Music Producing

MUSIC PRODUCING CAREERS IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS

Music recording these days is usually a collaboration between the artist, the audio engineer and the music producer. When everything is going smoothly, the music producer’s job is easy. However, that is rarely the case in the real world, and this is where the music producer needs to shine. In the real world, there are normally budgetary limits on studio time, artists who keep messing up their tracks, and equipment glitches and studio gremlins that pop up at the most inopportune times. It is at these times that the music producer needs to be a problem solver and a decision maker, because bottom line, the producer is responsible for the finished music track. Needless to say, the better the artist and recording engineer, the less work there is to do for the music producer. While the exact role of a music producer will change from project to project, there are certain skills that every music producer should possess. The Recording Connection audio engineering and music producing course has been designed from the ground up to establish and enhance this skill set by putting you in real recording sessions where all of these skills will be called upon.

• A producer needs to be a people person. The recording studio is a small space inhabited by talented, creative people in a stressful situation. The music producer is responsible for getting the most out of everyone involved, whether cajoling the singer to give it one more try, or offering tactful suggestions to the engineer on how to get a desired effect.
• A producer needs to know music and music theory so he can clearly and convincingly convey to both the artistic and technical talent the idea he is trying to get across. Often, the music producer is a talented musician in his own right, having mastered at least one instrument. The producer should also be familiar with a wide variety of music styles and genres. A good working relationship with a number of local studio musicians is quite often necessary as well.
• A producer needs to know the songwriting process. He must be able to arrange, score, orchestrate, as well as direct and conduct musical ensembles.
• A producer needs to know the recording process. He must know the equipment, what it’s capable of, and how to use it to get the desired sound. This includes a working knowledge of sound effects, sampling, sequencing and other engineering techniques right through the editing, mixing and mastering process.

The music producer is often involved in the business side of music as well. Traditionally (think “old-school”), the music producer was a person hired by the record label to oversee the production of an album. This involved everything from directing the overall feel of the album by handling the engineers, the artists, the song selection and mixing sessions to programming the order of the songs and acting as a liaison to the record label. For this, the producer was generously compensated by the label, including royalties from sales. The new-school music producer also has to know how to lay down beats, have industry connections to get unsigned artists noticed and signed, and be generally business savvy. If you are serious about preparing for a career in music producing, then you should seriously consider the Recording Connection, the only music producing school that puts you inside a top, professional recording studio from your first day. You’ll learn, one-on-one, side-by-side with a professional music producer. Bottom line, if you are serious about a career as a music producer, you need to be in a real recording studio, participating in real recording sessions.