Do you want to become a successful Music Producer but you don’t know where to start? Fret no more! We at Reason Studios have put together this comprehensive guide that outlines the role and gives you some real-world hints and tips how to make your first break as a fledgling Music Producer. Dive in and read more to find out how!
Defining the Role of Music Producer
Whether you’re active in the music biz or you’re a casual amateur who appreciates good music, the role of Music Producer probably doesn’t ring as new to you. But, if someone asks you to outline the role’s list of responsibilities, what do you say? It’s not easy, is it? Truth is, even if you ask many professional Music Producers what the role entails – especially in layman terms – it’s no easy feat. Most of them will probably give differing interpretations.
One way of looking at the role is that a Music Producer is to the artists and the song – or recording – as a sports coach is to the team and the game – a sort of orchestrator or organising principle who takes a bird’s eye view to the work and covers several corners to ensure that the end-goal is successful.
Essentially, a Music Producer sits back and looks at the whole picture, directing and counselling the players while tweaking the music to bring out its full potential. In other words, a Music Producer is a skilled team leader, able to pull people together when creating music to achieve great things.
Taking a closer look at what a Music Producer’s responsibilities include, we see that there’s really two main roles in one – Executive Music Producer and Record/Creative Music Producer.
The Executive Producer
Starting with the Executive Producer, as the title implies, this is more concerned with the entrepreneurial or business aspect of the role. A good analogy is that in the film industry, it’s comparable to a Film Producer. Apart from being responsible for delivering a completed record to the artist or record label hiring them, they’ll make sure that all logistical and financial steps in between are covered. They’ll take care of renting the recording studio, hiring all the right musicians, making sure everyone is paid, finding the Mixer, Sound Engineer, and other pivotal staff members, ensuring everything is tight on schedule, among other things.
The Creative Producer
Moving onto the other side of the coin – Record or Creative Music Producer – this is by far the most popular aspect of the job that kindles passion and reels aspiring Music Producers in. The long story short is that you take an artist’s vision for a song or record all the way from concept stage to realisation. You help them create music. And often, you’ll be taking it beyond what they thought possible by also blending in your own musical sensibilities and making it somewhat your own.
Minimalist vs Auteur
A minimalist Music Producer will only add minor tweaks to the artist’s work and not leave much of his or her own footprint in the final rendition. Generally, it’s advisable that you start out this way until you’ve gained enough experience, although this may vary depending on genres and style.
Then, on the other hand, there are successful Music Producers who, when you hear the final work, you know it was that particular producer’s work. They would have written the song or taken the artist and rewrote the song with them. Or, they’ll edit and mix it so much to make it almost entirely different from its point of origin. This depends to some extent on the artist. Some artists have a very complete vision and require little intervention. Then, there are artists who have some great ideas in a rudimentary sense but need a strong Music Producer to help them piece the work together as they guide them through recording sessions.
There are several world-renowned Music Producers who left their mark on recordings as they did in history. For instance, Phil Spector was a legendary (and controversial) Music Producer, who worked with household names like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen, etc., was referred to as the first “auteur” among musical artists. Any record produced through him had as much of his influence on it as the artists themselves. He was a creative director, arranger, vocal conductor, and he navigated through the entire recording process.
The Bigger Picture and The Sounds in Between
In any case, you have to be able to visualise all the moving parts of a song in the final picture. As a creative Music Producer, you act like a conductor orchestrating aspects or elements of the song so that it serves the song. While contemplating the song, it helps to try and identify what’s missing in it to help it sound more complete. Then, see what tools you have available, and which ones you can use as the right ‘noise-makers’, so to speak, that will fill the void and round the song out even more. This might necessitate that you play instruments yourself or have the sharp sensibility to bring in the right players to cultivate the right sound.
One thing that might be hard to grasp about the importance of a Creative Producer’s role is that just like it’s the job of the artists to play the instruments, the producer must be there to identify where silence is needed in the song. This doesn’t imply that a sensible and experienced artist wouldn’t know how to do that. But the Music Producer’s presupposed ability to take a step back and see the picture as a whole gives him/her the perspective to see the silence as it relates to the entire song as well as to all instruments and sounds in play. The producer can take to the console and add silence and different degrees of sonority in line with the final vision when creating music. As Mozart said; “the music is not in the notes but in the silence in between”.
Taking Your First Steps and Learning from Other Music Producers
Let’s say you’re ready to embark on your journey as a Music Producer. Now what? Start with a couple of introspective questions, and answer honestly: how far do you want to take your understanding of music production? And, what are your strengths and interests and how can you play to them? The truth is there’s no clear-cut path, magic trail, or one-size-fits-all. It’s different for everybody and the start always feels the toughest. This is why envisioning where you will be potentially standing in the industry is a good starting path. Now, you have to plot your own path towards that. And, the more you persevere, the more you’ll gain industry smarts and learn to map the way ahead. One way to do this is to identify successful Music Producers with a proven track record and use them as points of reference.
Skills that Pave the Way
The springboard for many aspiring Music Producers is to be versed in one or more instruments themselves. Quincy Jones, for instance, started off as a Berklee graduate trumpeter and Jazz arranger player, who made a name for himself playing for well-established band leaders, including Elvis Presley’s recording orchestra. Then, he went on to tour with an 18-piece band to raving reviews, before hitting a financial low. In the 60s, he had his first break as a Producer and became the Vice President of the record label Mercury. His portfolio of artists whose work he produced is truly stellar.
Then, there are those who have a solid understanding of other aspects like sound engineering, musical composition, lyric writing and vocal harmony as well as music theory and arrangement. Music Producers with a background in vocals may be coaches for singers, and they may be singers themselves, who also sing during recording sessions.
Connoisseur Sensibility
You’ll probably also need to be a talent scout; you can identify where the talent of an artist lies and bring that to the fore. Apart from that, you’ll need to develop clockwork time management skills. You must know how a professional recording studio session runs, while keeping the eye on the clock as well so as not to go over budget if that is a factor of concern.
In a more genre-specific sense, Hip Hop and electronic Music Producers tend to be the ones making the beats as well as playing other instruments. A modern-day example of a Music Producer in the genre who started as a Hip Hop artist himself is Timbaland. The tendency is for artists or bands to be matched up with a Music Producer who knows that genre or style inside out. The Music Producer is a staple part of the production of a song or record, knowing what it takes to make a record or song sell – especially from a business perspective in that particular genre.
Genre buffs can also be historians – real connoisseurs. Zev Feldman – who has a portfolio of Jazz masters such as Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans – is a jazz connoisseur through and through. His case is rare as he started off in Sales. He uses his keen ear for the genre to travel the world and find yet unrecorded pieces waiting to be cut into records and top the charts.
The Producer Behind the Curtains
On the other hand, making it as a producer doesn’t mean necessarily gaining public acclaim. There are many producers working behind the curtains, who produce music for films, advertising, documentaries, live shows, etc. They may work independently or be employed at a record label, specialising in one style or covering several. While you might not become a recognisable household name, this path abounds in opportunities and can be very lucrative anyway.
The Path Ahead in the Music Industry
Nowadays, with the technological progress in the digital sphere, people can easily set up their own home studio and cover a lot with nothing but a decent DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). And due to this, the interpretation of the title Music Producer has been stretched. This creates some confusion about the distinction between a producer on one hand and a DJ or Recording Engineer on the other. However, to become a truly accomplished Music Producer landing deals, there’s a lot more work entailed than just that.
That said, it’s still possible to go from making music in your bedroom to working in a recording studio. Computers loaded with recording software nowadays can accomplish what previously would’ve taken a fully equipped studio. So, the entry bar for learning your first ropes and dreaming up your own music has certainly been lowered.
This, on the other hand, creates another challenge: a fierce competition for available spots, so you really need to be ready to put in the work. While this may sound obvious, a new Producer who’s trying to cut his teeth has to put in tireless hours to build up skills, an initial portfolio, and a network. You must take pride in what you do, because, after all, music production is a labour of love, and the quality of your work will say more about your skills than all the words in the world. And the best way to work incessantly is by making sure you are really passionate about what you do. Otherwise, it’s going to be very tough to sustain such a lifestyle.
In the beginning, you might be putting out work that doesn’t pay a fortune. But it can still be an investment in many ways, whether this means royalties coming in later on, or the artist becoming more famous and coming back to you for more work. Once a Producer has gained some mileage, he can aim for bigger and more lucrative opportunities. The good news is that, despite the fierce competition, Music Producers are always in demand. People want fresh music, so Music Producers up to beats with the latest trends in technology, business, and music styles and genres have a good shot at a career in the field.
Now, let’s look at some effective ways to hone your baseline skills as a Music Producer.
Music Production Programs at University Level
A music production degree is your best bet at exposing yourself to all the tools, knowledge, and recording environments, all under one roof. When choosing an academic course, it’s always wise to check out the course description closely and find out if it requires the ability to play an instrument and is more focused on the creative/musical aspect of the job or more on engineering, technology, or even other aspects like business.
Creative and Technical Courses
For example, if we look at the course description for the Music Production and Engineering Bachelor’s Degree at Berklee College of Music, it says that this experience “prepares you to enter the current music production field as an effective professional in any number of roles within a landscape of rapidly evolving tools and techniques.”
They add that you’ll acquire a critical aesthetic vision, understanding of complex production techniques, effective collaboration in numerous musical settings, learning to define quality using both musical and technical criteria, while also refining communication and time-management skills in multidisciplinary productions.
In a technical sense, you’ll acquire skills in producing electronic and analogue projects, leading full cycles of creative projects, business planning, applying knowledge of both analogue and digital audio systems, as well as evaluating audio material by observing and making informed decisions.
In the case of the Berklee course, this is coupled with training in Sound Engineering. This is because, as we’ve established earlier, a Recording Engineer is a bridge conducive to becoming a Music Producer. Being familiar with the music production process in a recording studio environment and being technically proficient at setting up microphones, working the consoles, while also understanding post-production, effects, track layering, overdubbing, and having at least a working knowledge of software and hardware so as to troubleshoot will give you a huge head start.
Also worth noting is how Berklee’s course emphasises learning soft skills like time management. While it is true that your end-goal for each project is to deliver a masterful record or song, you’ll often need to keep a very scrutinising eye on your timelines and budgeting. If you’re renting a studio, paying session musicians, and most likely other team members, such as Engineers, Arrangers, etc., you’ll need to deliver by deadlines, and it’s up to you to orchestrate everything, while also factoring in time and budget allowance for problem mitigation.
In other words, Producers need to be good at managing time, planning sessions, coordinating people and facilities, creating and communicating schedules to all participants in advance, and making sure everyone adheres rigorously to the schedule you’ve laid out. At all times, you have to have a knack for time management – an art in itself that can be learned. You have to be able to call the shots for when to pause for troubleshooting and when simply to move on.
All-Rounded
Courses
One course
offered at MI College of Contemporary Music is a Certificate Program for
Artist/Producer/Entrepreneur. The approach of this course is truly holistic.
You’ll learn music production, while also also learning accompanying visuals
and social media branding, and finally, “writing and recording to marketing,
publicity, website design and final release”. The description also emphasises
that you’ll learn material from the Certificate Program for Music Business, as
well as developing financial, legal, and managerial tools.
While many people
get into this business for their love of music, understanding the business and
the legal aspect of it – and not only the artistic and creative side – is vital
if you want to make a living. The MI course, among others, prepares you for this.
Legal and business frameworks include understanding topics such as music
copyrights, music publishing, music licensing, budgeting, finance, marketing,
and business management.
The music
industry is a part of the larger entertainment industry and is connected to the
leisure and media industries as well. And since the entertainment industry is
more global nowadays, understanding cross-cultural business, international
trade, and foreign market and international recording industry law are a must.
Scholarships and
Other Options
While tertiary
level courses may be beyond financial reach for some students, look out for
scholarships, which are often awarded to students showing promise. But if
that’s still not an option, many people take an entirely different route by
jumping into the business and working their way from the bottom up as interns
or in other roles. Like with any creative job, companies looking to hire you
will want to hear your work. So, building a solid portfolio is a must, whether
you go to music production school or not. For this reason among others,
interning will be a massive asset in your favour.
Interning as a
Music Producer
While it is true
that there’s no clear-cut path towards becoming a Music Producer, listening to
many experienced ones speak, you’ll often hear them say that at some point
early on, they interned. So, it would be wise to give serious consideration to
becoming an apprentice with a recording studio, recording label, or a reputable
Producer. In an ideal world, doing a full course, followed by an internship,
gives you a very well-rounded knowledge. You’ll go to the internship with an
edge the course will give you.
Learning What
Works in the Studio
One of the
aspects of interning that gives you most value is that by simply being in the
room with highly skilled and experienced producers can help at just about any
point in your career. This will save you a lot of time and effort finding out
what works and what doesn’t in the studio. And even if you don’t particularly
like the music or production style of another Producer, there is always
something to be learned from them.
While being
supervised in a studio environment, you will quickly learn hands-on how
in-studio tech works. This will likely give you such a strong technical grasp
that you might end up tinkering with the equipment yourself. Similarly, an
effective way of learning is by taking someone else’s production and picking it
apart using the right tools. This way, you can take a microscope-approach to
all the parts individually and learn what the producer and his team did to
achieve that result. Close analysis and mimicry remain a great approach to
practical learning.
Breaking the
Rules
Also, more often
than not, you’ll not only have to learn the ground rules for how things work
but also be resourceful and flexible enough to learn to break the rules when
needed. You’ll also learn how to fix things on the fly in the background
without needing to halt the session. In many cases, the path that took you to
the desired result doesn’t matter as long as you achieve that result. However,
in order to achieve this degree of flexibility and resourcefulness, you’re
going to have to take a one-step-at-a-time approach to build experience and
resilience through a long learning curve made up of small successes and
failures.