Callipolis on SoundBetter

Guest Principal cello of the Welsh National Opera and West End musician ("Waitress", the Musical), Royal College of Music graduate Swiss cellist Timothée Botbol has enjoyed a busy solo career all over Europe and has long perfected his skills in modern music production. He is currently collaborating with multiple artists and composers remotely.

Equipped with high-end recording gear and a long experience in recording studios as musician or independent producer, I am the go to musician to bring that lush, “expensive” cello sound to your tracks.
Although regularly involved in film music and keeping a soft spot for modern pop music, I have no genre limitation in any way. Feel free to request super realistic tracking as well as layering multiple takes for a bigger, richer cello section sound. More experimental approaches are also encouraged, using digital production techniques (resampling, stock and third-party plugins, creative editing) as well as an extensive pedalboard. Or simply give me “Carte Blanche” for the most creative and collaborating option. And of course you only pay once you're satisfied with the result.

Looking forward to hearing your track!

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

3 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client

Endorse Callipolis

by Morgane Matteuzzi
Verified
As always, Timothée did an incredible job and took my track to another level! He added some cello lines to my already existing string section with the aim to make it sound more organic. He also added a few lines I didn't write to enhance some parts of the song. Moreover, when recording Timothée used different microphones at different distance to make it sound even richer.
Cannot wait for the next project with him!!!
by Morgane Matteuzzi
Verified
Second time hiring Timothée to record a string section for one of my song. His sound and way of playing and arranging amaze me! On the top of that, he worked both times really fast and understood exactly what I wanted eventhough the two songs required different techniques and interpretations! Thank you so much, I will definitely come back
by Morgane Matteuzzi
Verified
Timothée did an amazing job on my song.
I gave him "carte blanche" and he created a beautiful string section on the top of what I composed. Timothée plays with so much passion and understood exactly what my song needed. I didn't even need to ask for any revisions. He sent me the stems in a very organised and professional way. I am really looking forward to working with him again :D thank you Timothée !

Interview with Callipolis

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: After this you won't even think of using an orchestra string plugin! And only pay when you're happy.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Cello most definitely. But my hobby being acoustic guitar, I also take pride in that sound.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: To truly enjoy the advantage of analogue you need a perfect acoustic, time consuming maintenance and (a lot!) of money. I've only upgraded recently to my first analog outboard gear but I'm still making mistakes sometimes by trying to be to perfectionist. Digital tools are now so good at recreating most of the warmth of classic gear, I couldn't be judgmental of those who swear by it. However, I find there's nothing less musical than a mouse or a trackpad. Keys, knobs and faders are still the best way to go.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I'm still an ambitious career cellist but I moved to London years ago because I was always fascinated with the commercial music world, having explored songwriting and music production since 15. Covid has forced me to take the leap and go full time in that direction which I'm almost grateful for.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm on an EP project with a London songwriter as well as a personal solo project. Otherwise, practicing for several social-distancing classical livestream concerts.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Morgane Matteuzzi - female vocalist
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: The priviledge to do exactly what I dream of doing everyday. But also the never-ending progression after each project.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: -Can you layer several cello sounds together to create a section sound? -ABSOLUTELY!
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Any reference track? What's the deadline?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Be clear on how much freedom you're allowing me compared to your orginal demo. It's so much easier when I know my boundaries.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: -my cello -my Taylor -a grand piano -an MPC -a Prophet 6?
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Alt-Pop. Cool but beautiful.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Perform and record as well as you can before jumping into your editor or pitch corrector. The less you have to do, the better.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Modern pop and film music.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: The lyrical and expensive sound of cello and well recorded instrumentals. Due to my classical background, I like to experiment with beautiful arrangments to add that "symphonic" depth when the track allows it.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I normally take a whole day to experiment all spontaneous ideas then leave it for the night and fine tune, mix and export stems the next day with fresh ears. According to the artist's feedback I finetune or develop new ideas until everyone is happy.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Very creative combination of high-end mics and preamps (Neumann, Universal Audio LA-610, Apollo Quad) for quality cello recordings as well as mutliple instruments (high end Taylor acoustic guitar, Gibson Electric and tube amp). Recent additions to the setup include, electric bass, several synths and samplers and a really good Kawai stage piano. Workstation includes a pair of Dynaudio BM5 monitors, an i7 Mac mini (2018), Logic Pro X and a collection of plugins including UAD, NI Komplete 13, iZotope Vocal Synths 2 and Nectar 3, Softube, Melodyne.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Woodkid, Matthew Bellami, Radiohead, Aurora, Björk, Hans Zimmer.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Remote recording: I add various layers of cello to the artist's tracks, sticking precisely to the score if there is one, or creatively if not. Producing: Aritsts bring me a rough draft of a song idea and I develop it into a finished demo