YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCING TIP

[Plec]

One of the weirdest comments I've ever had in the studio was a band going "You know, we've been here for over a week now, and you've not told us one single time what any of this gear costs".

Apparently it's not that uncommon for people with studios trying to sell bands with the gear that they have (but have no idea how to use). If it's expensive it must be da bomb, right?

Just do your best and help the artists sound like they want to sound without ever getting side-tracked into thinking technology and cool gear will do that for them, is my philosophy.

I got to second Ermz' comment that, assume they will do everything wrong and you need to go in there and fix it. If you think like that you will always be covered for the worst.. and if not.. great!

 

[Terminus]

Here's one I heard way back on the first demo we did in an old band.

"Do it again."

 

[Omega_Void]

... "producing" meaning tracking...

"Producing" does not mean tracking. Or mixing.

The job of a producer is to:
ensure the recording gets made
(1) on time
(2) under budget
(3) to the specifications of the client.
No more and no less than that.

The producer does not have to touch a single knob to do his job, but he does have to arrange for somebody to do so.

That's why you may see an inlay saying "produced by Andy Sneap" and also "tracked by Andy Sneap and some other guy" and also "mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap".

Separate credits because they are separate jobs, even if they're done by the same guy.

 

[jipchen]

"Producing" does not mean tracking. Or mixing.

Yeah, I'm aware of that. Hence my post, because lots of people in this thread seem to give tips on tracking or mixing and not on producing.

 

[RedDog]

Producing tip? Smile. Laugh. Be assertive and confident. It rubs off. Above all, don't slack.

 

[sk8a123]

highpass fucking everything.

why would you high pass a bass?

 

[[UEAK]Clowd]

why would you high pass a bass?

dont really need anything below 30hz-ish

 

[dcb]

thanks guys for participating !

yet i really would like to focus on producing here.
we already have millions of threads about mixing.
but in my humble opinion the key to great music and records is production.

so keep em coming!

 

[MetalMiller]

C4

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Make the artists feel comfortable. If the vocalist doesn't like being in the studio room singing to an expensive condenser mic wearing headphones, don't make him do it just because you have the chance to use some fancy gear and that's how it's "supposed" to be done. If the artists feel good and natural about the recording process and they're having fun, it will sound through on the record. Who gives a fuck if every drum hit is perfectly lined up if the vibe of the music is yelling "fuck, we need to cut these songs in time and it feels like work." It's all about the music. Some of my favorite albums have quite a bit of mistakes, but the vibe and energy makes those albums what they are. I'm not saying the engineer/producer should be lazy or shoddy in his job, though. You just have to priorize. The music itself comes first.

 

[El_Gato]

I've put this into practice for live and studio because now I look back and remember when I was the one hiring studios (some of them had tape machines and such ) and I 'll tell you: It fucking works:


Humor

Some laughs in such a stressing situation like recording in a studio (and live) is golden. Too many bands split up at the studio. After the 8th take, the drummer/vocalist is tired, not very motivated and stressed. He'll appreciate it.

 

[gabriel g.]

IMO the most important thing is:

Try to push the band to the maximum.
Try to understand what their songs want to tell the listener.
Tune after every take

 

[Ermz]

thanks guys for participating !

yet i really would like to focus on producing here.
we already have millions of threads about mixing.
but in my humble opinion the key to great music and records is production.

so keep em coming!

To be honest, I'm a bit on the fence about that.

To me over-production is one of the major culprits killing music today. When you focus so much on production gimmicks, tricks, layers, panning FX, you take away from what is essentially the purity of the song. You don't create lasting quality this way.

Great production may sometimes be as simple as acknowledging that an artist has what is, at its heart, a really good vision, and simply doing one's best to bring that out in the most prominent way possible.

On my daily 2-hour trips to and from the studio, I recently listened to a prominent mainstream radio station here the entire time for one trip, and didn't hear a single song that caught me for the entire 2 hours. All I heard was woefully overproduced R'n'B, auto-tune used as a staple effect, and everything processed into what was essentially the McDonald's equivalent of music. Made me realize that choosing not to tune in to the radio even once in the last 10 years was a great call.

 

[vikk]

To be honest, I'm a bit on the fence about that.

To me over-production is one of the major culprits killing music today. When you focus so much on production gimmicks, tricks, layers, panning FX, you take away from what is essentially the purity of the song. You don't create lasting quality this way.

Great production may sometimes be as simple as acknowledging that an artist has what is, at its heart, a really good vision, and simply doing one's best to bring that out in the most prominent way possible.

On my daily 2-hour trips to and from the studio, I recently listened to a prominent mainstream radio station here the entire time for one trip, and didn't hear a single song that caught me for the entire 2 hours. All I heard was woefully overproduced R'n'B, auto-tune used as a staple effect, and everything processed into what was essentially the McDonald's equivalent of music. Made me realize that choosing not to tune in to the radio even once in the last 10 years was a great call.

Massenburg did a great speech about that

 

[amarshism]

Perhaps try the eno? producer cards. Shit like, do it backwards, do the opposite, if it's too loud and you're thinking about lowering the level, raise it instead etc.

 

[MicSlut666]

To me over-production is one of the major culprits killing music today. When you focus so much on production gimmicks, tricks, layers, panning FX, you take away from what is essentially the purity of the song. You don't create lasting quality this way.

+1

 

[dcb]

Great production may sometimes be as simple as acknowledging that an artist has what is, at its heart, a really good vision, and simply doing one's best to bring that out in the most prominent way possible.

yeah, thats a great tip as well!

i guess on the lower levels, production is lacking , on the top level is almost entirely production that we get to hear... gotta find the sweet spot ;-)!
sadly enough, pop is 100 % production. no ideas, just standards repeated to death covered by lyrical diarrhea, autotune and 80ies synths...

but its always been like that, hasnt it?

 

[Marcobass]

Newbie here but I just wanted to share this with you. Tell the band you can make things sound great but you're not a magician. If something is played wrong or out of time or the guy doesn't know what is playing, it won't sound nice

 

[CatharsisStudios]

serve the goal of the music.

yep

 

[Lowberg]

Don't over-edit drums