Remote Drum Recording Service
By Remote Session Drummer Chris Barber
Providing Online Drum Tracks to Songwriters and Artists Worldwide.
Chris Barber | Online Session Drummer
"From my years of experience recording remote drum tracks, I can offer a truly unique service to songwriters, bands and producers who don't have the budget to hire a studio, engineer and session drummer, but still want real live drums played by a real session drummer."
Acoustic Drum Tracks
If you're a band, songwriter or producer in need of studio-quality acoustic drum tracks to elevate your music to a professional standard without breaking the bank, then remote drum recording is the way to go.
Save hundreds on studio and engineer hire fees without compromising on quality by using a remote session drummer. Just send your song via email with or without drums, and I'll create your custom drum tracks and have the stems in WAV format back to you within 48 hours.
“I love producing and recording drums but in NYC, it gets pretty pricey even with all the studio hookups that I have you know? So having someone who can track them on their own and just send me the raw stems, could work really well.”
What is 'remote Drum recording?'
Remote recording is the process of producing live multi-track recordings and sending them to anywhere in the world. Remote drum recording is a service specifically designed for those who maybe don't have the budget, time or resources to produce high-quality drum tracks, but also require a session drummer to develop outstanding drum parts for their song. By using an online session drummer, you can get exactly that for an affordable price. In 3 simple steps, you could be adding live multi-track drums to your music within hours of contact!
For the modern-day musician, the internet has become one of the most vital assets in writing and recording music, which means the ability to collaborate with others around the world is now easier than ever. People with minimal home-studio setups can produce songs that sound like they would have cost thousands to make just a few years ago, with the help of some remote musicians and a decent laptop!
Session Drummer Rates
“How much does a session drummer cost?”
Hiring a professional drummer for your project can cost a substantial amount of money. Rates typically start at around £150-200 per song but vary depending on several factors including the style of music, skills required for the song, size of the project and travel expenses, as well as the studio and engineer hire, which can all add up rapidly especially for independent musicians and bands. That's where a remote session drummer comes in handy. Hiring someone who can record their parts at their own recording studio and send the files to you remotely is a great way to bring costs down, without compromising on quality. You can expect to pay around half the going studio rates when using a remote drummer, and this isn't the only benefit to using this kind of service - you can also expect to receive your custom drum tracks just a few hours after sending your song. Discover the perfect way to have a world-class session drummer playing on your track, without breaking the bank. It's never been easier to work with musicians remotely.
MIDI Drum Tracks
Custom MIDI drum tracks are ideal for those that still want to use drum samples on their song, but need a drummer to write the parts for it. MIDI tracks are also a much cheaper option than their acoustic counterpart, which is perfect for those that are on a tight budget. Instead of sticking with the generic drum loops offered in your DAW, you can have your very own bespoke MIDI drums written by a professional and sent directly to you. I have a range of top-end samples to use, but you will also get the MIDI file sent so you'll be able to tweak anything in the future, or add in your preferred samples.
Contact Chris to start your process and receive your custom live drum tracks straight to your inbox today.
Recording Gear
Acoustically-treated recording studio with industry-standard equipment
Equipment List
Drum Kits
DW Collectors Series Cherry/Spruce (10” Rack Tom, 12” Rack Tom, 16” Floor Tom, 22” Kick Drum)
North Custom Drums African Mahogany Shells (13” Rack Tom, 16” Floor Tom, 22” Kick Drum)
Tama Superstar Hyperdrive Birch Shells (10” Rack Tom, 12” Rack Tom, 16” Floor Tom, 22” Kick Drum)
Ludwig 14x6.5 Supraphonic Snare Drum
DW 14x6.5 Collectors Black Nickel Over Brass Snare Drum
North Custom Drums 14x6 100% Maple Snare Drum
Tama 13x7 100% Maple Snare Drum
Pearl Chad Smith Signature Snare Drum
Cymbals
Sabian 14” Paragon Hi-Hats, 14” AAX-Celerator Hi-Hats, 14” AAX Medium Hi-Hats, 14” HHX Complex Hi-Hats
Sabian 18” AA Raw Bell Crash, 19” HHX Complex Crash, 18” HHX Complex Crash, 20” AA Raw Bell Crash, 18” AAX Plosion Crash
Sabian 21” AA Bash Ride, 21” HHX Groove Ride, HHX Complex Ride
Sabian 19” AA Holy China
Sabian 8” AAX Splash
Percussion
Tambourine, Shakers, Meinl Cajon
Microphones
Coles 4038 x2
Shure SM57 x3, Beta 92a, PG81 x2, PG56 x3, SM58
AKG C451 x3, D112, C414XL
SE z3300a, 2200a
Preamps
UA Apollo X8P Heritage
Audient ID44 Audio Interface 20in/24out
Audient ASP880 Preamp
Focusrite Octopre 8 Channel Mic Preamp
Software
Logic Pro X
UA Plugins
Waves Plugins
Slate Digital
Drum Processing & Mixing
Not only is the studio equipped with high-end drums, microphones and preamps, but there is also an immense selection of professional audio processing software available to use to mix your drum tracks. With years of experience mixing not only drums but full bands as well, Chris is an accomplished audio engineer, and has over the years refined the sound and mixing process for drum recording in this particular studio. You have the opportunity to get your drum tracks fully edited and mixed to suit your song, which leaves you with one less thing to worry about, and an incredible sounding polished track ready to drag-and-drop straight into your session.
Along with a stereo mix, you will receive the individual processed stems and the raw stems if you wish.
Video
If you want to see Chris in the studio, head over to his YouTube channel or Instagram page, where you will find plenty of up-to-date video content featuring drum covers and examples of recent sessions. It's the perfect place to see first hand the studio itself and how the recordings sound in context with a song. There's a wide range of genres covered on the channel, which should be helpful to hear the potential for creating different sounds and how Chris approaches playing diverse music styles. The drum tracks featured are all mixed using state-of-the-art digital processing as well, which is the same sound you can expect to get from the processed stems option. For a small fee, you can get your remote drum session filmed and edited like what you see on YouTube, which is perfect for artists that want to have something a bit unique to show when releasing their music.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
“Chris is the real deal: A great drummer, works fast, very responsive to the musical direction of your project, and has a great recording setup. The stems I got for my four-song project were perfect - I could not have asked for more. It’s like he tapped into the drums I was hearing in my head when I wrote the songs and just played that. My biggest worry is that with his talent and work ethic, he’s likely to command prices out of my budget in the future. Get in his Rolodex now, before he stops taking calls from indie acts like us!”
“The awesome thing about having Chris to make the drum tracks is that he does exactly what the song needs, he totally understands the concept of the music and makes it sound so much better. Competitive rates, amazing quality drum tracks, and he does those inspiring beats very quickly. If you don’t know what I’m talking about go watch his youtube channel, high-quality material all the way. Chris Barber is the drummer that we were looking for a long time, and now so glad that I found him to push our music to the next level.”
“A superb drummer, challenges himself to play anything he or the producer thinks are best for the song. Not to mention he’s incredibly fast, has a great-sounding kit and recording space, and his playing shows huge passion and power. Would definitely recommend him for any style.”
“Chris is an amazing person and drummer. I have worked with him on two different projects. Chris knocked them both out of the park. His professionalism and attention to detail is second to none in the industry. I for one will be hiring Chris again in the future, he is my session drummer for life!”
“I needed backing drums for a cover track and boy did Chris produce the goods!
Great communications, very quick turnaround. I received a quality mixed version along with all of the stems for my DAW. Couldn’t recommend highly enough.”
“The service that Chris offers is like nothing else available out there! Not only is he a fantastic drummer - playing with skill, precision and accuracy - but he is also a brilliant recording and mixing engineer, delivering a thoroughly professional end result of AWESOME sounding drum tracks. I’ve worked with Chris in several projects and he is unfailing in his attention to detail. His ability to get a part nailed, tracked and sent over in good time has had me returning to him over and over. Plus - his prices are an absolute bargain for the quality of service. Thoroughly recommended!”
“This guy is simply top draw. Competitive rates, fast turnaround and, most importantly, top-quality drum tracks. Chris’ drumming has taken my project to a whole new level.”
“This was my first experience using a remote session musician, and it was very positive. Chris is a talented, expressive and versatile drummer. He is also a quick worker and a professional and prompt communicator. He made the whole experience very smooth for me and I would have no hesitation in recommending him to others.”
FAQs
“How much do you charge per track?”
Prices start at around £100 per track, but vary depending on the project and services required. Visit the prices page to find out more or contact to receive your personalised quote.
“How long does it take to record and get the files sent over?”
Usually, I will start recording your drums within 24 hours of contact, and expect to receive your files within 48 hours.
“Do you offer discounts for large projects?”
I can certainly offer discounts for bigger projects such as albums, and I'm always open to negotiate a price that works for you.
“How many revisions do you offer?”
Three revisions included, with the option to add more for a small fee. It's quite rare to need more than this, but sometimes (especially for those prog-metal songs) it's inevitable and can be arranged.
“Can we video call to discuss a project?”
I’m more than happy to video call via Skype, WhatsApp, Zoom, or whatever else works for you to discuss your project and will be available throughout the process.
“Can you stream the session live?”
Yes - Using the AudioMovers plugin I can stream the session directly to your DAW in real time, allowing you to watch the recording process live.
“Are you able to film the session?”
Yes - I’m always filming my sessions to add content to social media, so this isn’t a problem! In my studio I have some basic camera lighting along with a couple of 4K quality cameras which can achieve some pretty professional looking shots.
“Can I hear some examples of individual stems?”
I have plenty of session files I can send over before you decide to go ahead with the recording if required. Usually I send individual WAV files for each track so that you know what kind of sound to expect, you can also hear the mixed stems alongside the raw stems for you to compare and decide if you want your drums mixing as well.
"How shall I send my songs over?"
You can send your songs via an online transfer link, websites such as Dropbox and WeTransfer work well for this, and in whichever format you prefer (mp3, WAV etc.).
“How many microphones do you use?”
My studio features a selection of industry-standard mics as listed above, and I typically use 12 microphones on a recording session which works nicely for my room. If you'd like a comprehensive list of my standard mic setup, send me an email to receive audio examples of past recordings including the individual stems and microphones used.