How Drum Sample Packs Are Created with Shawn Fields and Darrell Thorp

In this episode, Bart talks with Shawn Fields, founder of Drumatica, and Grammy-winning audio engineer Darrell Thorp (Radiohead, Beck, Foo Fighters) about the creation of the groundbreaking Black Oyster drum sample library.

Shawn shares how his lifelong obsession with capturing the perfect drum sound evolved from sampling friends’ kits in the ’90s to launching Drumatica — a company dedicated to delivering “mix-ready” virtual drum instruments for musicians everywhere. He explains how years of experimentation, precision sampling, and collaboration with Sweetwater Studios led to the creation of this meticulously detailed collection.

Darrell dives into the mixing philosophy behind the Black Oyster project — from mic placement and compression choices to balancing vintage warmth with modern punch. Together, they explore how Drumatica aims to empower musicians, producers, and songwriters with authentic acoustic drum sounds that inspire creativity right out of the box.

The discussion also covers:

• The origins of the “automatic drummer” concept

• The painstaking process of recording and tuning hundreds of drum hits

• Collaborations with top engineers like Brendan Dekora

• The evolving role of AI in music creation and how Drumatica plans to use it

• Why capturing every nuance of a performance still matters in the digital age

Whether you’re a drummer, producer, or recording enthusiast, this episode offers a fascinating look at the art, science, and obsession behind modern drum sampling.

🎵 Learn more at: www.Drumatica.com and www.darrellthorp.com/

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