Can I take credit as co-producer on this one?

[blackcom]

Lets say I'm solely the person who's tracking the singers vocals. We're tracking it line by line. It's my responsibility to make the decision if a take is good enough to keep or if we have to do it again until it gets right. The singer always asks me "hey, your call, is it good enough?" Then i'd either say "let's do it again" or "yeah sounds good, let's try next liine".
Sometimes the singer and I would also reach the conclusion together wether a take was good enough or not.

Most of the time i'd have to tell the singer if he was singing out of tune, how much, wich words etc and how we should try it differently. If we where dubbing the vocals i'd have to tell if it sounded tight enough and eventually what parts that we needed to redo to get it right.


Does that make me a co-producer or am I still just an engineer.

 

[Erik Monsonis]

How do produce?

 

[Williamn]

Nope you cant.
You are still just doing your job as a AE while providing some quality control

To say co-producer your role would be more like "Hey, how about we change this few lines around and then at the end you hit a high G note".

 

[Mikaël-ange]

Nope you cant.
You are still just doing your job as a AE while providing some quality control

To say co-producer your role would be more like "Hey, how about we change this few lines around and then at the end you hit a high G note".

Not really sure since AE is most gear/technic oriented. When you start giving your point of view (and are asked for) about musical direction/performance... you start producing.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Although technically, that is producing.
There is no was that you can realistically take credit for it.
As essentially, it's just the same as telling a guitarist to re-do a part because it wasn't tight or he could get a better harmonic or w/e

 

[slashvanyoung]

As always, there's no definite line or rule to this. It comes down to you and the band evaluating your input. I personally wouldn't claim producer credits when I'm "only" nodding-off takes. However, if you feel that your guidance was instrumental to creatively guide and shape the record, then why not claim your credit?

Many big guys in the business, like Rubin, even claim credits for simply nodding-off an entire record. They're rather selling their name than their expertise in that case, though.

 

[AudioGeekZine]

unless its in the contract you don't have any control over what you'll be credited for. What you're describing I'd say is part of being a good recordist.

 

[felipe-x]

and what about if the band have never recored the songs before, and i have to create some new drum parts cause what they did on midi was horrible. then tell the singer where to sing the harmonies cause they asked for help on that, and where to double vocals,etc. And then, take the guitarists riffs and start making gtr arrangement for the song while they are recording the official guitars? doing the same with bass also. and doing the same with strings/brass/violins/ambience ? and one of the guitarists play like shit!.

oh and they always ask me about witch take will be the final for vocals also!.

and of course after that editing the drums, mixing and mastering?

im doing that for a band that is going to release an EP soon. and they are like Paramore.

pd: at least their singer(she) is is hot!!


is that being a producer and mixer engineer right?

 

[AudioGeekZine]

^ Filipe you're definitely doing producing there.

Traditionally a producer gets points on record sales in addition to flat rate. An engineer does not get royalties.
It has to be in the contract.

 

[OctoberRust]

Whatever you do, make sure you don't fuck up a good relationship.
Arguing about who's getting the credit can cause some bad blood, even among bands themselves.

Just imagine playing guitar in a recording band and the studio guy, who once suggested "hey why don't you play this note instead at the end of the solo", wants his name in the credits like "additional guitar arrangement by xy".

I think the best way of giving the guy(s) in the studio credit, if they were actually helping and suggesting things, is to have something like "produced by xy and *bandname*" in the beginning of liner notes. I think this sounds like a collective effort, which is, to me, just what it's like!

 

[James Murphy]

unless its in the contract [or verbal agreement] you don't have any control over what you'll be credited for.

this is the correct answer... that's my real-world, practical experience of 16 years doing this type of work speaking. asking for or insisting upon credits that you do not have an agreement in place to receive, be that agreement verbal or written, will often generate bad blood... which is to be avoided as much as possible. however, if you have a good relationship with the artist, and/or the label, and you feel comfortable broaching the subject, you might mention it and inquire about your credit being upgraded. but, i wouldn't make a habit of it.

 

[SimonTaddio_Qc]

You offen see in CD booklets something like:
Produced by: The amazing Dr. X
Drums (or vocals or whatever) recorded by/at: XXXXX's Studio

So I'd say it's allright to get credit to have recorded the vocals, because that's what you did. But as far as co-producing itself, I don't think you can claim that you get this spot. To me, a producer, or co-producer, will get artistically involved in every step of the album's production (well, at theast the part that is music), and they will get to work for 18hrs/day for the entire production process.
As someone already said above, you basically get a producer for his/her expertise over every step of the production process.
But I will also add that probably 100% of AE that got to become "real" producers (renown?) couldn't help themselves to pitch their ideas like you did to the artists they were recording, even tho they weren't "producing" in the proper sense.
So, like it's been said, I don't think you can say you co-produced it, but it doesn't mean that you are doing something wrong...we just live in a cruel world