Hi Drummerfool and welcome to the our Drum Chat family!
Becoming a session drummer is a tough ordeal. It is "very" hard to break into that scene as most studios collectively use just a handful of guys to do "all" the work. It's often not fair to other players IMO, but that's just the way it is. Studio time is very expensive and they want someone that can come in and track fast and get it right the first or second take.
With that said, nothing is impossible. How do you know you're a good studio drummer? Get in the studio and get banged up. Listen to yourself. Do you like what you hear? Is your time steady? Is it strong? Is it creative? Did you get it in the first couple of takes? What are the engineers saying about your playing? Did the client like you? Did you take constructive criticism well? Did you get along with everyone? Did you get hired back?
All of these questions will answer your question. If you're not getting good answers to those questions, you're not ready to be a session player.
Yes!!!!! ...you need to be a good sight-reader. Don't be intimidated by reading. If you don't sight-read well, ...simply go out and become a good sight-reader. I did it and so can you. Find the teacher, the books, the school... whatever it takes. Just do it! It's not brain surgery. It's sight-reading. Ha!
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