Riksmixningsverket - Stockholm

XLN Audio wanted to be able to capture the sounds of this classic kit in beautiful isolation. Situated on a small island in the centre of Stockholm, Riksmixningsverket is one of the best sounding old naval warehouses in the industry. And at its centre is a classic analogue heart through which to capture some sweet sonic love, the Neve 8068 console. Old desks like these do something magical to music, they give their own character, enforce the punchiness and thickness of the sounds. It's hard to put into words, but your ears can definitely tell.

Classic Kit - Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple kit

An absolute classic. Clean and crisp and smooth like butter. This Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple kit is made of sheets of Maple ply wrapped around a single layer of African Wenge hardwood, delivering a finely tuned tone that plays rich and clear across the full dynamic range. However you want to hear them, slamming out the breaks, or simmering in the back, they have the perfectly balanced sound to sit super comfortably in the mix.

For snares, XLN Audio felt they needed two. A deep Longo Solid Ply Cherry for big, fat hits and thick side sticks and a shallower, high tuned 1968 Ludwig Acrolite for tighter, snappier hits. To top it off, we hand-picked smooth Meinl cymbals to glue the whole kit together, wrapped in warmth and balanced highs.

Kick:

• Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple 22x16"

Snare:

• Longo Solid Ply Cherry 14x6"
• Ludwig Acrolite 14x5"

Toms: 

• Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple 10x8"
• Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple 12x8"
• Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple 14x13"
• Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple 16x15"

Hi-Hats & Cymbals: 

• Meinl Byzance Dual 15"
• Meinl Byzance Extra Dry Thin 18"
• Meinl Byzance Extra Dry Thin 20"
• Meinl Byzance Vintage 22"
• Meinl Byzance Transition 21"

Extra:

• Body Percussion

INGRID - Stockholm

Walking into Ingrid Studios is like walking into a time capsule. The place was built in 1969, and while stacks of hits have been recorded within its wooden walls, including ABBAs first album, almost nothing about the studio has physically changed in all that time. The place still oozes seventies flavour out of every surface, and sounds like nowhere else XLN Audio has ever been, capable of capturing both the dry, light, tight drum sound of the early '70s and the thicker, fatter beats that disco brought towards the end of the decade.

To ensure Ingrid's impeccable '70s character is not polluted, no gear made since the '80s is allowed to pass through the doors, making the drum sounds XLN captured for this ADpak as close as you can get to the '70s without a modified DeLorean and 1.21 gigawatts of electricity.

Vintage Drum Kit – 1968 Ludwig Silver Sparkle Kit

It doesn't get much more '70s than this. The 1968 Ludwig Silver Sparkle is like the drum kit equivalent of a glitter ball, and it'll make you feel just as groovy. But to get the sort of authentic '70s drum sound that's been brought back into vogue by artists like Daft Punk and Justice, XLN pulled out all the retro tricks. They started by tuning and dampening the individual drums using authentic '70s methods: The kick was stuffed with a pillow and a large sheet of felt. Newspaper was taped to the snare heads and more felt sheets were pinned to the toms. Then, to ensure audio authenticity, XLN Audio recorded it using only microphones from the 1960-70s (Coles, Neumann, Sennheiser and Bang & Olufsen) sent through the studio's vintage API console.

Kick:

• Ludwig Silver Sparkle 20x16"
• Sonor Phonic 22x16"

Snares:

• Sonor Phonic 14x7"
• Ludwig Supraphonic 400 14x5"

Toms:

• Ludwig Silver Sparkle 12x8"
• Ludwig Silver Sparkle 13x9"
• Ludwig Silver Sparkle High 16x16"
• Ludwig Silver Sparkle Low 16x16"

Hi-Hats & Cymbals:

• Zildjian K 15"
• Sabian HH Extra Thin 22"
• Zildjian K Dark Medium Thin 19"
• Zildjian Thin 18"
• Sabian Signature Hot Ride 21"

Extra:

• Clap, Snap, Lap