Vic Firth: Stories Behind The Sleeves | Gavin Harrison

Welcome to our latest Stories Behind The Sleeves Masterclass with Gavin Harrison! Join us behind the sleeves as we sit down with Gavin to learn his masterful techniques for tuning, recording and mixing his drums, his approach to practice away from the drum kit, as well as the history of his uniquely designed Signature Series stick!
Gavin will also be breaking down some of his most intricate drum parts after a special Stories Behind the Sleeves performance from Pineapple Thief!
Pineapple Thief:
Bruce Soord: Guitar/Lead Vocals
Jon Sykes: Bass
Steve Kitch: Keyboards
Skip ahead in class!
Intro: 0:00
Finding the Right Pair: 0:40
Gavin's Pre-Show Warm Up: 9:56
"Uncovering Your Tracks" Performance by The Pineapple Thief: 14:01
Gavin's Tuning Masterclass: 18:19
Gavin's Mixing Masterclass: 29:34
"Demons" Performance by The Pineapple Thief: 42:35
Big Room Reveal: 46:43
Sound Engineer & Mixer: Steve Kitch
___________________________________________
Vic Firth: Stories Behind The Sleeves is an exclusive 6-part Virtual Masterclass experience featuring a different Vic Firth artist who will talk in depth about the design of their Vic Firth sticks of choice, what ‘must-haves’ they keep in their stick bag, and an engaging masterclass instruction on some of the principles of their playing. Each masterclass will also feature full band performances, as well as a Q & A Session using viewer-submitted questions.
Mark your calendars for each month’s Stories Behind The Sleeves Virtual Masterclass and stay tuned for follow-up content.
Episode 3: Jerrod J-Rod Sullivan - July
Episode 4: Mark Guiliana - August
Episode 5: Dave Elitch - September
Episode 6: Nate Smith - October
Sign Up for VIC VIP to gain exclusive access to bonus content. vicfirth.zildjian.com/stories...
#vfStoriesBehindTheSleeves #VicFirth #Drumsticks #Drummers #Masterclass #Drumlessons #MyPerfectPair

[@miloszkisio6063]

Listening to Gavin talk is just as enjoyable as listening to him play drums. I love this guy!

[@dr.strange.2655]

Agree.

[@RogierRJDonker]

Totally!

[@Leddrums]

Yeah me too!

[@narwal3178]

Despite he is a very eloquent guy and does have a lot to tell, I honestly listen to him play even more then talk :)

[@magatsujuke960]

Instead of taking a box and packing it to see what fits inside, Gavin Harrison takes multiple boxes and puts them inside and on top of one another. It’s so inspiring how creative he is while also keeping totally in control of his timing, volume, and timbre to fit the song. Definitely my favorite drummer of all time. I’m just sad I don’t live in Europe lol

[@LDdrums20]

How not to love this gentleman? A true drum hero and an audio geek

[@edhannigan4327]

It’s so weird to hear Gavin mention Hammonds Hammers I’d forgotten those. I remember when Gavin would come into the shop in Watford with myself, Matt and Pete and he’d just chill out, grab sticks and talk drums. He’s always been a top guy 👍

[@RogierRJDonker]

Great info. People often forget these guys started out like everyone else. They just put in time and dedicated themselves. Gavin is just brilliant.

[@CameronWinters]

No doubt this will have a ton of invaluable info. Saving this for later so I can take notes. And I don't even play drums...

[@DavidePettirossi]

I have the fortune to be a Vic Firth artist myself and what it’s really interesting for me to note is the fact that I had in my hands of both the Rock models and the Spears just before landing to your model! I must also say that in the middle I used for several years the Buddy Rich, both for their length and for the shape of the fabulous tip that work so well on the cymbals and that reminds me a lot of both the model Spears that yours. I’ve been using your model for about 6/7 years now and I find them the best drumsticks ever and I think I will use them for a long time. Thank you Gavin, thank you Vic Firth!!!

[@danielvdspank5183]

i just saw him live at Bospop, so seeing this just makes me more excited to sit behind the kit again, and actually getting my own acoustic set and studio. Man, i love your work Gavin, espaccialy the 'porqupine tree' stuff! So this was super valluable to me❤!

[@afqt80]

As always, fascinated by the musicality and creativity of Gavin. And finally got to see the big room. Those mics in the big room sound so amazing.

[@sigsfast]

He’s such a MONSTER drummer

[@NikhilSharma-Capt]

Gavin just makes it look so easy its so natural when he plays. He is one of the most influencing drummers i 've ever come across. Learned a hell lot of things with Gavin every time I hear his music. He really makes the drums proud when he is playing them .

[@williamkjwilliamkj1815]

I think Gavin needs to do a full house tour now. Vic Firth Cribs. Those studio mixes sounded badass.

[@crisdrumming]

I have been waiting years for this video. Finally an organised presentation of some of Gavin’s pills of wisdom. Great man.

[@user-hh2ge5hz5b]

17:23 I've seen the performance about 15 times, before I saw that. Amazing, such a fast and at the same time confident movement with the stick.

[@martingregory161]

Fantastic! Gavin is the epitome of skill, musicality, eloquence, and intelligence - both behind and in front of the kit. Thank you Vic Firth and Mr. Harrison!

[@charlesabboud1613]

An insanely creative drummer with phenomenal chops at the top of his game…

[@JustLilGecko]

44:44 Those splashy quarter notes on the hihat with the foot is amazing holy crap

[@mikelealbadrummer]

That drum kit sounds so damn good, maybe one of the best I've ever heard.

[@DrummerK]

Anyone else notice the really slick stick swap @17:25? What an amazing drummer!

[@UserNameNiemand]

Amazing! You can even hear the bouncing of that stick for a split sec.

[@Jamesdrums89]

played it back twice haha can hear it bounce :P sleek as always

[@santibanks]

Great interview with Gavin! I love his sound for more than a decade now. It's so recognisable. First time I heard him was live with PT. Those first opening drum hits in FOABP (which was not yet recorded at that time) really hit me like a hammer. I never heard a drummer sound like that and have that effect. Just a few notes regarding his recording. The SOR8 plugin (highly recommended) is supposed to emulate the EL Distressor hardware too. And Gavin can use a lot of bleed from the tom mics in his recordings because his kit sounds top-notch, his recording space is tuned, his playing is stellar, and the quality of his mics is very high. The problem with bleed is that stuff ringing all the time is the sound of a drumkit, but most people are not able to capture their drums nicely, especially the toms. This means that as a mix engineer, you will try to make the toms sound nicer by adding a lot of processing. The problem is that by changing the sound of the tom, you are also changing the sound of the other elements in the kit because they are captured on that same track. To make things worse, bad mic setups will then cause you phase issues and the panning might be weird because the snare sound is coming from multiple sources panned all over the place. And to add insult to injury: certain drummers are loud on their snare and cymbals but weak on their toms, resulting in tom mic recordings which have more cymbals and snare in them than actual tom sounds. To finally top it off with that the sound of the snare mic is out of time with other mics. Simply because sound waves need to travel and the snare mic will be hit first, then the toms, then the overheads. There is a good few milliseconds difference which can give you phase issues. Personally: i'd usually either gate or cut up the tom track to have just the hits. Mixes far easier and gives better control over the sound. It takes a lot of investment and practice to get the quality Gavin is getting. I can tell you that even in professional studios and trained engineers, not all of them will be able to get the sound Gavin gets.

[@DMSparky]

Wow it’s really amazing how meticulous, well practiced and knowledgeable Gavin is with absolutely everything related to his craft. I guess there is a reason he has one of the most recognizable sounds in drum history.

[@dbass4973]

im not even a drummer myself, but have watched the whole video with a great interest Gavin is the best

[@justinrensel8518]

I used to watch his videos before I started playing drums...cough cough

[@csanakyattila3665]

Please, someone upload this version of Uncovering Your Tracks! At 13:59 in this video. Its great to hear Gavin talking, but this song I have to listen to again and again :-) A drumming masterpiece.

[@OliKember]

What a masterclass! Truly so generous of Gavin to give us so many insights. Thank you Vic Firth for putting this together for us!

[@barkingeye]

That was enjoyable. Gavin is awesome. And who would have thought that his spare room in his house for reverb was a gymnasium. :-)

[@WayneDdrums]

Anyone wanting to record professional drums, this is an excellent video to bookmark. So many great tips, all adding up to an excellent drum sound. Gavin is a master at the craft, start to finish.

[@jonashellborg8320]

This “behind the sleeves” series by Vic Firth is amazing, I must say. I have loved every episode of it I’ve seen, and this is no different: amazing stories, insights, in such a nice format. Thank you!

[@user-un5nl6yb2d]

Most tasteful drummer ever 🙏🙏🙏

[@NikhilMaira]

I have been waiting for this video since May 28th 🔥💯and no matter how many times I see Sir Gavin Harrison play, talk, or deconstruct a simple concept, fact or just show us a magic trick. There's something to learn in every second of his music, published videos, or interviews. This lockdown has been so tough on me, I have not had a chance to play the drums as much due to a variety of ill-fitting cogs which hinder motion and progress. So stoked to see the big hall and the big room mics, that made me smile the most-your home is an absolute marvel! I love the sunlight falling inside and the architecture, down to the star-studded knob on the staircase. The mixing masterclass was phenomenal, so many easter eggs to learn from. Thank you for being a beaming lighthouse of inspiration for us kids in India, who have grown up listening to your albums on repeat and dared to pick up drumsticks, in the hope to have 0.01% of your skill, dedication, focus, and commitment. Lastly, thank you Vic Firth for this wonderful series release! 🌟

[@samuelp5649]

This should be advertised more. Honestly, so many questions I've for many years have been answered RE his mix and studio sound. and I accidently stumbled across this!

[@gusbandicoot]

This is absolutely BRILLIANT! Thank you Gavin and Vic Firth!

[@wagnerdamasceno3]

thanks Gavin and thanks Vic Firth!!!

[@M4RCM0NT31R0]

7:11 i cracked up on that story 🤣! The bit that made me laugh was the "Oh yeah, what's this then?" part (7:22)!

[@kamb26]

My favorite stick. I switched to them after my hands hurt when using smaller sizes. Thank you for doing this Gavin. Thank you Vic Firth for doing this.

[@markmullen9919]

Best drum video I've ever watched. But I'm very partial to Gavin so that might have a lot to do with it.

[@JohnPaulsEuropa]

That was great...always love to hear what time has unfolded for an honest and willing knowledge transfer. I don't have a big room, but the overhead placement and explanation was a light bulb moment for sure....thanks for sharing G.

[@roburgosg]

Great class Sir Gavin Harrison! (hope the Queen takes notice soon as the Sir of Drums! Such knowledge and wisdom paired with mastery and elegance, and always delivered with such simplicity and humility. Wondeful human being. Thanks!

[@MrNickDrummer]

Mixing is such an important aspect of drumming itself, every drummer should learn about it, at least the basics. And it's true, compressors are great tools. When used correctly, it will appear you didn't use them, but the sound will be huge.

[@Jamesdrums89]

you're 100% correct! I've been learning a lot about mixing using Superior Drummer 3 as it gives you access to a LOT of microphone setups and bussing options. I haven't got the space or ideal setup for my own acoustic drums yet but i'm sure if I did I'd be able to apply the skills learned from the Superior mixer to the real life mixer and drums :)

[@paulandrews__]

What a legend. Thank you Gavin and thank you Vic Firth.

[@eaiii1262]

I am so glad I found this! Thank you Vic Firth for doing this. Gavin’s drums sound so good and this is a wonderful insight into how he accomplishes that! 🙏🥁🙏

[@MateuszKoscielny]

Thank you so much for those The Pineapple Thief songs❤My favourite band🔥 They are great😊

[@rayauclair2543]

The man is Amazing!!! Can watch him play for dayzzzzz.

[@fernandosaliba4253]

Tks Vic Firth ! Amazing! Gavin is one of the best drummers IMO, his creativity is impressive.

[@mjm5081]

Thanks so much to Gavin and Vic Firth for sharing this. Happy drumming everyone!

[@Deech72]

Amazing video! Could listen to him play and talk all day. Well done!

[@hawkeye1680]

Such a gem to watch, and such a fantastic teacher. Mr. Harrison, thank you.

[@andym28]

Been wondering about his ghost notes for years.

[@jakpenders123]

It cannot be understated just how much The Pineapple Thief lucked out when they got Gavin. Obviously no ill will towards the band, they just couldn't have gotten a better man for the job.

[@kamas74able]

every day i think tha same Jack. :-) Lucky basterds :-)

[@RogierRJDonker]

They really struck gold. I've seen them live. They all sound amazing. The band is really good.

[@retailteam588]

absolutely amazing insights. especially when it comes to tuning/mixing. What a legend, such priceless info here.

[@user-tj4xy3tz5r]

Gavin Harrison потрясающий барабанщик ! Спасибо Vic Firth за шикарное видео !

[@NeCtRiCkS]

That's just perfection!

[@Gravengaard]

47 minutes of pure gold. Love your work Gavin!

[@carlosclerigadrums]

Thanks for doing this!!!

[@paulleigh5351]

Absolutely love Gavin. As someone else said. It is as enjoyable listening to him talk as it is hearing him play drums.

[@jcdrums2798]

thank you so lot Gavin...you are are my inspiration.

[@markyanish1188]

This video made my day so much better 🙏🏽

[@dd5380]

Really helpful ! Thanks Gavin & Vic Firth 😀

[@annapaolagrandini1052]

Awesome and thank you for sharing: I'm really hypnotized listening to him !

[@ILikeWafflz]

One small but potentially important thing he didn't mention about initially seating the lugs when tuning a head; it's also a good idea to make sure that the resistance you're feeling is indeed from the lug pulling on the rim. I spent a decent amount of time having a _lot_ of trouble tuning toms until I noticed once that some of the lugs would encounter resistance _before_ they would contact the rim. This was not from negligence either, my drum set has spent its life indoors and I've put a small dab of grease on every lug. From then on, when I snug down my lugs, I wiggle them back and forth until I see that washer no longer moves around loosely. Another thing that's loosely related but might be good to know; there was a time when my bass drum playing quality went down and I thought I was just losing my feel for it, but after too long I inspected my pedal and found hairs or threads tangled in the bearings. Cleaning it up made a huge difference.

[@ryrodrums6727]

Gavin's amazing. So creative and so much knowledge

[@storminsea]

Brilliant, really appreciate the insights and advice plus those songs 🎵 were class 👏👌 thanks Gavin 👍🥁🥁🥁 inspiring

[@tonschalestudio5791]

Thank you Gavin! …and thanks to VicFirth for this amazing amount of useful informations. I enjoyed it very much.

[@Leddrums]

Awesomeness in person

[@GeloAlcantara]

It's like I'm listening to Simon Philips 👌👌👌💪 Got my VF pairs (Aaron Spears'), and yes they really feel balanced for me too, and it last!

[@isashax]

That was fab! Thanks Gavin!

[@clintonmiller4917]

Amazing drummer!

[@oreothebest]

@gavinharrison thanks so much for this video. What an interesting and unique way of thinking about drums. Definitely the best drum sound in my opinion!

[@dominicneri1842]

Fantastic lessons from this maestro \m/ Thanks for sharing

[@MySynthDungeon]

Enjoyed! Excellent !!Well Said!! Cheers!;-)!

[@Dwendele]

I was making my own "Vic grip" in the late 80s, very early 90s, with electrical shrink tubing and/or tennis racket wrap. It.... Worked. Lol.

[@RafikGRizkallah]

Thank you Gavin , that was super useful .

[@TeslaNick2]

Yeah, the rubber Vic grips gave me awful blisters because the sweat has nowhere to go. I gotta' get a set of SAR2's....

[@jcoriha]

Great tips. Gavin is an all-time favorite of mine.

[@mazetoeden9334]

definitely

[@Goxdra]

DRUM GOD!!

[@grant3226]

Glad I'm not the only one who went through many sticks before I settled on a pair I like, Extreme 5B, although I'd like these with a round tip

[@martinmees878]

Have a look at Vater's different Fusion variants. They have a round tip and feel amazing.

[@user-hh2ge5hz5b]

You fight like you've given in, You sound like you've Gavin in

[@alexriquelme]

Brutalísimo!

[@crackers472]

I really dig his signature sticks. They’re beefier like I prefer, but have a good feel to them. I used to use 2B.

[@sarinsahil]

Thank you! :)

[@jeffreystaley5266]

Interesting Gavin! Also, really enjoyed the Pineapple Thief performance in general and the meticulous and interesting drumming.

[@torjantai6842]

Gavin 🖤

[@renatolouzada8394]

Obrigado Gavin.

[@Georgesavvas]

Amazing

[@PaoloZucchetti]

amazing

[@tallnotdeaf]

I have his signature sticks and they are the best sticks around for large hands and I can never put them down.

[@pkfiya]

Gavin: "I tune my bottom heads a major third above my top heads" Me: "I whack em. HARD."

[@mazetoeden9334]

🤣

[@MateuszKoscielny]

428 cm sticks. That's a bit more than 4 meters! Mind blowing 😂

[@LGpiotr90]

Only Gavin can handle it haha

[@drumrnva]

Let's see now... if the sticks are 428cm, that's about a 14ft stick..... that must mean his bass drum is approx 19ft in diameter! 🤯

[@matthewpaluch777]

😎👍🇬🇧🔥🥁🎼💣 GAVIN!!!

[@matthewpaluch777]

I've been begging VF to sell me a gross of sticks without the grip paint. They turned me down...so much for customer service!

[@eskilseter]

@@matthewpaluch777 They've got a huge production and logistics line going; they're not going to disrupt that for 144 sticks. Try contacting Coca Cola and ask them for 10 cases of coke with half as much sugar, and report back with their reply.

[@cicero73100]

um cara muito preparad

[@PatrickBuzoDrums]

freakin awesome

[@Leddrums]

Great sound engineering skills as well

[@mrid191]

I'm hoping Gavin will do a jam with you guys soon.

[@Jamesdrums89]

Well that was pretty epic! haha I didn't expect to see so much of his recording/mixing technique and he really lucked out with that big open area for his ambient mics :)

[@ViorelStolea]

couldn't help noticing the varispeed setting in logic. was it only for the purpose of demonstration of this video? Love your work! Thanks

[@zenzenzen4741]

It’s fun watching his legacy unfold huh fella’s?!!

[@joshmcgrady9427]

Gavin, I’m a huge fan! If you’re reading this I was wondering, will you be coming down to Texas with King crimson on July 31? It would be amazing to get to see you play live!

[@carolynwilson5314]

He is on the bill as far as we know! We have tickets for Detroit :)

[@ehoc42]

Don’t see why he wouldn’t, he’s a member of the band

[@SuperShlez]

minute 17:22 he swapped sticks right?

[@Charlie_Xplorer]

Highlight - 17:20

[@powellrandolph]

@gavinharrison , You talked about learning gain staging to help with mixing. I use Logic as well and I noticed that lots of the individual track channels are in the red over zero DB but it sounds great! I have always thought I needed to keep the levels under zero db as well as the summed mix. However when I do that the visual transients are pretty small so I end up pressing the magnify samples button on the transport bar. I know that you can view pre input mix as well as after the effects etc. I’m just wondering if I should not worry as much about it or if there’s a resource video I can use to learn more about it. Always love your lessons and projects! Thanks for the inspiration!

[@gavinharrison6242]

It doesn't matter if the individual channels go way into the red as long as the Master never goes over zero. Sound On Sound magazine proved this many years ago.

[@powellrandolph]

@@gavinharrison6242 Oh wow! I did not know that. Good to know. Thanks so much for your response. Happy Holidays!

[@trafalgerdavis7839]

'Sex wax on my drumstick. What's the problem, Officer?'... lol

[@robertocamposgiesemann4139]

Uncovering Your Tracks was not part of the original setlist for that stream o.O !!!!!