With over 15 years of professional live and studio experience, I have been providing remote drum tracks to artists all over the world from my studio in Sheffield, UK. I love to work on many different genres of music but specialise in modern pop/rock drumming styles. With over 1500 songs now recorded, I look forward to working on many more.
Over the years I have gained an extensive amount of live and studio experience as a professional drummer playing around the world with many different bands and artists. Most notably the LA-based rap/metal band ‘Crazy Town’ (#1 single Butterfly) which I was the full-time drummer for during 2017. I did several tours with them around the world in places all over Europe, the USA, India and more.
Other bands that I’ve played for include the Manchester-based metal band ‘Empires Fade’ who I joined in 2014 after filling in as their session drummer on a European tour. I recorded the drums for their debut album ‘The Edge Of Existence’ which ranked #4 in the iTunes metal charts shortly after its release. We toured all over the UK and EU many times after this establishing a decent fanbase.
More recently I have been a member of the pop-rock band ‘Fast Car To Florence’ since the formation of the band in late 2017: having released several singles and EPs since then, we have gained a substantial online following which we plan to continue building and coincide with a busy touring schedule. I'm currently playing for Isaac Anderson.
I now run a remote recording studio in England where I record custom live drum tracks for bands, artists and producers all over the world. My clients so far have been extremely diverse from producers & artists at EMI to tech-metal bands in the middle east.
Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.
26 Reviews - 6 Repeat Clients
Endorse Chris Barber Drums
check_circleVerifiedChris is a true professional. He got back to me with 3 different takes in a quick and timely manner. All 3 takes were great and Chris brought the energy and feel of the song that I was looking for! Chris welcomed any notes that I had and I told him that I was looking for 1 specific thing so he was more than happy to try 1 more take and it was great! Both performance and quality of recording were great. He also provided all the individual stems for each take. I would highly recommend Chris!
check_circleVerifiedChris rawks! He basically played on my entire album and I couldn't be happier with his work.
- check_circleVerified
This is my third time working with Chris. We have always been able to find the perfect drum parts for the songs. If you want to know if he is the best drummer for your project: he is.
check_circleVerifiedChris Barber's drumming skills and his studio, equipped with Coles mics, resulted in an outstanding track. The precision, energy, and sonic quality were exceptional. Highly recommend his expertise. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
check_circleVerifiedChris was professional and easy to work with! Gave me the stems I needed with great sounding recordings. Would recommend him to you and I hope to work with him again on my future tracks.
- check_circleVerified
Chris made an awesome drum track for my rock song. He did multiple revisions and tweaks at my request and was super easy to work with. Would recommend!
- check_circleVerified
Chris absolutely rocked this track. I could not have dreamed up a better beat than what he gave me.
- check_circleVerified
Incredible drummer. He was able to hone in on what I wanted with very little direction. He sent me three different takes and all of them were on point.
- check_circleVerified
Amazingly quick turnaround and the drums sound incredible, a great choice of mics and preamps from Chris, three very solid takes to choose from. It was very hard to pick the ones I liked because they were all so good! I dropped the Drums straight into the track no trouble. The playing style is amazing and perfect for the track. All-round great experience would highly recommend Chris
- check_circleVerified
Wow! Just wow! Drummers of such caliber are extremely rare! I've sent Chris all kinds of songs, some of them initially written to triple-layered drum-machines and he managed to nail absolutely every one of them. I cannot believe how detailed the recordings are and how much energy is injected into every song. TOP LEVEL musician with a very very bright future!
- check_circleVerified
Chris is such a phenomenal musician, who can hear the subtlest of nuances in a song and emphasize them on the drums. He always plays with such passion and energy that any track really blossoms. He is also extremely fast to deliver the recordings and always goes the extra mile to include varieties of takes. His recording quality, mic positioning, and room sound is just absolutely top-level. I am very happy to be working with Chris! I wish there was an option to rate at 10 stars or 20 stars!
check_circleVerifiedChris is a master drummer who performs passionately and precisely under direction but also has the ability to implement his sharp creative edge when necessary. Highly recommend.
check_circleVerifiedChris did a great job - good recording quality too //
check_circleVerifiedI gave Chris specific instructions on how I wanted my drum track to sound, and he did not fail to deliver. Not only were his drums executed proficiently and in a stylistic manner, but the sonic quality is pretty astoundingly good, especially considering his affordable rate. Will surely work with him again. Thx Chris!
- check_circleVerified
Chris goes above and beyond. Thanks for your professionalism and great work!
- check_circleVerified
Chris is an amazing drummer! He played exactly what I was looking for, was on point, great quality and easy to work with. Highly recommend.
- check_circleVerified
Chris was fast and efficient, producing amazing drums that added impact and a very professional feel to our tracks.
Would definitely use again in future.
Working with Chris is a dream come true! He's a phenomenal drummer—not just in terms of performance and skills, but also engineering, and mixing. Working with him on a metal project has been fantastic. He's incredibly good at taking the basic ideas that I attempt to program for drum compositions, and reinterpreting and improving them. He's also pleasant, concise and easy to communicate with. Receiving drum recordings from him feels like opening a gift on Christmas morning. Anybody who's ever thought "eh, the programmed drums are good enough" needs to try working with Chris and never look back!
Chris has done a great job for me on the last album I released.
From start to finish, Chris was an absolute professional. His attention to detail and dedication to delivering the best possible performance was evident in every take.
In the studio, Chris was able to effortlessly switch between a wide range of musical styles, adapting his playing to fit the needs of each song. His versatility as a drummer is truly impressive, and he consistently brought a fresh and creative approach to each track.
Interview with Chris Barber Drums
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I was the drummer for the LA-band Crazy Town. I toured the world with them for a year and made plenty of new friends and experiences.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm working on a 12 track album for a client in Chile.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I will work extremely hard to deliver the drum sound you're looking for, no matter how long it takes.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Doing what I love for a living and being able to work when I want!
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: There is no work... There is always work available you just have to work hard to find it and be persistent.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Do you have any demo drum parts to listen to? Can you provide the BPM for your song? What kind of sound are you after?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Be sure to select a drummer that is suited to your style of music. For example, you can check out my Youtube or Instagram videos to get an idea of the sound I get from my playing and studio - watch these first and if you like what you see we're good to go!
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: Chris is a top UK session drummer with years of experience touring the world and recording with many different bands & artists including the LA-based rap/rock band Crazy Town, Manchester-based metal band Empires Fade & many more. Currently playing for Nottingham-based rock band Fast Car To Florence, Chris also runs an online drum recording service from his recording studio in the north of England, providing acoustic drum tracks remotely to bands, songwriters & producers worldwide.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Versatile, lots of energy and power when needed.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Angels & Airwaves because I love playing to their songs and my style is perfect for their sound!
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: When recording drums be sure to check the phase of EVERY microphone with the others by flipping the phase and listening out for any bass that's missing.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Rock, Pop, Indie, Metal, Alternative, Gospel.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Rock drumming is my strongest skill aside from drum recording, I'm also a very confident audio engineer, experienced in mixing drums especially.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I specialise in rock drumming, but I'm also confident playing metal and pop music. My sound is very versatile and I own custom drum gear which means the kit I'm using is totally unique. I'm an experienced session drummer with years of experience playing live and recording with several different artists.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: The usual process begins with you getting in touch with me online to discuss your music and the kind of service you're wanting. You can send your songs in whatever format works for you (mp3, WAV, MIDI) and include any demo drum parts that exist on your track, if you like. We can then go over the project together and negotiate a price that suits your budget, making sure that we are both happy before continuing. Next, I'll start working on the drum parts for your songs in the studio and have a few takes sent back within a couple of days. It's up to you whether you want me to follow a demo drum track you already have or create something completely fresh. Three revisions will be inclusive for each track which is easily enough 99% of the time, so don't be afraid to ask for things to be changed! When you're satisfied with the drums, I'll export each track individually in WAV format and send them to you via an email link. If you are using Logic and would prefer to receive the Logic session instead I can do that too. Finally, download your tracks online and drag the files straight into your DAW.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have a dedicated recording studio that is built specifically for drum recording. It has been acoustically treated and optimised to achieve an amazing drum sound. Featuring a selection of drum kits and microphones, with industry-standard AD converters and digital processing.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Drummers such as Taylor Hawkins, Atom Willard and Eric Moore inspire me to be a better drummer. Music production-wise, I'd say Ash Soan inspires me to improve my drum production.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Remote Drum Recording for Bands, Songwriters & Producers Worldwide.
I was the Drummer, Engineer in this production
- Live drum trackAverage price - $150 per song
- PercussionAverage price - $100 per song
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $150 per song
- EditingAverage price - $50 per track
- Time alignment - QuantizingAverage price - $50 per track
- YouTube Cover RecordingAverage price - $500 per song
- Programmed drumAverage price - $125 per song
Multiple drum takes with multiple revisions. Up to 30 multi-track stems at sample rates of up to 96kHZ. Additional services include editing and mixing, filming of the session and more.
- Foo Fighters
- Taylor Hawkins
- Travis Barker
- DW Collectors Series Cherry/Spruce Kit
- UA Apollo X8P
- Coles 4038 Ribbons
- North Custom Drums
- Sabian Cymbals
- Remo Drum Heads
- DW Drums
- Shure Microphones
- AKG Microphones
- Audient Pre Amps
- Logic Pro X
- New Room Mic!Jun 02, 2023
I’ve recently added a pair of Coles 4038 ribbon mics to my collection, starting by using these as stereo room mics!
- Spotify PortfolioApr 21, 2023
I've made a Spotify playlist featuring some of the songs I've recorded drums for at my studio. Check it out here - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7Ekk6goCC91wKK73qNUIZI?si=f77f107a657e4555
- On Tour until mid FebruaryJan 27, 2023
Currently on tour in Europe until the middle of February, so I won’t be back in the studio until then. Feel free to send submissions before then though!
- New DW Collectors series kitJan 06, 2023
I’m so excited to have my brand new DW collectors series kit in the studio! It’s a 4 piece Cherry/Spruce shell set which sounds incredible, especially for recording.
The sizes are: 22x16 kick 10x8 rack Tom 12x9 rack Tom 16x16 Floor Tom
Head over to my Instagram or YouTube channel to see videos!
- Coronavirus UpdateAug 19, 2020
Since the start of Covid-19 I realised remote recording would become my main source of income for the foreseeable future, so I have embraced it and I'm loving it!
