“When you try to do everything, you’re weak in some places”: Blink-182’s Travis Barker on why it’s important to delegate in the studioTravis Barker has built a reputation not just as Blink-182’s powerhouse drummer but as a go-to producer for artists like Machine Gun Kelly, Avril Lavigne, and Fever 333.
Now, in a new studio tour video, Barker pulls back the curtain on his creative process, sharing insights on music production, gear selection, and the art of collaboration.

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Reflecting on how Blink-182’s recording process has evolved over time, Barker explains [via MusicRadar]: “The way Blink albums were written, was a different style of production to what happens now. The songs would be written and we would just go in and record them.”
“Trav, you’re gonna come in and you’re gonna record all your drums in one day… For the entire album… I’d be like, ‘OK you guys. See you in three months… And Mark and Tom would stay there for three months and record guitars and vocals.”
“But when I was there for some guitar stuff [Producer Jerry Finn] would be like, ‘You can play better than that. Play it right. You can think of a better part than that – you can beat it. Seeing him do that kind of stuff was really helpful,” Barker adds. “He was very good about making sure that everyone’s ideas were heard and challenging everyone to play as good as they could.”
The studio tour also sees Barker showcasing his enviable collection of gear, from the Ludwig Black Beauties to Sonor’s HLD-590 Signature Cast Bronze snare drum. But despite his extensive collection, the drummer stresses that expensive equipment isn’t what makes a great musician.
“If I was just playing in Blink, or if I was just practicing, I’ll play on your drum kit,” he says. “I never want kids to think like you have to have the best drum kit. I could play Blink shows all around the world on rental kits if I needed to.”
“It’s really about practicing and you’ll make any kit sound good. You take like the best drummer and put him on the trashiest kit, and he’s gonna be great.”
Elsewhere, Barker also reveals his weapon of choice in the control room – the Neve 5088 Mixing Console.
After struggling with an older 1970s Neve that constantly needed repairs (“we recorded a lot of stuff with it,” says Barker), he upgraded to the modern version, trading in his vintage board for a more reliable unit.
“Some days we’d all show up to work and it’d be like, ‘I’m not working today’, and I’d have to get some wizard to come through and spend days with it to get it working again,” he recalls. “There was one guy that could fix it. I couldn’t rely on it any more.”
And while Barker has developed a sharp ear for production over the years, he, too, acknowledges the importance of trusting other experts in the studio.
“I’ve recorded. I’ve written. I’ve done all of the pre-production where I listen to everything solo-ed. I listen to every bass track soloed. Whatever I’m looking for, I do all that stuff. Then I really feel comfortable sending it off to get mixed and trusting the process,” he says.
“I really respect them as mixers and I’m going to them for a reason. I find that when you try to do everything, you’re weak in some places, you know?”
Watch the full video below.

The post “When you try to do everything, you’re weak in some places”: Blink-182’s Travis Barker on why it’s important to delegate in the studio appeared first on MusicTech.