Chris Boot

Drummer, Producer, Mixer

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16 Reviews (6 Verified)
Chris Boot on SoundBetter

Remote session drummer from 'Not Paramount' studio. Member of UK band Mamas Gun. Touring with artists including Lone (R&S) and Alice Russell (Tru Thoughts). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I4ir4_n998

I work from my modest studio 'Not Paramount', providing remote drum recordings, as well as a variety of production services including mixing & mastering.

My equipment list includes: Universal Audio Apollo X8p, Microphones: Altec 639b, RCA 74b, AKG 414eb, Sennheiser MD441, Beyerdynamic M260n. Drums: 1960’s Rogers USA drums (13”,16”, 20” & 22”). Cymbals: Istanbul Agop & vintage Zildjian. Snares: Ludwig 400, Rogers Dynasonic, Ludwig Black Beauty, Ludwig 1920s Nickel on Brass. Synthesizers: Juno 6, Prophet 6, Korg Delta, Omnichord. Any of which can be requested for stemmed recordings. For a full gear list please visit my website www.notparamount.com

I can offer any sample rate from 44.1kHz up to 192kHz and can supply up to 8 drum stems where specified, including kick in, kick out, snare, rack, floor stereo pair of overheads and stereo room. Other channels can be added/changed and I can swap out drums and microphones as requested.

Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.

Credits

Discogs verified credits for Chris Boot
  • Mara Simpson
  • Mamas Gun
  • Daudi Matsiko
  • Various
  • Wildwood Kin
  • Luke Sital-Singh
  • Mara Simpson
  • Scrimshire
  • Lucy Rose
  • Daudi Matsiko
  • Wouter Hamel
  • Sophie Barker
  • Luke Sital-Singh
  • Aisha Badru
  • Mamas Gun
  • Mara Simpson
  • Mamas Gun
  • Scrimshire
  • Scrimshire
  • O.G. Jigg & Friends*
  • Scrimshire
  • The Milk (3), Scrimshire
  • Mamas Gun
  • Mamas Gun

16 Reviews - 2 Repeat Clients

Endorse Chris Boot
  1. Review by Richard
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    Chris is quick and always finds the right groove, absolutely pleasure, thanks!

  2. Review by Richard
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    quick, pleasant and spookily intuitive as to what was wanted, cheers!

  3. Review by Richard
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    perfect feel first time from Chris, thanks!

  4. Review by Michael H.
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    Chris nailed it on the first go. He has such great touch and feel. He knew exactly what I wanted without giving him too much instruction. An absolute pleasure to work with. Highly recommend, will be using him again!

  5. Review by craig k.
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    Chris is a pleasure to work with. It's our second project professionally and promptly executed. I can highly recommend Chris.

  6. Review by craig k.
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    Pleasure to work with. Prompt, good listener and great drummer. Highly recommend Chris to work with!

  7. Review by Stac
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    by Stac

    I absolutely love working with Chris. He’s an excellent drummer and musician (of course) but he’s also one of the most wonderful, fun and kind people I know. A true pleasure.

  8. Review by Harry Stevenson
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    by Harry Stevenson

    Great ears, great feel, great fun. Chris will make you want to delete a lot of drummer's phone numbers.

  9. Review by Lisa Wadham
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    by Lisa Wadham

    I have worked with many drummers over the years and Chris will always be my number one shout! Professional in every way and and an absolute dream to work. Obviously a fantastic drummer from a technical perspective but ticks all the other boxes... friendly, punctual, creative, adaptable, experienced, production skills, approachable, the list goes on...

  10. Review by Cameron Dawson
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    by Cameron Dawson

    Extremely professional, consistent and inventive. A joy to work with in every way.

  11. Review by Eddie Myer
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    by Eddie Myer

    Groove - feel - imagination - chops - great ears - great time - great attitude - all round good guy.

  12. Review by Andy Platts
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    by Andy Platts

    In the studio Chris plays what you want to hear but also offers what you never thought you wanted to hear, but which you end up loving more. He is a chameleon able to adjust to any project and with a producer’s ear - never overplaying or filling up too much space and constantly mindful of how the drums are serving the composition. At home with the old schoolers in the analogue end of the pool but equally up to date on the cutting edge, if I could pay him to live in my studio and activate him whenever I needed live drums, I actually would. But my wife would never allow it.

  13. Review by Scarlett
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    I have worked with Chris both in person and online, co-creating an EP's worth of tracks. He's extremely talented and very quick with writing & recording amazing live/programmed drum tracks.

    Also, easy to communicate with and professional. Chris knows what he's doing and how to nail eclectic genres through years of experience listening & playing. Always a pleasure and I look forward to the next time!

  14. Review by Nick Evans
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    by Nick Evans

    Chris is super professional and is a pleasure to work with. He is quick to respond to all communication and knows exactly how to deliver the final product. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Chris to anyone.

  15. Review by Mike Lord
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    by Mike Lord

    Chris is the best sort of combination of drummer, producer and music lover. He uses all three of these traits to not only come up with parts that wonderfully compliment whatever the material is, but he also really considers the timbre and tone of how his drums and cymbals sound, and how that fits in to the style and genre of the material- which to me is worth its weight in gold. 10/10 would recommend!

  16. Review by Richard W
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    by Richard W

    Chris recorded drums for me on some library tracks. He absolutely nailed the vibe needed for each track (all were different styles) and elevated the sound brilliantly - client loved the mixes. Great sound quality, mic choice etc, and good communication too. Super lovely chap.

Interview with Chris Boot

  1. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  2. A: Matt Johnson is on SoundBetter! Matt Johnson was a huge inspiration in my formative years (played drums with Jeff Buckley and played on the landmark album 'Grace'. More recently Matt has played with St Vincent). I was really inspired to see he was offering his work on here!

  3. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  4. A: Both... Analog technology brings some beautiful artefacts to recorded audio but the convenience of digital can really help to streamline a workflow.

  5. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  6. A: "Should I record to a click?" In most instances, yes. it will make everything easier to edit and when you're overdubbing any additional parts it will help in many aspects, including bar references for edits or even changing the arrangement down the line.

  7. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  8. A: There are SO many options available. There is a constantly shifting triangle of cost, quality and timeframe with these sorts of things, so consider what budget you're willing to work with and try and get somebody on board who really inspires you and you feel like you have a connection with. Then ask some questions to align your expectations on what you realistically feel can be brought to the table within a given timeframe.

  9. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  10. A: I've been playing drums for over 20 years (yikes!). I started by playing in bands then went to university in 2007 and obtained a degree in music - I then went on to play as a session drummer for artists and work in studios as an engineer and eventually help produce artists. These days I tend to meld these roles in to one and offer any help I can with an artist/band working on their music.

  11. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  12. A: Gain staging. Think about your headroom!

  13. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  14. A: I tend to work on music in the alternative side of things, Americana, Soul, Indie, Electronic are just some of the directions I tend to work a lot with.

  15. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  16. A: We are our own worst critics. I don't really settle for anything less than what I think is great work. I have worked as a studio engineer as well as a musician for over a decade so know how to get the most out of the equipment I work with.

  17. Q: What's your typical work process?

  18. A: I tend to spend some time familiarising with the music in hand and think about light references and sounds I want to introduce to the piece. I then tend to swap out bits of equipment in my studio, whether that be drums, snares, cymbals or patching in pieces of outboard. I then sit down with the track and hit record almost immediately, and start to comp through the piece on whatever I'm recording. After maybe a handful of takes I will then sit down and revise where I am and which parts are or aren't working, I then go back to record a few more passes then hopefully I am at a point where I can start comping the final take and giving it a light mix as I see fit.

  19. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  20. A: In 2018 I was able to fund building of a studio facility on the side of my house. I employed a studio designer 'Barny Barnicott' to help me achieve a balanced and inspiring working environment, despite the limited space. The room is modest and I am constantly learning different ways to work with the space. I have been investing in equipment constantly over the last 10 years, so it's a pleasure to have a space where I can leave things setup and continue experimenting with different techniques.

  21. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  22. A: Swedish artist Sven Wunder, American producer/artist Leon Michels, Daptone in-house drummer Homer Steinweiss, Sam Evian, Finnish brothers 'The Gentleman Losers', are among some of my biggest current influences.

  23. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  24. A: I tend to primarily work delivering drum stems for tracks that artists/producers/bands are developing. They usually send over a version with guide/demo drums and/or a separate drumless version and I will help them elevate the music with experience and equipment I have available to me at my studio.

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Terms Of Service

1 fully comped take / Typically 4 individual drum stems (Kick, Snare, OH L, OH R) unless otherwise stated. Additional takes (if differing) are extra. Usual turn-around: 2/3 days.

GenresSounds Like
  • Steve Gadd
  • Philip Selway
  • James Gadson
Gear Highlights
  • Universal Audio X8P
  • Altec Birdcage
  • Vintage Rogers & Ludwig Drums
  • Istanbul Agop Cymbals
More Photos
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