What is the role of a Record Producer?
The main job of the Record Producer, is to produce the record or CD. There are a number of different responsibilities within this job classification, some creative and others business-oriented.
A Producer helps the artist select tunes to be recorded. Once the artist has rehearsed and is ready to record, the Producer will locate a suitable recording studio in which to record and arrange for studio time. The Producer will select an engineer, hire an arranger, and contact a contractor who will secure background musicians and vocalists for the job.
The Producer or Production Assistant will make sure that all those hired arrive at the studio on time. The Producer is responsible for ensuring that those who have been hired are paid promptly.
During the recording session, the Producer will work closely with the engineer. The Producer advises the engineer of any specific sounds or feelings he or she is trying to create. It is the Producer's role to supervise the entire recording session, making decisions about when to do a take over, what to use, etc.
The Producer usually adds a personal touch to the recording. This is sometimes a special sound effect or the way a tune is began or ended. Often it is a blend of instruments or vocal harmony. It is not unusual for a Producer to place his or her trademark on records.
It is up to the producer to keep the recording within the budget agreed upon. Going over budget often costs the label or artist thousands of dollars extra.
Does the Producer have a role in mixing the record?
After the recording is made, the Producer is in charge of "mixing" it to perfection. Although the Producer does not always perform this function personally, (special engineers or mixers are often hired), he or she always supervises this function. Success or failure in the mixing process can be what makes or breaks a record.
After the recording session is over, the producer usually goes home and waits for several days or even weeks before mixing down to a 2 track stereo master. This waiting period enables the producer to take a fresh and more objective view of the project.
If the tunes recorded are for a CD, the Producer will help to choose the order in which they are placed. He or she will also select the single from the CD.
What is the purpose of Mixing?
In mixing, each track is equalized. Echo, delays or other special effects may be added and decisions may be made to re-record certain parts of a song. The producer must decide where to place each track in the stereo spectrum. A track may be heard in the left or right speaker alone, it may be centered , (which makes is equally audible on both speakers) or it may be positioned slightly to the left or right. The way the tracks are placed will influence the total sound. The producer will listen to the effects of each division and decide when and how the desired effect is achieved.
Does the Producer's role extend beyond the recording phase?
The Producer is involved with all aspects of the record. When the recording and mixing have been completed, the Producer's job does not end. Though the creative process is almost over, the Record Producer must attend to many of the business aspects of producing.
The Producer is responsible for clearing mechanical licenses, making sure that all copyrights are checked, and providing completed consent forms and releases from artists, engineers, photographers, etc., who worked on the project (if they are to receive credit on the record). The Producer must also submit receipts and paid bills to the record company.
Who employs a Record Producer?
The Record Producer may work on staff for a label or be an independent Producer, freelancing his or her talents. The Producer on staff at a record company is responsible to the A&R department head. The Producer who freelances may be responsible directly to the label or to the artist. This depends on the arrangement made beforehand.
How is the Producer compensated?
Record Producers on staff at a record company may earn a salary plus royalties on records they produce. Producers who freelance as independents are paid a fee for their services by either the label or the artist. In addition, they are always paid royalties on works they produce. The amount of royalties differ from Producer to Producer. Those with past success can negotiate for larger royalty payments. This money if often advanced to the Producer.
What qualifications are important in selecting a Producer?
The most important qualification for a Record Producer is the ability to pick hit tunes. Every artist wants a hit song. Producers must have a good musical "ear" an the ability to know what will sound good. He or she must be able to hear raw talent and have the ability to foresee how it will sound if properly arranged and recorded.
Producers with musical training and experience in the studio are most effective.
Basic Skills to Look For in a Producer:
1. Business Skills - The ability to pick hits, coordinate sessions, complete paperwork, negotiate good vendor deals, and work within a budget. Attention to details - booking time, hiring musicians, arrangers, engineers, etc.
2. Musical Skills - Having the ability to hear what is in tune or out of tune. Writing charts and arrangements in the studio and combining sounds in an unusual and pleasing way.
3. Psychological Skills - Knowing how to handle talent. Exercising judgment - knowing when to take a beak, quit or go on. Knowing how to get the best performance out of the artists, singers and musicians. Ability to work long hours under stress. Projecting energy and enthusiasm, whatever one's true feelings.
4. Technical Skills - Knowledge of multi-track recordings and the consol to get the maximum desirable effects. Willingness to experiment with sounds, microphones, and outboard gear until the best sound is achieved. Ability to hear what sounds good in the mix in order to highlight the most important parts of a performance.
What is mastering?
After the mix is completed, a master must be prepared in a special studio to prepare for manufacturing on disc, CD or tape. It is wise for the producer to attend the mastering. After the mastering is done, the producer gets a sample pressing for listening purposes. The producer will listen carefully for balances, hisses, pops, or other distortions.
What role does the producer play beyond mastering?
Most producers will remain involved in such matters as the cover, liner notes, credits and back-cover graphics. Producers with contacts in the promotion area, especially with radio stations, will often assist in the promotion of the record.
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Copyright law is part of a
larger body of law called intellectual property law or IP law.
Copyright
is a legal mechanism that protects the rights of the individual creators and
owners of intellectual properties—artists, writers, photographers,
composers—and their original works from unauthorized and uncompensated
appropriation. In other words, copyright law protects the creators of
intellectual properties by controlling the unauthorized "copying" and
distribution of their works.
The essence of the Copyright
Law of the United States (Section 102(a)) is:
Copyright protection
subsists, in accordance with this title (Title 17), in the original works of
authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later
developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise
communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.
Under U.S. copyright law, "authorship"
is further defined as including the IP output or product of the
following "expressive" activities:
Copyright law does
not protect ideas, procedures, processes, systems, methods of operation,
concepts, principles, or discoveries, regardless of how these excluded
expressions are described or illustrated.
Protection under copyright law does include
compilations and derivative works, so long as the use of such selections of the
copyrighted work of others is lawful. Also, the copyright protection in the case
of compilations and derivative works extends only to any and all new
material, but not to those components of the compilation or
derivative work already copyrighted by their original authors. Note that in
copyright law, the term author is used to denote any creator of an
original work, regardless of the form of the work.
While British and American
copyright law has become an important part of global trade, it is not the only
copyright tradition. Many countries have modeled their intellectual property
laws on the French Napoleonic legal system, which bases the protection of
intellectual property on author-right. In the late twentieth century and early
twenty-first century, the inherent conflicts between the copyright legal
tradition and the author-right legal tradition have presented a major challenge
in the negotiation of international trade agreements. Here are the basic
differences between the two approaches:
Note: Contains information provided by Career Opportunities in The Music Industry, Fourth Edition; by Shelly Field and The Music Business, 3rd Edition; by Dick Weissman.
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