Tommy Lee’s Studio The Atrium and interview with Engineer Smiley Sean
Earlier this week I went to Tommy Lee’s Studio, The Atrium to record bonus material for the Matt Starr course we’ve just released. We wanted to show people how to do the Glynn John’s drum technique and also full micing of drums and where better to do this than one of the most famous Drummers in the worlds studio? Tommy’s Engineer is Smiley Sean and yes, Smiley is his real first name!
Smiley has recorded Courtney Love, Motley Crue, Smashing Pumpkins and many more, working with Producers and Engineers such as Michael Beinhorn, Howard Willing and Ross Hogarth. His knowledge of the room is extensive and he gets amazing drum sounds in a matter of minutes! In this video he gives us a tour of the studio, it’s equipment and sits down with me to tell us about his journey and experiences recording.
The Atrium is located on the entire lower floor of Tommy Lee’s Calabasas, California residence.
Lee says: “the studio was created specifically to provide an environment that inspires creativity and offer a vibey alternative to traditional, commercial recording studios.”
Tommy Lee was a founding member of metal band Mötley Crüe, in addition to his own band, Methods of Mayhem. Over the course of 30-plus years, Mötley Crüe sold more than 100 million albums, and closed out its career with a farewell tour that culminated with a final show at Staples Center in Los Angeles, on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2015. Lee has occasionally worked as a producer not only for his own releases but also The Electric Love Hogs and others.
