Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence Drum Setup — Mike Portnoy's Double Album Masterwork (2002) | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drum kit did Mike Portnoy use on Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence?

Mike Portnoy recorded Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002) on a Tama Starclassic Maple kit — the same shell platform he had used on Scenes from a Memory (1999), now configured with a midnight blue sparkle finish. The setup featured double 22"x18" bass drums and six toms ranging from 8" to 16". The Starclassic Maple's warm, resonant character served both the aggressive Disc 1 material and the dynamic range required across the 42-minute title suite on Disc 2. For more on his gear history, see the [Mike Portnoy drummer profile](/drummer/mike-portnoy).

What cymbals did Mike Portnoy use on Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence?

For the Six Degrees sessions, Portnoy used the Sabian Artisan and HH series — a continuation of the cymbal setup he had used on Scenes from a Memory. The Artisan line's dark, hand-hammered character suited the emotional complexity of a concept double album. His setup included Artisan 14" hi-hats, multiple Artisan crashes (16", 17", 18"), an Artisan 20" ride, a Sabian HH 19" crash, and a Sabian HH 18" Chinese cymbal. The transition to the brighter Sabian AAX series would come with Train of Thought the following year. See the [Scenes from a Memory drum setup article](/articles/scenes-from-a-memory-drum-setup) for how this setup compared to the 1999 configuration.

What is 'The Glass Prison' and why is it significant in Portnoy's drum career?

'The Glass Prison' is the 13-minute opening track of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, and it represents the first chapter of Mike Portnoy's career-long AA suite — a multi-album autobiographical narrative about his struggle with and recovery from alcoholism. The track references earlier Dream Theater material ('The Mirror' and 'Lie' from Awake) and would be continued across several subsequent albums. The drumming is among the most intense of the Starclassic Maple era: sustained double-bass patterns, high-velocity fills, and an emotional commitment that reflected the track's deeply personal subject matter. It established a template for the way Portnoy used Dream Theater's music to process his own story.

How does the Six Degrees drum setup differ from Scenes from a Memory?

The two setups share the Tama Starclassic Maple shell platform but differ in details. Six Degrees featured a midnight blue sparkle finish vs. the cherry fade of SFaM, and Portnoy's playing approach had evolved toward heavier technique by 2002. The Sabian Artisan cymbal setup was maintained from SFaM, but the recording context shifted — Six Degrees was self-produced by Petrucci and Portnoy for the first time, giving them full control over the drum sound direction. The most significant musical difference is the scope: Six Degrees required Portnoy to sustain peak performance across a double album's worth of material, demanding greater stamina and a broader stylistic range than the single-disc SFaM. See the [Scenes from a Memory drum setup article](/articles/scenes-from-a-memory-drum-setup) for the 1999 setup details.

What makes the Six Degrees title suite challenging to drum?

The 42-minute Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence suite presents several distinct challenges. First, stamina: sustaining peak focus and physical consistency across 42 minutes of compositionally dense music is a different demand than any single-track performance. Second, range: the eight movements span multiple emotional contexts, each requiring a different drumming approach within a single continuous performance. Third, character-driven technique: each movement follows a different character dealing with mental illness, and Portnoy's playing adapts to each character's emotional state — requiring him to think as much as a film composer as a drummer. The hi-hat work alone demonstrates five or six distinct approaches across the suite's movements. See the [Train of Thought drum setup article](/articles/train-of-thought-drum-setup) for how the heavy pivot of 2003 contrasted with this approach.