Gavin Harrison here!

Hey Gavin,

On monday, I woke up to the great news that you booked a second show with TPT in Chile! Wife and I already got tickets and are planning to see you both nights. This will be our second and third time seeing TPT—our first was in Charlotte last year, where we attended the VIP Experience. You kindly signed plenty of albums we brought (yours, TPT, and PT) and even my arm! Haha.

My wife and I actually met thanks to In Absentia/PT almost exactly seven years ago, so it’s a very special album/band for us. It’s also why we planned our honeymoon around the Amsterdam show on the C/C tour—we had no idea it was being recorded, so we were thrilled to find ourselves immortalized in a few shots of the Blu-ray! Being front row right in front of you and Nate made it an unforgettable night.

I remember a whole conversation about immersive audio that you (or Bruce) brought up during the acoustic show at the VIP experience. Most people mentioned having a dedicated room for a home theater or immersive setup. I wish I had that kind of space haha, but we managed to fit one in our bedroom and regularly listen to 5.1 and Dolby Atmos mixes. Our most recent additions include the deluxe version of It Leads to This, Where We Stood Blu-ray, Cheating the Polygraph deluxe, In Absentia and Fear of a Blank Planet deluxe versions—but we’re always looking to expand the collection. In my opinion, this new format is definitely something worth it, as it adds a whole new way to experience the music.

With It Leads to This celebrating its anniversary a couple of weeks ago and Cheating the Polygraph 10th right around the corner, I was wondering—since TPT is coming to Chile—if you’d be interested in the idea of a listening party for both albums as a lead-up to your shows here. Maybe In Your Wilderness, Dissolution, or even Versions of the Truth and Give It Back too, since they all have 5.1 mixes. There’s a local studio here that hosts immersive Pitchblack Playback sessions, and they’ve been gaining traction. I’ve attended most of the ones featuring Steven Wilson, In the Court of the Crimson King, and a few others. I think it would be an incredible way for fans to experience the albums in full before seeing them live. If that sounds interesting, I’d be happy to help connect the dots and make it happen!

Also, I was wondering if there will be VIP Experiences for either of the Chile shows.

Looking forward to seeing you guys soon!

All the best,

Felipe P.

PS: Attached, you’ll find some pictures from the Charlotte show, the goodies we got (setlist included), our photo with the band, and of course, my signed arm—which I kept my promise on not tattooing! Haha.

Hey Gavin, hope all is well.

1) Any experience using larger bass drums like 24” or 26”? What were your thoughts on them if so, and did you ever use those sizes on Porcupine Tree material?

2) What made you choose the DW Drop Clutch for the Porcupine Tree Closure/Continuation tour over others? A student just gifted me a hi-hat stand that includes it. Not sure if something I’m doing wrong but it collapses quite quickly when I’m just playing the hats normally.

- Salvador

_FPC said:

My wife and I actually met thanks to In Absentia/PT almost exactly seven years ago, so it’s a very special album/band for us. It’s also why we planned our honeymoon around the Amsterdam show on the C/C tour—we had no idea it was being recorded, so we were thrilled to find ourselves immortalized in a few shots of the Blu-ray! Being front row right in front of you and Nate made it an unforgettable night.

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Wow that's great !

_FPC said:

I was wondering—since TPT is coming to Chile—if you’d be interested in the idea of a listening party for both albums as a lead-up to your shows here.

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It's a really nice idea but I don't believe we would have time to do that kind of thing.

_FPC said:

Also, I was wondering if there will be VIP Experiences for either of the Chile shows.

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Unfortunately not. I hope you enjoy the show anyway !

SalvadorDDVS said:

1) Any experience using larger bass drums like 24” or 26”? What were your thoughts on them if so, and did you ever use those sizes on Porcupine Tree material?

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I have never owned anything bigger than a 22". I have played on some 24"s and I found it difficult to control the rebound because of the larger head. I did once play Carl Palmer's vintage Stainless Steel kit (at the Modern Drummer museum) that has a 28" bass drum. It sounded amazing !!

SalvadorDDVS said:

2) What made you choose the DW Drop Clutch for the Porcupine Tree Closure/Continuation tour over others?

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It was the only one I liked at the time - but I don't really like the feel of a drop clutch. However, sometimes there's no other way to do it.

cheers
Gavin

Hey Gavin. Saw you yesterday in Copenhagen and the show was amazing of course. I must really praise the sound . The sound was absolutely perfect. Loud but not too much, perfect drum sound and clear separation of the instruments. We could hear all the nuances of your great playing. It for sure takes a great drummer to achieve this but credits to the sound guy ! Amazing show ! Thank you

Hi Gavin.

I like your drumming you're amazing drummer, with your techniques your progressive type style, I just noticed something.

Before your time with Porcupine Tree and your time with King Crimson, you're actually a touring drummer for Level 42 for the Forever Now Tour in 1994 so how you got the gig with that band? Is that correct?

I like their music a lot and being a fan was a memorable experiencing moment of musicology Most of the songs are fantastic and I really drumming styles of guys like Phil Gould Gary Husband and the current drummer Pete Ray Biggin those guys are incredible and I mean spectacular but you got serious techniques exceptional rhythmic and constructional drum parts.

Anyway we will meet each other in person sometime, So happy to be a fan of those bands you're being part of.

See you soon.

All the best drummers in the world.

Tony Ivanov.

P.S. here's the photos of you when performing with aforementioned bands at concerts, which I kept promise on not disturbing you.

Tonman20 said:

Before your time with Porcupine Tree and your time with King Crimson, you're actually a touring drummer for Level 42 for the Forever Now Tour in 1994 so how you got the gig with that band? Is that correct?

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Yes that is correct. I played on the Level 42 1994 tour. I believe there's an unofficial live recording from that tour. My friend Jakko was playing guitar in the band at the time and suggested me. I went and did a 'kind of' audition at Mark King's house. We played through a few songs and everything went well. A few weeks later we flew to Japan and the tour began. Good times !

cheers
Gavin

Hey Gavin have you used the Tama Mirror Rod and if so did it make playing double pedal easier?

- Salvador

Hi Gavin, Talking about drum accessories, drop clutches. You once mentioned in a drum equipment interview that you liked the Tama "Cobra Clutch" attached to your Sonor Hi Hat. This was several years ago. You also mentioned that you thought it might be discontinued.....lol, well as soon as you said that I went looking.....I found the last one in existence in the US, possibly the world. Here's the photo to prove it. I love it. What a great attachment for the Hi Hat. Where should I send the commission check... ?

All the best, Phil

SalvadorDDVS said:

have you used the Tama Mirror Rod and if so did it make playing double pedal easier?

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Yes I'm using the Tama Mirror Rod and it is an excellent piece of design and engineering. It does make the left pedal smoother.

KeithEnglish said:

You once mentioned in a drum equipment interview that you liked the Tama "Cobra Clutch" attached to your Sonor Hi Hat.

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Glad you found one in time. It's an amazing tool to have. I don't play songs that require it anymore - but I still have a couple of them ready to bring back into action when the time comes.

cheers
Gavin

Hi Gavin. Could you share the specifications of your MacBook Air (CPU, memory, storage capacity, etc.) for backing tracks on live shows / drum clinics?

Best regards
- Art

Dustondrums said:

Could you share the specifications of your MacBook Air (CPU, memory, storage capacity, etc.) for backing tracks on live shows / drum clinics?

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Although I now have a newer 2021 MacBook Air - my old one has done many shows without fail and I would still use it now.
The old one is an early 2014 13 inch MacBook Air with 8GB of Ram and a 500GB SSD running OSX 10.13.3. On that machine I use Logic Pro X 10.4.4 - I don't know if Logic can go any newer than that running this OS. It all works great - so I have no reason or feeling to upgrade the OS.
For full on band shows I use the MOTU UltraLite mk 5 (because it has 10 separate outputs) and for drum clinics I use the MOTU MicroBook II as it has enough for a stereo output to the FOH and a separate stereo mix to me for monitoring / clicks and cues etc. You don't necessarily need the 500gb SSD - it depends how much stuff you have on there.

cheers
Gavin

Gavin Harrison said:

Although I now have a newer 2021 MacBook Air - my old one has done many shows without fail and I would still use it now.
The old one is an early 2014 13 inch MacBook Air with 8GB of Ram and a 500GB SSD running OSX 10.13.3. On that machine I use Logic Pro X 10.4.4 - I don't know if Logic can go any newer than that running this OS. It all works great - so I have no reason or feeling to upgrade the OS.
For full on band shows I use the MOTU UltraLite mk 5 (because it has 10 separate outputs) and for drum clinics I use the MOTU MicroBook II as it has enough for a stereo output to the FOH and a separate stereo mix to me for monitoring / clicks and cues etc. You don't necessarily need the 500gb SSD - it depends how much stuff you have on there.

cheers
Gavin

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Do you carry a back up MacBook Air...or do you rely on local resources it it gives up the ghost?

Do you keep the spare running during performances to allow quick switch should the 'main' die during the gig?

Hi Gavin, super long-time follower, first time poster. You might not have opened Rhythmic Illusions and Perspectives for a while, but I wanted to ask about the best way to get started with the ideas and concepts in the books (intimidatingly sitting on my bookshelf for some time - well thumbed but not played through). I’m an intermediate amateur in a rock-alt hobby band with all original material. I spend my limited practicing on time and tone as well as technique – keeping my playing as musical as possible. I’m wanting to improve all those three aspects by working on some new challenges, particularly to tighten up my grooves.

Should I start with the books sequentially or see them more as companions to each other? I’ve tried some very basic displacements (that Tony Beard one from Go West is nice) but Illusions goes quite deep quite quickly on some tough looking modulations. Perspectives has some good opening sections on groupings and their applications, which at a glance looks like perhaps the easiest access point. Some tips for getting started would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance, Guy

Otto said:

Do you carry a back up MacBook Air...or do you rely on local resources it it gives up the ghost?

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I always have a back up plan. If I'm doing clinics or drum festivals - I will have my new and old MacBook Airs with me loaded ready to go. It's never happened that they have gone wrong during a performance. Going back before those times (and MacBooks with spinning hard drives) I had lots of terrible moments where they just stopped in the middle of a song because of vibration. The SSD is the game changer.

Otto said:

Do you keep the spare running during performances to allow quick switch should the 'main' die during the gig?

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No. To do that successfully you'd need a self switching DI box that would detect a break in code from box A to immediately switch to box B. We have considered it - but it has never happened to us since the days of SSD equipped laptops. My back up computer is close by if I needed it quickly - but not up and running.

GuyWR_Van said:

Should I start with the books sequentially or see them more as companions to each other?

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I would start with the Rhythmic Illusions book. Take your time - and run your own race. Some of that stuff took me years to work out and play well.
Best of luck

cheers
Gavin

Gavin Harrison said:

I always have a back up plan. If I'm doing clinics or drum festivals - I will have my new and old MacBook Airs with me loaded ready to go. It's never happened that they have gone wrong during a performance. Going back before those times (and MacBooks with spinning hard drives) I had lots of terrible moments where they just stopped in the middle of a song because of vibration. The SSD is the game changer.

No. To do that successfully you'd need a self switching DI box that would detect a break in code from box A to immediately switch to box B. We have considered it - but it has never happened to us since the days of SSD equipped laptops. My back up computer is close by if I needed it quickly - but not up and running.

...

cheers
Gavin

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...adding another point of potential failure...makes sense.

Hi Gavin,
when I saw the videos from "Modern Drummer" 2008, I always tried to figure out what crash cymbals you were using. Especially the first crash (with the red Zildjian logo). The only one I found was the crash of doom but it doesn`t seem like its the one. Would you mind sharing which Crash and Ride cymbals you were using at that particular show?

With kind regards,
Janni

Janni said:

Would you mind sharing which Crash and Ride cymbals you were using at that particular show?

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The cymbal in front on my left is an 18" Crash Of Doom (prototype) which I later sadly broke. I have cut around the crack - and it still sounds pretty good.
After that - I believe it's a 15" K Crash, 20" K Ride, 18" K Custom Dark Crash.

cheers
Gavin

Hi Gavin, there's a few things I've been curious about. I'd love to hear your input!

1. As a drummer with a MacBook on a stand next to the kit, I'm always in control of the backing track. Sometimes I have to pause my Logic-file when the vocalist goes on to talk to the audience. Last times I saw you play live I haven't been able to detect a laptop near you (at least not with Porcupine Tree if I recall correctly). Is the MacBook backstage, managed by someone else? When Steven or Bruce has a talk with the audience, who's pausing the backing track? And how is a smooth transition to the next track without obvious cues or awkard silences ensured?

2. I recently recorded at a studio where the engineer placed my ride mic underneath the ride. I guess it allows for a more isolated ride sound, but I did feel like I'm missing some attack and "punch" when listening back. I guess you usually mic the ride from the top? How do you deal with cymbals or snaredrums bleeding into your ride mic when mixing?

3. You seem to be using the AKG H85 mic holders for your hihat and ride. Did you notice any difference when listening back, and if so, would you say it's worth the extra investment?

4. I noticed you're using AKG C414 XLII's for your floortoms. What's your reason for choosing these above the Earthworks DM20's?

5. Would you be open to giving private lessons (even if it's a one-time-only) in drum mixing?

Regards,
Boudewijn

Janni said:

Hi Gavin,
when I saw the videos from "Modern Drummer" 2008, I always tried to figure out what crash cymbals you were using. Especially the first crash (with the red Zildjian logo). The only one I found was the crash of doom but it doesn`t seem like its the one. Would you mind sharing which Crash and Ride cymbals you were using at that particular show?

With kind regards,
Janni

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Hi, I did a quick search, turns out Gavin answered this question in 2020, pretty cool! Check post # 6807, or this quote from that post:

The Zildjian cymbals in that particular video (to the best of my memory) are 13" K Hi Hats, 16" Oriental Trash China, 5 custom bells, 18" Crash Of Doom, 2 more custom bells, 15" K Crash, 20" K Ride, 18" K Custom Crash, 12" Oriental Trash China, 18" Z China (discontinued).

spelman said:

Hi, I did a quick search, turns out Gavin answered this question in 2020, pretty cool! Check post # 6807, or this quote from that post:

The Zildjian cymbals in that particular video (to the best of my memory) are 13" K Hi Hats, 16" Oriental Trash China, 5 custom bells, 18" Crash Of Doom, 2 more custom bells, 15" K Crash, 20" K Ride, 18" K Custom Crash, 12" Oriental Trash China, 18" Z China (discontinued).

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Oh that’s thoughtful. Thank you very much.