What Is A Music Producer (And Why Should You Hire One)?
What Does A Music Producer Do?
The term “music producer” may be one the most misunderstood and most unintentionally misused phrases in the world. Or, at least in the world of amateur musicians. The confusion grows from multiple places at once, but one of the most important is that the word “producer” has come to mean two very different things.
One version of the definition is a well-defined professional role in a music studio setting (like a director on a movie set) and the second emerged organically to describe the role of the person in hip hop who created the instrumental tracks for an MC to perform over. Both are totally valid but the use of the same word to mean two different things causes a lot of confusion in musical circles, especially when people are coming from different backgrounds.
The “Official Definition” Of A Music Producer
First, let’s dig into the more textbook definition. A music producer is a person who is ultimately responsible for ensuring the artistic and technical outcome of a work is what the artist intended it to be at the start of the project. The producer often works with the artist before a single note is ever recorded to ensure that the sonic direction and overall sound of the record are decided, that the arrangements work well, that the best songs are the ones getting recorded, and so on.
A music producer is a lot like a film producer, or, today, maybe more like a film director. They’re responsible for helping the actors and technical staff bring the screenwriter’s vision to life. Many artists have not cultivated the technical expertise and vocabulary necessary to communicate effectively and efficiently with engineers, and many engineers haven’t cultivated the expertise and vocabulary necessary to communicate effectively and efficiently with artists. And few of either group have cultivated the patience required to deal with the communication challenges. Many great music producers are both competent musicians and engineers in their own right, and the producers who best fit an artist are usually competent with the instruments that artist uses and are naturally artistically aligned with the artists they’re producing.
Once in the studio, the producer is dialed in to both the artist’s performance and the engineering work. Producers listen closely to the material being recorded, if needs be, coach the artist to get a better performance, suggest things to try to make the recording as good and interesting as possible, and try to keep the artistic vision on track. Producers also work as a go-between for the artist and the engineer. As the intermediary between the artist and engineer, the producer is responsible for being fully fluent in both the language of the artist and the language of the engineer. By serving as a conduit between the artist and the engineer, the producer helps both focus fully on their jobs. The artist is purely responsible for getting the best possible performance and doesn’t need to dedicate any brain space to the technical side. On the other side of the equation, the engineer doesn’t need to worry about whether the artist’s vision was served or whether a performance was weak. The producer stays locked in on the space in between, playing a pivotal role in ensuring that the artistic and the technical sides of a recording are met when in the studio.
Once the recordings are wrapped, the producer typically oversees mixing and mastering to ensure that things stay aligned with the artist’s vision for the record. When a mixing engineer inevitably will have to make sonic compromises, the producer focuses on achieving the outcome that’s closest to the original intent behind the recording.
The “Alternative Definition” Of A Music Producer
The second meaning of the word “producer” originates in hip hop, and is used to denote the person responsible for creating the instrumentals that someone would rap or sing over. Originally, many producers worked with samples and spent a lot of time digging through crates to chop up samples from records. But, even early on, many producers didn’t just work with samples. Many were (and are) talented musicians and instrumentalists who wrote and performed the instrumental beds over which performers would rap or sing.
Today, there’s a lot of debate about this usage of the phrase, largely because when people use this term, other people aren’t always sure what it means they do. Beat-makers, composers, and those who create instrumentals and then integrate the vocals all often use the term producer to describe what they do. Singers, rappers, and other vocalists partner with producers in a variety of capacities to bring songs to life.
This version of the phrase “music producer” has spread beyond hip hop, today, and is now also commonly used in electronic and occasionally in pop music to denote “the person who makes the instrumental” of a song.
Why Are There Two Definitions For “Music Producer?”
The original definition of music producer likely developed as a parallel to the film producer, which was a role that emerged to prominence around 1948. Originally, the role of film producer was the person who was responsible for carrying through a creative vision from start to finish, which is likely why music producers began performing similar work on music under a comparable title.
But, language evolves. Even the role of a film producer has shifted dramatically in the last 40 years, and now a film’s director is a better analog to the music producer role. No one knows who the first person ever was to use the phrase “music producer” in the context of being the “person who made the instrumental.” Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding of the role on a major label production. Perhaps the person invented the term with no knowledge of the “official definition.” Or, maybe they knew the original meaning and wanted to expand upon it intentionally.
In either case, both definitions are valid, but the newer, “alternative definition” of music producer creates some confusion for people, even when they’re trying to use it in the same way.
Why Should You Consider Hiring A Music Producer?
There are lots of reasons to hire a music producer!
If you’re going into the studio to record, it’s hard to focus on being a performing artist and a technical advisor at the same time. You (and your band) need to be able to devote all of your intellectual, emotional, and physical energy towards nailing the performance. A great producer will help you get a great performance and will help your engineer ensure it sounds like you want it to sound.
If you’re an artist who isn’t already a skilled mixer, a producer will make interfacing with a mix engineer or mastering engineer a lot smoother. Producers speak the language or artists and of engineers and act as translation layers.
If you need vocal tuning, timing correction, sample replacement, re-amping, and many other kinds of sonic improvements that happen between recording and mixing, the person you need to hire is a producer. Pitch and timing correction of vocals, drum replacement, and so on are not mixing, and typically, if you provide your recordings to a mix engineer, these services will not be performed or they will be billed separately as production work.
A producer will act as a neutral third party to help you be more objective about your songwriting, composition, or arrangement choices. The best producer for you understands your artistic goals and personal tastes and can help you see things that you will often miss once you get too close to the work. As an artist, it’s hard to remain objective about your own work. A good producer will help you make choices that better serve your artistic vision.
Producers can help you get “that sound.” Many producers are sound design fanatics and are obsessive about engineering and reverse-engineering sounds they love. If there’s a particular guitar tone, synth sound, or other sonic target you have in mind, a music producer is usually the person to help you nail it.
There are many other roles a music producer can play, but often, they’re most valuable when they help artists get out of their own heads and out of their own way (which is something we all need from time to time) and when they help artists stay focused on the art, not the tech.
What Does A Music Producer Do At The Cat Mansion?
At The Cat Mansion, a music producer is the person who acts as an artist’s co-pilot to help ensure that the artist’s creative vision is carried through from start to finish on a musical production. Jeff has many years of experience as an artist, an engineer, a leader of people, and a producer, both of music, but of commercials, video games, and other media.
What If I Need Someone To Make Instrumentals For Me?
Easy. At The Cat Mansion, that’s just called custom composition. And if that’s what you need, get in touch! It’d be great to work together.
In Conclusion
Music producers play a key role on most big music projects. If you look at the liner notes of your favorite records, it’s almost certain that you’ll see one or more producers listed in the credits, and it’s likely that you’ll recognize many of their names. But it’s not just high-dollar productions that benefit from a talented music producer: smaller, indie productions may even get more value from a producer. You don’t need to hire a producer for dozens or hundreds of hours to get a huge benefit. Often, hiring a producer to be in the studio while you record and to work through mix feedback with you is all you’ll need.
If you’re interested in learning more about the role or hiring a producer to work with you on your next project, reach out to jeff@thecatmansion.net, and let’s talk about your project.
