Recording - August 2012 - 44

the client. Since the client is paying, whatever the client wants, the client gets. This can often make creative decisions difficult, as the technical staff must also balance the desires of the artists and producers involved. The Artist The role of the artist is obvious. The artist is the human face of the music, and in most cases, the artist is the performer as well. To the financial backers, the artist represents the raw material necessary to make a musical product. To the technical team, the artist is a client that must be kept both happy and productive at all costs. While most artists are great to work for, pleasing a persnickety

The Producer This has become the most multi-faceted job description—these days, “producer” can mean almost anything. Traditionally, in the film industry the producer did not interact with the talent—producers hired directors who worked with actors. By contrast, still traditionally, producers in the record industry worked with the talent, directing and guiding singers and musicians and arrangers and enginers towards the final product that the producer was charged with to deliver to the label. The conventional record producer has varied responsibilities. On the business side, producers liaise with the financial backers, including taking care of budgets, staying on schedule, and hiring musicians and studios. Musically, a producer helps an artist achieve creative goals while simultaneously keeping standards to a professional and competitive level. Producers, many of whom are musicians themselves, will sometimes participate in the writing and arranging on projects, with some producers even contributing performances. On the engineering front, producers oversee a project, managing engineers to ensure everything is sonically appropriate. In perhaps the most difficult of responsibilities, producers often have to act as parent or even a psychologist to artists. Coaxing the best performance possible can involve anything from staying out of the artist’s way, to well-worded therapy. The wide-ranging talents incorporated under the moniker of “producer” mean that a variety of producer-types exist in the music business. Some work as staff producers for record labels or production companies, keeping alive the old ways of the record industry. Still others are freelance, and are employed on a project basis by artists or labels. Perhaps the greatest number of producers are actually independent artists, self-producing themselves in order to save money or maintain creative control. A rather new definition of “producer” is that of a musician who prepares the complete music track in his own studio, then hires a singer to perform the vocals, mixes the final project and shops it for commercial release. Many a singer’s career began with such a “producer” deal that gave the singer a start and in turn made the producer a known entity in the business.

There are of course advantages to self-production, as many of Recording’s readers know very well. Not only can it save money, but it can teach the hybrid musician-engineer-producer the ins and outs of the recording process.
diva can be challenging. Even more difficult is a situation where the “artist” is actually a band with multiple and competing personas. Placating the creative whims of individual band members is a labor most professional recording engineers know all too well. As mentioned earlier, roles in the modern production process are not as delineated as they once were. Today’s artists are usually much more than just performers and it is quite common to find an artist who also writes songs, produces, engineers, and even runs their own production company or record label. Session Musicians Session musicians are non-band member performers hired to play on a project. Session musicians usually represent the cream of musical talent, offering great sight-reading ability, stylistic flexibility, and fabulous-sounding instruments. Session players are usually easy to work with, as they are familiar with the political subtleties involved in high-stress studio work. To the technical team, session musicians are considered clients, and are treated with utmost care and respect.
44
RECORDING August 2012

The Vocal Coach In modern R&B and Hip-Hop production, a new type of producer has evolved. Often called vocal coaches, these vocal-only producers work with singers to craft competitive, attention-grabbing performances. In many cases vocal coaches are singers themselves and contribute to the writing and singing of harmony and background parts. Vocal producers may also be responsible for maintaining the singer’s health, and providing any psychological advice that may be needed to keep the artist productive. The Recording (or Tracking) Engineer Recording engineers are responsible for making sure all tracks are captured in a professional manner to the liking of the producer, artist, and financial backers. Traditional engineers have little say in musical decisions, and instead focus on technical issues. Other engineers may double as producers, offering both creative and business advice. Like producers, engineers may be either freelance, or employed by a studio, artist, or production company. Many recording engineers also own their own studios, and frequently use them in a hybrid producer-engineer capacity. The Assistant (or Second) Engineer Assistant engineers are engineers-in-training and help the engineer, producer, and artist in the studio. Assistants perform a variety of duties, including setting up gear, teaching the lead engineer new equipment, patching, taking notes, and solving potential problems before they might stop a session cold. Whereas most producers and engineers are freelance, recording studios usually employ assistants. In this manner, projects don’t necessarily choose an assistant; they select a studio, which provides an assistant with each rental. In some cases a project will hire a studio but not bring in an outside recording engineer. In these cases the assistant is temporarily promoted to “first” engineer to complete the session.

Recording - August 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - August 2012