A privately owned, fully soundproof and air-conditioned bijou live room in Hastings, East Sussex, designed specifically for recording drums and other instruments.
The live room is wired to a separate mixing room upstairs, connected via digital stage box and video link for communication during sessions.
All drum recording at Swift Studio is performed using high-quality, professionally maintained equipment chosen for tone and versatility.
When artists hire Sonny to record live drum tracks, he performs using his own collection of modern and vintage drums and snares — instruments carefully selected for their sound and character.
These kits are not available for hire, but are used exclusively by Sonny for his recording work.
Drummers who wish to record their own playing are very welcome to bring their own drum kits and cymbals into the studio.
The live room is fully set up for professional drum recording, with high-end microphones, cabling, and monitoring in place.
Sonny’s personal collection includes:
Ludwig, Premier, British Drum Company, and Ajax kits
Ludwig Black Beauty, Supraphonic 400, and 402 snares — classic studio standards heard on countless records
A range of high end wood and metal snares for different textures and styles
Full percussion setup: Congas, Bongos, Djembes, Shakers, Tambourines, Cowbells, and more
Every recording session is tailored to the drummer and the music — whether Sonny is behind the kit or engineering for another player.
A full complement of professional drum mics for capturing every detail of the kit, including:
Kick / Low end: Shure Beta 91A, Shure Beta 52, Audix D6
Toms: Audix D2 × 3
Snare: Audix i5 × 2
Overheads & Room: Audix HP condenser, Slate ML2, Rode NT5 × 2, Sennheiser MD421 II, AKG 747
A selection of industry-standard mics for vocals, acoustic instruments, and overdubs:
Audix CX112b
Neumann U87
Sennheiser E935 (dynamic)
Sennheiser E965 (condenser)
Additional DI boxes and accessories
2 × Focusrite Clarett 8Pre USB interfaces for up to 16 simultaneous audio channels (+ 2 SPDIF) — ideal for multitrack drum recording
Joe Meek Twin Q compressor/preamp with SPDIF output
Behringer S16 digital stage box linked via shielded CAT6 to an X32 Compact mixing console in the upstairs control room
Behringer P16 digital headphone monitoring system and Alto X6 headphone amp
Tannoy GOLD 8 monitors (in both live and mixing rooms) plus small AV reference speakers
Video link between rooms for live visual communication during sessions
Small rehearsal PA with Yamaha EM5000 powered mixer and Carlsbro speakers — ideal for live run-throughs
20 × XLR cables and a full range of König & Meyer mic stands (4 tall, 4 short, plus assorted mounts)
Ashdown MAG300 bass combo (2 × 10″)
VOX AC50CP all-valve combo (similar to an AC30)
Orange AD15 all-valve combo
All sessions are fully monitored and recorded through professional interfaces and preamps, ensuring clean, high-quality multitrack recordings ready for mixing and production.