Al’s career started already in the mid-’50s. If you had to pick one era from the wealth of music produced during the course of these 60+ years, which one would you say has impacted you the most?
I’d say that for me personally the era from the mid/late 1970s until around 1986 would be the one that had the most influence on me. I love all music regardless and there is so much beauty to discover in every era, but the albums that were produced these years have definitely had the most musical influence on me. I draw inspiration, excitement and knowledge from them still.

For this session, you had a big hand in helping to choose the different kits. What was that process like and what was your train of thought?
Al’s milestone recordings have inspired us all on our own paths of being musicians and engineers, and in our lives – these influences, songs and sounds will last forever. The idea in selecting the different drums and cymbals for this library was to try to pay our humble tribute to this outstanding career. We wanted to choose very high quality and state-of-the-art instruments that all in some way represented an era or decade in his career. Although the selection could obviously never be complete, I think it reflects the most important (drum) sounds of his work.

Listening back to the kits now compared to the feel you had when playing them in the room, what are your thoughts?
I am absolutely excited and blown away by the way this library sounds. I have played these great sounding kits in reality in the room at Capitol Studios and I can exactly remember how they sounded. The sound of the SDX library and the feeling when I’m playing them now on an e-kit to is exactly the same. These drum sounds are so incredibly real and authentic, and they have such beautiful musical nuances that I almost can’t believe myself that they’re actually samples! This is not only true for the kits we’ve sampled with sticks, but especially for those we’ve sampled with brushes and mallets. I am very proud of what we have achieved with this SDX and think the users will get some of the best drum sounds ever recorded!

Finally: As a drummer, a huge fan of music, recording technology and studios in general – how was it actually sitting behind these beautiful kits in one of the planet’s most iconic recording rooms with the world’s most prolific audio engineer ever behind the console?
For me, this whole project was literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience and more than a dream come true. I mean this not only as being a drummer and audio engineer, but also as a music lover in general. Music is and has always been such a big and important part of my life and work. Many of the records that Al worked on have literally changed the course of my life. I’m very grateful and humble to have had the chance to work alongside a true legend.