Revelatory Drums
Created by Richard Sellers
For almost thirty years, Richard Sellers has been working with San Diego’s top producers and recording engineers. He is in demand for his precise ensemble work and has captivated audiences wherever he performs. His unique mastery of percussion delivers an extraordinary palette of musical colors and rhythms.
The goal of Revelatory Drums was to create a one-of-a-kind series of drum tracks for audio system demonstration and evaluation purposes. The kit, consisting of thirty instruments, was meticulously assembled and tuned. Twenty-one microphones were carefully selected and positioned throughout and around the kit. The microphones were purposefully placed to synergistically connected to a variety of special preamplifiers to convey musical subtleties, timbres, explosive dynamics and pinpoint placement of instruments creating a large holographic soundstage. An exceptional array of analog-to-digital equipment captured the raw takes at a sampling rate and bit depth of 96 kHz and 32 bits, respectively.
The recordings were made live in the purest manner possible. No compression or overdubs were used. Each of the tracks was played from start to finish and laid down in no more than three takes, a testimonial to Richard’s musicianship. All tracks were mixed and mastered by Richard using no compression, minimal equalization, and just a little bit of reverberation. The objective was to create the most realistic sound possible, suitable for the best high-end audio systems. The explosiveness and articulation of the kick drum is jaw-dropping. The immediacy and clarity of the three snares and six toms are astounding. The cymbals, tambourine, jam block and bells are tuneful and delicate.
WARNING: Please keep in mind that these tracks are exceptionally dynamic (in some cases the dynamic range is as much as 24 decibels). This means that the average sound level is relatively quiet compared to less dynamic recordings. Please play these tracks much quieter than you normally would until you establish the loudest possible volume that does not exceed the capabilities of your system.
Revelatory Drums is provided to music aficionados in 96 kHz / 32-bit and 96 kHz / 24-bit resolutions. The initial release will be on high-resolution streaming sites and later releases will be by other distribution methods. Every release will include a PDF document containing a diagram of Richard’s kit, a list of microphones and preamps, and track list.