what exactly is a producer?

[christiannokes]

I am a bit confused. Sometimes I search the web to find out who recorded a certain band, because I like the way the album sounds. A lot of times, the only thing that I can find is the producer.

For example: I really love the sound on Incubus's album SCIENCE. I searched the web to find who recorded it, and all I could find was that Jim Wirt produced it.

I thought that a producer was a guy distinct from the engineer. I thought the producer was more of a psychologist or something, who tried to get the band to do a good job so that the engineer could reord a good take.
So my question is, does this mean that Jim Wirt recorded and mixed the album as well. If not, then why the fuck can't I find who beautifully recorded and mixed it?

Thanks guys.

[wayne kerr]

A producer is generally somebody who should be kept out of the studio at all cost...


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[Jackson Michaels]

check out this link

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=am ... a9qj4iojaa

there ya go, apparently several people did engineering on it.

[Professor]

I would hope that all of the engineers and their specific roles are listed in the album credits. Did you check? Or is it a burned copy? I won't lecture you on that topic tonight, don't worry.

I used to laugh at the fact that the flat part of the mixing console with no knobs or other controls was called a 'Producer's Desk'. I always thought it was a joke when I first learning about the process.

The best way to describe a Producer's job is to equate him to a film Director. Both are tasked with having an overall creative vision for the project and to act as a liaison between the artistic and technical colaborators. Sometimes a Producer might also record, mix, or even play in the band, but ideally he/she is an additional set of ears that provides the guidance through the project. The Producer should be able to tell the band what is right and wrong with their performance and suggest ideas to better the project. He should also be able to tell the engineer what sounds good and bad and suggest ideas as well. But he should also stay out of the way and let the experts function in their area of expertise whether that be playing, singing, or engineering. Sometimes a film director has to take control of the camera for a shot or act out the scene for the actor to repeat but ultimately he stands in the middle making sure everything functions properly on both sides of the camera. Similarly the Producer in a recording should make certain that everything goes well on both sides of the glass.

Presently there is a mentality that the Producer (or Poe-du-sah) is the single most element in a recording, primarily, I think, because of the way they are presented in the rap/hip-hop community. So everyone is falling over themselves to call themselves a 'Poe-du-sah' so they can be like their favorite bling-bling supa-stah. I can't say how many people have come to me at the University telling me about how they are going to be great producers and want to learn about all this recording stuff so they can be a producer. Many actually want to learn how to be recording engineers and some really want to be musicians, but the other word is so currently over used that their vocabulary only knows 'producer'. Just a bit of a pet peeve.

-Jeremy

[brakeshop]

I think the producer is the dude who supplies the coke for "atmosphere", although sometimes he's the one who shoots holes in the equipment for "encouragement".

[jpschust]

the role of producer is going to vary by band and by album. for me (i sometimes act as producer and sometimes act as engineer and sometimes both) In the role of just producer my job is to coordinate with the band well before we go into the studio to recognize what sound we want so that it adheres to the creativity of the band and produces something marketable as well. Merging the two is especially hard. Once they are ready to be in the studio my job is entirely in the control room along side an engineer i trust or myself as the engineer. It is my job at that point to recognize exactly what kind of sound I want from my band on the CD and to work with the engineer to produce that (hence the term producer) and work with his/her creative input to achieve that. Ultimately, however, the band and I have final say. This is where things sometimes get tricky. For me, the role of producer is the link between the band and the studio. Not all bands need them, but many do.

[psychicoctopus]

The producer is the one smoking weed and telling the band how awesome they're doing...

no, really. I recently assisted on a 'produced' project and I was quite impressed with the role the producer played in making the record a happening thing. This guy was in charge of a record by a British country act. They were a gigging band until the two singers moved to California. So there wasn't an active lineup at the time the record was to be cut, but the singer/songwriters nevertheless had an album's worth of good material ready to go. Enter the producer, who has more than a handful of connections to session players, and could get them all in the studio for a week, with charts for the songs ready to go. Like, you want an accordion player? Gimme the phone... On top of that, this guy is a good engineer and had a genuine feel for guiding the session players as they interpreted songs for the first time with tape rolling. I was like, dude, you're the man. I got the impression that a good producer balances a record label's 'needs' with the artist's whims in the studio.

Stoned guy with MEGA connections = producer.

[Cellotron]

The role of a producer can vary from someone who does nothing - to someone who does everything.

Here's some of the things that can fall under the job description of "producer."

helping the artist choose the material to be recorded (sometimes it goes beyond helping - it can even be dictating or creating it)
helping the artist create the best possible arrangements for this material (this can even include actually composing accompanying parts - ala. George Martin or even vital elements - such as beats in hip-hop - ala Dr. Dre)
guiding the artist through rehearsals prior to recording so that they are prepared as well as they can be
creating a game plan for how the recordings are to be done so everything is as efficient and fun as possible
creating a budget
picking the studio or location to record at
picking the engineers & assistants to do the recording
picking the gear that the recording will be done with
making sure that everyone working on the recording for the artist is paid and fed (and otherwise comfortable) - and that things are running according to schedule and budget.
listening to takes in progress - and deciding what to keep, what to redo, when the artist is getting there, when they've hit the definitive take, and when it is best to move on to working on something else
creating the best possible work flow in the studio ("ok - let's lay the basics for track bla bla now because it has the same bass sound as the one we've already got dialed up and then we'll do the sax solos because David Murray is scheduled to come in this afternoon")
making decisions regarding the sounds and mix (and a lot of the times being the final decision maker)
choosing the mastering house, being present during mastering & helping with the decisions regarding the it
making decisions regarding the graphic design, including
making sure that the parts get delivered to the manufacturer

Depending on the situation a few or all of the things above would be handled by the engineer, the artist, or a production manager for the label - in which case they can claim to be "coproducers" - but essentially the producer is the person who guides the recording from start to finish - and keeps an objective ear on the whole proceeding to hopefully make sure the best possible results are achieved.

Obviously the things detailed above should be taken as seriously as mic placement and whether to cut a couple dbs at 2 or 3k if you want to actually get a recording that you're proud of onto the shelf. So please don't believe that "Willy" from Mixerman's fictitious diaries is the way producers always operate - there are actual real duties that need to happen besides "rollin' fatties."

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[Al]

Producer= Stalin/Hitler..

[auralman]

Producer=the guy who has the phone numbers of the really good musicians and the best restaurants in the area. Lucky sons of bitches. It's amazing to me the ones that can't play very well.

[djslayerissick]

all-in-one Producers are a special breed unto themselves.

such as, Terry Date (my favorite), David Botrill, Ross Robinson, Trent Reznor, Josh Abraham, etc..

these are guys that know it all and can do it all and can 'Make or Break' an album. they are directly responsible for the sound of the albums they produce.

they give direction to the music. they get good performances out of the artists. they define the placement of the instruments and the vibes of the songs. they have the creative vision of the tones and the way everything fits together.

this is the "Producer" i am to be.

[wayne kerr]

I'm a producer. Producer of what I ain't sayin, but let's just say I produce a lot of it

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[madpie]

Presently there is a mentality that the Producer (or Poe-du-sah) is the single most element in a recording, primarily, I think, because of the way they are presented in the rap/hip-hop community. So everyone is falling over themselves to call themselves a 'Poe-du-sah' so they can be like their favorite bling-bling supa-stah.

Hey dontcha think Phil Spector and co. had a little something to do with that phenomenon? I don't think you can really blame hip hop artists for developing producerorial megalomania. Spector patented the concept long before hip hop was in its infancy.

[Professor]

Fair enough, but I don't think there were lots of college age kids running around saying they wanted to be Phil Spector - they wanted to be the they wanted to be John, Paul, George & Ringo. Maybe it's just that I expect more people to walk up to a recording engineer at a University and say "I want to learn to be a recording engineer", and instead I get "I want to be a Producer - you know, the guy that puts out the microphones and pushes the buttons..." I'd be equally surprised if lots of kids came up asking to learn how to be mastering engineers or foley artists. Some guys even want to be live Producers, you know, the guys that push the levels around when the band is on tour. I'm just noticing that the vocabulary is being confused and it seems more recent.
-J

[aikan]

"I want to be a Producer - you know, the guy that puts out the microphones and pushes the buttons..."

i used to read a lot of record reviews and i remember that the reviewer would often talk about the "production": i.e., the quality of the recording, the sound of the guitars, and so forth. so i would imagine that this is where some of the confusion comes from. the reviewer may be aware that the producer makes the decisions regarding sounds, but the reader gets the impression that the producer is the one getting the sounds in the first place.