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October, 2006
 
The Job of a Record Producer
Producer Ben Allen Gives Us a Personal Look by Ben Allen As a record producer and a mixer, I'm often besieged with questions about what I actually do. Everyone always assumes that being a producer or an engineer is the coolest job ever, and often it's a lot of fun, but it can be really tough, too. A lot of the hassle comes from the fact that there is no real job description. First things first. The technical part of being an engineer can be learned by anyone. It's just knobs and numbers, and frankly, anyone who wants to be technically proficient at engineering can learn it. That's not to say it's not important, but honestly, I'd say that my technical ability comprises about 10 percent of what I do. The other 90 percent is interacting with people. Does that mean that you're wasting your time learning how to engineer? No, not at all. Until you master the technical aspect, you can't get started on the rest, so stick with it until you feel comfortable working in the studio. Another thing: buying some mics and a Pro Tools rig does not make you an engineer. You're an engineer when you make at least 50 percent of your living recording other people's music. As an engineer, your job is to handle all of the technical aspects of a studio session and often a lot of the non-technical ones as well. I have spent many a night mitigating the conflict between a producer and artist, playing the neutral middleman who can smooth over differences that neither can approach themselves. I recently mixed a very successful record that was extremely close to being put on the shelf because the artist and producer couldn't agree on some important vocal details. After talking with both of them at length about the issue, they realized that the project must move forward. It's now multi-Platinum. No one ever told me that it would be anything more than learning how the ratio control on a compressor works, but it certainly is. As a producer, my job is slightly more nuanced. I worked on a recent project for about two weeks, and with this group I wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics, in addition to producing the sessions and mixing the songs. Alternately, the next week I started with a group that would NEVER let me have a say in the writing portion of their music, and with good reason: they're fantastic writers themselves. Every project is different from the one before it and each demands a certain approach. Look at Rick Rubin. He's made a career making records for everyone from the Beastie Boys to Run DMC to Johnny Cash, and the Johnny Cash records are phenomenal. No one ever thought to just put a mic in front of him and let him sing old gospel songs while throwing in the odd Soundgarden cover to keep it interesting. How cool is that? The truth is, being a producer is much like being an entrepreneur: there are no rules and there is no right way to do it. The most important thing is to do what you do the best that you can do it. If you're way into death metal and that's your bag, then be the best there is at producing death metal. Ifout two weeks, and with this group I wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics, in addition to producing the sessions and mixing the songs. Alternately, the next week I started with a group that would NEVER let me have a say in the writing portion of their music, and with good reason: they're fantastic writers themselves. Every project is different from the one before it and each demands a certain approach. Look at Rick Rubin. He's made a career making records for everyone from the Beastie Boys to Run DMC to Johnny Cash, and the Johnny Cash records are phenomenal. No one ever thought to just put a mic in front of him and let him sing old gospel songs while throwing in the odd Soundgarden cover to keep it interesting. How cool is that? The truth is, being a producer is much like being an entrepreneur: there are no rules and there is no right way to do it. The most important thing is to do what you do the best that you can do it. If you're way into death metal and that's your bag, then be the best there is at producing death metal. If it's rap, then fine, do that the best. The same goes for engineering. It's important to remain objective as an engineer. You have to be able to work on music that you don't necessarily like and follow directions that you don't necessarily agree with. Therefore, it's important to work on the kind of music that you enjoy so that you can at least have fun while you're recording that vocal for the 100th time! Product Spotlight Klein + Hummel, the latest addition to the Sennheiser family of brands, is introducing the O 300 triamplified three-way nearfield studio reference monitor at AES 2006 San Francisco. The O 300 delivers the same stunning quality of the famed O 300 D minus the digital input and control hardware, resulting in a cost-effective price without sonic compromise. As its more fully featured sibling, the O 300 delivers superlative, uncolored sound, precise bass response, picture-perfect dispersion patterns, and a stunningly real soundstage with remarkable image focus and depth. Its precise and revealing detail enables the mixing engineer to make critical judgments with supreme confidence. MSRP: $2,495.00 per speaker Available October 2006 www.klein-hummel.com Ben Allen is a producer/engineer based in Atlanta, Ga. He started in the music industry with P. Diddy's Bad Boy Records before moving back to Atlanta to work on independent projects. His production credits include songs for Gnarls Barkley, Christina Aguilera, and most recently the "Snakes on Planes" soundtrack. |