Chinese Democracy - Personnel

Personnel

Guns N' Roses and former members

• W. Axl Rose – lead vocals, piano on "Catcher in the Rye", "This I Love" and "Prostitute", keyboards on "Chinese Democracy", "There Was a Time" and "This I Love", rhythm guitar on "There Was a Time" and "Madagascar", backing vocals on "Catcher in the Rye", drum arrangement, digital editing on all tracks
• Dizzy Reed – keyboards, piano, synthesizer, backing vocals
• Tommy Stinson – bass, backing vocals
• Chris Pitman – keyboards, backing vocals, programming, sub-bass, bass on "There Was a Time" and "Madagascar", 12 string guitar on "If the World", mellotron on "There Was a Time"
• Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal – lead & rhythm guitars
• Richard Fortus – rhythm guitar
• Frank Ferrer – drums on "Chinese Democracy", "Better", "If the World", "There Was a Time" and "I.R.S."
• Buckethead – lead guitar, acoustic guitar on "If the World"
• Robin Finck – lead guitar, acoustic guitar on "Sorry", keyboards on "Better" and "If the World"
• Paul Tobias – rhythm guitar, piano on "There Was a Time"
• Bryan Mantia – drums on tracks 2 to 14
• Josh Freese – drum arrangement on tracks 4, 6, 9 and 14

Session musicians

• Sebastian Bach – background vocals on "Sorry"
• Pete Scaturro – keyboards on "Sorry"
• Suzy Katayama – French horns on "Madagascar"
• Patti Hood – harp on "This I Love"

Additional personnel

• Pete Scaturro – arrangements on tracks 2 and 10; digital editing and additional engineering on track 10; initial production on tracks 2 and 10
• Caram Costanzo – digital editing on all tracks; arrangements on tracks 2, 6 and 8; drum arrangements on tracks 3, 6 and 14; sub drums on track 13; production; mixing; engineering; initial production on track 8
• Eric Caudieux – digital editing on all tracks; additional drum programming on track 5; arrangements on track 6; sub drums on track 13; Pro Tools engineering; additional production
• Andy Wallace – Mixing
• Dan Monti – engineering
• Bob Ludwig – mastering
• Roy Thomas Baker – Initial album production
• Sean Beavan – arrangements on tracks 1, 4, 6, 9 and 11; digital editing on tracks 1, 4 to 6, 9, 11, 12 and 14; initial production on tracks 5 and 12; additional Pro Tools, drum arrangement
• Paul Buckmaster – Orchestra conductor, Orchestral arrangement on track 14, Initial Symphonic arrangements on tracks 4, 6, 12
• Marco Beltrami – Additional Orchestral arrangements on tracks 4, 6, 12 and 14; Orchestral arrangement on track 13
• Suzy Katayama – Orchestra contractor, French horns on track 12; Brass section arrangements on tracks 6, 12 and 13; Choral arrangements on tracks 6 and 13
• Billy Howerdel – digital editing on track 6

• Ryan Corey – design
• Terry Hardin – cover photography
• George Chin – photography