Claudio Tristano

Guitarist, mixing, composing

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19 Reviews (16 Verified)
Claudio Tristano on SoundBetter

I've had the honor to record for top producers including Ken Caillat (Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson), Mikal Blue (Jason Mraz, OneRepublic) and work with guitar legends like Vince Gill and Joe Bonamassa.

I've been working as a studio musician, composer, producer and mixing engineer for more than 10 years. My main influences are pop, blues, rock and country.
In 2011 while attending the Musicians Institute in Hollywood I won the "Stanley Clarke Scholarship".
In 2013 I was top ten finalist (among 2500 guitarists) for the contest "Blues Masters" hosted by Guitar Center and Joe Bonamassa.
In 2016 I was the grand prize winner of the "Onstage with Vince Gill" national competition also hosted by Guitar Center.
I've been touring as a guitarist for multiple bands throughout the world (US, Canada, Italy, Japan...)
I've composed the soundtrack for movie ''So, you want to be a gangster?'' available on Amazon.
When I'm not gigging I work as a composer for major TV Networks such as CBS, National Geographic, FOX, A&E.
At the moment I'm working with music licensing libraries like 411 Music Group, Gramoscope and Jingle Punks.

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

19 Reviews - 3 Repeat Clients

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  1. Review by Dan G.
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    by Dan G.
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    Always amazing working with Claudio. He is truly a pro!

  2. Review by David G.
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    First time using Claudio but it will not be the last. Really good guitarist who plays with great tone and is a pleasure to work with. Very fast turn around. Huge thumbs up!!

  3. Review by Dan G.
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    by Dan G.
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    Always amazing working with Claudio. HIGHLY reccomend

  4. Review by Dan G.
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    by Dan G.
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    Claudio brought my song to life and made it better than I had even imagined.. He is extremely talented I definitely plan to work with him again

  5. Review by Takashi A.
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    Excellent performance!! We are very happy to work with Claudio.

  6. Review by Takashi A.
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    Another excellent performance! Thank you, Claudio!

  7. Review by Takashi A.
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    Another great work and kind service! We are very happy with his professional and artistic performance for our song.

  8. Review by Takashi A.
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    Another awesome performance! Thank you very much.

  9. Review by Takashi A.
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    Another awesome performance! We are very happy with your professional and artistic performance. Thank you very much!

  10. Review by Takashi A.
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    Excellent performance, as always! We are very happy with your professional and artistic guitar play for our song. Thank you!

  11. Review by Takashi A.
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    Awesome performance, as always. We are very happy with your professional and artistic play for our song. Thank you very much!

  12. Review by Matthew
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    Fantastic as always!

  13. Review by Matthew
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    He's the best player I know and I am stunned by his talent, light touch and musical spirit. Another amazing performance!

  14. Review by Matthew
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    Another great experience! Really talented guy. He added so much life and color to my song. Super fast turnaround.

  15. Review by brian w.
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    WoW! Just, WoW! This was amazing. I asked for a guitar solo for my track and really thought this would take way more time but this guy CRUSHED IT on the first try! One Day?! Seriously?! Thank you Claudio Tristano!!! I am so happy about this! And thank you SoundBetter!

  16. Review by Matthew
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    Claudio is amazing! He nailed the parts I'd written and brought plenty of good ideas to the table as well. Had the whole thing done in under two days, including revisions. Super pro sound and immensely talented guy!

  17. Review by Wayne James Dotson
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    by Wayne James Dotson

    I’ve worked with Claudio on two songs; one song one a prestigious award and the other will be entered this year. Claudio plays with taste and creates a palette and landscape that draws the listener in. Only one word can describe his playing “tasteful!”

  18. Review by Brandon Davis
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    by Brandon Davis

    Me and Claudio have worked together on sessions for many years now. He always delivers great parts to the songs we do together and I really cant recommend him more. Hire him!

  19. Review by Holly Henderson
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    Claudio is one of those people who can completely re-define a song with his input. He has fresh ideas and articulates them either with his unbelievable guitar ability, or through his elegance as a producer and composer.
    After working with him a few times now, I wouldn't want to be working on a project, commercial OR original, without this guy involved in some capacity.

Interview with Claudio Tristano

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

  2. A: The first EP I did with my band Troup. It was and incredibly fun experience both because of the people I was working with and because of the music. I was the lead guitarist.

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

  4. A: I get to do what I love. Unfortunately most people don't get to say that. I really like to work with other artists and help their vision become reality.

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

  6. A: If I can do what they want. My answer is "Yes I can" :)

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

  8. A: A good detailed explanation of their vision goes a long way.

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

  10. A: I started as a self thaught when I was ten. I started playing live shows at 15 and in the meantime I started taking private lessons from a local teacher in my hometown in Italy. At 20 I moved to Los Angeles and studied at Musicians Institute in Hollywood. While in LA I've been playing constantly live and in studios and received a few guitar related awards.

  11. Q: How would you describe your style?

  12. A: My style can be very bluesy at times, though I know when to tone it down. Generally speaking I tend to stay on the soulful side of things rather than trying to be flashy.

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

  14. A: I'd love to work with The Tedeschi Trucks Band. I'm a huge Derek Trucks fan and I absolutely love that band

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

  16. A: Creating space in a song is really important. This can be achieved not only by having every instrument not play at the same time but also making sure that multiple instruments are not playing in the same register. Example: if I get a song where there's already a low-end heavy piano track I'm gonna try to stay away from that same register otherwise frequencies will fight each other in order to be heard.

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

  18. A: Many genres. Pop is one of the main ones but I also work on rock, blues and indie.

  19. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  20. A: Understanding what a song needs.

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

  22. A: My job is to make a song better than what it is with my parts. I always try to bring out emotions, whether it's through playing gently making my parts breathe or playing aggressively to emphasize the energy.

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

  24. A: I usually gather all the files from the client, start a new session and listen to the track a few times to get my ideas all together. Once I have a good understanding of the song I'll start laying down rhythm parts and also find the right tone for the song. After that I lay down the tracks and move on to solos or other parts.

  25. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  26. A: I own 8 guitars (Lsl and Fender strats, Gibson Les Paul, Martin OM28E...) my main amps are a Two-Rock BI-ONYX and a Fender Deville. Sometimes I use a isobox loaded with Eminence Tonespotter speaker. Shure SM57, KSM44 and matched pair of KSM137. For preamps I use Golden Age Pre 73 and Focusrite.

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

  28. A: I'm a huge blues fan so anything from older blues legends like BB King, SRV, Jimi Hendrix till the ones from today like Derek Trucks, John Mayer, Gary Clarke Jr.

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

  30. A: I will record all the guitar parts a song needs including rhythm, solos, EFX tracks both acoustic and electric. I also offer reamping through my setup, this means that you can send me a DI recording of your guitar and I can run it through my Two-Rock or Deville amps!

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

  32. A: I'm composing music for a few TV shows and producing a pop artist. I'm also working for a client here on SoundBetter.

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

  34. A: Yes definitely, Holly Henderson and Brandon Davis!

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

  36. A: My Lsl strat, a 64' Fender Super Reverb, Vintage Tubescreamer 808, Neve 1073, Shadowhills Compressor

  37. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  38. A: In an ideal world I'd go with analog because of it's warmth and variables that make music sound perfect.

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

  40. A: That they will have the best sounding and most appropriate guitar tracks for their songs.

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

  42. A: I always ask them to be detailed with what they're looking for

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My demo reel

I was the guitarist in this production

GenresSounds Like
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan
  • Nile Rodgers
  • John Mayer
Gear Highlights
  • Two Rock Bi-Onyx
  • Lsl Saticoy
  • Martin OM28 E
  • Bogner
  • Strymon
  • Xotic
  • Roger Mayer
  • Golden Age preamp
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More Samples