Yo Frits! Ah- the learning curve. More hats to wear. You thought you were a singer-songwriter. Then you thought maybe you'd be a recording artist. So- you discovered that you would have to be a recording engineer to do that. Now you're finding out what a producer does, because- poof!- you are one now. And- you are also becoming an executive producer. Holy cow! What's the difference? The producer is the person with the final say in the creation of a media project, whether a single song, an album, a movie, play, or whatever.
An executive producer figures out how to pay for it, and finds the material and human resources the producer needs. The producer decides when something is good enough, and when it's not. She hires and fires talent. The hardest part is when you have to drop someone you really like from a project, because their tracks just didn't work. The other hard part is knowing when to say one of these things- "That's not perfect, because *I'm* not perfect. If I did it a thousand times, I'd find a thousand little ways to screw it up. That's the best I can do. It's a keeper." "That's not the best you can do, and you know it. Sigh-take thirty-seven." "This song is beyond me right know- Delete from project. Guess I need a different song." Deciding which of those to say is the most important thing a producer does, and it applies to individual tracks, and entire songs. If you are going to produce yourself, you need to look very hard and very realistically at yourself, assess you strengths and weakness, and do what you can do, instead of trying to do what you can't. What you can't do is what practice is for. Production is all about showcasing the best that you *can* do. Sometimes the right thing to do is to go find people that can do what you can't. Working with people like that will also increase the things you *can* do, because if you're smart, you'll learn from them.
Miroslav and I have very different perspectives and approaches, and they are both valid. I think that if you can't do it in one take, you're not ready to record. One of the advantages of owning a studio is that you aren't pressured by time to "fix it in the mix". I said "one take", not *the first take*. On the other hand, spot editing and comp tracks can cut production time, and sometimes can save a truly great track with one or two fatal flaws. Like makeup, I believe these techniques should be used sparingly. That's a matter of taste, though, whether you prefer Heidi Klum or Alice Cooper. Are you being foolish to try and get it in one take? No. How do you get to Carnegie Hall, as they say? Practice, practice, practice. But, do a comp track or two, and some spot-editing with pitch correction, just to learn those techniques. Playing isn't the only thing you are practicing, so spread the love around.
Here's a warning for you. Discovering that you are a producer isn't the only thing that's going to creep up on you. The worst of it is when you discover that the CD you've sweated and fretted over, your baby, is finally done. Now it's a *product*, and you have to *sell* it, to cut your losses, upgrade your gear, and support the next project. Congratulations- Now you're in *sales*! If you survive that, you might become a recording artist, a producer, or both. Good luck. We'll be there for you. We're all in this together, as Red Green says.
