If you could get advice from a pro drummer who plays arenas and goes on world tours, you’d take it, right?

Mike Sleath is the touring drummer for international artist Shawn Mendes, and he’s here at Drumeo to share some of the wisdom he’s learned on the road as a busy live musician.

Being a pro drummer doesn’t just mean being great at your instrument:

• You learn how to ‘self-mix’ your live playing, like laying off the cymbals so you don’t overload everyone’s ears at a club gig, or simplifying your fills so you don’t lose the attack in a big room.
• You learn how to adapt to new situations. Things are constantly changing on the road, so you have to be ready to play or make changes at the last minute.
• You might need to take someone else’s vision and apply it on the drum set. For example, Mike didn’t write the drum parts on Shawn Mendes’ albums – he translates them onto the kit in a way that’s exciting and energetic live.
• You should understand the artist you’re playing with and really get to know how they think. Shawn Mendes only had a few songs when Mike auditioned, so he also learned the covers Shawn had put out in order to get inside his head.
• Even if you’re tired, you should give it your all every single night, whether you’re playing for one person or 100,000 people.

In this video, Mike plays through a few Shawn Mendes songs, shows you some features of his hybrid setup, and shares some awesome stories alongside his useful tips (like the time he had to fake it ’til he made it and learned how to use a Roland SPD-SX overnight).

Lesson Index:
0:00 – SONG: “Treat You Better” by Shawn Mendes
4:10 – Introduction
6:00 – Understanding the room you’re in
9:47 – Being adaptable
16:06 – Recreating studio drums live
20:09 – Understanding the artist
21:44 – Playing for the person at the back of the room
25:35 – SONG: “Stitches” by Shawn Mendes

About Mike:

Mike Sleath is a Canadian musician who’s best known for his work as the touring drummer for Shawn Mendes. His resume also includes tours and performances with artists like Camilla Cabello, John Mayer, Khalid, Zedd, Conor Maynard, Miley Cyrus, Francesco Yates, and Cody Simpson. Mike has appeared on pretty much any major TV or award show you can think of, including The Grammys, SNL, the VMAs, The Tonight Show, Ellen, the Billboard Awards and much more.

Mike Plays:
DW Drums
Sabian Cymbals
Los Cabos Drumsticks
Remo Drumheads
Roland
LP

Follow Mike:
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Twitter
Website

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Mike Sleath is the touring drummer for international artist Shawn Mendes – as a result, he has a ton of huge shows and world tours under his belt. Not only did Mike have to learn the parts, but he had to figure out how to recreate the electronic sounds on a real drum kit.

“With electronics, there’s so many different things that I can do,” says Mike. He can keep the integrity of the recording but make it way more exciting live!

In this short video, he walks us through how he replicates the drum parts on a hybrid drum set in songs like “If I Can’t Have You”, “In My Blood”, and “Treat You Better.”

Mike has a trigger on every drum and sends the audio to Front Of House and to his Roland SPD-SX (which processes his three snares) and his TD-50 (which runs his toms and kick drum).

“If I Can’t Have You”: Mike gets clap sounds from his SPD-SX, electronic bass drum samples on his KT-10, and a blended sample/organic sound on his bass drum. He also has an RT-30k on the gong drum where he gets another blended sample.

“In My Blood”: A new sample/sound comes in every 8 bars as the song builds, so Mike uses the SPD-SX as a controller to cycle up and down between patches.

“Treat You Better”: Mike layers samples with his acoustic sounds on his snare drum, bass drum, and both floor toms.

Many live pop drummers use hybrid kits to stay true to the sounds fans are used to hearing in the songs. Is combining acoustic and electronic the way of the future?

*This article contains affiliate links, which means we might earn a small commission from the product seller if you make a purchase. For more info, check out our privacy page.

Mike Sleath, drummer for international star Shawn Mendes, shows you exactly why he got the gig in this incredible performance.

Mike is a drummer and percussionist whose energy, creativity, and style have rocked the biggest stages all over the world. After spending over a decade traveling with an array of different established artists, Mike has found a home as the full-time touring drummer for Grammy-nominated artist Shawn Mendes.

In this performance we see Mike’s drumming come to life – his timing and feel are exceptional and his pocket is tight. If you take a minute to study his playing, you’ll quickly realize why he’s been chosen to tour with such incredible and world-renowned artists. He makes the right choices, plays the right parts, plays for the music, and sets the stage for the artist to shine!