An LA-based producer says he can ensure perfect live drums every time and has now revealed how he does it on a popular audio forum.

Mike Dinkle, who has worked in the same room as many top producers and has also been in several top LA studios while famous bands have been in the same building, revealed the trick last week.

He says he figured it out after spending hours struggling to get the same drum sound heard on chart records and then realizing he was missing some vital ingredients. He says his method can work across many genres including pop, rock and R&B.

"It starts with choosing a great kit and making sure the drummer is comfortable with it." He continued; "Room placement is also vital, it's important you have the kit in the right place so take time trying the kit in different parts of the space."

"A lot of engineers seem to spend tons of time choosing the right mics and position, but I've concluded that it can be a waste of time using my technique."

Dinkle went on to say; "We generally try and get the drums down in one or two takes and make sure we use a click track for when we come to edit and mix." It is at this point that Dinkle reveals the core to the trick he claims gives him great drums every time. "First we spend time in edit using Beat Detective making sure everything is nice and tight on the grid. Then we use a plugin to trigger the kick, snare and toms. We have a fantastic sample collection, that means we can get any sound we want." He continued; "We then go over the hi-hat and cymbal parts and replace them by triggering samples."

He is at pains to point out that reverb plays an essential role in the sound; "We spend time finding the right room reverb to match the sound of the room we recorded in, it really helps to bring the whole sound together."

With a smile on his face, he says; "When you have finished, it's just like you were in the room with the drummer and right next to the kit."

When we pointed out that it wasn't the drummer, the kit or the room we were hearing Dinkle looked confused. "Of course it's is I was there when he recorded it."

Dinkle also claims to be able to get the perfect piano recording using a similar method but in that case, converting the audio performance to MIDI first.