Music producers don’t get as much recognition or adoration as they deserve. The simple fact is that without them, we wouldn’t have any music. They’re the brains behind every big hit; they’re in charge of pretty much everything.
What’s interesting is that loads of people don’t know what a music producer actually does. So, here’s a rundown of the key things they do when producing a song:
Creating the music
A music producer is in charge of creating or composing the music for a song. They choose the type of song, what beat they’re looking for, and the instruments they want in the composition. Sometimes, they get help from beatmakers or other music professionals to compose a song. But, they’re in charge of how everything sounds, and a song will never reach public ears if the producer isn’t happy with it.
Writing the lyrics
Some music producers will write the lyrics to songs as well. This has become very common in recent times, and a lot of big artists don’t write their own music. Instead, it’s either written by the producer, or they co-write it together. Sometimes, artists want the producer to write the lyrics because they can make it fit the music better.
Gathering any musicians
If musicians are required for a song, then the producer will be in charge of finding them. This can sometimes be as simple as bringing in a drummer to help play a specific beat or calling in a backing singer to lend their vocals to a song. The best music producers have lots of industry contacts, meaning they can call big and successful names to be part of songs.
Coaching the artists during recording sessions
Music producers are always present during recording sessions for a song. Here, they offer coaching to the artist – or artists. Effectively, they explain how certain parts of the song should be sung, what emotions need to be put in it, the speed, etc. This helps bond the lyrics to the music, creating a better piece altogether.
Audio mixing & mastering
Naturally, a big role of music producers is mixing the audio for a song. They take lots of different recording tracks from sessions and mix them together to create the perfect song. Each part of a piece of music gets recorded separately. For example, the artist will be recorded singing, but the actual music is recorded on a separate track to this. Therefore, mixing is vital as it brings everything together in perfect alignment.
Also, music producers can take charge of mastering the audio too. This is where the audio mix is finalized, then transferred onto a master device where it can be copied and sent off for mass production.
As you can see, a music producer has lots of responsibilities. It’s worth pointing out that some producers take on more work than others. One music producer may handle everything mentioned above, while another may only focus on two or three things while delegating the rest to other people. Either way, the music producer will always be the person in charge of a song; they control everything and turn ideas into reality.