About
Paiste Artist Since
September 1997
Nationality
United States
Other Affiliation
Freelance
Website
www.brianstephens.com
„Growing up, many of my favorite drummers played Paiste cymbals. As both a session drummer and a recording engineer, I can confidently say they are the best recording cymbals I've ever used. I love seeing people's eyes light up from the very first note I play on my Paistes. Their tones and shimmer have the power to transform the atmosphere and elevate the music to a higher sonic level.“
Setup
Cymbals listed from left to right
15" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Hi-Hat
10" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Splash
18" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Crash
19" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Crash
20" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Crash
22" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Ride
18" PST X Swiss Thin Crash
Videos & Pics
Biography
“BRIAN STEPHENS IS AN IN-DEMAND SESSION AND GIGGING DRUMMER WHO PROVES THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE IN NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, OR NASHVILLE TO SUCCEED.” – MODERN DRUMMER MAGAZINE Brian Stephens is the sort of creative professional who has always lived several different lives, all at the same time. For more than 25 years, Brian has been a full-time freelance drummer, audio engineer, studio producer, music educator, leading edge technologist, AV consultant, serial entrepreneur, multimedia content creator, and brand ambassador. When not on the road, Brian can be found tracking drums, engineering & producing music projects, and mixing & mastering all sorts of client projects at his own studio: Secret Cove Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. His studio work has appeared on TV, film, and radio including ABC, Disney+, Fox Sports, MTV, NPR, and Sirius/XM. He even appeared on-screen as Mary Steenbergen’s drummer in the 2013 movie “Last Vegas” starring Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Kline. As a freelancing drummer-for-hire, Brian has played live with with successful musical artists like: -Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame members The Drifters, The Platters, The Coasters, The Crystals, The Marvelettes, and The Shirelles -Glenn Leonard (The Temptations) - Theo Peoples (The Temptations / The Four Tops) - Both Wet Willie AND their lead singer Jimmy Hall (Jeff Beck, Hank Williams, Jr.) - Atlanta Braves’ organist / jazz artist Matthew Kaminski - Rock/Jazz Fusion violinist Mark Wood (Trans Siberian Orchestra, solo artist) He can currently be seen playing nationally on select dates with touring acts like Forever Donna - The Ultimate Donna Summer Tribute and Forever Motown, a show featuring various stars of the Motown era. As an educator, he was a member of the teaching staff at the Atlanta Institute of Music from 1996-1998. Since then, Brian has split the teaching portion of his work schedule between his weekly private drum & audio engineering students with occasional stopovers as Visiting Faculty at schools like The Atlanta Institute of Music & Media, SAE Institute Atlanta and the Buford Academy of Music. He has also been a contributing columnist for drum magazines like Modern Drummer and DRUM! Magazine. Brian currently runs his own online drum school based at DrumCorner.net. He has also recently opened an online video training site for audio engineers at FaderJocksPro.com. Brian is also the host of two music education podcasts: Dial-A-Drummer, a podcast for drummers, and Fader Jocks, a podcast specifically for anyone involved in the worlds of audio recording and live sound. Brian has been an Artist Endorser with Paiste cymbals since 1997 and, in that time, has played them on thousands of recording sessions and live gigs.
Setup Cymbals
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Details
Sizes: 20", 22", 24"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Medium
Sound character: Full, rich, warm, strong, deep, silvery. Wide range, complex mix. Responsive, even feel. Warm sparkling stick sound over a wide, deep wash. Fairly quick, strong crash sound. Extremely dynamic and lively ride cymbal, suitable for numerous musical styles.
- Sounds
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Details
Sizes: 16", 17", 18", 19", 20", 22"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Medium
Sound character: Full, warm, brilliant, shimmering, deep. Fairly wide range, complex mix. Quick response, fairly soft feel. Rich, strong crash sound with open low end and shimmering highs. Very versatile, responsive crash cymbal suitable for numerous musical styles.
- Sounds
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Details
Sizes: 14", 15"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Medium
Sound character: Rich, warm, lush, deep. Wide range, complex mix. Giving and responsive feel. Broad, warm open sound. Compact, lush chick sound. Extremely versatile hi-hat, perfectly suited for dynamic, articulated playing in a wide range of styles. “They are just chunky enough, but not overpowering. They are a little more chocolaty than the classic 602s”, describes Vinnie Colaiuta.
- Sounds
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Details
Sizes: 10", 8"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Light
Sound character: Warm, airy, snarling, silvery. Fairly wide range, complex mix. Soft feel with a very responsive, explosive splash sound. Low tuned effect cymbal for lively accents in moderate volume. Well suited for hand-playing. Vinnie Colaiuta explains: “They are sweet, they are these kind of punctuation marks in the background.”
- Sounds