Is The Record Producer Dead?
Some people say we have been superseded by the Macbook, apparently all that is needed anymore to make a record. Whilst I applaud the capability of artists to record themselves independently of record company financing and interference, the article missed the point; it assumed that as long as you had the gear, you didn’t really need anything else. An easy enough mistake when you don’t understand what a producer does. But – IT’S NOT ABOUT THE EQUIPMENT, GUYS!!
The technical act of recording is NOT producing in itself. Record production encompasses the whole deal – from artist development to song to arrangement to studio to recording techniques to performance to mixing to mastering to marketing and often beyond…. knowing what’s the right thing to do at any given time during the process. Or at least giving the impression that you do.
Though it may be a thorny subject to some, the Home Studio Explosion is not something I have a problem with …I would have been first on the block for that when I started out. But what is overlooked – that equipment manufacturers hope you don’t realise – is that gear is no substitute for experience, and simply can’t fix everything. In fact, often the opposite is true when the marketplace urges you to buy the new Best Thing Ever which will miraculously bring those amateur recordings up to a stunningly pro standard.
Do note: The Best Thing Ever in those circumstances is to hire a producer…
But “what does a producer DO?”
Everything that DIDN’T occur to you.
Not dead yet, chaps….
