Chris McQueen

Guitarist, Bassist, & Arranger

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34 Reviews (33 Verified)
Chris McQueen on SoundBetter

Multiple Grammy winning guitarist, arranger, and member of Snarky Puppy. I specialize in mixing genres; I studied jazz and funk, but I grew up on rock. I'm into punk, hip-hop, country, mariachi--you name it I've done the deep listening and I love to recreate different sounds. I also arrange for string sections, string quartet, and horns.

I specialize in guitar, in just about any genre. I love using pedals and making interesting sounds, but I also record a lot of acoustic guitar, nylon string, electric bass, and specialty instruments like ukulele and vihuela.

I arrange for strings, horn sections, and string quartet. You can hear some of my arrangements from the Houston-based quartet Divisi Strings, and my other arrangements have been for church performances and pop recordings.

I also produce tracks using drum sampling and recording on a Moog Little Phatty. I use Logic Pro as well as Pro Tools.

I studied jazz at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX, one of the premiere jazz colleges in the US. in 2005-2006 I played in the renown UNT One O'Clock Lab Band (big band) and composed the song "Foe Destroyer" which we recorded for the album Lab 2006. After college I studied under some of the Gospel/jazz/funk luminaries in the Dallas, TX scene, and I recorded and performed with Myron Butler & Levi.

I have played with Snarky Puppy since its inception in 2005 and have performed on almost every album and toured the world with the group. Snarky Puppy has won 3 Grammys, including for their album "Sylva" (recorded with the Metropole orchestra) on which I co-arranged a track.

I have recorded guitar, bass, and drum/synth production for a wide range of artists from my home studio.

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

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Chris McQueen
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Neil Slater
  • UNT One O'Clock Lab Band
  • So Much Light
  • David Crosby
  • Bokanté
  • Bokanté
  • Bokanté
  • Bokanté
  • Bokanté
  • Bokanté
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Lucy Woodward
  • Lucy Woodward
  • Michael Mitnick
  • Will Connolly
  • Kim Rosenstock
  • Michael Mitnick
  • Will Connolly
  • Kim Rosenstock
  • Metropole Orkest
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Metropole Orkest
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Metropole Orkest
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Metropole Orkest
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Myron Butler & Levi
  • Myron Butler
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Oso Closo
  • Oso Closo
  • Oso Closo
  • Oso Closo
  • nelo
  • nelo
  • Commanders
  • The Passengers
Discogs verified credits for Chris McQueen
  • RedHeaded Stepchild*
  • Snarky Puppy
  • University Of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band* Directed By Neil Slater
  • University Of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band* Directed By Neil Slater
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy And Country Fried Soulband
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • The Commanders*
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Forq
  • Various
  • Jon Foose
  • Snarky Puppy & Metropole Orkest*
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Original New York Cast*, David Bowie And Enda Walsh (2)
  • Bokanté
  • Snarky Puppy
  • David Crosby
  • Forq
  • Bokanté + Metropole Orkest* Conducted By Jules Buckley
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Forq
  • Aubrey Logan
  • Aubrey Logan
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Snarky Puppy
  • Forq

34 Reviews - 12 Repeat Clients

Endorse Chris McQueen
  1. Review by Joel H.
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    simply amazing

  2. Review by Robert C.
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    Chris delivered a great guitar part for my song. He went beyond the scope of the brief in doing so. Very friendly and easy to work with.

  3. Review by Jannick C.
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    I had asked Chris to completely do his own thing and play guitar lines on a track of mine, and I can say he did a great job! Everything also went very smoothly from the initial conversations to the final guitar lines, so he's definitely someone I'd like to work with in the future!

  4. Review by Guenther W.
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    excellent work, perfect adds, takes our project on next level. really great!

  5. Review by Joel H.
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    Very easy to work with. Delivered the quality jams very quickly, painlessly. Stoked.

  6. Review by Dan E.
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    by Dan E.
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    Absolutely stellar. Incredible feel and tone, I love what Chris brings to the track. Will definite work with him again. Thanks Chris!

  7. Review by Dan E.
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    by Dan E.
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    Chris delivered a stellar guitar part, super friendly and great communication. I’m looking forward to the next!

  8. Review by Bee K.
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    by Bee K.
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    Another slam dunk session with Chris!

  9. Review by Michael J.
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    Chris is an amazing guitar player who brings out the most in my tracks!

  10. Review by Michael J.
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    Chris laid down a fantastic guitar track and killer solo. He's super easy to work with and delivers as promised!

  11. Review by Luciano B.
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    Absolutely loved working with Chris yet again!!! He is a super amazing guitarist, is very communicative, and he always goes above and beyond with whatever project I've thrown his way :)))

    Thank you Chris!!!

  12. Review by Luciano B.
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    This is my third time working with Chris and man does he deliver every time!!!

    He's super nice, and his guitar skills are incredible!!! He's always figuring out ways to take songs to the next level whether it's adding new parts, or improvising crazy solo's, he can do it all.

    He's truly a hidden gem on SoundBetter, and highly highly HIGHLY recommend working with him!!!

  13. Review by Frode Andresen
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    I have again had the great pleasure of working with Chris and would recommend him very highly. Very pleasant and always delivers to a high standard.

  14. Review by Frode Andresen
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    Chris is a real pleasure to work with. Very talented and very creative. I have been working with him on a number of songs, and he always delivers on a very high level anything you want him to play, and he can give you awesome improvised soloes as well.

  15. Review by Luciano
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    This is my second time working with Chris, and I cannot state enough just how amazing he his!!! He's super friendly and easy to work with, and his skills are off the charts. I sent a rough demo of all the parts for my recent project with some notes, and he went above and beyond, executing everything and adding in sections that elevated the whole track. I highly recommend working with him!

    Thanks again Chris!!!

  16. Review by Brian "Bee" Kelly
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    Chris is great to work with - very communicative about scheduling and an incredibly talented musician. Looking forward to working together again soon.

  17. Review by Zolton
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    by Zolton
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    Chris is an incredible player! He laid down a bunch of super creative guitar parts, including a soaring solo that elevated everything to the next level. Loved working with him and plan to do so again in the near future!

  18. Review by Frode Andresen
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    Had the pleasure to work with Chris again, and he delivered an awesome guitar solo and the perfect rhythm guitar track for my song. I would really like him to do some more songs for me.

  19. Review by Mario H.
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    Chris McQueen did a great job on My Remake of "Stars In Your Eyes" by Herbie Hancock! Thank you, Chris!

  20. Review by Guenther W.
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    Excellent adds to our file. Really Great!

Interview with Chris McQueen

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

  2. A: Brian Donohoe saxophone/multi-instrumentalist, Jordan Perlson drummer

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

  4. A: I will do my best to give you your best-case scenario: exactly what you asked for, and hopefully something that's even a little bit better. I'll check in with you to make sure you're happy and make any changes you need.

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

  6. A: I'm very proud of my band Forq's last album, Four. I co-wrote a lot of it, played guitar on it, and co-produced it. It contains a lot of sounds, textures, and feelings that I'm so happy to have been able to put into a record.

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

  8. A: Just finished recording some guitar tracks on some demos for the band Empire of the Sun, and I've been recording a new original song of my own that I'm releasing as a streaming single.

  9. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  10. A: Both--I record digitally because you can try 1000 options quickly. But I love the sound of analog things. I have an Moog analog synth and analog guitar pedals because these things have a special feeling to them. I also have my 4-track tape recorder from when I was a kid that I sometimes record things onto for special vintage effect.

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

  12. A: Solving a little puzzle that has a satisfying musical creation at the end.

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

  14. A: Can you do _____? My answer is usually yes :)

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

  16. A: I'm not sure to be honest!

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

  18. A: What sound are you looking for? What instruments? What are some examples of other songs I can listen to for reference? Or do you want me to just go nuts and do whatever I want?

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

  20. A: It's okay if you don't have a super specific idea of what you want. In that case it would help to send 3 or so examples of tracks that you love--whether that's the sound, the general vibe, or specific parts of them.

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

  22. A: Moollon thinline Telecaster with whammy bar, Fender Brownface Princeton, Moog Little Phatty, Apollo Twin audio interface, and Laptop --- hoping I get the cables for free :)

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

  24. A: I started writing and recording music on a 4-track tape recorder when I was 10 years old. I joined a kid rock band that gigged around Austin when I was 13. I started studying jazz and played in my high school jazz band, studied music at the University of North Texas, had music mentors in the Dallas area, and have toured the world with the bands Snarky Puppy, Forq, Bokante, & Banda Magda.

  25. Q: How would you describe your style?

  26. A: Rhythmic and vibey

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

  28. A: Ruban Nielson (of Unknown Mortal Orchestra), I would love to know his production techniques

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

  30. A: Check the mix in mono

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

  32. A: A big variety: synthy funk, singer-songwriter, alternative rock, string quartet, worship

  33. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  34. A: I have a lot of music history knowledge and decades of experience playing live, which I think creates a foundation of musicality for my projects.

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

  36. A: Hopefully exactly what it needs.

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

  38. A: Listen, make a plan, set up, try a few takes all the way through, evaluate, change or redo as necessary, edit, add effects, mix

  39. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  40. A: I have an Apollo Twin MKII audio interface which has an amazing array of plug-ins for preamps, EQs, compression, etc. For mics I have a Soyuz 013 FET Small‑diaphragm Condenser, as well Shure SM-57 and 58s. I tend to record guitar tracks stereo into 2 different amps to get 2 sounds at once. I have a Fender Jazz Special bass, a Moog Little Phatty for analog synth sounds, a MIDI controller, an AKAI MPD for beat making, and a Kemper Amp Profiler which does a great job for direct guitar recording. I have a lot of Native Instruments plugins. I have a small sound barrier for recording background vocals cleanly.

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

  42. A: My recent favorite style of production is that of Tame Impala and Unknown Mortal Orchestra--vintage, synth-wave, funky with a lot of detail and care put in. I'm also inspired by Jimi Hendrix from a guitar and production standpoint, as well as Zapp and Daft Punk. But I listen to and get inspiration from a huge variety of recordings.

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

  44. A: I'm usually hired to play guitar tracks for people with direction that ranges from "this is exactly what I want" to "do whatever you hear". I enjoy either approach and usually the client ends up happy with my first attempt. I'm also regularly hired to make string and horn arrangements (which I can either deliver in MIDI audio form or in sheet music form for real musicians to play)

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Cry (string arrangement demo) by Vincent Powell

I was the String Arranger in this production


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    Cry (string arrangement demo) by Vincent Powell
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    Outlawed Heart (horns demo) by Katie B. (soundbetter user)
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    Ultra Violet by Forq
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    "Drama Song" by Michael H. (soundbetter user)
Terms Of Service

Turn-around time is usually about 2 weeks, but I can sometimes accommodate rush jobs if my schedule allows. I don't mind doing 1 revision if it seems like I've missed the mark the first time.

GenresSounds Like
  • Daft Punk
  • Radiohead
  • Tame Impala
Gear Highlights
  • Princeton Brownface (original 60s)
  • Supro Coronado
  • Kemper Amp Profiler
  • Moollon Thinline Telecaster
  • Moollon Custom Les Paul
  • Heritage H-535 (ES-335)
  • Collings Waterloo Acoustic
  • Fender Jazz Bass Special
  • Moog Little Phatty
  • Nylon-string
  • ukulele
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