What should I expect from a producer?

[rabid_granny]

I'm planning on taking my band into the recording studio to record 1-2 songs. The primary purpose is to properly record songs that I love but only did rough recordings live from the practice room floor. However, if the final product is good, I'd like to try marketing and selling the recordings.

We play rock (e.g. U2, Coldplay, Interpol, Snow Patrol) but since recording is a foreign subject, I'd spend some money to hire a producer to help create the recordings. I'd like some feedback from others who have hired a producer to learn what to expect of them.

1) Ideally, I envision this person to be someone who can translate ideas into music, using whatever recording equipment is available (either at the studio or rented for the session). In terms of arrangement, the core pieces (guitar, vocals, bass and drums) will be planned by the band. But how about additional arrangements (e.g. piano, strings, backing vocals)? Would it be unrealistic in the planning stage to tell the producer "hey here's the rough recording, now I think backing vocals would be good here" or "what can I add to make the song sound more lush/ballsy/etc"? Too vague?

2) Who is responsible for ensuring that the instruments are recorded correctly? Is it the engineer, the producer or both? I'll be trusting that the music will be recorded in a manner that works for mixing and mastering...in the past, we had a recording where the guitars were recorded too low and it made it harder to mix; however, it sounded ok at the studio at the time. Don't want to get caught off-guard again.

3) Should the producer be the one to mix the music as well? How about mastering? The songs would be stand alone but if I wanted to put them together in an EP, I'd wouldn't want to shoot myself in the foot in the mastering stage.

 

[IK Obi]

You should expect a producer to take what you have written and to help you take it to the next level. You should also be able to speak to a producer about this 1 on 1 and have a clear definition of what you are both trying to accomplish.

 

[rabid_granny]

What do you mean by take it to the next level? That can mean so many things.

 

[David Jayne]

What do you mean by take it to the next level? That can mean so many things.

He means clean up arrangements, maybe even rewrite parts. Suggest instrumentation, vocal arrangements, etc. He'll help you to 'fine tune' the songs, if needed. You can refuse his ideas, of course, but often producers will surprise you with really great ideas.

 

[joebar]

bob rock is a great example of someone who takes it to the next level.

 

[darius8]

Ask the producer for some samples of music he/she has done already.

 

[loopmantra]

2 types of producers,really-
those who DO the job their way,and you have very little space to change anything of his,but maybe you can throw an idea or two once in a while
and those who SIT and wait for you to TELL them what should be done.
the latter is for those with advanced knowledge in music production,who already have an absolute crystal idea about what the songs should sound like,in the end.
first one is for demo bands and alike,it's the guy with no sence of humour(ffs he's workin' with the demo bands xD),but great at his job....
eng. RECORDS
producer PRODUCES
and mastering is done usually by a third party,with keen ears and brutal equipment.with mastering it's mostly pure math...with recording/producing it's the ART.
here's a quote,and I even think it's from the above mentioned(Bob Rock)
"with producing it always come down to the band.if they are not ready,don't do it...
i have never heard a good drummer sound bad in the studio,and i have never heard a bad drummer sound particulary good in the studio...it all comes down to the band...my job is to push them forward..their job is to get here READY"
bottomline-no producer can do miracles,if you are not ready yourself.cheers

 

[loopmantra]

2) Who is responsible for ensuring that the instruments are recorded correctly? Is it the engineer, the producer or both? I'll be trusting that the music will be recorded in a manner that works for mixing and mastering...in the past, we had a recording where the guitars were recorded too low and it made it harder to mix; however, it sounded ok at the studio at the time. Don't want to get caught off-guard again.
.

that's a bit tricky....see,every equipment has 'pro's' and 'con's'...
some people swear by the mackie monitors,some swear by KRK or genelec,some say always record in a huge room(huge room-huge sound,and this is true most of the time),some say size does not matter(also true if you are recording pop and r'n'b and such-where you HEAVILY gate everything,against spills),etc etc.so there are no bad aproaches....only bad ears..flunky instruments recorded on a high end gear will still sound flanky...well,maybe a buck-two more expencive..
but the biggest trick is THE DIFFERENCE between mixing and listening to music...
YOU MUST take your near-to-finished product and play it EVERYWHERE - in your car,room,on a party,mp3 player,hi fi and lo fi speakers....that way you can hear all the things that bother you,and fix it on the fly....studio monitoring system is based so you can hear only the bad things happening(distortions,clippings,lack of frequencies,humming,buzzing..etc)-which means that listening to music on a studio monitoring system IS NOT FUN.
actually,most of the time it's dull...you HATE that sound,it's hollow,there's no warmth,depth,it's way too flat....AND THEN you make the biggest mistake-you try to compensate for something that you don't hear right(even if it's there),and that leads to playing your demo somewhere else,where it would sound CATASTROPHIC. 'cause the way we listen to music on our hi fi (smiley eq anyone?),is totally different aproach to mixing...
that said,try to play as much( similar to your band) music as possible to a producer,so he/she can relate to faster...

 

[IK Obi]

What do you mean by take it to the next level? That can mean so many things.

That's my exact point. It CAN mean sooo many different things. A producer can hear the spots in your music that need work. Whether in arrangement, the mix, the recording process and even ease tension in the studio. They can speak to each member in a way that they understand and still get everyone on the same page.

Other times it can be with the engineer helping them see the musical vision you guys hear in your head.

I can't really tell you specifically what they can do in your situation, but the best thing to do is make sure you have a great relationship with a producer. Having a producer no one gets along with or one that doesn't see what you guys want to do can be detrimental for an artists as well.

 

[seamonkey]

Just be sure to not take anything the producer says personally. You have to trust the producer.

It common to disagree with the producer. They may not go along with what you hear.

It's known that When you listen to your recordings, you are most likely listening to yourself. It's the gorilla in the basketball game,



A good producer, may not be the best musician themselves but they are they guys that see the gorilla, they hear the whole mix. When you don't agree, you may not be as objective as the producer. You pay for it, so listen to them.

 

[rabid_granny]

Ok, thanks for the feedback. Looks like I'll be working with the potential producer in three stages: pre-planning (arrangements, gear to use, payment), recording (executing the plan) and post-production (mixing and some mastering to get the songs in a useable format for demo and some publication).

Yes, I'll be definitely listening to the past work of potential producers and bringing some sample music to get across my ideas (e.g. take the bass/drum mix and tone from this song and marry it with the gear and vocals from that song...).