They’re bigger, louder, more aggressive. I use heavier sticks, bigger cymbals, louder drums tuned wide open. The parts can be laid back or on top of the beat, but they all share a rock and roll attitude.

Of course, rock drums can work perfectly in other styles as well – see “Girl on Fire” for a great example of big rock drums over an R&B song (that also happened to win a Grammy).

It depends what kind of sound we’re going for. A more classic rock sound might be the Glyn Johns method (three microphones strategically placed to capture the whole set), plus close mics on individual drums. A modern track would probably have more mics capturing the kit from a whole bunch of different angles.

Either way, we usually have more distant mics set up as well to add serious depth and size to the drums sounds (you know, how John Bonham would do it if he were here recording at Triple Colossal Studios).