To record the ultimate pop kit, we went straight to the top: United Recording. This studio at 6050 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood was created in 1957 and built to the exacting standards of Bill Putnam (legendary engineer and founder of Universal Audio).

Studio A has witnessed the birth of some of the most iconic hit songs of the last half century. While the equipment has been lovingly maintained and updated over time, the actual recording rooms have remained untouched.

Listening to the lush clear warmth of this ADpak you can understand why. After all, if it's good enough for Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, U2, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Radiohead, No Doubt, Queens of the Stone Age,...

Certain things just get better with age; fine wines, Miley Cyrus, and this Leedy and Ludwig kit. The years have been kind to these drums, drying out every drop of moisture and leaving them crisp, clear and resonant.

Yesterday's drums, treated with love to produce the kind of uncluttered sounds that are perfect for today's pop hits.

For snares we went extra clean, giving you the choice between a Ludwig nickel over brass, and a 1960's japanese copy of a Slingerland drum called "Trump" that's so crisp, we just had to add it to this ADpak.