The deal is this: You e-mail an mp3 of your tune’s basic tracks (a scratch mix of, say, guitar, bass, and vocal, as well as a click track sent as a separate mp3) to the site’s founder and veteran session drummer Brian McRae. He learns your song inside out, comes up with a few different musical directions, and then—with a massive selection of drums, microphones, compressors, and production techniques at his disposal (including one voluminous angled room that sounds straight-up Bonham)—he records a few renditions of your tune. Next, he e-mails you an mp3 of each version. Choose the performance you like, and McRae posts it as a complete Pro Tools session (or as raw audio files if you use another digital audio platform) on his FTP site. From there, you download the tracks straight onto your hard drive.

An estimate form on the site is used to determine pricing, but the cost typically ranges from $250 to $400 per song, depending on the options ordered.

Voilà! With a few clicks of the mouse, you’ve obtained pro drum tracks for a fraction of the expense and hassle you’d incur by booking your favorite drummer into a decent studio. To hear completed tracks as well as read client testimonials, visit

drumoverdubs.com, but take it from me: As someone who sampled McRae’s services, I can report that the process is a breeze, and, more importantly, McRae—who has played with everyone from Michelle Shocked to the Freddy Jones Band—is not only entirely receptive to any stylistic suggestions you might have, he has a ferocious snare crack and locks onto the click like a pit bull on a mailman. This was undoubtedly the best drum session I never attended.