PRODUCTION / PRODUCER

 

 

DEFINITION The "producer" involved here is not the financial producer - it's the artistic producer. The producer's official job is to create a "sound" for an album. A general aspect, something which will help defining the album's personality. In a way, the producer is the "translator" : from the music to the record. Often, he helps doing the music as well, and he's heavily involved in post production. The producer's job appeared when musicians and bands began to understand that the studio can be an instrument, and a very interesting one as well. The producer is the "studio instrumentist". Nowadays, it's considered as quite hard to make a serious album without a producer.

 

A FEW FAMOUS PRODUCERS Mark Bell (Bjork) Brian Eno (Bowie, U2) Daniel Lanois (U2) William Orbit (Madonna)   Brian Eno

 

THINGS THE PRODUCER DOES Creating interesting studio situations (see for instance Brian Eno's oblique strategies) Proposing tools, computer tools, unexpected instruments.... Designing interesting ways of recording things. Meddling with the sounds, and tracks. Giving advice to the musicians. Supervising the mix, and the mastering. The producer can sometimes be part of the band : Waters was very often playing the role of Pink Floyd's producer or co producer, along with Bob Ezrin.   Back to main index