A music producer is the overall manager of a recording session or album who makes sure that the music is recorded, mixed and engineered properly. Akin to a film director, the music producer is responsible for seeing the vision of a recording through, technically and artistically. As with any creative enterprise, there are various approaches to being a music producer.
Artist / Musician
Some recording artists serve as their own producers. They write, arrange and play tracks, and add vocals, instrumentation and effects. Such producers often develop distinctive sounds, but as styles and trends in music change, an artist/musician producer's influence may wane. Musicians often make good producers because of their sense of musicality, which allows them to provide commentary and advice to artists. Artist / musician producers may even play instruments on other artists' recordings and act as mentors.
Technical producers are part artist, part engineer. They use machines and equipment to treat and enhance individual tracks to emphasize a record's sonic possibilities and mix the tracks together to make a complementary whole. Technical producers are adept at polishing and smoothing out individual sounds and they know which sounds will help enhance other sounds to make a song better. They also arrange the order of songs on albums or collections.
Executive producers usually fulfill all the functions of a music producer, but they also contend with the non-recording aspects of making a song or collection. Executive producers are in charge of the recording budget, meaning they often have a say in who will serve as studio personnel and guest artists. A good executive producer knows shortcuts and has the technical skills to make recordings sound their best without breaking the bank. He is also often artistic enough to help recording artists select which tracks to use or not use on an album.
Becoming a Producer
Computers, the internet and digital audio software make it simultaneously easier and harder than ever to become a music producer. Many aspiring artists can grasp programs such as Adobe Soundbooth or Apple Garage Band well enough to record and produce professional-quality music on their own. But this, conversely, creates a lot of competition to get noticed and break out. Perhaps more than ever, being a music producer is as much about technical and creative skill as it is about dedication, commitment and luck.
- Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images