Chapter 11

WHAT IS A PRODUCER?

  • Producers can take various roles:
    • Executive Producers: Big picture organizers.
    • Engineer-Producers: Provide hands-on feedback regarding mixing, mastering, and arrangement.
    • Artist-Producers: Serve as creative voices.
    • Producers: Can encompass all of the above roles.
  • Key Responsibilities:
    • Act as an objective and independent voice in the studio.
    • Bridge commercial viability with artistic expression.
    • Aim to produce a commercially viable and marketable master recording.
  • Creative Control:
    • Producers negotiate the balance of creative control and artistic judgment.
    • Song selection can be a collaborative effort involving the producer, artist, and A&R representative.
  • Distinction between terms:
    • Differentiate between beat producers and overall producers for a recorded music project.

DISCUSSION TOPICS

  • Characteristics of good producers.
  • Evolution of the producer's role over the decades.
  • Pathways to becoming a good producer.
  • Necessary hard and soft skills for effective production.

PRODUCERS' CAREER PATHS AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

  • Common career pathways:
    1. Start as musicians in recording bands, taking leadership roles.
    2. Begin as engineers who transition into producing due to creative talent.
    3. Passionate students of recordings who develop their skills.
  • Skills producers should possess:
    • Ability to analyze and critique recordings.
    • Proficiency with at least one digital audio workstation (DAW).
    • Passion for success, talent for finding quality artists and songs.
    • Skills in evaluation and recognizing commercial potential.
  • Major Trade Organizations:
    • Audio Engineering Society (AES)
    • The Recording Academy (GRAMMYs) with a Producers and Engineers Wing.
    • Music Video Production Association.

PRODUCTION SCENARIOS

  • Early Recording (pre-1960s):
    • Full-time house producers had strong control over recordings.
  • Post-1960s:
    • Shift towards independent producers and varying contracts.
  • Types of producer agreements:
    • Producer as a label employee.
    • Independent producers under label or artist contracts.
    • Spec deals or ownership of a production company.
  • Financial Aspects:
    • Small budget projects often involve a one-time fee or favors instead of royalties.
    • Agreements with labels may include royalties and advances.
    • Royalty rates typically known as "points", which come from the artist's all-in rate.
    • Most producers earn 2-4 points but this can differ based on agreements.

RECORDING STUDIOS

  • Various studio types:
    • Project Studios: Small and often a home studio, can achieve high-quality recordings.
    • Commercial Studios: Larger facilities that generate revenue by renting to artists and labels.
  • Considerations for Choosing a Studio:
    • Cost, location, equipment, acoustics, and studio reputation.

THE FIVE PHASES OF RECORD PRODUCTION

  1. Preproduction
  2. In the Studio: Tracking
  3. In the Studio: Editing
  4. In the Studio: Mixing
  5. Postproduction: Mastering

PREPRODUCTION: BUDGETING AND PLANNING

  • Steps in preproduction:
    • Prepare a budget and select the producer along with session musicians and guest artists.
    • Create a vision for the recording, select songs, and decide on the approach.
    • Choose a studio and confirm availability of equipment.
    • Rehearse prior to recording.
    • A label’s A&R may oversee budgeting.

IN THE STUDIO: TRACKING

  • Tasks during tracking include:
    • Recording live instruments, programmed tracks, and vocals.
    • Deciding on the best takes and handling singer or songwriter credits immediately.
    • Managing sampling permissions and paperwork for musicians.

IN THE STUDIO: EDITING

  • Key actions:
    • Fixing timing and pitch issues, removing unwanted noise, creating composite tracks from multiple takes.

IN THE STUDIO: MIXING

  • Responsibilities involve:
    • Adjusting volume, spatial location, equalization (EQ), and compression.
    • Creating alternate versions of mixes (e.g. instrumental or radio edit).
    • Exporting and delivering high-resolution mix files and supporting materials to the label.

POSTPRODUCTION: MASTERING

  • Mastering stage comprises:
    • Preparing the record for optimal playback across formats.
    • The producer may play a key role in the mastering process.
    • Assigning metadata and delivering the final master to the label.

MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION

  • Music videos have become essential since the 1980s population rise in promotional tools.
  • Types of videos:
    • Short-form (one song, 3-5 minutes) and long-format (video albums, compilations).
  • Budgets vary, but typical music video budgets are less than the past $100k standards, often around $60k.
  • Decisions on budgets are typically made by the label, and artists may invest extra if desired.