Udo Masshoff

I started playing drums when I was 9 years old and started working in the drum business at age 16. I had a 13 year career (1992-2005) with my band Readymade including major contracts with BMG and Universal. We played for many years on all major festivals and toured extensively. Back in the day we had videos running on MTV and Viva TV and had nominations for best „new coming act“. I had what we all dream of and it was a blast! I knew Toomas Paiste and happily joined the Paiste family in 1998. During that period I collected more than 500 snare drums and about 100 drum kits for the studio work. I started optimizing the drum sound of other band's recordings, since most drummers had difficulties tuning their drums and finding the right cymbals for the song. Paiste was always great to me and I was fortunate enough to have influence and ideas for some cymbals that made it into the catalogue. I worked closely with family on the Traditional Swishes and Flatrides, the re-introduction of the Giant Beat series and the 2002 Thin Crashes. After my drumming career in 2007 I focused on creating drum sounds in the studio and touring as a drum tech (Gary Wallis, Nena, the Beachboys etc.). In 2010 I started my own drum company Masshoff Drums and manufactured custom drum kits and snare drums for Charly Watts, Iggy Pop and a lot of other great artists. The word about my drums and sounds spread fast. Thus, I was hired to do the drum sound design for some of the best selling drum libraries (Native Instruments, Toontrack, Apple, Orchestral Tools etc). I always brought my huge selection of Paiste cymbals to those sessions along my drums . Those libraries are used in the whole world by producers and musicians every day. Without anybody knowing it, there is touch of me and Paiste in countless songs. I did 300 recording sessions roughly, and it never happened, that a producer removed a Paiste cymbal, that I put on stand. The tone is pure and they are a joy to mix, because they don't mess up the other instruments with crazy frequencies. In 25 years I never received a bad or average sounding Paiste cymbal! I had offers from other cymbal brands with free gear and I always refused that and I am paying happily for the most reliable cymbals in the business. I can take my first Traditionals from 25 years ago and compare them to one, that was made today and I can hear that is that cymbal! I think Paiste has the best cymbal variety in their history. Well done guys, well done Erik! Toomas would be proud of you!