Do You Need a Producer?

Before we answer that question, maybe we should discuss what a music producer does. A producer has been described as a glorified baby sitter. Now before all those very talented and well-paid producers out there jump all over me, let me say that that description was provided by a music producer. In the old days, when record labels dominated the music landscape, the label would hire a producer and his job was basically to make a hit album. It was his responsibility to hire a recording studio (unless the label had one of its own), hire session musicians, choose the songs (unless the label's A&R guy did that), make sure the artist and the members of the band showed up on time and at the right place, and then use his or her creativity to help the band produce a hit song. So you probably can see where the "baby sitter" description came from.

Today with most musicians being independent (not signed to a label), it is the artist who often hires the producer. The producer can still be responsible for all the jobs listed above, but more likely just a few of them. An artist may have already chosen a studio before hiring a producer. Since many artists today write many of their own songs, song choice may come down to choosing what to include and what to leave out. For a vocalist, the producer may need to bring in some session players, but many bands have all the musicians they need. So the producer's job may boil down to just the creative aspect (which still requires a great deal of knowledge and talent).

So back to the original question. Do you really need to hire a producer? Many established acts wouldn't think of going into the studio without one. The producer can relieve the musicians of lot of details allowing them to pursue the more creative aspects of their music.

But what if you are a relatively new group getting ready to record your first CD? A music producer can be very expensive and may be beyond your budget. So what do you do? Basically, you need to assign someone to act as the producer, although you may not call him or her the producer. You may want to split the producer's duties up among the band members. Maybe the drummer can be responsible for finding a recording studio. The lead guitarist may be responsible for choosing the songs. In the studio you need to appoint someone to be in charge. You don't want to waste valuable studio time arguing among yourselves. While there may be an occasional disagreement, the person in charge should make the final decision. Work out your arrangements before coming into the studio. That way you are polishing your studio performance, not creating it. Having someone in charge is especially important during the mixing process, since typically each musician wants his instrument to be louder.

While an engineer seldom gets producer credit, a good recording engineer can also help with the creative process. Sometimes the engineer can see the forest when the band members are hopelessly lost in the trees. You can help the engineer by bringing him copies of the music or lyric sheets when you come into the studio.

So whether you hire a music producer or appoint members of the band to serve in that capacity, you will have a producer in the studio. Then when your hit record makes it big, you can hire one of the really big-name producers for your next project.