Hybrid drumming fuses the traditional acoustic drum set with the latest digital percussion technology, enabling players to perform with the electronic sounds and processed textures that drive modern music styles. Since 2003, Roland sampling pads and acoustic triggers have revolutionized this style, and they’re regularly used everywhere, from indie gigs to arena stages.
Instruments like the SPD-SX PRO make powerful partners for hybrid drummers, allowing them to incorporate loops, one-shot sounds, and melodic phrases into their musical universes. Every drummer has a unique story about their approach to blending traditional and electronic elements. Sum 41’s Frank Zummo discusses his eclectic percussion education, favorite SPD-SX PRO features, and hybrid spotlight on Sum 41’s final tour.
The Backbeat
Where does your story begin?
“My musical journey started when I was about two and a half or three years old. I don’t remember this, but I walked away from our dinner table, and the next thing my parents heard was me playing my dad’s kit. It was set up in the spare room, and I just discovered it. And then that was kind of it. I have pictures, which is really cool to see. I got an early start because I was born into a musical family.“
The Mashup
What does hybrid drumming mean to you?
“I’ve had a hybrid setup in every group I’ve ever played in. It’s something I’ve been in love with from an early age when I started messing with electronics—hearing the power of combining acoustic and electronic sounds together.
When I started working professionally, I was in high school touring in a wedding/lounge cover band in New York City and the Tri-State area. Because of the nature of those gigs, it wasn’t possible to have a lot of mics and a full acoustic kit. So, we put triggers on my acoustic kit with a drum module.
When we got into wedding applications, even those acoustic drums were a bit too loud. So, I got a used electronic kit because it was completely silent. I started having fun with those modules and hearing all these great sampled sounds.”
Hitlist Highlights
From Street Drum Corps to Sum 41, what have you learned from the artists you've played with over the years?
“Every situation is a learning experience because every band and every style is so different. You take little bits of everything you learn, apply it, and it becomes part of you. Instead of going to traditional college, I decided to well-round myself and go to the Drummer’s Collective in New York City.
I wanted to study with every teacher who was out of my comfort zone. Afro-Cuban drumming? I know nothing about it. I’m signing up. Broadway show? Chart reading? Signing up. I went to a big band teacher independently. I went to Dom Famularo, who was all about technique.
And some of that stuff is now part of my DNA, especially while in Street Drum Corps. I was pulling out all these Afro-Cuban beats organically because of that education. You could be like, ‘I love punk music’—which is great. But getting out of your comfort zone and exploring will only make you, as a punk drummer, even more creative and versatile. Life is a never-ending quest of learning, discovery, and growth.“
A Fun Experiment
Tell us about how Street Drum Corps came together and what your part was in that process.
“Street Drum Corps was a fun experiment that was like a Nine Inch Nails/Stomp/Blue Man Group percussion group. I’d just moved to LA and was figuring out how to survive out here. I met two brothers, and they told me about their little percussion show where they played on found objects. I was doing that on the East Coast before I moved out here.
We were like, ‘Let’s just go to a junkyard, film it, and just go wild.’ It was so fun. We edited a video and sent a VHS out, not expecting much. We got a call from Six Flags theme park in California, wanting to hire us for summer residency. Then, Warped Tour wanted us to come out.
Once we made a record and started experimenting with taking found objects and putting them through effects to make them sound even more exciting, how were like, ‘How are we going to do this live?’ We started adding electronics to our setup.“
Projecting a Revolution
Street Drum Corps was part of Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution festival tour. What was that experience like?
“Projekt Revolution was one of the best tours I’ve ever done in my life. Linkin Park has been dear friends forever. Chester Bennington and I had talked about collaborating for years. We had just signed a 360 deal at Interscope, so it was the perfect launch. That’s when we expanded into a band with singing, guitar players, and three percussionists.
We opened the main stage every day and played for fifteen minutes. Then, we were the additional drummers for Linkin Park’s performance. We were built into their show and did all these amazing drum moments with them. All of a sudden, Chris Cornell saw what we were doing. He was like, ‘Yo, come play “Spoonman” with me.’ And we did. We were on stage all damn day, like we were just part of that whole thing. What a great summer camp tour with just amazing people.
I did Street Drum Corps for almost twenty years and ran the whole company. We checked every box I wanted to achieve, and it was time to move on.“
DO IT YOURSELF
Punk rock has DIY roots, and so does hybrid drumming. How does that upstart mentality affect your drumming?
“DIY is always the way to be at any part of your life or career. Applying that to hybrid drumming is the same thing. It’s a great creative tool for you to enhance what’s going on.
I think there’s a lot of DIY hybrid drumming with social media drummer videos now. Everybody uses their microphones or triggers to sound replace and uses great samples from software programs. Because there’s no way someone’s getting that sound in their bedroom. That’s DIY.
I’ll post videos that are super raw because I want to show drums without all the bells and whistles. We just came out with a double album, Heaven :x: Hell. I had a GoPro in the studio, and I’m showing the raw footage of how it sounds. And then I’ve done more polished ones. Same thing with live shows. I want to show everybody punk and raw, or the direct mix from the console, or mixed by my engineer.“
SPOTLIGHT: SPD-SX PRO, TD-50, VAD504
How do you incorporate hybrid drums into your shows?
“For the past decade, since I’ve been in Sum 41, I’ve used an SPD pad. Now, I’ve upgraded to the SPD-SX PRO, and it’s such a game changer; it’s unbelievable. The main thing I use it for is our set lists because I have a click for every song. We don’t play the backing tracks, but the whole band likes to have a click track to keep the show tight.
Then, during certain songs, I play a loop or sample. If there’s a sound on a record, I want to play it live. As a fan, if I went to a show and didn’t hear those things, it would kind of bum me out. When I got in Sum 41, I was like, ‘Hey, you guys have all these rad sounds, samples, and loops. I’d love to have these files and start firing that stuff live.’“
FEATURE FOCUS
Would you explain how you utilize some of the SPD-SX PRO features?
“Now, with the set list feature, I can fit my whole setlist in one playlist. And I can color code my pads now, so it’s kind of idiot-proof, which is great. And then, I have an additional BT-1 Bar Trigger Pad on my right, and I use a BOSS footswitch to change kits.
We’re using dual rigs on this final tour because of logistics. We were just in Asia, and there was no way for one rig to get to the next country in time, so we have both leapfrogging. Whenever I update something, I have my USB stick, and I can just update the next rig. Saving settings and loading them is so quick.
My whole kit’s triggered. I have those samples in my ears because I love the blend of acoustic and samples. We’re running that out of the TD-50, which is a beast of a unit. And to be honest, if I break a snare head or something, the sound guy has that trigger sound in emergency situations. You’re in the middle of the show; you break a bottom snare head; you lose the complete snare drum crack. Boom, sample to the rescue.“
Back in the Basement
Do any moments stand out in the current set?
“We’re doing a special thing on this tour. We have a moment in the middle of the show where we want to break it down like we’re back in the basement when we started. Just all of us tight together. So, we wheel out a VAD504 drum kit on a mini riser for me, which is so rad. I’m using the complete kit and everything it comes with.
Then, our singer is going to jump on the VAD504, and I’m going to get on my main kit for a little drum moment. In a two-hour set, it’s fun for me to get off my main kit and be at the front of the stage and play. We’re literally using the sounds in that brain—they’re so good. We’re loving it.
I’ve got a lot of Roland gear, and it’s just so reliable. The amount of beating these things take from the number of shows, travel, and the weather—humidity and cold temperatures—they always deliver, which is so great.“
START YOUR SOUND ENGINE
What advice do you have for someone just starting with hybrid drumming?
“Watch YouTube videos. That’s your education now. Watch a tutorial or kit demo and see which one really resonates with you. You can get an affordable Roland kit that comes with everything you need. Just put your headphones on, and you’ll get inspired because they sound amazing. You can plug your phone into it and jam along with songs. Research what’s out there. There’s a price point for everybody.“
