How to Mix Real Drums ITB:
6-Hour In Person Masterclass
Mixing Real Drums In The Box:
A Proper 6-Hour Masterclass in Sheffield
Hi, I’m Federico Telesca (you can call me Fed!) and I’ve been messing about with drum mixes for over 15 years, working with metal outfits like Malevolence and On Hollow Ground, indie acts like Sam Scherdel, The Rosadocs, VIVAS and Harri Larkin, and alternative rock bands like 2far2jump and EXTS.
Point is, I know a fair bit about making drums sound decent and I’d like to share that with you on in a 6-hour masterclass at my studio West Homesick Recording Studio in Kelham Island, Sheffield.
This isn’t about flashy nonsense, it’s the nuts and bolts of mixing drums for metal, indie, and all kinds of rock.
We’ll cover phase relationship, EQ, compression, saturation and bleed control on the whole lot: kick, snare, toms, overheads, rooms, spot mics. We'll also go over the best practices to use samples to reinforce or replace without it sounding forced or unnatural.
We'll talk about the foundational stuff I use every day, the kind of knowledge that lets you tweak drums however you fancy once you’ve got it down. There’ll be a Q&A too, so you can pick my brain about whatever’s stumping you.
​
I’m keeping it beginner-to-mid-level friendly, so whether you’re just starting or you’ve been at it a while this masterclass is for you!
It’s 6 hours in person masterclass capped at 6 people at my spot in Kelham Island. The full price will be £200 per head, but if you sign now whilst I am getting the next masterclass ready £150 will get you in. put down £10 now (non-refundable, keeps it fair), then £140 when I confirm the date 4 weeks in advance. You can say yes or no then, no hassle. 6 hours packed with practical, no-fluff lessons for beginner-to-mid-level mixers. We'll break it down into chunks, with a bit of breathing room for Q&A and a laugh
Fancy sorting your drum mixes? Sign up and let’s crack on.
Here’s the meat of it: 6 hours packed with practical, no-fluff lessons for beginner-to-mid-level mixers. We'll break it down into chunks, with a bit of breathing room for Q&A and a laugh
​
PHASE ALIGNMENT
The most underrated tool at our disposal. I'll explain the basics of it, how to check for good phase relationship and not just the "perfect theory", but real use cases.
​
EQ 101 FOR ROCK DRUMS
We'll go over basic and advanced EQ moves for all of the different tracks, from close mics to overheads and rooms.
Wether it's about the fundamental frequencies, annoying resonances, whistles or anything else, we will approach it.
​
COMPRESSION: PUNCH, NO SQUASH
Compression: how to use it? When to overdo it? When not to?
We'll go over the different types of compression, some of my go-to plugins, what to use for what effect. Want it to sound punchier? I got you. Want it to sound rounder? I got you.
​
SATURATION: SOUNDING ALIVE WITHOUT CHAOS
Saturation: the oldest trick in the book (literally!).
I'll showcase different ways of using saturation, when to use it, when not to use it and why. I have an arsenal of saturation plugins, so we'll have some good fun with it!​
​
BLEED CONTROL: TAME THEM CYMBALS
We'll talk about why gates aren’t always the answer (and when they are), dynamic EQ/expanding tricks to isolate the close mics, mic placement, tips and tricks. I'll also show my favourite technique that I call "the perfect gate".
What are we gonna be talking about in the morning?
What about the evening?
​GETTING A GOOD SOUND QUICKLY
One of the crucial points in getting the handle on mixing drums is to provide a great sounding drum kit whilst recording. Wether you're playing back a take just recorded to a drummer, or you finished the drum recording and you need to start another instrument this is gonna be invaluable.
We'll go over latency free plugins, how to setup a template that's gonna help during tracking and must-knows about it all.
​
DRUM SAMPLING: LAYERING DONE RIGHT
We'll go over the triggering basics: when to replace, when to reinforce and when to live it alone.
Picking samples that match your live kit (no ‘80s hair metal snares on a punk track).
Blending techniques—volume, EQ, transient shaping so it’s seamless.
Tip: “Samples aren’t cheating—they’re insurance. Don’t tell the purists I said that.”
​
Q&A / AMA
Open floor—bring your mix struggles, daft questions, whatever.
Quick demo of a full drum mix with everything we’ve covered.
Tip: “Ask me something good—I’ve heard ‘how do I make it loud?’ too many times.”
the morning, 10am
​
THE MEETING
Even if the masterclass will start at 10am I will be in the studio from 9.45am, so we can have a chat before everything kicks off.
​
PHASE ALIGNMENT
The most underrated tool at our disposal. I'll explain the basics of it, how to check for good phase relationship and not just the "perfect theory", but real use cases.
​
EQ 101 FOR ROCK DRUMS
We'll go over basic and advanced EQ moves for all of the different tracks, from close mics to overheads and rooms.
Wether it's about the fundamental frequencies, annoying resonances, whistles or anything else, we will approach it.
​
COMPRESSION: PUNCH, NO SQUASH
Compression: how to use it? When to overdo it? When not to?
We'll go over the different types of compression, some of my go-to plugins, what to use for what effect. Want it to sound punchier? I got you. Want it to sound rounder? I got you.
​
SATURATION: SOUNDING ALIVE WITHOUT CHAOS
Saturation: the oldest trick in the book (literally!).
I'll showcase different ways of using saturation, when to use it, when not to use it and why. I have an arsenal of saturation plugins, so we'll have some good fun with it!​​
​
LUNCH BREAK
The studio is in the heart of Kelham Island, so when we'll break for lunch around 1pm there'll be plenty of options for all kind of food (food courts, vegan place, cafes) at a walking distance.
the afternoon, 2pm
BLEED CONTROL: TAME THEM CYMBALSWe'll talk about why gates aren’t always the answer (and when they are), dynamic EQ/expanding tricks to isolate the close mics, mic placement, tips and tricks. I'll also show my favourite technique that I call "the perfect gate".
​
​GETTING A GOOD SOUND QUICKLY
One of the crucial points in getting the handle on mixing drums is to provide a great sounding drum kit whilst recording. Wether you're playing back a take just recorded to a drummer, or you finished the drum recording and you need to start another instrument this is gonna be invaluable.
We'll go over latency free plugins, how to setup a template that's gonna help during tracking and must-knows about it all.
​
DRUM SAMPLING: LAYERING DONE RIGHT
We'll go over the triggering basics: when to replace, when to reinforce and when to live it alone.
Picking samples that match your live kit (no ‘80s hair metal snares on a punk track).
Blending techniques—volume, EQ, transient shaping so it’s seamless.
Tip: “Samples aren’t cheating—they’re insurance. Don’t tell the purists I said that.”
​
Q&A / AMA
Open floor—bring your mix struggles, daft questions, whatever.
Quick demo of a full drum mix with everything we’ve covered.
Tip: “Ask me something good—I’ve heard ‘how do I make it loud?’ too many times.”
Some examples of my drum mixing:
Do you like what you hear? Sign up and let’s crack on.
Fed's Drum Mixing Masterclass
Where: West Homesick Recording Studio. 114 Harvest Lane, S3 8EF (Sheffield, UK),
When: 6 hours (10am to 1pm, 2pm to 5pm).
Price: £150 total, to be paid at the moment of confirmation. No obligation, just join the waiting list for free if you're interested! When the date's gonna be announced you'll receive
Keep in mind there's very limited spots, so as soon as the date gets announced I'd suggest you take action!