-my definitions:
-well as far as rap music goes...the "producer" is generally the cat that does the track
-an executive producer for anything is generally the cat that funds everything... (ie Puff Daddy)
especially when you see executive producer. producer's like puffy and babyface have a team of writers and beat makers.
-umm,
Babyface is an actual musician...he does everything he creates tracks, he has written probably hundreds of songs and he has engineering skills
Puff daddy is the untalented muthafucka, all he does is fund money, i don't think he evr made a bat in his life...all he does is put his gay voice on all his artists records and dances and jumps around on all his artists videos, and why does he get all the closeups when he is the feature on the videos...Did yall know all his artists are leaving his ass...Faith don left and signed directly to Electra, 112 suing his ass, and he about to lose his distribution deal wit Electra
2.) The person who records the track
3.) The person who mixes it down
-this ^ is an engineer (alot of the great producers have become good engineers...) It is real necessary at some point for "producers" to learn the ins and outs of a studio and learn the equipment, and learn how to mix....why? because they are the only person that really know what kinda sound they aree trying to get
4.) The person who masters the work
-I beleive that no one should "master" there own recordings...people throw that word around and don't know what the fuck it means...what an engineer should do is mix the damn record down till it sounds as good as he/she can get it, then send the dat/cdr to a mastering house for an EXPERIENCED mastering engineer who will then poliish it
5.) the person who does all of the above
6.) the person who does all of the above and also writes the song.
-I don't think that there ^ is any such person
for example:
Babyface - writer,producer,musician ...he has a studio engineer to track and mix his shit(although he can do it himself, there is somebody that is better that he trusts)...then the mahor label that carries his label send all there shit to a mastering house in NYC i think
Dr. Dre. - producer, (also sometimes an engineer), D.O.C. writes most of his shit, he has studio musicians to play bass, Keys, and guitars, he has engineers, and i think he still get his stuff mastered at Donovan Sounds in L.A.
Ant Banks - producer,musician(plays sevral instruments, but still uses other studio musicians),he's the sole engineer for his shit(he tracks and mixdown everything he does himself)....he doesn't write 90% of his lyrics...and the stuff he did in the past that wa distributed thru Jive Records all got sent to Tom Coyne at the Hit Factory in NYC
-see what i mean, no one does everthing...
-as far as the word "PRODUCER" in non rap/hiphop/rnb music ...the producer is a white greasy haired mark that doesn't make beats or anything...he just stands there and tell the artists how to sing a part etc...and is resposible for delivering the master recording to the record company
-my 2 cents... OUT!!! Beeyotch!!!!!!!!!!!!!