SETUP:	VIDEO:
	video coming soon!

WEBSITES: ( Matt's Studio)

BIOGRAPHY/BLURB:
Matthew Tobias plays for a variety of songwriters from around the country. Much of his playing this year has been with Sean Keith and Chris Saub from Omaha, Ne and with Geoff Moore, an artist from Nashville. In Omaha, Matthew owns Empty House Studio, where he works with his business partner, Jason Burkum producing, engineering and playing on projects. “In the studio, I love starting from scratch for each new song. I use kicks ranging from 20”-26”, and even a 60 year old 32” marching drum. Toms are typically a 12 or 13”, and a 16” floor tom. Snares are a wide variety of sizes and shell types- I tend to run everything with a bit of “gack” in it. My favorite ballad snare is a 6x12”, 6 ply maple, with top head tuned very loose and snares not tight at all. The diameter retains the pitch and snare action, while the tubby head gives some beef. I know most guys don’t think “ballad” when they see a 6x12, but it’s becoming one of my favorite sounds. In general, I am over that snare sound that makes your dog come running. I want to hear some grit- duct tape and toilet paper are never too far away…..Same with cymbals- my “go to” set up is 2 18” crashes for hats (models dependent on how much “chick” I need), a 24” ride, and 22 and 20” rides for crashes- usually all K’s of some sort. Again, a cymbal sound that is not going to rip my dog’s head off because of the transients. Big drums and cymbals tend to unfold a little more slowly and they need to be hit with a little more thought for the sound I am trying to get, but man they sit in a track nicely. Risen has been very cool to get some great sounds in my hands- it is very freeing to know that I can set up any of their stuff and get the sounds that are in my head!”