producer and their.. production

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Are bands starting to regain their say in what their music is going to sound like? Its hard for me to grasp the concept of someone else stepping all over my music. scary to think about actually. Alot of you, being very talented producers (...right???), could probably give musicians like me alot of advice on what to stay away from when i start to put out my LP and tour. How much trust should i put into a producer? should i even have a producer? as far as contracts, am i stuck with a shitty producer if i sign the wrong deal?

Your last question pretty much sums it up, I think.

For a lot of the bigger labels and for producers who see nothing but dollar signs in their eyes, the band is little more than the raw material from which to mold a potential hit factory ("hit" defined as something profitable, not necessarily something popular, though that's good too). If the A&R guy thinks a band has the basic elements to be turned into something that fills a need on their roster, a producer can be assigned that knows how to make those adjustments. It's not dissimilar to a movie studio buying a script not so much because they think the script is a killer, but because they think they can rewrite it into a killer.

It's not just the big labels with full A&R and star production names, either. There are pleny of indie producers, managers and "consultants" who take the same tack. They see it as their job to mold the artist(s) into something marketable. Where it can cross the line from the artist's standpoint is when they bend, fold and mutilate the production like a bought movie script until you can barely recognize the original artists or their originally intended sound before the "experts" stepped in.

It comes down to your contract. If you've signed a standard contract to a decent-sized label, chances are you've sold your soul and have no rights in what direction the production takes or who produces it. If you are just an indie artist who are hiring your own engineers, producers, etc., then it's a different story, you have the hire/fire capability and therefore the final decision-making authority - unless you've written or agreed to a contract worthy of Daniel Webster.

In such an indie production case where you get to choose your own producer, save time, money and aggrivation by seriously shopping around first. Look for a producer who will care and who has the chops to make you sound special, but who sees his job as bringing out the essence of the music rather than making it into an essence of his own design.

G.

 

[junplugged]

communication has to be there, you should be able to tell him EXACTLY what you're telling us or you have a communication problem with the guy.

 

[FALKEN]

wow. this pretty much makes the case for the local, in-n-out, studio that pumps out 4 bands a week.

digital editing can be ok. It sure is easier to comp a good vocal track than it is with tape and a mixer. same with guitar leads. and you can fix a drum take that was stellar but had one screwed up fill. thats pretty cool. what this guy did sounds like overkill. not only is it fake but it won't sound any good either, at least from a critical standpoint. many people who aren't musicians might hear it and think it sounds great. But it sounds like you are dissapointed with the outcome and you have laid out the reasons why, so we don't really need to debate any of this.

maybe having a talk with the producer might change the situation. If he insists that he is right and you are wrong, I think you should get somebody else to mix it. get the raw tracks from the producer and have someone else mix it. if the raw tracks are that horrible, just start over. don't put out crap if you care about it this much. and dont waste any more time so that you can stop paying this guy as soon as possible.

 

[Ronan]

Its hard to comment on quality not knowing who the producer is or hearing the music, but it sounds like what is doing to you guys is standard MO for lots of producers that are currently making records that make a lot of money.

In my opinion the one major fuck up that seems to have happened is that producer did not set aside some time with the band before the sessions and talk about music you guys love and the different options that are on the table about the kind of record you should make.

I make tons of records and sometimes I am just a cheerleader with engineering chops, other times I am re-writing people songs and replaying their parts. Its all about establishing a vision for the project and then trying to get that done.

 

[glimmer_doll]

I hate to be the one to break this to you,

but while your band and your label were on that cruise ...

Mixerman, your Producer, and the Producer's nephew all replaced your guitar and bass lines. To make matters worse, the nephew has also been sleeping with your guitar player's girlfriend.

And the funny guy with the smelly Parka ... he's been editing your drum tracks like crazy.

LMFAO

I just startd rereading that last night...

 

[notbradsohner]

less talk more rock! Post a link...........














or do it yourself

 

[nonovice]

Did you hear that?

It's the sound of Steve Albini loading his revolver. Sorry I couldn't help it.

 

[Robert D]

It's all about not eating the producers favorite doughnut.