Darrell Nutt

"I Play For The Song"

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229 Reviews (214 Verified)
Darrell Nutt on SoundBetter

Hello - I'm Darrell! I am a session drummer, studio owner. producer and mix engineer. I provide Pro Drum Tracks for artists and songwriters all over the world. My top clients are from Steely Dan, AC/DC, YES, The Moody Blues, The Voice, and the Oprah Winfrey Network (I know, right? I am grateful!)

"I PLAY FOR THE SONG!" As a producer, I want to convey the message/feeling of a song to its highest level. This is very important to my musical concept!

A friend once said to me, "It's not always the gear, but it is ALWAYS the EAR!" My studio rig is mostly in the box. I use UAD, Waves, Slate, SSL, Brainworx, Lindell, SPL, and Izotope plugins. Cubase Pro 13 is my main DAW and I can export audio tracks to your specifications. I use Focusrite Mic Preamps; Focal, Dynaudio, and Mackie monitors; Earthworks, Coles, Sennheiser, AKG, Shure, Warm Audio, and Avantone microphones. I use Yamaha Drums, Meinl Cymbals, and Goodwood drumsticks. As a drummer, my specialty is recording drum tracks for songwriters and artists.

I have been fortunate enough to work with members of Steely Dan, AC/DC, Yes, The Moody Blues, Bad Company, Goo Goo Dolls, Parliament, Rickie Lee Jones, and many other hard working, lesser known artists. I also really enjoy mixing material that I didn't record. I have mixed hundreds of songs for artists that I haven't met in person - only via Soundbetter, and almost ALL of them have been repeat customers!

Let's work together! Attach your demo to the job offer & note the tempo & sample rate so I can send a fair proposal.

My session drum reels (Rock, Pop, Indie, Country, Funky):
https://www.defmediagroup.com/soundbetter#drumreels

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Credits

Discogs verified credits for Darrell Nutt
  • Margaret Cerniglia, Darrell Nutt, Willie "Mix" Correa*
  • Willie* And Darrell*
  • Kat Epple, Chuck Grinnell, Ted Myerson, Nathan Dyke, Darrell Nutt
  • Ascension / Willie Mix & Darrell Nutt
  • Willie "Mix"* & Doc Roc
  • Various
  • John Beltran
  • Various
  • Zen Experience
  • The Muzic Den
  • Willie "Mix"* & Doc Roc
  • DJ Mondo
  • DJ Chus & David Penn
  • Nearfield feat. Anthony Williams (2)
  • Father Jerry Kaywell
  • Various
  • Zen Experience
  • Various
  • Various
  • The Muzic Den
  • Various
  • Various
  • Electro Body Rockers*
  • DJ Doc Roc*
  • Willie "Mix"* & Doc Roc
  • The Electro Body Rockers Featuring Willie "Mix"*, K-OBA & Tony Tomei
  • Willie "Mix"*
  • Emir & Frozen Camels
  • Dave London
  • Father Jerry Kaywell
  • Various
  • John Beltran vs. Fantasista
  • John Beltran
  • Father Jerry Kaywell
  • John Beltran
  • DJ Chus & David Penn
  • Various
  • John Beltran
  • Various
  • John Beltran
  • Tim McGeary
  • Victor Samalot*
  • Essra Mohawk
  • Sol Set
  • Nearfield feat. Anthony Williams (2)
  • Various
  • DJ Sandy
  • PK*
  • Dave London
  • DJ Mondo
  • Various
  • Eric Berretta
  • Various
  • Infiniti*
  • Various
  • Various
  • Various

229 Reviews - 39 Repeat Clients

Endorse Darrell Nutt
  1. Review by Jay S.
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    by Jay S.
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    What more could I possibly say, Darrell is the real deal. I send my ideas, and he makes them better

  2. Review by Donovan F.
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    Always a dream using Darrell...He reads your musical mind and is blindingly fast with turn around

  3. Review by Jörg S.
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    Darrell is a great drummer, great musician and without any doubt a great person.
    Darrell worked with me on my "12 songs of Christmas" album and is very much involved in the marketing process...great job, great buddy!

  4. Review by Jay S.
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    by Jay S.
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    I have been working with Darrell for a few years now, I just don't go anywhere else. I send him the bones of a song and he just knows what to play...priceless!

  5. Review by Keith H.
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    Need a world class drummer, look nowhere else. Darrell gets my songs again and again!

  6. Review by Jörg S.
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    As always: Darrell delivers. Fast. Perfect. He communicates very friendly, professionally. The tracks are of superior audio quality, perfectly prepared.
    He did a lot of songs for me, I always be back!

  7. Review by Dayna Donna
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    Darrell is such a professional and talented musical genius! He is very knowledgable and experienced and will definitely deliver a quality sound recording for your song's need! He helped salvage a recording that I did not think was possible of saving. I definitely look forward to working with him again for more projects!

  8. Review by Brian Hunsaker
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    Quick pro drums, super solid playing, and open to all suggestions. Highly recommended!

  9. Review by Jörg S.
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    Darrell has done a number of great drumtracks for my "12 songs of christmas" project. This time he caught the genuine Motown spirit, sound and easy laid back style of drumming. He is the man to go to if it comes to drums! Thanks my friend!

  10. Review by Darya Y.
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    Absolute pleasure working with Darrell. Professionalism, great work ethics and communication, timely delivery. I have become a returning customer!

  11. Review by Jörg S.
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    Third time with Darell on my "12 songs of Christmas" project. He did a marvellous job on two big band tunes, now a completely different song. A dramatic ballad, "Heart crushing Christmas - the veterans song".
    Darell filled the blank with a emotional, dramatic and still sensible playing understanding the intention and mood of the song so well. Honor and pleasure to have Darrell on my tune.

  12. Review by Robert H.
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    Darrell Nutt delivers only high quality stuff. His drumming makes your song move, swing. It was a real pleasure to work with Darrell.

  13. Review by Donovan F.
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    Darrell just amazes me every single time. A true professional who hears what your intentions are, and nails it every single time!
    Highly recommend him to anyone looking for a pro!

  14. Review by Keith H.
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    Again Darrell understood my music and was able to timely turn around world class drumming for my new song. The drums took my song to a higher level. Can't wait to write my next song to work with Darrell again!

  15. Review by doug
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    by doug
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    My favorite drummer to work with. Darrell needs no direction and ALWAYS plays exactly what the song needs!!!!!

  16. Review by Jay S.
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    by Jay S.
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    Darrel always delivers, quick, creative, incredible sound, always a pleasure!

  17. Review by Susan O.
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    Darrell did a nice job with time-alignment of 2 tracks of an instrumental, and also added some drum dynamics, which I requested. I am now able to easily add in other instruments to complete my song. Darrell does great work!

  18. Review by Susan O.
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    Darrell's tracks keep everything lined up, and I like the style he puts into each of my songs...very steady and appropriate!

  19. Review by Jörg S.
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    Great drummer, Bigband experience always present, communicating fast and precise, was a pleasure to work together. Hope for having Darell on my projects again soon.

  20. Review by Keith H.
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    Completed 2 songs with Darrell now, an absolute pleasure to work with him. He certainly does play for the song!

Interview with Darrell Nutt

  1. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  2. A: I can usually tell what they need from their inquiry questions. If not provided, I ask for the sample and bit rate they want me to use, along with tempo; any section questions, like breakdowns, double time sections, is the song ending or fading out to know whether I should play longer after the demo ends. Stuff like that.

  3. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  4. A: Solar generator, record player, good monitors, Steely Dan's Aja and Donald Fagen's The Nightfly on vinyl. That's 5 right? (I think the correct answer is: a speed boat and 4 full gas cans?)

  5. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  6. A: That it is EASY! It is not easy at all! It's fun and challenging at times, but it took me 30+ years to acquire the knowledge, skills and ears to do what I do. I would fathom that it IS easier for me now as opposed to 20 years ago! So, I'd say it is EASIER but not EASY to play drums, produce, mix and edit audio.

  7. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  8. A: I played drums on the theme song for "Oprah's Next Chapter" TV series and wrote a music cue for the Carrie Underwood episode!

  9. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  10. A: I'm currently working on a drum loop library for a company in Germany. All through Soundbetter!

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

  12. A: Bryan Daste, Jordon Henry, Steve Reich, Victor Samalot, Ray Nesbit - Pretty much anyone I've worked with has great reviews.

  13. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  14. A: A little of both. Analog for the traditional sound. Digital for the modern benefits. Today's plugins are incredible emulations of very expensive analog gear. They are getting it right!

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

  16. A: Can you just play what you feel is best for the song? Yes, of course! I love those types of jobs and they almost always become repeat clients.

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

  18. A: I started at age14, in my family bandplaying private "animal" clubs (Elks Lodges, Moose Lodges, etc.) From age 18-26, I toured the US and Europe with Rock and Country artists. Highlights include: playing the Grand Ol' Opry several times, performing on Country Music TV shows, playing a couple arena concerts with members of AC/DC. I settled in Florida at 26. At 32, I started my own studio producing artists and recording drums for people all over the world.

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

  20. A: Singer/Songwriter, Pop, Rock, Country, Indie.

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

  22. A: With 30+ years of drumming and 20+ years of producing, I bring experience. It's all about how the song "feels" to me and how to get more of that emotion into the song whether I am drumming on it or mixing it. As a producer/mix engineer, I like to be able to add to the mix via percussion or keys and fx when necessary to complete a song.

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

  24. A: As a drummer cutting a drum track, I like to know the direction the song will go. Specific genre or samples of styles that are similar. But sometimes - we just go for it!

  25. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  26. A: I use Cubase Pro 13 on an iMac with UAD, Plugin Alliance, Slate Digital and Waves plugins. Preamps are Focusrite Clarett 8PreX and Clarett Octopre. Mics are Earthworks, Coles, Sennheiser, AKG, Shure, Rode, Warm Audio and Slate mics.

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

  28. A: I am influenced by the technical recordings of Steely Dan and Roger Nichols, the vast artistry of producers Tommy LiPuma, Russ Titelman and Quincy Jones. More recently, I've been getting into mix engineers Michael Brauer, Steve Sykes and Andrew Scheps.

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

  30. A: First and foremost, I am a drummer. I play most types of music live and in the studio. I have a drum kit ready to record at any time. Over the last 20 years I've been producing releases for songwriters, artists, TV/ad clients, production libraries and record labels. I love it all!

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

  32. A: I work fast and I try to understand what the client wants. I tend to hear the final mix in my head - as a drummer and producer.

  33. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  34. A: Drumming - Producing, editing, time aligning, and mixing. Okay, that is more than one...

  35. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  36. A: Do the best I can for you time after time!

  37. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  38. A: The journey of a recording project. Beginning to end.

  39. Q: How would you describe your style?

  40. A: Grooving, funky, and soulful.

  41. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  42. A: Jonny Lang. Because he was a prodigy and he has matured in his last few albums.

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

  44. A: Always pull OUT the "bad" frequencies in a track or mix.

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2024 Darrell Nutt ROCK Drum Demo

I was the Drummer in this production

Terms Of Service

Drum tracks come with one revision in a 24 hour period. If you want two full drum takes of your song, additional funds will be required for the second take. Let's make some great music!

GenresSounds Like
  • Steely Dan
  • AC/DC
  • John Mayer
Gear Highlights
  • Focal
  • Dynaudio
  • Avantone
  • Warm Audio
  • Earthworks
  • Coles
  • AKG
  • Sennheiser
  • Focusrite
  • Shure
  • UAD
  • Lindell
  • Waves
  • Slate Digital
  • Audio Technica
  • Mackie
  • Digidesign
  • Yamaha
  • Gretsch
  • Ludwig
  • Steinberg
  • Meinl
  • Amedia
  • Paiste
  • Zildjian
  • LP
More Photos
More SamplesI am the drummer on all 400+ of these songs.
SoundBetter Deal

10% discount on 10 or more drum tracks!

  • Buffalo Music Hall of FameNov 14, 2022

    In October 2022, I was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. It is a big honor to be recognized by your peers in your home town! Other Buffalo Music Hall of Fame inductees are: Goo Goo Dolls, Ani Difranco, Aretha Franklin, Rick James, Brian McKnight, Natalie Merchant, Lucky Peterson, Billy Sheehan, Spyro Gyra, Take 6, Grover Washington, Jr., and Tommy Tedesco.

  • 1400+ drum tracksApr 19, 2021

    I'm excited to announce that I have surpassed 1400 drum track sessions in my career! A few hundred of those were directly through SOUNDBETTER.com! Thank you!

    Darrell