I am crediting Klaz Klinghoffer, LA producer, for a good portion of much of my material.
Picking a music producer for your music can quite possibly define your sound for much longer than you think.
1. Listen to the producer’s latest work:
Chance of finding the right music producer for you decreases drastically if you do not listen to what the producer has done before. (Even if someone recommended a specific producer, he might not be what you’re looking for, so make sure to hear his work.
2. Make sure that what you hear is what you get:
I can’t tell you how many times producers post music on their website that they didn’t produce! Sometime they played the guitars, and sometime they made suggestions, and they feel it’s good enough reasonto post the song on their website.Make sure to ask when you meet the producer if they produced the tracks you heard and liked.
3. Music producer role:
A lot of people, especially people that are new to the industry, don’t understand what a music producer does. The most common example, is they think mixing the music is part of the music production, whille a mix engineer is a completely different proffesion. Same applies to recording the music, some producers simply don’t know how to do it and will charge extra for a recording studio. People end up paying for a music producer X amount of money, thinking their gonna get a radio-ready song, just to find out that they need to pay extra money to a recording studio ,a mix engineer , and . Make sure you ask your producer if he recorded the instruments and vocals on his previous work himself, and if not, where did they do it.
Make sure to ask him who mixed and mastered the music (some actually do provide those services and include them in the price) , to avoid paying double the money you planned on spending.
4. Don’t be blinded by the studio and “gear”:
I actually can’t believe people who are messaging me asking me what gear do I use…The gear a producer or an engineer use isn’t a factor if you like their job! (Do you ask a doctor with which tool they’re goona do the opration with)The oldest trick in the book that I know would be to meet the client in a big studio that looks fantastic. Some own a studio like that , and some rent when they are meeting a client or working with one. You need to remember that those big shiny studios can be owned or rented by bad music producers, and those big shiny studios will be reflected on the price. On the other hand, if a producer you liked decides to bring you to his home studio, and you do not feel comfortable there,you can actually ask him to rent a studio and work there (and they probably know of one which is available to them,
5. Connecting with a producer is important:
A good personal connection is important, but it’s not that important if you compromise on other stuff. If you need surgery, would you take a nice doctor, or a good doctor? (Hopfully you chose a good doctor, it’s your life we’re talking about!) I would say that if you can find a good producer you can connect with you’ve done right, but if you are compromising your sound,you are making a big mistake. I know a lot of “producers” who work in the industry only because they are great salesmen.
6. Do you really know how to spot a good production ?
People that are new to the industry would have a hard time hearing that, which is perfectly natural, we weren’t born with the ability to hear good production, we need to learn how to listen. Make sure you have someone around you to consult with who knows the industry well.
7. Is it important to work with a well known music producer?
Yes, if you can afford to do at least one track on your album with a well know music producer you should definitely do that.The music industry is all about who you know (as unfortunate as it may sound), and you can be sure that if you worked with someone important people will open their ears. The thing is, those guys are very expensive, so that might not be an option.
I have a list of great producers I have worked with over the years that are spread across the globe. They have a couple of things in common: they are not simply the best at their trade, but very personable people that are team players all the way through the project. When you think of a great song remember there is always a great producer behind the scenes.