gilli moon article

The Art of Production

     ... the artist's perspective..

I bet you've been there too. You've written this great song, all the musical elements are swimming in your head… yeah I hear the violin here, the bass will go, thump thump like this, and then a drum loop like that song on the radio etc etc. You make a little home recording and then you decide to put the money together and go to a "professional" to make this song come ALIVE. So you take time off work, get the money together, have all these pre-production meetings with the chosen producer and at the end of all the talk the producer goes "yeah I know exactly what you want, trust me."

So off you embark in what you think will be a hit song, with a hit making producer and you think, "yeah my money's well spent, this is success speaking", and you start the recording process. You're in there with the producer playing your song, the musicians are all giving it their session best and the producer is throwing ideas at you left, right and centre. You have such little time to hit that best vocal performance of a life time (the pressure's on, time's ticking and you're running out of money), but still the performance goes well, at least you think it does - and the producer's saying, "sweet honey, sounding so sweet", so you trust him (or her) and keep holding the faith.

Somewhere along the line the style of the song is changing, but you reckon that the producer knows best and has had hits in the past so surely he won't go wrong (what do you know anyway, you're just an artist, right)… and the money is running overtime but you are keeping the faith.

It's playback time and the producer is gleaning (he has his cheque of course). And you're listening for the first time, even though its now the 50th time, but the first time without being musician with the cans on.

And all of a sudden you start hearing things you hadn't heard before. Like a string arrangement that really puts it in the Celine Dion camp when you were really going for Alanis Morisette, ….. but you say thank you, glad the whole process and stress is over and you go home.

A week later ('cos who wants to hear it so close to the production time, right? we all need a break from music..) - you put the song on your home stereo, with some friends and a bottle of red, and you sit back to relish the achievement with your Cheshire cat smile.

Why doesn't it sound the same? Some vocal notes are pitchy, the live full band sound is a little sloppy and that guitar player… hmmm... something else to be desired. The vocal mix is way back, too much grunge, and not enough oomph. Your friends go 'yippee' but that musically apt friend on the sofa says he's heard me do better, and that the production is dated, and that it doesn't show off my vocal range, and, aaaand…and…and.

Been there? Why do artists have such a hard time in producing their songs? Why do some of the home 4 tracks show the passion and style of the artist better than the thousand dollar professional production? I have met so many artists who come out crying from an album production simply because their story, their emotion and their statement have not been met in the studio.

Producers these days, and I'm not saying all producers, but some need to understand that there is more than just being a great engineer, a proficient musician, or a fan of the artist. The producer needs to KNOW the artist, get inside the artist, understand the artist, BEFORE they begin to produce. How can a film producer produce a script unless they read it. Really read it… and visualize it happening. A director begins to LIVE the script and the characters in it. So too must a music producer. 

Too many producers live on their egos and think that their skill and expertise will get them through. Well it may have worked for their last projects but that doesn't mean it will for you. 

And you the artist needs to be sure of what you want. You have to communicate to your producer what you want. And if you don't know what you want, then both of you have to take the time to find it, together. Artists don't always magically know how they want the musical style to be. Producers can help them with that. Producers can help channel eclectic styles into a more homogenous one. Hey, its ok if the style narrows to, say 'hip hop' for this album. Artists, you know your talented. The next song can be jazz if you want. But be flexible to narrow it down for the project. That way an audience can be defined.

Now sometimes a producer may be hot music producers, able to create a string arrangement better than David Foster… but they may not be so apt to VOCALLY produce. How many times have you sung that rift, with only a 'great, great' from the control room, and later you hear you were flat! Vocal producers are able to not only be flexible with you and allow you to experiment yourself (yes, you CAN do backing vocals in your own way if you want to), but they can provide ideas and encouragement and bring you out of yourself to create a dynamically better vocal performance. A swim coach makes a swimmer stronger, better, faster, competitively ready for the Olympics…to win. A vocal producer can make a great vocalist greater and the message of the song brought forward and accessible to the listener.

Finding a producer that is strong in music and vocals is rare but possible. You must ask yourself what is the most important thing when choosing a producer.

We as artists all have sad stories of our past. Some albums or songs we put on the shelf because we are unhappy with the production, even though at the time we had run off 2000 copies of the Cd with our own sweat and money.. today we may say, "yeah, big mistake, … or, that was part of my learning curve." Yes it is all learning but we can avoid production sadness by speaking out early in the production process. Don't just sit quite and agree to the producer just because you think they know best. You're the Artist. It's your song and your voice and their job is bring the best out of you. 

Communication is the most important aspect of production.

I have now become a producer, for two reasons. One, I enjoy bringing out the best in others, and their songs; and two, it teaches me how to be a better and more communicative Artist. Being behind the wheel for another Artist reminds me of seeing me in that booth, and as producer I ask the questions that I would liked asked of me when I'm the Artist. I've also learned to appreciate my own talent. Yes, there are better producers than me, but I have learned that some of those little ideas I scratched into my home 4 track demos are VALID and REAL for a full professional production. When I produce my own songs, I feel fulfilled that those little ideas can become reality. Nevertheless, I also appreciate working with other producers because, as an artist, I act subjectively and most times I need objective opinions and support by someone who is not as attached to the song as me.

I applaud a good producer. Its' a hard job. But anyone can call themselves a 'producer' and not really know how to produce. Choose who you work with carefully. Those songs of yours are meant to be on the radio forever and so they need to last.

© 1999 gilli moon

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