Simon Phillips: Interview & Studio Tour - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro 

Hey friend, I'm really excited to share my latest video with you! I got to visit Simon Phillips at his studio Phantom Recordings and I had a blast! Simon is a fantastic drummer that has been playing on records nearly his whole life! Seriously, check out his credits www.allmusic.com/artist/simon-phillips-mn0000754875/credits Simon has a really great studio with some choice pieces of gear - just wait until you see his drum recording setup! In the video, we discuss his journey, love of music, and get a look at his studio and gear collection. I really hope you enjoy the video and please leave lots of comments and share! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren

Two hours of quality video material. I have enjoyed this more than any movie i watched last 15 yrs. Beer and popcorn and two hrs of audio engineer heaven :)

Drummers are a secret weapon of music recording. Simon Phillips is my Neil Peart and now seeing his personality in action outside the kit makes me just want to hang out with the dude. Man, his sound. Get the sound right first and the work's almost done. Could listen to that brain go on for days.

Wow, I mean there are some fantastic studio tours you've done Warren and they're all brilliant- but this one really is a cut above. What a treat and Simon Phillips, what a complete gentleman - very gracious, modest, amazing talent and attention to detail. Wonderful insightful stuff, thanks so much

Wow, a must watch for every drummer.

Warren, this was by far your best interview. You let him talk, tell the stories...I think you have finally found YOUR groove doing these interviews. Well done :)

Simon has been my favorite drummer ever since he played with Jeff Beck. I never realized he was such an experienced engineer. Such a humble guy too.

I've admired Simon for years. His engineering is just like his drumming - brilliant! This is one of the best videos on the general topic of engineering I've come across. It's a must see.

Oh dear, just put my baby to sleep and i am only 15 mins into the video and i can tell right away this one is gonna be a goodie for an all star selection...tx Mr. Huart

Simon is such an intelligent and talented musician/artist/producer.

Simon Phillips is the Best Drummer Ever. Period. I wish this Video was longer :D Could watch Simon for Days.

I knew, about 10 minutes into this video, I'd be watching it again - at least 3 times! Drum kits - especially the processes in which they are captured in recordings, have always fascinated me. In school, I set out to experiment with every technique I could find - drum tuning, mic choice, mic placement, dampening, EQ, gating, compression - you name it, I was committed to that percussion alchemy. Simon is an engineer's dream drummer. Thanks, Warren for once again bringing your fellows another gem of knowledge and studio wisdom. You're the best!

This has been my favorite interview so far Warren! I'm American but I love the history of recording in the UK. There is such a wealth of knowledge in Simon and I'm so glad you had this opportunity to allow him to share it with us. I love the emphasis on the old school of recording. I wanted to give a shout now, even before I finish the video! Thanks again ever so much!

Conclusions of this interview: #1... what a cool guy. #2... Amazing open handed drummer. Simply a joy to watch Simon play. #3... WOW... what an incredibly smart engineer. Really knows his stuff. Great interview, Warren! Thanks for this.

Since discovering PLAP I've been going through the past interviews & studio tours. Great learning experience. This one with Simon has been my favorite. I started on drums so he was one of those cats you'd see in Modern Drummer laying down golden pearls of information. He's going masterclass here though... that rundown of the bass drum (yes, it was a "bass drum" when I was a kid) was unreal. That's the beauty of Warren's site & channel; it's a pure information exchange with pros who are unselfish with their knowledge of the craft. The whole "tricks" & trade secrets thing only goes so far because every situation in the studio, every song, every track, etc. is different...some of course are similar but no two sessions are the same. These cats like Simon are giving real world, applicable information and wisdom, not "tricks". Thanks Warren. These videos are just gold.

Got so many records with Simon playing. Genius drummer and his attention to detail is something to behold. Thank you Warren.

I know I'm 7 years late to this interview but what a brilliant watch. As a drummer with a home studio this was fabulous. Simon is such a treasure. Thank you for this.

Yet another fantastic interview from PLAP ... and I really loved how he was not just talking to you, but also to the crew and - gasp - to us, too! This was just amazing. You get some fantastic people on these things.

One of my favorite interviews from PLAP, Warren. I'm a huge Simon Phillips fan. Hopefully one day, our paths will cross because of work. Thank you, and god bless.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Simon Phillips on his tour bus in the early '00s when an old band of mine was supporting Toto on the German leg of their tour. A total gent, and what a drummer! Coming from a bass player who loved Simon's playing on Jack Bruce's solo stuff it was a surreal yet treasured moment. Thanks for the interview!

One of my very influential drummers of all time The Simon Phillips. Thank you so much warren for sharing. \_/

I Hope I could I could express with my limited english How amazed, surprised, and emotive this interview touched me it leave me in heart attack status shocking for me, Starting by being so lucky to find this valuable video on RU-vid, hearing from the voice of one of my Biggest Drummer IDOLs "Simon Phillips" this GOLD information, WOW !! Absolutely true that the greatest are the most humble, and see how he is in the disposal to share his knowledge, Now I know and understand why this Symbiosis album made so many years ago, sounds like it sounds, I never Knew he was also -besides from being one of the most amazing drummers in the world- A MAJOR Recording Engineer of this level. Only him by his own merits could be a genuine new drummer after Jeff Porcaro dies of Toto, which it was not easy for me to accept, but when I first saw Simon on Paris I say Oh my GOD WOOOOOW !! Only him could take that drum throne. Thanks Warren for this SOLID GOLD Info you share with us, Thanks for letting this info be available for all of us in the world, "FREE" also for being such a good interviewer letting him Talk, Hands Down the most informative and inspirational channel in all of the youtube channels FOR AUDIO, is this one. I think Knowledge is like water if you let it flow it gets MORE back to you Thanks GOD for letting me see this Interview and wash my brain with this crystal clear and fresh water for my brains so inspirational and turbo charged my will of growth. Understanding that passion and super-hyper-mini-details are the engines for my dreams. Thanks !! a LOT.

Warren, This needs to be shown in every music academy, school and music store. This is absolute gold. It must be mind blowing for you to sit down and chat with the elites of modern music.

Best Episode ever! I can't tell you the amount of times I was nodding my head 'yes' when certain subjects came up, just wonderful. His Father's jazz background, and Simon's own unique character come through on everything I've ever heard from him, regardless of the type of music he is playing. One of a kind. Been following for years... It's awesome to see someone who is so detail oriented and particular with sound, and at the same time be hands-on, soldering his own cables together, talk about dedication and passion... All without an ego, which would just blur the clear vision he has. I'm so glad the cameras rolled for as long as they did too, that really allowed some of the finer points (and at the same time) diversions and tangents to shine through. Almost 2 hours! A ton of technical things in here as well, but I've babbled on quite long enough..haha.. Just another big thanks from me for this one. Bravo!

Absolutely amazing! Love how much Simon is sharing here. You can see how passionate he really is. Like a kid in a candy shop.

I’m a drummer who has just gotten into recording so I can work remotely and your videos have been invaluable. After watching this, it’s no wonder Simon is one of the best ever, his attention to detail is second to none!

My god this was just the best interview with Simon Phillips I've ever seen thank you thank Warren.

What a Gentleman, Mr. Phillips is! His name is on SOooo many tracks! Excellent Interview, Mr. Huart!

Thank you for sharing this video, and thank Simon for sharing such inspiring information. Simon is such a great drummer. His wealth of knowledge as an engineer is staggering. I really enjoyed this.

What a wonderful and articulate man. It was soooo enlightening to hear a great musician who has such depth of understanding of the craft and art of recording. Thanks Warren, then Simon for sharing your love of music. p.s. will be shopping for paint cans and sand.

i had the pleasure of working for a brief period on some records at this studio several years ago. i learned more from those sessions, just listening to simon talk about recording - than any other session or studio i've been in.

Love this guy in every situation he played in...

Not the first Simon Phillips interview I watch but it's great that you did it, since you usually spend such a long time with people. What a fascinating guy and what a repertoire! Brilliant drummer. Interesting to learn how much he knows about sound engineering!

I have to say that this was the most enjoyable 2 hours I have ever spent on the subject Simon is so intuitive both old school and new school and a true lover of the music I just can't get over how much I enjoyed this journey thanks dude

Wonderful conversation; love the stuff about vintage sessions, gear and engineering practice. Just to look at him, can hardly believe Simon Phillips is old enough to have lived and worked through all of these recording eras. He has a vibrancy, enthusiasm and a youthful vibe about him.

SIMON PHILLIPS IS THE BEST !!! NO WORDS

Simon and Warren ― the best in the business! The sound of the drums and the percussion are everything! 🎙🎤🥁🎚🎚🎚🎚🎛🎛🎧🔊👂🏼

Daaaaaaaamn…. Dude I’ve been listening to for 40 years. 😳

I rewatched this interview just last month, little did I know at the time that this great studio and its contents were lost in the Thomas wildfire last December. Devastating!

Listening to these engineers/producers dawned on my like a light...A good engineer probably loves his art of mixing as much as I love my art of playing guitar/keyboard, drums or singing and I realize no matter what the greatest bandmate a solo-artist has is his engineer...in and out of the studio...!

Amazing stuff! I used to be a recording artist back in the 80's, and this sure brought back some fun memories. We actually did an album with Eddie Kramer back then, and now I'm desperately trying to remember the paint can... But Simon just sounds like that kind of person that everybody loves to work with in a studio. That kind of personality can save a session! Great one, Warren!

Ah, Simon Phillips - what a great guy! He played drums with my guitar teacher John Mizarolli donkey's years ago and I've kept tabs on since then. One of the best rock drummer ever in my humble opinion and a great sense of humour too. In the dark days of Toto when they were playing to empty halls, maybe 15 years ago, he had a blog post from upper New York state saying he'd like to thank the audient for coming out last night :)

What a treat for drummers and engineers alike. So much information, so much depth and detail. Brilliant! Thank you.

He is not just the best drummer in the world, he is also entertaining and interesting to listen to!

It warms my heart to still see a ProControl in use. I was the first product manager at Digidesign for it. I left Digidesign shortly before it was released.

Very interesting video, even though a lot of it went over my head I was still engrossed. I'm a guitar playing frustrated drummer and Simon has been one of my favourites for many years. One of those impeccable guys who are happy enough to drum for the big names and be happy to be that famous name's drummer and leaving ego behind. A real musician's musician. people who just follow big names won't perhaps really know who he is, but anyone who knows anything about the music (and theatre) scene will have known of Simon Phillips for many years. I also absolutely love his live drum sound, and it makes me realise now how much this is down to him :-) I love the 'microphone friendly' phrase. It's so perfect to describe what you need to remember when setting up. I am very envious of Warren because not only is he a great producer himself, he also gets to meet all these incredible people who have contributed to what is most important in my life, music.

Amazing interview. Simon Phillips has been an inspiration to me as a drummer my entire life. He is very well rounded (jazz, rock, blues...you name it). I had no idea he was an engineer/producer/mixer, that's great! I had the privilege of attending his drum clinic at the PASIC Convention in Kansas City, Missouri in 1983. I had never heard of him, but it only took mere seconds to realize what a major player he is...a true technician! Thank you for the great interview! BTW...I am finally sold...Audience perspective from now on!

what a nice guy! this is great, learnt a few things here, great video.

Left a long comment on PLAP so I'll keep it short here and restate from the other post, this looks like a place where upon entering you can just breath better. Simon is so forthcoming and genuine. Thanks!

I’ve been recording for years next year it will be 40 years I’ve had my studio I really enjoyed this interview salmon seems to be a person that really enjoys what he does and down to earth.

Thank you so much for these videos Warren. You are by far my favourite "uploader"/"publisher"/"informant" and teacher. I've been making music ever since D.I. hot wiring my first electric guitar to my mum's vacuum tube Tandberg tape recorder in 1968. (Still looking for that same distortion!) Your videos illuminate so much good information on not only the technicalities, but the essence, or the "soul" of the recording process. I've always admired Simon Plillips' ability to not only groove, but to underpin and support whatever music he is playing. Whenever I am looking for guidance or inspiration on how to approach drums or percussion in a piece of music, Simon always come to mind. Warren and Simon, you help to make the process of making music fun! Thank you

OMG Simon Phillips is just brilliant! I learned so much hearing him talk about his recording techniques.

Simon mentions recording the drums with one mic. While at school from 74-76 we would record our composition homework, 5 or 6 musicians surround a little cassette machine with a built in mic. We got a good balance in the rehearsal rooms. Those were fun days.

What a fantastic and informational visit to the lair of one of the world's premier drummers. Hats off to Warren and Simon!

Two hours well spent! As always, very informative and entertaining. Thanks Waren and Simon!!!

its just so soothing listening to sci-fi talk about anything. hes pretty much the equivalent of james may in the music world

This is incredibly inspirational. My studio is tiny and pretty cheap (8 channels I/O, a few reasonable pre-amps & signal processors, a cheap pair of KRK Rokits, middle of the road mics, a small valve amp and a control surface with motorised faders). I’m never going to have access to any of the gear you are showing here, but watching this type of stuff makes me realise the real possibilities even with my type of setup. Your series on recording and layering guitars has been immensely helpful - I’ve learnt such a huge amount from that already. The fact you’re a guitar player gives you a real insight into the things that other guitar players want to know (if you see what I mean?) and sets you apart from most of the other RU-vid channels which have a bit more of an engineer’s mentality. I don’t mind learning a little bit about plug ins, but what I really want to understand is how to get a good acoustic sound or a huge distorted guitar sound. Keep up the excellent stuff - it’s greatly appreciated Warren!

I watched this interview some time ago , and I -so enjoyed the rare backstory and glimpse into your musical history and upbringing !Then I watched the video of the Toto song " I will remember"and was so struck by the pattern that you were playing on the 4 long,slender tom-like drums that "fit" so elegantly into the melody . I was reminded of the comment you made somewhere about NOT just being a "timekeeper" but an "enhancer" for the feel and fit of the music. I am a keyboard hobbyist , who has long-followed Toto especially during your tenure as their drummer. I would like to say that I have always thought that piano and guitar were the most prolific composing tools .That said, I also feel that your approach to drums blurs the line s of that idea or concept in that your playing goes way beyond being "the glue that holds a song together" to the "artist "brush-stroke " that provides the ultimate "AHA moment" in a musical composition! Thanks for all of the aha moments

Hi Warren, great Interview by two Englishmen I really like. The first time I remember, really remember to hear Simon playing drums was on Stanley Clarke´s "Rocks, Pebbles and Sand". This record was running over and over again back then. First time I saw (and of course hear) him live, was with his own band in a small club here in Germany. Andy Timmons was the guitar player at that time and funny enough, I met Andy many years later on his day off in Dortmund, where he was shopping with the guys from his very own band. Two days later I met him again on the Musikmesse Frankfurt. Anyway, Simon´s Band Protocol was outstanding and once you´ve seen a lot of great concerts, you will ever come back to the smaller gig´s, which make much much more fun, because the heroes are free to play what they want, like and love... But Simon is a beast, so powerful...it´s hard to believe one person is playing that precise and tasteful. Sorry for going "off topic" slightly but all these memories came up while I watched your interview, Warren. Thanks again. Great stuff!!!! Best greetings from Germany, Michael

Simon Phillips is a really lovely guy... Incredible. Thanks for this interview Warren.

I think Ive watched this vid over 10 times... simon and warren = win.

Gosh, you made my day. What an interview. What a lovely guy. Legend. Thank you.

Brilliant! 801 live, there and back, I used to play Simon to drummer friends and blow their minds.

Wow, you have just made my day mate. Invaluable video. ThanksThanksThanks so much & Keep them coming pleeease!

I have some of his drum samples. Now that I know how nice, smart, humble and brilliant he is - such care and attention to detail and "craft" - I'll enjoy and value them even more!

30 years ago in Germany I was working as a sound engineer for a sound equipment company and I was sent to a drum workshop (in Pforzheim) with a truck full of equipment and not a lot more infomation. So I got there and set up everything and then Simon Phillips came in (I wasn't told this in advance). I think he was alone and set all his equipment up alone (like I did). And I was thinking, is this THE Mr. Phillips. So we did the sound check, I had a 32 track desk and it was filled up with Simons drums (including his Octobans, his voice mic and stereo stems). So when the sound check was finished I started looking around when his sound engineer was going to turn up, and asked Simon when his FOH man was arriving. He said he didn't really need a FOH man because all of the channels (EQ) could be flat. At this point I had to agree with him, as during the sound check I didn't really do any EQ'ing, everything was almost flat. His double bass drums were double headed with mics built inside and positioned exactly how he wanted them. Same with all the mics all exactly with mic stands built onto the kit rig. So all I had to do was move(minimally) the faders throughout the complete drum workshop. I have to say of all of the "superstars" I have worked with , he is the most down to earth I have ever had the pleasure to have (not) mixed.

Great stuff...I am really looking forward to trying the new Roland 706 kit and brain...for exactly that issue of phasing....seems Roland has really gotten the v drum to a whole new level...

What an interesting vid. And what an enthusiast Simon Phillips is. One of the best and most entertaining and informative programs I've watched. I've seen SP with Jeff Beck and various drum clinics - he always comes across as a great bloke and real gentleman. Great Stuff!

Wow, thank you both for all tips and perspective on drum-recording. Seems as you had loads of fun and enjoyed each other’s input. Big like!

My Grandmother was a music teacher, in 1972 My toy room was grand piano, Hammond organ ( spaceship) guitars horns, Stereo tape recorder, i was over tracking at 12 years old ( no video games ) , Dad played clarinet I played Clarinet, Bass Clarinet Percussion in Jazz band and Bass guitar to eat when I was 17 playing in bands, writing songs still playing and now learning Pro tools Simon is amazing Check out him playing on " Give Blood" with Townsend on White City album. Great interview

Another great video!!! Simon is one of my favorite drummers. I really enjoy is drumming not only for is technical level but also for is musicality.. His way of thinking drumming is one of the best for me.. He's also a very nice guy... Thank you Warren for this video!

What a bright guy Simon is! I really enjoyed your interview with him! EXCELLENT!

I'm having a wonderful time watching this. Warren, thank you!

Wow, this was a real treat for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

It's taken me the whole day to watch this video. Every 5 minutes I'm pausing and diving off to lookup up stuff I didn't know. Imagine a world where we all know what everyone knows. We would be Gods.....or God. Fabulous video. Keep up the interview side of you work. Lee Anderton is doing it and the views are huge. Simon, what a nice guy. My mother in law was offered the lead singer role in Jesus Christ Superstar in '72. She refused it on religious grounds and Elaine Paige took the job. It seems she was in the cast at roughly the same time as Simon. I'll ask her.

HI Warren!, and first of all thank you very much for creating such an amazing conten for all of us around the world. First, I would like to say that for me this nterview so far has been the best episode of ¨Produce Like a Pro¨. Don´t get me wrong!, I follow your channel constantly and I´ve seen and like many many episode of your channel, but I don´t know about you but this wasn't actually an interview, it was a ¨Master Class¨ from top artist and musician!. Thanks again for your effort and for sharing such valuable moments and contents!.

great episode Warren.

Wow... I feel like I owe you something for all I learned from the video. Excellent fellas... thank you. I WILL watch it again, too much to remember. awesome...

Rocks, Pebbles and sand. What a great record with Stanley and Simon.

Need a video on aligning, please!! :)

GAWK!!! Simon Phillips! Can’t thank you enough for all the content an knowledge you share! Thank you, Warren!

Fantastic!!!!i realy enjoy it ,becouse Simon and You,with all that kind of staff with the money,toto,studio drumming,recording studio ,he is that was he is ...a child who just wont to play musik every day ...simon and you,talking abaout musik with love and passion,no matter wath music style that is,becouse i like music too,but not only one band,or only one musik style .i like MUSIC ! !!!! i heave relay lealy great time to watch this video !Thank you Warren for all you stuff in you tube becouse i learn from you so mutch ,"i learn from you ,i learn from the best " ! ;-)

Simon is right on the money, regarding that fact that connectors should be the same type, but not just for similar expansion/ contraction properties (if you forgot to pay the studio gas bill, for example) but simple metallurgy and chemistry reasons- mating dissimilar metals can often promote oxidization (rust for non-techies) which can lead to shyte electrical connections. Simple fact. Whether it actually sounds any different at 20kHz, perhaps ask an itchy audio-pile. How many drummers does it take to wire a studio? Apparently , just one. Amazing. And a killer drummer.

801 LIVE... one of the best ever live records! Love it.

Simon is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, man, what a cool, nice guy is Simon !....and so classy, that's why he is Rock n'Roll Royalty....or is it the other way around ? So many good tips I'll have to watch it again with a note pad, thank you Warren & Simon !!!

Glad he spoke of different styles of music and how to record it..All the Younger cats use heaps of mice for know real reason. He is talking the true studio Vibes I love it..Art!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow he produced and engineered discovery by mike oldfield. What a fantastic album. In awe...

Hi Warren, this is for sure on of the best of all the videos you made sofar. what a inspiring guy is Simon.. like a workshop session about the past and today... very nice !!! cheers, Erik

Woww!Is beautyful room and battery!Is Very fantastic! Thank you very much Simon!:D :D

Lots of wisdom shared, awesome video guys thaaaaanks !!

The 21st century British Invasion. Very cool interview I’ve been learning a lot from you and the awesome pros you’ve had the pleasure of sharing with us. Thanks Warren

This interview and tour is amazing. 2 hours fly like 20 min.

Great interview...thanks Warren & Simon. Some really knowledgeable info shared and some amazing tips as always. Simon is a legend.

What A Great Interview.

I missed this interview, great information to know from a legend in the music industry!

Exceptional visit with Simon! Really enjoyed this video. I would've loved to hear some audio examples throughout, but I understand that's not always practical. Great stuff, Warren!

AS I am always expecting and never wrong a stupendous interview..as someone who still owns the original Jesus Christ Superstar vinyl..and a huge fan of his work since it was great to get into his recording mindset..recording philosophy..and so many little tips..and I now have to go get a paint can.. Kudos and thanks for all these great videos Warren..cheers!

Awesome thanks for the video, I've been following Simon a long time he is an outstanding musician, I could say drummer but no musician. He's very similar to Dave Gilmour in that Robert Wyatt once said of Dave that' he has an appreciation for the entire piece of music its not just all me and my axe" Simon is exactly the same. I hadn't known the story of his dad and mum both interesting people again in their own right, a thoroughly enjoyable interview, cheers.

I never knew he was that young during the There and Back sessions. Thanks for the interview.