Freelance
About
Paiste Artist Since
January 2004
Nationality
Iceland
Main Affiliations
Freelance
Educator
Nýdonsk
Todmobile
Dundurfrettir
Karl Orgeltrio
„Playing various things, I always find perfect voices for every occasion playing Paiste. Paiste is the biggest part of my sound.“
Setup
Cymbals listed from left to right
14" Masters Thin Hat Top (or Bottom as hi-hat top)
14" Sound Creation Heavy Sound Edge Hi-Hat Top (as hi-hat bottom)
18" Masters Dark Crash
20" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Ride
18" Signature Dark Energy Crash Mark I
20" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Crash
20" Signature Traditionals Medium Light Swish
(discontinued)
Cymbals listed from left to right
15" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Hi-Hat
19" Signature Full Crash
22" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Ride
18" Signature Full Crash
20" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Crash
20" Signature Thin China
(discontinued)
Cymbals listed from left to right
18" Formula 602 Classic Thin Crash
22" Formula 602 Classic Thin Crash
20" Formula 602 Classic Medium Ride
14" Formula 602 Classic Medium Hi-Hat
18" Signature Mellow Crash
16" Signature Fast Crash
18" Signature Fast Crash
8" Signature Splash
10" Signature Splash
11" Signature Traditionals Thin Splash
(discontinued)
20" Signature Traditionals Light Ride
22" Signature Traditionals Light Ride
20" Signature Traditionals Medium Ride
(discontinued)
20" Signature Traditionals Light Flat Ride
16" Signature Traditionals Thin Crash
18" Signature Traditionals Thin Crash
16" Signature Traditionals Thin Crash (as hi-hat top)
16" 2002 Crash (as hi-hat bottom)
20" 2002 Ride
15" 2002 Sound Edge Hi-Hat
4" 2002 Accent Cymbal
6" 2002 Accent Cymbal
8" 2002 Accent Cymbal
5 1/2" 2002 Cup Chime
6" 2002 Cup Chime
21" Signature Dark Energy Ride Mark I
20" Signature Dark Energy Light Dark Ride Mark I
(discontinued)
14" Signature Dark Energy Hats Mark I
8" Signature Dark Energy Splash Mark I
22" Masters Dark Ride
20" Masters Dark Crash Ride
16" Masters Dark Crash
12" Dimensions Thin China
(Custom)
18" Dimensions Thin China
(discontinued)
16" PST X Swiss Thin Crash
10"/8" PST X Splash Stack
12" Noise Works Double Clang Crash (discontinued)
Videos & Pics
Biography
Ólafur Hólm has enjoyed a successful career that spans over two decades in the Icelandic pop and rock genre. At the age of 10, Ólafur began studying the drums and at 16 his professional career took off when he became one of the founding members of Nýdönsk, one of Iceland’s most popular bands since 1987. Five Nýdönsk albums have reached gold record sales in Iceland. Nýdönsk won in four categories at the Icelandic Music Awards in 2018. Awards included pop song of the year and pop album of the year. From early on Ólafur has been a sought after session drummer. Ólafur’s popularity becomes evident in his recordings for many of Iceland’s most renowned artists within the music industry and his drumming can now be heard on over 100 LP albums as well as multiple DVD’s. Ólafur has been active within the Icelandic theatres alongside his career in the pop industry, playing in productions such as The Rocky Horror Show, Evita, Rent, Grease, Hair, Les Miserable, We will rock you, Mamma Mia! and Matilda. Furthermore Ólafur has undertaken various projects within the classical percussion scene, mainly playing with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra. Ólafur graduated from the Icelandic Musician’s Union school of music in 1992 and has taught drumming and percussion there since 1996. In 2005 he released an instructional book specifically aimed at students at the beginners level. Ólafur has also performed with international artists Jon Anderson, Steve Hackett, Nik Kershaw, Midge Ure, Ken Hensley, Eivör, John Grant and Lindy Vopnfjörð.
Setup Cymbals
-
Details
Sizes: 20", 21", 22"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Medium
Sound character: A fusion of darkness, energy, projection and brilliance. Very wide range, complex, musical mix. Responsive feel, extremely controllable. Woody, silvery, spanky ping over crunchy, thriving wash. Extremely versatile, flexible ride for wide ranging application in modern blended music styles. Mark I: Tends to be a bit quieter, darker and drier. This manifests itself in the overall sound character and in particular in the bell and ping sound.
- Sounds
-
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
-
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
-
Details
Sizes: 16", 17", 18", 19"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Light
Sound character: Dark body, full frequency spectrum, brilliant highs. Very wide range, complex, pleasing musical mix. Immediate, sensitive response, strong attack, controllable spread, even, layered fade. This crash combines silky, soft qualities with energy and projection for an incredibly versatile application range. Also extremely well suited as suspended cymbals and for mallet rolls.
- Sounds
-
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
-
Details
Sizes: 20", 22", 24"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Medium
Sound character: Full, rich, fairly bright, solid. Medium range, clean mix. Controlled and even feel. Very nice and sparkling stick sound supported by a breathy layer of wash. Perfectly balanced. A dynamic all around cymbal for many musical styles played at moderate level.
- Sounds