A music producer has many roles during the recording process and the making of a record. Traditionally a record label would entrust the making of the record to a producer who's job it was to marry the labels needs with the artists.
Nowadays the artist themselves often employ a producer to ensure the quality of a recording for use in various mediums. The recording process can be time consuming and expensive and an experienced producer will steer sessions to a successful outcome and be able to work within an agreed budget to achieve the best possible result. A good producer should actually save you money in the recording budget.
There are many different kinds of producers and you need to know which is the best choice for your particular project. Some want to be in complete control and expect the artist to conform to their methods of working. Here at Offbeat we take a collaborative approach and work closely with artists to get the result they want. Our attitude is that it's your name on the record and as such you need a recording that represents exactly what you are about. If you are unclear about that at the outset, we will definitely suggest ways to come to an agreed vision of the production.
When the choosing a producer the main criteria is that you like the sound they produce and the recording methods they use to create a production.
In our view undesirable types of producer are those who exert so much control on your music that it becomes unrecognisable to you. Having all your suggestions shut down is more than unhelpful and highly unproductive. Working together in a collaborative way is the best way forward.
In the same vein, a producer who offers no guidance and doesn’t warn the artist where things are going wrong isn’t much use either. If the producer isn’t adding anything new to the project then you might as well be producing yourself!
