I came across this really interesting article with the vocalist of As I Lay Dying about his thoughts on all the different roles that go into making a record. it really sets a clear definition on what each person is doing while the record is being made. So here it is! I copied and pasted it underneath incase the link ever goes dead and somebody stumbles across it years from now and still wants to read.
http://buymalus.com/aild/secrets-of-the-studio
When people read the album credit for producer they all interpret that a little differently. For some people, a producer is the guy who helps the band write songs and arrange their record. For others he is the guy who helps dial in all of the tones on the guitars and drums. Then there are people who think the producer is the one in charge of capturing the tightest performances he can out of the band.
After years of studio experience in different roles (band member, producer, engineer, studio owner), Id like to reveal my opinion on the producer title to show the diverse talent of a guy like Adam D but also the importance of everyone else who worked our album that might go unnoticed. Naturally, Ive seen these roles from many different angles.
First off, Id like to say how grateful I am to have worked on most of my recent records with Daniel Castleman as an engineer who has thought me a lot. Working with an engineer I really trust helps separate the studio roles into their proper places to let each shine in its own way. To me a producer is the guy who keeps his mind on the bigger picture. Typically this means getting together with the band before the recording starts to work out songwriting ideas. Sometimes the producer is almost like an extra member of the band bringing in his own riffs or ideas. For bands who already have solid songwriters, the producer should be the guy makes sure the songs are arranged in the most affective way and ends up more like a co-producer with the band in this one regard. In the case of AILD, we had plenty of songwriting ideas and just wanted Adam D to fine tune everything with effective transitions and arrangement that helped get our songs the point a bit quicker.
The engineer on the other hand is the person who actually does the recording, micing, wiring, and ultimately may be the one dragging the best performance possible out of the band member he is working with. We worked with three engineers when tracking (Adam D, Daniel Castleman, and occasionally Joseph McQueen). A producer can afford to be a technical dummy when it comes to wiring everything up, but a good engineer knows how to mic up and capture the best performances. In fact, I know a couple producers who literally cant mic up a drum kit, but they work with some of the smartest engineers in the world. Although, an ideal situation is where the producer and engineer each excel and trust each other in their own fields while being able to crossover if needed. Thats where Adam D excels as a producer who also does a lot of engineering. A great engineer can focus in on the smallest nuances of sound to get each part as tight and clear as possible. Daniel, for instance, is able to pick out and fix slight inconsistencies in rhythm or tuning that I would never notice.
Long story short, sometimes its hard to look at the bigger picture when your other job is to hone in on the small stuff. For this reason, many producers/engineers capable of doing both jobs still hire someone else to take on of those jobs out of their hands from time to time or to spread out the workload to maintain clear thinking. As band members that is why we work with an entire team even though weve learned to do a lot of studio stuff ourselves as well. Were very happy with the entire team of people who helped record our new album and I cant wait to show the final mix to all of our fans!
Produced by Adam Dutkiewicz & As I Lay Dying
Engineered by Adam Dutkiewicz & Daniel Castleman
Additional vocal engineering and editing by Joseph McQueen
Mixed by Colin Richardson
Mix Engineer: Martyn Ginge Ford
Mixed at Lambesis Studios
Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound
Guitars, Bass, and Vocals recorded at Lambesis Studios in San Diego, CA
Drums recorded at Signature Sound in San Diego, CA
Pre-production done by As I Lay Dying, Daniel Castleman, and Kelly Cairns
Guitar tech: Joey St. Lucas
Drum tech: Mike Catalano
Thats all for my main point but theres more for anyone who likes this topic and doesnt mind hearing me rant further with my opinion on this stuff.
Some bands are incapable of working with a producer because they are already dead set on keeping things the way theyve written them. If that is the case with you or your band, then dont bother hiring a producer whos ideas you will constantly reject. Just hire a great engineer. On the flip side, if you or your band wants to listen to the outside perspective of someone who hasnt heard the songs a thousand times, then you will greatly benefit from a producer. I know this is stating the obvious, but fresh ideas usually come from a fresh set of ears. Just make sure that new perspective youre listening to is someone whos ideas you respect.
So, if youre like me, youre still wondering who is responsible for making the guitars sound so thick and the drum
tones sound so massive. Well, 90% of this comes down to the person who is mixing the record. As long as the original performances were captured with proper mic techniques and tuning, then the guy mixing the record can dial in the tones however he wants (sorry to leave you out ladies). In the case of As I Lay Dying, weve hired Colin Richardson because weve been fans of his work for a long time. We also think that An Ocean Between Us had the best drum sound of any of our albums, so we hired him again. This time Colin seems to have spent a little more time on the guitars because he had more resources (mainly amps & cabs that we owned) available to him. The original guitars were tracked with one amp, but in the final mix we changed our minds and Colin reamped them with a different sound. That part alone took 3 days!
I could go on forever, but Ill leave it at that until my next blog post.
tim
http://buymalus.com/aild/secrets-of-the-studio
When people read the album credit for producer they all interpret that a little differently. For some people, a producer is the guy who helps the band write songs and arrange their record. For others he is the guy who helps dial in all of the tones on the guitars and drums. Then there are people who think the producer is the one in charge of capturing the tightest performances he can out of the band.
After years of studio experience in different roles (band member, producer, engineer, studio owner), Id like to reveal my opinion on the producer title to show the diverse talent of a guy like Adam D but also the importance of everyone else who worked our album that might go unnoticed. Naturally, Ive seen these roles from many different angles.
First off, Id like to say how grateful I am to have worked on most of my recent records with Daniel Castleman as an engineer who has thought me a lot. Working with an engineer I really trust helps separate the studio roles into their proper places to let each shine in its own way. To me a producer is the guy who keeps his mind on the bigger picture. Typically this means getting together with the band before the recording starts to work out songwriting ideas. Sometimes the producer is almost like an extra member of the band bringing in his own riffs or ideas. For bands who already have solid songwriters, the producer should be the guy makes sure the songs are arranged in the most affective way and ends up more like a co-producer with the band in this one regard. In the case of AILD, we had plenty of songwriting ideas and just wanted Adam D to fine tune everything with effective transitions and arrangement that helped get our songs the point a bit quicker.
The engineer on the other hand is the person who actually does the recording, micing, wiring, and ultimately may be the one dragging the best performance possible out of the band member he is working with. We worked with three engineers when tracking (Adam D, Daniel Castleman, and occasionally Joseph McQueen). A producer can afford to be a technical dummy when it comes to wiring everything up, but a good engineer knows how to mic up and capture the best performances. In fact, I know a couple producers who literally cant mic up a drum kit, but they work with some of the smartest engineers in the world. Although, an ideal situation is where the producer and engineer each excel and trust each other in their own fields while being able to crossover if needed. Thats where Adam D excels as a producer who also does a lot of engineering. A great engineer can focus in on the smallest nuances of sound to get each part as tight and clear as possible. Daniel, for instance, is able to pick out and fix slight inconsistencies in rhythm or tuning that I would never notice.
Long story short, sometimes its hard to look at the bigger picture when your other job is to hone in on the small stuff. For this reason, many producers/engineers capable of doing both jobs still hire someone else to take on of those jobs out of their hands from time to time or to spread out the workload to maintain clear thinking. As band members that is why we work with an entire team even though weve learned to do a lot of studio stuff ourselves as well. Were very happy with the entire team of people who helped record our new album and I cant wait to show the final mix to all of our fans!
Produced by Adam Dutkiewicz & As I Lay Dying
Engineered by Adam Dutkiewicz & Daniel Castleman
Additional vocal engineering and editing by Joseph McQueen
Mixed by Colin Richardson
Mix Engineer: Martyn Ginge Ford
Mixed at Lambesis Studios
Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound
Guitars, Bass, and Vocals recorded at Lambesis Studios in San Diego, CA
Drums recorded at Signature Sound in San Diego, CA
Pre-production done by As I Lay Dying, Daniel Castleman, and Kelly Cairns
Guitar tech: Joey St. Lucas
Drum tech: Mike Catalano
Thats all for my main point but theres more for anyone who likes this topic and doesnt mind hearing me rant further with my opinion on this stuff.
Some bands are incapable of working with a producer because they are already dead set on keeping things the way theyve written them. If that is the case with you or your band, then dont bother hiring a producer whos ideas you will constantly reject. Just hire a great engineer. On the flip side, if you or your band wants to listen to the outside perspective of someone who hasnt heard the songs a thousand times, then you will greatly benefit from a producer. I know this is stating the obvious, but fresh ideas usually come from a fresh set of ears. Just make sure that new perspective youre listening to is someone whos ideas you respect.
So, if youre like me, youre still wondering who is responsible for making the guitars sound so thick and the drum
tones sound so massive. Well, 90% of this comes down to the person who is mixing the record. As long as the original performances were captured with proper mic techniques and tuning, then the guy mixing the record can dial in the tones however he wants (sorry to leave you out ladies). In the case of As I Lay Dying, weve hired Colin Richardson because weve been fans of his work for a long time. We also think that An Ocean Between Us had the best drum sound of any of our albums, so we hired him again. This time Colin seems to have spent a little more time on the guitars because he had more resources (mainly amps & cabs that we owned) available to him. The original guitars were tracked with one amp, but in the final mix we changed our minds and Colin reamped them with a different sound. That part alone took 3 days!
I could go on forever, but Ill leave it at that until my next blog post.
tim
