
Hello! I'm Darrell and I have been a session drummer, producer, and mix engineer for 20+ years. I provide high quality Drum Tracks and Mix and Master music for artists and songwriters all over the world. My top clients are members of Steely Dan and AC/DC. Check out the other drum examples at the bottom right of this page. Thanks!
"I play for the song!" As a producer, I want what is best to convey the message of the song - instrumentally and lyrically. This is very important to my musical concept! My services are rendered from my studio located in Southwest Florida.
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 Waves, Slate Digital, and Izotope plugins. Cubase Pro 11 is my main DAW but I can export audio tracks to your specifications. I use high quality Focusrite RED preamps and interface. I proudly endorse Amedia Cymbals and use Yamaha drums and Goodwood drumsticks. As a drummer, my specialty is recording drum tracks for singer/songwriters for their songs.
I have worked 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 social media and almost ALL of them have been repeat customers! I am proud of that!
Let's work together! Please attach your demo to the job offer so I can send a fair proposal.
Here is a Spotify Playlist of songs I have played on: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3H39UeOmOIwOEfAMNvsAf7?si=cb608fe591c14eb8
Send me a note through the contact button above.
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
- Various
- Nearfield feat. Anthony Williams (2)
- Father Jerry Kaywell
- Various
- Zen Experience
- 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
- Various
- 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
173 Reviews - 30 Repeat Clients
Endorse Darrell Nutt- check_circleVerified
Another successful project completed with Darrell. True drum savant and studio master. Always a pleasure to work with and as usual very pleased with his work.
Thanks Darrell!
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Darrell has been my go to drummer for a couple of years, always there, always consistent, always creative.....
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Appreciate so much - another great experience!
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Darrell is a true pro. Thank you so much!
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So very happy I had a chance to work with Darrell. Appreciate so much!
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Very happy I had a chance to work with Darrell. True pro!
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I'm so happy I had a chance to work with Darrell. Pros are pros!
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Darrell is a drummer of his word, he really plays for the song. Outstanding!
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As always, a stellar performance!
Darrell always ties all my crazy disjointed ideas into actual coherent misc.
He is a master at gettin the best out of you…
He’s a Total pro! It’s like he reads your mind.
I have run out ways to describe this amount of talent.
But I’ll keep trying… - check_circleVerified
Perfect just what I was looking for on this track , and Great t turnaround , back the same day , would definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for a great flawless drum track
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Darrell is the best ever, always knows what to play, is Johnny on the spot, and the sound quality is second to none.
- check_circleVerified (Client)
Always a true pleasure working with a pro like Darrell. Thanks!
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He is an excellent drummer...! it's very easy to collaborate with him. As always he got me the best result.
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Nailed it again! Darrell goes above and beyond!
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Darrell always delivers, always communicates well, always creative.
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Amazing drummer! Super friendly, responsive, and pay careful attention to exact requests. 5/5. Won't hesitate to work with Darrell again!
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Darrell nails it every time, I just send the tracks, no need to give direction because its always good and its always right.
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Darrell is truly the best drummer I’ve ever worked with. He cares about every single note. His skills are almost out of this world. Hire him!
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Darrell is a fantastic drummer.
He has played on three of my songs now, and I couldn't be more pleased.
Very kind and a true professional. - check_circleVerified
Darrell understood what the song needed right off and proposed a clear plan . I liked that he didn't stick to the drum ideas in the demo mix that was sent to him. Turn around on the first review sample was very fast. The final multitrack drum tracks sound good and were well documented. The tracks should be easy to work with as we progress to finalizing the song/mix. Darrell had a positive attitude and was easy to work with during the process.
Interview with Darrell Nutt
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: I work quick and I try to understand what the client wants. I tend to hear the final mix in my head - as a drummer and producer.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Drumming - Producing, editing, time aligning, and mixing. Okay, that is more than one...
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: As a drummer cutting a drum track, I like to know the direction the song will go in. Specific genre or samples of styles that are similar. Well, then sometimes - we just go for it! As a producer or mix engineer, I like to be able to add to the mix via percussion or keys and fx when necessary to complete a song or mix.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use Cubase 11 Pro on iMac with Slate Digital and Waves plugins. Preamps are Focusrite Clarett 8PreX and Clarett Octopre. Sennheiser, AKG, Shure mics.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I wrote a music cue for Oprah's Next chapter tv series and played drums on the theme song.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Just finished a release that is heavily influenced as if Steely Dan meets broadway.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Steve Reich, Victor Samalot. Pretty much anyone I've worked with with good reviews.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: A little of both. Analog for the traditional reason. Digital for the modern benefits.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: Do the best I can for you time after time!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: The journey of a recording project. Beginning to end.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Most of my clients have let me just play on their track and we make subtle adjustments as needed.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Public persona because I'm always in the studio.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I can usually tell what they need from their inquiring questions.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: iMac, Generator, Steely Dan cd's (x3)
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started early in my family band at 14 playing clubs. From 18-26 I toured the US and Europe with country artists and played the Opry and many country tv shows. I settled in florida at 26. At 35 I started my own studio producing artists and recording drums for people all over the world. 36 years in the business.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Grooving, funky, and soulful.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Jonny Lang. Because he was a prodigy and he has matured in his last few albums.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Always pull OUT the "bad" frequencies in a track or mix.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Singer songwriter, Rock, Country
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Over 30 years of drumming and 20 years of producing.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I am influenced by the technical recordings of Steely Dan and Roger Nichols, the vast artistry of producers Tommy LiPuma, Russ Titelman, Quincy Jones and many others.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
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 15 years I've been producing releases for clients, artists and record labels. I love it all!

I was the Drummer in this production
- Live drum trackAverage price - $150 per song
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $250 per song
- Mastering EngineerAverage price - $100 per song
- Time alignment - QuantizingAverage price - $20 per track
- EditingAverage price - $20 per track
- PercussionAverage price - $100 per song
- Vocal TuningAverage price - $50 per track
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!
- Focal
- Dynaudio
- Avantone
- Warm Audio
- Earthworks
- Neumann
- AKG
- Sennheiser
- Focusrite
- Octava
- Presonus
- Shure
- Waves
- Slate Digital
- Audio Technica
- Mackie
- Digidesign
- Yamaha
- Steinberg
- Meinl
- Amedia
- Paiste
- Zildjian
- LP
- 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