The Space

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.

Drums & Percussion

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.

Drum Microphones

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

Vocal and Instrument Microphones

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

Recording Hardware

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

Monitoring and PA

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)

Amplifiers

Ashdown MAG300 bass combo (2 × 10″)

VOX AC50CP all-valve combo (similar to an AC30)

Orange AD15 all-valve combo

Summary

All sessions are fully monitored and recorded through professional interfaces and preamps, ensuring clean, high-quality multitrack recordings ready for mixing and production.