# Found in Far Away Places Drum Setup: Matt Greiner's Pearl Reference Pure Kit (2015)

> Discover the exact drum kit, cymbals, and gear Matt Greiner used on August Burns Red's Gold-certified Found in Far Away Places (2015). Complete breakdown of the Pearl Reference Pure kit, Meinl Byzance cymbals, Pearl Demon Drive double pedal, and the polyrhythmic technique behind ABR's most commercially successful album.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Matt Greiner](/llms/drummers/matt-greiner.md)
**Band / Album:** August Burns Red — *Found in Far Away Places* (2015)
**Genre:** Metalcore
**Certification:** Gold (RIAA)
**Chart:** #1 US Christian Albums

## Overview

Released on July 24, 2015, August Burns Red's *Found in Far Away Places* represents the band's most commercially successful studio album — a Gold-certified record that reached #1 on the US Christian Albums chart while losing none of the technical aggression that defines ABR's identity. For Matt Greiner, the album documented a drummer at the height of his powers, operating a gear setup that had matured through years of touring and studio refinement.

By 2015, Greiner had fully transitioned from the Ludwig Classic Maple kit of the *Leveler* (2011) era to the Pearl Reference Pure — a maple/mahogany hybrid shell kit that defined a new chapter in his sound. The Pearl Reference Pure's tighter, more articulate attack suited *Found in Far Away Places*' production aesthetic: polished but heavy, precise without sacrificing weight. Paired with Meinl Byzance cymbals and the Pearl Demon Drive double pedal, the setup was the most refined version of Greiner's approach to date.

Tracks like "Ghosts" and the title track gave Greiner space to demonstrate the full range of his technical vocabulary — blast beat sequences that transition seamlessly into polyrhythmic groove patterns, ghost note layers that add texture beneath heavy riff sections, and the odd-meter facility that has always distinguished his playing from the straight-ahead approach of lesser metalcore drummers. *Found in Far Away Places* is the album where Greiner's Pearl era crystallized.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Reference Pure (maple/mahogany hybrid shells)
- **Configuration:** Dual 22" x 18" bass drums, 10" x 7" and 12" x 8" rack toms, 16" x 16" floor tom
- **Snare:** Pearl Matt Greiner Signature, 14" x 6" steel shell
- **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance Traditional series
- **Pedals:** Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal
- **Hi-Hat Stand:** Pearl H-2050 Demon Hi-Hat Stand
- **Throne:** Roc-N-Soc Nitro Throne
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth Matt Greiner Signature (updated spec)
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 (kick batter), Remo Ambassador Coated (toms/snare batter), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension — bright steel attack with controlled warmth

### Pearl Reference Pure: The 2015 Kit

The Pearl Reference Pure represents a significant departure from the Ludwig Classic Maple that Greiner used on *Leveler*. Where Ludwig's 6-ply maple shell delivered warmth and vintage complexity, the Reference Pure's maple/mahogany hybrid construction produces a tighter, more focused tone — greater articulation, faster attack, and a more pronounced fundamental that suits modern metalcore's precision-forward production aesthetic.

Pearl's Reference Pure shells use a combination of North American maple and African mahogany that balances the brightness of pure maple with the warmth that mahogany contributes. The result is a drum that cuts through a modern metal mix with definition while retaining enough body to avoid the harsh, clinical sound that pure birch shells can produce.

The double bass drum configuration remained essential — Greiner's lever-driven technique demands two fully independent bass drums delivering equal attack. The 22" size provided deep low-end fundamental without sacrificing response speed for polyrhythmic patterns.

### Pearl Matt Greiner Signature Snare

By the *Found in Far Away Places* era, Greiner was playing his own Pearl signature snare — a 14" x 6" steel-shell drum designed to maximize ghost note sensitivity without sacrificing crack and projection. The steel shell provides the bright, cutting attack that metalcore's dense guitar textures require, while the 6" depth adds body and volume.

The custom bearing edge was tuned to deliver the full dynamic range audible on "Ghosts" and "Majoring in the Minors," where Greiner alternates between thunderous accent strokes and intricate ghost note passages within single bars.

### Meinl Byzance Traditional Cymbal Setup

| Type | Model | Position |
|------|-------|----------|
| Hi-Hats | Meinl Byzance Traditional 14" Medium Hi-Hats | Left side |
| Crash | Meinl Byzance Traditional 16" Medium Thin Crash | Left of hi-hats |
| Crash | Meinl Byzance Traditional 18" Medium Crash | Right side |
| Ride | Meinl Byzance Traditional 20" Medium Ride | Far right |
| China | Meinl Byzance Traditional 18" China | Above floor tom |

The shift from Paiste 2002 to Meinl Byzance brought a more controlled, precise decay compared to the warmer, sustained Paiste bronze. The Byzance B20 alloy complements the Reference Pure's articulate shell character — both are calibrated for precision over warmth, reflecting the modern metalcore production aesthetic of *Found in Far Away Places*.

### Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal

The Pearl Demon Drive's shaft-driven mechanism differs from the DW 9000's cam-driven system Greiner used on *Leveler*: more linear response, less spring-back resistance, suited to the lever-based efficiency of his double bass technique. Adjustable beater angle and stroke length allowed him to calibrate the mechanical feel to his precise requirements.

## Key Tracks

**"Ghosts"** — Fan-voted highlight. Extended polyrhythmic passages with kick, snare, and hi-hat operating across independent rhythmic cycles simultaneously. Ghost note density beneath the main groove adds textural complexity rarely achieved in metalcore.

**"Found in Far Away Places"** — Title track. Dynamic contrasts between blast beat intensity and cleaner, open rhythmic sections. Crash cymbal placement functions compositionally — each hit marks a structural musical moment.

**"Majoring in the Minors"** — Ghost note integration most prominent. Jazz-informed dynamic range: grace notes barely audible through full-velocity backbeats, all within the same bar.

**"Invisible Enemy"** — Most aggressive track on the album. Metric displacement creates rhythmic tension before resolution. Pearl Demon Drive consistency audible across extended high-tempo double-bass passages.

## Key Facts

- Released July 24, 2015 on Fearless Records — ABR's most commercially successful album
- Certified Gold (RIAA) — the band's highest RIAA certification to that point
- #1 US Christian Albums chart
- Matt Greiner played Pearl Reference Pure — tighter, more articulate than the Ludwig Classic Maple of Leveler
- Meinl Byzance Traditional cymbals replaced the Paiste 2002 series for a more controlled, precise decay
- Pearl Demon Drive replaced the DW 9000 — shaft-driven mechanism calibrated to Greiner's lever technique
- Pearl Matt Greiner Signature snare (14" x 6" steel) — custom bearing edge for full dynamic range
- Estimated kit value: $3,500–5,500 (2015) / $2,500–4,000 (used today)
- Estimated cymbal value: $1,800–2,500 full Byzance setup (2015)

## Gear Evolution: Leveler to Found in Far Away Places

| Category | Leveler (2011) | Found in Far Away Places (2015) |
|----------|----------------|----------------------------------|
| Kit | Ludwig Classic Maple (6-ply maple) | Pearl Reference Pure (maple/mahogany hybrid) |
| Snare | Ludwig Acrolite / Supraphonic aluminum | Pearl Matt Greiner Signature 14" x 6" steel |
| Cymbals | Paiste 2002 (CuSn8 bronze) | Meinl Byzance Traditional (B20 bronze) |
| Pedals | DW 9000 Double Pedal | Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal |
| Sticks | Vic Firth Matt Greiner Signature | Vic Firth Matt Greiner Signature (updated spec) |

## FAQ

**What drum kit did Matt Greiner use on Found in Far Away Places?**
Pearl Reference Pure — maple/mahogany hybrid shells, dual 22" bass drums, 10" and 12" rack toms, 16" floor tom. Tighter and more articulate than the Ludwig Classic Maple of Leveler.

**What cymbals did Matt Greiner use on Found in Far Away Places?**
Meinl Byzance Traditional series — 14" Medium hi-hats, 16" and 18" crashes, 20" Medium ride, 18" China. B20 bronze delivers controlled, precise decay compared to the sustained warmth of his earlier Paiste 2002 setup.

**What makes the drumming on Found in Far Away Places special?**
The polyrhythmic complexity of "Ghosts," the ghost note density throughout the album, and the blast-to-groove transitions that are Greiner's signature compositional move — all executed with the precision of his mature Pearl Reference Pure setup.

**What double bass pedal did Matt Greiner use on Found in Far Away Places?**
Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal — shaft-driven mechanism with adjustable stroke length, calibrated to his lever-driven double bass technique.

## Related Articles

- [Matt Greiner Complete Drum Setup](/llms/articles/matt-greiner-complete-drum-setup.md)
- [Leveler Drum Setup](/llms/articles/leveler-drum-setup.md)
- [Messengers Drum Setup](/llms/articles/messengers-drum-setup.md)

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/found-in-far-away-places-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-06-26 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*