Jim Toscano DRUM STUDIO TECH

“…JUST TURN ON YOUR CAMERA AND START. THIS WAY, YOU GET THE EXPERIENCE, YOU GET OVER THE FEAR AND YOU LEARN VERY QUICKLY HOW THINGS WORK.”

In this new normal that we are living in, connecting with video is commonplace for most everyone, including my dear old mom. We are having holidays on Zoom and the kids are all learning in a virtual video classroom. Using video platforms to fulfill our need to connect will have to do for the foreseeable future. No one really knows how long we will be in this situation – it is quite uncertain, especially for musicians.

But if you ask me, thank goodness we do have this technology! We must keep a positive outlook and embrace the technology to keep moving forward. It’s all about connecting, community and this unique family that we call drummers, coming together and lifting one another up.

We are already living in a tech-driven society, and technology changes at a rate that is nearly impossible to keep up with. When COVID-19 hit and the first lockdown began, it levelled the playing field for just about every musician – from the everyday drummer to the working pro. Suddenly, we all were forced to evaluate and essentially reinvent the way that we work.

I hope to shed some light and provide a compass for you to use to navigate through the workflows and setups that can help you reach your goals in this new normal. My advice is to not wait any longer. The time is now. The water may look a little murky at the start, but you will emerge at the other side more confident and ready for action.

I consider my studio to be multidimensional, and thus I have broken this tech lesson into four basic categories: audio, video, computer/internet and online platforms.

But before we get into it all, I would like you to ask yourself the following questions:

WHAT IS MY GOAL?

Many people feel that they to do something, but they aren’t quite sure what it is at first.