There is a reason the drums on classic 1970s records still sound so powerful.
They were recorded in incredible rooms, through legendary analogue consoles, using carefully selected vintage microphones and beautifully tuned drum kits. Most importantly, they were captured by producers and engineers who understood how to create drum sounds that served the song.
With the Classic 70s Drums expansion for Steven Slate Drums and Slate Trigger, Grammy-winning producer and engineer Ken Caillat joins forces with acclaimed producer and mixer Marc Daniel Nelson to recreate the genuine sound of a classic 1970s recording session.
You can also watch Ken and Marc discuss the recording process and the creation of these drum sounds.
You can go even deeper with Ken and Marc’s complete Recording and Mixing in the Vein of Fleetwood Mac course. Use the code SLATE50 at checkout to get 50% off.
This is not simply a modern drum library with a vintage-style EQ curve added afterwards. Ken and Marc returned to the studios, equipment and recording techniques that helped define some of the greatest records ever made.
The Real Deal
Classic 70s Drums comes down to one word: authenticity.
The expansion was recorded inside two legendary Los Angeles studios, The Village Recorder and Boulevard Recording, formerly known as Producer’s Workshop.
Ken and Marc used real vintage microphones, original analogue consoles and carefully selected vintage drum kits to capture the character, depth and personality associated with classic 1970s recordings.
The result is about as close as you can get to stepping inside an authentic 1970s recording session without travelling back in time.
Recorded at The Village Recorder
The Village Recorder holds an incredibly important place in recording history.
Ken Caillat helped build the studio facilities used to record Fleetwood Mac’s groundbreaking album Tusk. For Classic 70s Drums, Ken and Marc recorded through the same vintage API console associated with the recording of Rumours and the Neve console used during the making of Tusk.
These are not recreations or digital models. They are the real consoles, inside the real rooms, operated by engineers who understand exactly how those classic records were made.
Every microphone position, drum choice, tuning decision and signal path was carefully considered to capture the warmth, punch and musicality of the era.
Inside the Legendary Producer’s Workshop
The second location used for the expansion was Boulevard Recording, formerly known as Producer’s Workshop.
This historic studio played a part in the creation of albums including Pink Floyd’s The Wall, Steely Dan’s Aja and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours.
For Classic 70s Drums, Ken and Marc used both the studio’s live recording room and its extremely dry isolation booth. This allowed them to capture everything from large, open and cinematic drum sounds to tight, controlled tones that can sit immediately inside a production.
These contrasting spaces give producers and mixers a huge amount of flexibility without losing the unmistakable personality of the original recordings.
Mix-Ready 70s Drum Presets
Classic 70s Drums includes four mix-ready kits designed to cover a wide range of classic production styles:
70’s Peach Kit
A warm, rounded kit with the depth and musicality associated with beautifully recorded 1970s drums.
Dirty Fats Kit
Thick, gritty and full of attitude, this kit is ideal when you need drums that feel raw, powerful and larger than life.
Vision and Fantasy Kit
An expansive and atmospheric drum sound created for productions that need drama, space and a sense of scale.
Hit Maker Kit
A focused, punchy and immediately usable kit designed to sit confidently inside a finished mix.
Each preset gives you a polished starting point while still allowing you to shape the drums around your own song and production.
A Huge Collection of Vintage Drums
The expansion includes:
4 kick drums 9 snare drums 12 toms 2 hi-hats 2 rides 10 crashes
This gives you an extensive selection of drum and cymbal combinations, all captured through the same authentic studios, microphones and analogue recording chains.
Whether you are producing classic rock, pop, singer-songwriter music, indie, country or modern music that needs genuine vintage character, the collection gives you a broad palette of sounds to work with.
Created by Engineers Who Know These Sounds
What makes this expansion particularly special is the involvement of Ken Caillat and Marc Daniel Nelson.
Ken did not simply study these classic recording techniques. He helped create some of the albums that defined them. His experience recording Fleetwood Mac gives him a direct connection to the sounds, studios and equipment that inspired this collection.
Marc brings decades of experience as a producer, mixer and recording engineer, along with a deep understanding of how to turn those classic tones into practical, mix-ready sounds for modern productions.
Together, Ken and Marc have created a drum library that does not simply imitate the 1970s. It captures the equipment, rooms and creative decision-making that made those recordings so special.
Bring the Complete 70s Recording Experience into Your Studio
Classic 70s Drums is available in formats built for Steven Slate Drums, Slate Trigger or as a bundle containing both versions.
You can use the expansion to replace drums, reinforce an existing performance or build an entire drum production using sounds recorded inside two of the most important studios in music history.
Get the Classic 70s Drums expansion here and bring the sound of a legendary 1970s recording session into your own productions.
Then learn how Ken Caillat and Marc Daniel Nelson approach the entire recording and mixing process in their Recording and Mixing in the Vein of Fleetwood Mac course.
Use the code SLATE50 at checkout to get 50% off the course.