# Digimortal Drum Setup: Raymond Herrera's 2001 Fear Factory Kit Breakdown

> Complete breakdown of Raymond Herrera's drum gear on Fear Factory's Digimortal (2001). The final Herrera studio album — Pearl Reference Series triggered kit, heavy double-kick on 'Linchpin,' and Fear Factory's most programmed drum production.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Raymond Herrera](/llms/drummers/raymond-herrera.md)
**Band / Album:** Fear Factory — *Digimortal* (2001)
**Genre:** Industrial Metal / Nu-Metal

## Overview

Released on May 22, 2001, Fear Factory's *Digimortal* is the final studio album Raymond Herrera recorded with the band before his departure in 2002 — and one of the more controversial entries in the Fear Factory catalog. Produced by Rhys Fulber, *Digimortal* pushed the hybrid industrial metal formula established on *Demanufacture* (1995) and *Obsolete* (1998) into new territory: shorter song structures, nu-metal-influenced passages, electronic programming woven more explicitly into the arrangements, and a collaboration with B-Real of Cypress Hill on "Back the Fuck Up."

For drummers, *Digimortal* is a study in how a world-class industrial metal kit sounds when the music around it changes. Herrera's Pearl Reference Series setup with full ddrum/Roland triggering remained consistent with his previous Fear Factory work, but the drum performances adapted to the album's more varied compositional landscape — tighter, shorter patterns in the nu-metal influenced tracks; heavier double-kick density in the more aggressive passages like "Linchpin" and "What Will Become?"; more integration with programmed electronic elements throughout.

Rhys Fulber, returning as producer, continued the direction he had established on *Obsolete* — treating the triggered drum signals as electronic production material to be shaped and integrated with the album's programmed layers. On *Digimortal*, this approach went furthest of any Fear Factory record, with the boundary between Herrera's performed drum parts and the electronic programming deliberately blurred in certain tracks.

*Digimortal* closes the three-album arc of Herrera's classic Fear Factory period. His departure in 2002, along with guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers, ended the lineup that had produced the band's most influential work.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Reference Series (double bass — two 22" x 18" kick drums, all drums triggered)
- **Snare:** Pearl Custom 14" x 6.5", steel shell with ddrum trigger
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian — Z Custom Series (14" hi-hats, 16" + 18" crashes, 20" ride, china)
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Pearl Eliminator Double Pedal; ddrum triggers (full kit); Roland drum module; Vater Power 5B sticks
- **Heads:** Remo Pinstripe (bass kick batter), Remo Ambassador (toms batter)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension — fast mechanical response consistent across Demanufacture through Digimortal

### Pearl Reference Series: Foundation of Herrera's Final Fear Factory Record

The Pearl Reference Series kit on *Digimortal* was the same core setup that had defined Fear Factory's drum sound since *Demanufacture* — a continuity demonstrating how completely this kit had become the foundation of the band's sonic identity. Pearl Reference Series shells, maple construction, consistent trigger response across the full three-album Fear Factory arc.

The double kick configuration drove the album's most aggressive passages. "Linchpin" and "What Will Become?" feature double-kick patterns in the Herrera tradition — machine-gun grids at industrial metal's demanding tempos, the Pearl Eliminator driving both kick drums with consistent action across both beaters, each stroke firing its ddrum trigger. The triggered kick samples on *Digimortal* carry more electronic processing than on *Obsolete*, further integrating acoustic performance with programmed sound.

On *Digimortal*'s nu-metal influenced tracks — shorter compositions with more direct rhythmic structures — the Pearl Reference kit still provided its characteristic acoustic body. The *Digimortal* sessions were among the last Herrera would record with Fear Factory. His departure in 2002 closed the chapter on the three-album peak this album completed.

### Snare: Tight Mechanical Authority on Herrera's Departure Album

Herrera's Pearl Custom 14" x 6.5" steel-shell snare with trigger remained the snare of record on *Digimortal*, its fast decay and cutting authority essential for cutting through *Digimortal*'s dense, electronically layered arrangements.

In the heavier industrial tracks like "Linchpin" and "What Will Become?," the snare delivered the mechanical precision characteristic of the full Fear Factory catalog — tight, controlled backbeats with the triggered sample reinforcing each hit with machine-like consistency. In the more nu-metal influenced passages, the snare's role shifted: shorter phrases, more direct rhythmic statements, but the same fundamental triggered setup delivering the mechanical crack Fear Factory audiences recognized.

Rhys Fulber's production treated the triggered snare signal on *Digimortal* with even more electronic integration than on *Obsolete* — the sample and acoustic hit interwoven with programmed drum material on several tracks, requiring the stable trigger response the Pearl Custom steel shell reliably provided.

### Zildjian Z Custom: Industrial Metal Durability Through the Final Herrera Era

The Zildjian Z Custom cymbal setup was unchanged for *Digimortal* — the same series deployed on *Demanufacture* and *Obsolete*, chosen for the same reasons: upper-frequency brightness projecting above Fear Factory's dense guitar and electronic mix, and physical durability for sustained touring.

On *Digimortal*, the cymbals operated in a denser production context than on previous Fear Factory records — Rhys Fulber's more extensive integration of programmed electronic elements created a mix with more competing frequency layers. The Z Custom's brightness, which had always distinguished cymbal frequencies from the guitar mass on *Demanufacture* and *Obsolete*, was even more important here given the additional electronic programming in the mix.

"Linchpin" and "What Will Become?" feature the hi-hat driving patterns central to the Fear Factory industrial sound — the Z Custom 14" hi-hats' bright, cutting response maintaining clarity at Fear Factory's tempos even within *Digimortal*'s more programmed sonic environment.

## Key Facts

- Released May 22, 2001 — Raymond Herrera's final studio album with Fear Factory
- Produced by Rhys Fulber — most electronically integrated production in the Herrera era
- Pearl Reference Series — continuous setup across all three Herrera Fear Factory albums (Demanufacture, Obsolete, Digimortal)
- Double 22" x 18" kick drums with ddrum triggers — heavier double-kick emphasis on "Linchpin" and "What Will Become?"
- Zildjian Z Custom cymbals throughout — upper-frequency projection above dense programmed mix
- Pearl Eliminator Double Pedal — cam-adjustable action for varied tempo range across nu-metal and industrial metal material
- Most programmed drum production in the Herrera era — triggered signals integrated with explicit electronic drum programming
- Signature tracks: "Linchpin," "What Will Become?," "Invisible Wounds (Dark Bodies)," "No One," "Back the Fuck Up" (feat. B-Real)
- Herrera departed Fear Factory in 2002 after this album; guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers also left
- Estimated kit value: $3,000–5,500 (Pearl Reference Series shell pack)
- Estimated snare value: $400–800

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/digimortal-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-06-27 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*