! What he’s done for the industry is staggering and any chance I get to work with him I’ll always jump through hoops to make it happen. Thankfully He’s artist relations at Natal Drums. Outside their great drums they make some incredible percussion. In more recent times recording music for TV with Matt Berry i’ve need a quality percussion set up and Natal is where I found a sound I truly loved.