Young the Giant – Mirror Master

Mentioned this November 2018 Drumhead Magazine article.

Drumhead had a chat with the band’s drummer, François Comtois, about a month before Mirror Master was released. (...) "And I love electronic drums. Being able to incorporate them into how I play…I have a few drum machines, and I love to pick off the samples, make them myself, and run them through the SPD-SX or trying to figure out a way to incorporate them with acoustic triggers, which I’ve used in the past, but the technology nowadays allows you to map the drumhead. It used to be the trigger would react to a certain threshold, and now it maps the entire drumhead into different zones, and each zone can do something different. Different velocities will do something different. I was always jealous of guitarists and keyboard players who have all these crazy options at their fingertips, and now I see this area starting to be explored a little more with drums. You start to see the drums as more of an instrument that can just keep a beat, and it’s nice to have that flexibility. But I never want to become too dependent on trigger sounds. I know bands that use the exact snare sound from the record for each song, and I think that can sometimes be distracting to the player if you’re going for something that sounds alive and is dynamic. So there’s a line I’m trying not to cross, but it’s fun experimenting."

Mentioned this November 2018 Drumhead Magazine article.

Drumhead had a chat with the band’s drummer, François Comtois, about a month before Mirror Master was released. (...) I endorse Zildjian, Vic Firth, Sunhouse and C&C—I love to play with the pallets that they’re able to create. For a really long time I was playing a maple/poplar/maple kit from C&C, and that’s the one I have at the rehearsal space right now. It’s really warm and beautiful, and it records well. On the last album I wanted something that smacked a little harder, so I ordered their acrylic Coke bottle green kit. I had been pining for that one for a long time. It looks so good under lights and there’s something so visually appealing about it, but more importantly it sounds incredible. That one is a 22” kick, whereas usually I play 20”. So being able to feel it through the sub, it’s a whole different animal. Cymbal-wise, I really love the K series that Zildjian makes. The K Sweet Ride is something I’d like to acquire. I tend to prefer darker cymbals, I think they’re set back and a bit more out of the way in the mix, which pairs with my philosophy for recording drums. Snares, I have a couple Black Beauties. I have a George Way, Dunnett chrome snare that’s based on a 1970s Black Beauty. The new Black Beauties are fine, and they do one thing really well, but if you play an old Black Beauty, you’re like ‘why don’t they sound like this anymore?’ This guy, Ross Garfield, who’s “The Drum Doctor” –He’ll supply us with a lot of extra pieces and comes and techs the drums. For the song we just put out, “Superposition,” we wanted that Clyde Stubblefield “funky drummer” sound, and Ross came with this sixty’s Gretsch, and he tunes it, and goes “Does that sound about right?” We barely had to do anything and I knew it was exactly “it.” But he turned me on to the George Way stuff, and said “If you really like the Black Beauty, and you want it sound like one but you feel terrible about bringing it on the road, try this one out.” And I’ve been super happy with it. I’m not a crazy gearhead, I don’t have a room of drums, though I wish I did."

Mentioned this November 2018 Drumhead Magazine article.

Drumhead had a chat with the band’s drummer, François Comtois, about a month before Mirror Master was released. (...) I endorse Zildjian, Vic Firth, Sunhouse and C&C—I love to play with the pallets that they’re able to create. For a really long time I was playing a maple/poplar/maple kit from C&C, and that’s the one I have at the rehearsal space right now. It’s really warm and beautiful, and it records well. On the last album I wanted something that smacked a little harder, so I ordered their acrylic Coke bottle green kit. I had been pining for that one for a long time. It looks so good under lights and there’s something so visually appealing about it, but more importantly it sounds incredible. That one is a 22” kick, whereas usually I play 20”. So being able to feel it through the sub, it’s a whole different animal. Cymbal-wise, I really love the K series that Zildjian makes. The K Sweet Ride is something I’d like to acquire. I tend to prefer darker cymbals, I think they’re set back and a bit more out of the way in the mix, which pairs with my philosophy for recording drums. Snares, I have a couple Black Beauties. I have a George Way, Dunnett chrome snare that’s based on a 1970s Black Beauty. The new Black Beauties are fine, and they do one thing really well, but if you play an old Black Beauty, you’re like ‘why don’t they sound like this anymore?’ This guy, Ross Garfield, who’s “The Drum Doctor” –He’ll supply us with a lot of extra pieces and comes and techs the drums. For the song we just put out, “Superposition,” we wanted that Clyde Stubblefield “funky drummer” sound, and Ross came with this sixty’s Gretsch, and he tunes it, and goes “Does that sound about right?” We barely had to do anything and I knew it was exactly “it.” But he turned me on to the George Way stuff, and said “If you really like the Black Beauty, and you want it sound like one but you feel terrible about bringing it on the road, try this one out.” And I’ve been super happy with it. I’m not a crazy gearhead, I don’t have a room of drums, though I wish I did."

Sold on Reverb.com.

From YTG: This was the first pre-amp I bought. It has a round, and warm tonality and I would use it for everything from vocals to bass. We recorded many demos through this pre, and also the final vocals on Darkest Shade of Blue off our last album Mirror Master, as well as the lead charango part in Superposition (also off Mirror Master)!

Used for Home of the Strange and Mirror Master, as specified by Cannata in the 2023 listing for his Kemper Profiler on Young the Giant's Reverb.com shop.

Selling my Kemper Profiler Amp. Ive used the rack mount version on tour for the past few years. This one has been in my smoke free home studio. It's been used on a few songs from the past couple YTG records. It's in excellent condition, with just a tiny scratch on the top of the unit. It is loaded with Dumple profiles from Tone Junky, and some other vintage fender/amp packs.

Used on "Darkest Shade of Blue", as mentioned by the owner of the 1073LB, bandmate Eric Cannata, in this sold Reverb.com listing.

From YTG: This was the first pre-amp I bought. It has a round, and warm tonality and I would use it for everything from vocals to bass. We recorded many demos through this pre, and also the final vocals on Darkest Shade of Blue off our last album Mirror Master, as well as the lead charango part in Superposition (also off Mirror Master)!

Used for Home of the Strange and Mirror Master, as specified by Tilley in the 2023 listing of his PS-6 on Young the Giant's Reverb.com shop.

Great pitch pedal used on Home of the Strange and Mirror Master