Music producers supervise artists’ projects, bringing their vision to life. This ultimate guide explains how they do it with professional music producers.
Music producers facilitate, manage, direct and supervise the production of musical projects, like albums, EPs, singles and compilations. The role of producers in studios is to oversee a music production project to ensure that it stays on budget, on schedule and that the result is an engaging ‘product’ that music lovers across the world want to listen to and enjoy.
Different types of music producers will tackle projects differently depending on:
- Their unique approach to music production
- The artist they are working with and their vision
- The scale of the project
- The genre or category the music falls under
- How the project will be distributed
- The facilities and budget available
Depending on these considerations, the question “What do music producers do?” has different answers. With the help of professional music producers and sound engineers working in the industry, we’re taking a look at the role of a music producer and examining what exactly they do in a studio, how they bring musical projects to life, the technical aspects of music production and some tips for how you can become a music producer.
Read on for our ultimate guide on what music producers do!
Learn more about Music Production Courses at dBs Institute.
Contents
- What is a music producer?
- What exactly do music producers do?
- Technical music production processes
- How much can music producers make?
- How to become a music producer
- Music production courses at dBs Institute
1. What is a music producer?
The role of a music producer is to bring artists’ ideas to life through a combination of creative vision, technological understanding, personality and style. Different types of producers have different approaches to the music production process, but they should all have an understanding of what they love about music and how to enhance artists’ work to create the best possible music product.
Music producers drive music projects to completion, understanding where an album, track or EP sits within the current ‘market’ - or how a project could offer something new to listeners - and how best to amplify the novel characteristics or skills of the artists they’re working with.
Alex Wilkins, the Head of Faculty & Quality Lead at dBs Institute in Bristol, gave his take on what a music producer is and what they do in the modern era of the music industry.
“In a studio recording project, the producer is responsible for helping artists shape the creative vision and draws upon a wide range of skills to see the recording through to completion. This can include working with artists on songwriting, arrangement and the overall sound, as well as working on technical aspects such as DAW production and mixing.
“Today's producer is often someone who is multi-talented – highly skilled in a range of areas – and has already been successful in their own career as an artist. They likely have a back catalogue of recorded music that showcases skills such as songwriting, arrangement, instrumental and vocal performance, recording and in-the-box production.”
2. What exactly do music producers do?
Precisely what music producers do in the studio depends on their style, skill and techniques. Some music producers lean into technical sound engineering skills, while others leave recording, mixing and mastering processes to dedicated sound engineers and take the lead in a broader, more visionary way.
“There are two elements to my work which I’m jumping back and forth from all the time,” says artist, producer, musician and dBs Pro Creative Director Jay Auborn, “As a producer, my interest comes much more to the forefront in terms of how I imagine things to sound. When I’m undertaking other roles in the studio, where I’m not acting as producer, I’m more transparent and what I do is guided by the artist or their producer. In this situation, it's important to make things the way they hear them, not how you want them.”
This tension between the music producer’s taste and what is right for the artists’ project is at the heart of what music producers do. In brief, the roles and responsibilities of music producers include:
- Logistics and communication.
- Providing a creative vision for a music production project.
- Overseeing and managing performances and processes.
- Understanding, and delivering, what artists want to achieve from their work.
- Working with sound engineers to deliver the goals of the project and see it through to completion.
Below, we go into each of these roles of music producers in detail, with input and guidance from some of the most experienced and famous music producers in the world.
Logistics and communication
Before we get into the exciting roles music producers play in a studio, there are logistical responsibilities which are essential to the success of projects and vital for producers’ reputations. These include:
- Budgeting
- Scheduling
- Artist liaison
Especially when working on large-scale albums with major labels, keeping a music production project on schedule and to a pre-defined budget is hugely vital. Going over budget or delivering an album late can torch your reputation as a music producer and have a financial impact on labels and their artists.
A producer's role is to oversee the project to ensure the music production schedule is followed. Missing a contractual deadline negatively impacts other elements within the music production and distribution pipeline, such as manufacturing and distribution.
Creative vision
Providing a creative vision for a musical project is a vital part of a music producer's role. Of course, it’s the artists who create and perform the music, but in many cases, the producer shapes and directs the project into something listeners fall in love with.
Many record producers would not describe themselves as “technical” at all, but they have a strong sense of vision; an ear for what works; an iron-clad trust in their taste and a name that carries weight within the music industry for their visionary track record.
Probably, the best example of this kind of music producer is Rick Rubin, one of the most successful producers in history. Rubin’s astonishing back catalogue of work features projects from hip-hop legends like Run DMC, Public Enemy and LL Cool J - who came to visit our Manchester campus recently - to heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath and contemporary artists like Beabadoobee, Travis Scott and Lil Uzi Vert.
Even though his discography is more complete than almost anyone else’s on the planet, Rick Rubin - who we have named a room after at our Bristol campus - openly admits he has no technical music production skills at all.
“I have no technical ability and I know nothing about music,”, he said during an interview with Anderson Cooper for 60 Minutes, “I know what I like and what I don’t like - and I’m decisive about what I like and what I don’t like… The confidence that I have in my taste and my ability to express what I feel has proven helpful for artists.”
When and how music producers input their creative ideas is also individual to each producer. Gordon Raphael, The Strokes’ producer for ‘Is This It’ and ‘Room on Fire’, who gave a guest lecture at dBs Institute’s Bristol Campus, often has creative ideas he suggests to the artists he works with. How much he pushes them is completely dependent on the project, the artist and how the artist or band reacts to his suggestions.
“If the band likes it [my creative ideas], that’s great and I’m really happy,” says Gordon, “If the band doesn’t like it, I’m not going to fight for it. I had a weird idea. But I have had a situation happen a number of times where on Tuesday, the lead guitar player says ‘Now I need to do the solo on this song’... and I think it’s phenomenal and everybody is really happy. The next day he comes back and says ‘Hey, you know that solo we did yesterday? I think I wanna try a different one.’”
“As a professional, I should go, ‘Yes. Here are the microphones,’ but the teenage music fan in me takes over. I go, ‘Oh, really? It was so good though, man! It had so much energy…’ and then he does this new solo and I’m going, ‘Oh, Jesus. It’s not even the same sound, it’s a much weaker sound. Now he’s all uptight about it and I can hear it’... It’s his music, his solo, but suddenly I’m emotionally invested in it. Sometimes in that emotional confrontation, we keep the original. Sometimes, no matter how much I complain and stomp my feet, the guy just goes, ‘Dude! I just don’t like that sound and those aren’t the notes I want to play. This is the one.’ And when they get to that point, I’m always like ‘It’s your music’ and I back down.”
Oversight of performances and processes
As well as providing a creative vision for music production projects, producers have to ensure the management of the project is upheld. That means supervising engineers in the studio, continuously listening to progress and chiming in with creative suggestions during the process to push the artists into trying something new when necessary or advantageous for the project.
For many music producers, supervision and oversight also means managing different characters within the room and making sure everyone stays on task, without creating a negative atmosphere. With tight schedules and budgets to keep in mind, general management of a studio might not be the most glamorous part of the role, but it’s essential.
Crucially, performances from artists need to be supervised. In the vast majority of cases, artists need several ‘takes’ to get their performance right and it’s the producer’s role to illicit great performances from the artists they’re working with.
The art of getting great performances out of performers requires a critical ear and the people skills to make artists feel comfortable in the recording environment. You need to be able to put people at ease and supervise performances to ensure they all hit the right tone for the project.
One way music producers get the most out of artists’ performances is by ensuring that the studio environment is primed for creativity.
“It’s a really good idea to set up the whole studio before the band comes; the day before or have someone do it in the morning,” says Gordon Raphael, “If the band comes in and everything is ready to record, they play like Gods.
“If a band comes in and they have to sit for four hours while a guy tries to fix a broken cable or they are slowly setting up these wires, by the time the band is ready to record, they’ve already started drinking beer because they’re bored, they’re hungry, they’re a little tired, their energy levels have gone down. Is that when you’re going to start recording to impress them and impress yourself? No way. Why not have them start recording at like 11 in the morning after an hour of sound checking because everything is working?”
Understanding what artists want
A significant part of a music producer’s role is to work with artists to get the best out of them during their performances and for the relationship to be as frictionless as possible. To achieve that, music producers need to understand what it is the artists are looking to achieve, how they work and what they will consider a success.
Within those parameters, record producers can input their creativity and ensure the rest of the team involved in the music production process understands the brief and that everyone is working towards the same goal.
“It depends on the project, but when I first start, I’ll want to identify what it is they [the artist] actually want,” said world-renowned engineer Sylvia Massy during her dBs Institute guest lecture, “One question I might ask an artist is, ‘If you were on a playlist on Spotify, who else is on that playlist? What songs are also on that playlist?’ That way we can help mould their music to fit on that playlist.”
“The other thing I want to know is the dynamics of a musical group,” continues Sylvia, “Who’s the boss, right? There might be five people in a band but there’s always one leader who’s kicking the whole thing into drive. You want to identify the boss first and you want to include the band’s ‘boss’ in the decision-making. It helps it go much smoother.”
Gordon Raphael takes an individualistic approach to working with musicians. “I want to be the kind of producer that helps them [artists] get their ideas across,” he said in his guest lecture, “I’m not going to sit there and go, ‘The Gordon Raphael method is to use this microphone, stick it on this kick drum and use this preamp set here every time.’ My approach is very much individual."
“Almost every musician that comes to work with me has tons of their own ideas. They’ve been developing these songs for months, rehearsing with their band and playing shows. They know what they’re doing… If a band wants to work with me, I’ll say ‘Show me what your music is like’ and they’ll send me to some old stuff… I screen the process so I’m going to like what I’m working with and then when I get these people in the studio, they have so many great ideas that I let them show me what they want to do, and occasionally I have an idea!”
Working with sound engineers
In this article, we are primarily focused on the role of music producers, rather than sound engineers, which you can read more about in our Ultimate Guide to Sound Engineering.
However, particularly in smaller music studios, these roles have some cross-over so it’s worth digging into what sound engineers do and how they work with producers in the music production process.
The basic role of a sound engineer is to use their technical knowledge to materialise the aims of a project set out by the artist and the music producer.
Sound engineers achieve this through tasks including:
- Mic placement
- Recording
- Mixing
- Mastering
- Technical troubleshooting
- Fixing and running cables
- Managing recording sessions
- Using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)
Producers like Rick Rubin, as mentioned previously, are not technical but visionary. For these producers, working with trusted sound engineers ensures that the technical aspects of the music production process are taken care of. Sound engineering requires knowing what microphones will achieve the desired effect, how to mix a project so it’s balanced and has the right tone and understanding what the music producer wants and how to achieve it.
You can learn more about this role in our Career Spotlight video below:
3. Technical music production processes
In most large-scale music studios, technical music production processes are performed by sound engineers, recording engineers and mixing engineers. We’ve covered these roles and their responsibilities extensively, in our Sound Engineering Ultimate Guide.
However, music producers who are just starting will often be responsible for the entirety of a music production project, from the creative vision and management to the technical aspects of the process.
Here, we take a brief look at some of the music production software and hardware you will find in a studio setting and how they are used to capture, mix and master an artist’s sound.
Music production software and hardware
In a music studio, you will find a wide range of hardware gear and software used to record, mix and master music projects. Depending on the size of a studio and the particular style and processes the in-house music producer prefers, the list of gear and software used can be endless. However, the main pieces of tech you will find in every studio include:
- Computers
- Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs)
- Audio interfaces
- Mixing desks
- Instruments
- Microphones
- Monitors
- Music production hardware
- Virtual Studio Technology (VSTs)
You can learn more about this equipment in our piece on the music production software and hardware sound engineers use.
Almost every music production process will involve capturing audio - for example, a vocal or instrumental performance - using microphones, routing the audio into an analogue mixing desk or digital interface (DAW), manipulating the audio using mixing and editing techniques and analysing the result through monitors.
Recording, mixing and mastering
When we think about the ‘music production process’, what we are typically describing are the stages of recording, mixing and mastering. These processes are performed by sound engineers, mixing engineers, recording engineers and music producers and involve:
Recording
Using microphones to capture audio from musicians and routing the recording into analogue mixing desks or DAWs.
Mixing
‘Mixing’ individual tracks or channels into a balanced multitrack mix. This process also includes processing and editing audio to enhance certain tonal characteristics and achieve the desired ‘sound’ of a project.
Mastering
Preparing the stereo mix for distribution by fine-tuning levels and effects, like compression and limiting, to ensure the music sounds polished and loud and is calibrated for physical and digital listening platforms.
4. How much can music producers make?
How much you can make as a music producer depends on your profile, experience and the projects you are working on. A producer who works on chart-topping projects is going to earn vastly more than an in-house music producer working for a small record label or in an independent studio.
If you’re looking for entry-level music producer jobs in small studios, expect to earn up to £30,000 per annum. This is a rough estimate and depends on the types of clients the studio is working with, how much work there is available and where you and the studio are located.
As you progress in your career, you’ll be able to charge more per hour for your services. Typically, novice freelance producers will charge between £25-£55 per hour and more experienced producers will charge £200+ per hour.
How much music producers make fluctuates, so don’t be disheartened if you are not earning much in the early stages of your career. As you gain experience and clout, you’ll be able to earn more and work with bigger artists. If you work on a track that does well, you’ll also be in line for royalty payments which are usually a percentage of a record’s total earnings - either, “3 to 5% of the record’s sale price or 20 to 25% of the artist’s share.”
Music producer jobs
If freelancing doesn’t suit you, there are a range of music producer jobs you can find at a studio. However, these are often competitive and you may have to start in a junior position initially. Jobs for music producers in a studio setting include:
- Assistant Producer/Engineer
- Recording Engineer
- Mix Engineer
- Junior Audio Producer
- Audio Engineer
5. How to become a music producer
There are several routes into the music industry for aspiring music producers. However, they generally fall into two broad categories: work experience and education - and often a combination of both. Here, we take a look at each in turn.
Work Experience
Many aspiring music producers will start their careers working as interns, apprentices or assistant producers working in music studios. These roles often involve taking control of the administrative tasks the studio needs to perform, such as scheduling, setting up gear and getting coffee for the engineers and artists.
For people who want to become professional music producers, this experience is vital and will help you understand the processes behind music production. Eventually, as you begin to assist on more projects, you might be brought in full-time or have the required experience to find another full-time role elsewhere.
However, how do you show that you have the experience, passion and skill for these types of roles? Music production courses at university or college are a great starting point.
Studying a music production course
Studying a music production course, like the ones at dBs Institute which you can read more about in the next section, will give you the skills, knowledge and experience needed to make those first crucial steps in your career. As part of their course, our BA (Hons) Music Production & Sound Engineering students get opportunities to visit world-famous studios, like Peter Gabiel’s Real World. Find out how they got on below!
At a music production university like dBs, you’ll master the technical skills involved in the music production process, but you’ll also learn about the wider music industry; how it works, tips for getting your first break and the interpersonal skills, taught by industry experts, to get the most out of the artists you’re working with.
To give you a taste, here are some top tips for progressing your ambition to become a music producer from Alex Wilkins, our Head of Faculty and Quality Lead at dBs Institue:
- Make lots and lots of music (and finish it) on your own and in collaboration with others.
- Learn music theory. Become adept at melody writing, chord progressions, voicings and arranging.
- Study the music you love.
- Collaborate with as many people and on as many projects as you can. Learn to become sensitive to what brings the best out of the musicians you're working with.
- Spend as much time in the studio as you can. Experiment and learn the gear!
- Get your DAW skills up to scratch. Pick a favourite but gain competency on several. Pro Tools, Logic and Ableton are a good trio to understand.
- Learn as much as you can about successful producers and their approaches.
- Take any opportunities you can to shadow professionals in the studio.
Armed with trusted music production qualifications, like a degree or diploma, and the start of a portfolio you have been building during your studies, you’re much more likely to be able to get an assistant producer role. Once in the industry on the ground floor, things get much easier and you’ll be able to progress as long as you work hard and keep the passion going.
6. Music production courses at dBs Institute
At dBs Institute, we have been providing industry-leading music production courses to students for over 25 years. In that time, we’ve helped countless students reach their goal of becoming professional music producers, sound engineers, artists, sound designers and much more.
Based in Bristol, Manchester, Plymouth and Online, our campuses are filled with all of the cutting-edge facilities you’ll need to practice your skills. You’ll be taught on equipment that reflects the real-world environment of the music industry by tutors who have been there and done it themselves.
Music production courses taught at dBs Institute include:
- Music Production Diploma
- DJ & Electronic Music Production
- BA (Hons) Music Production & Sound Engineering
- BA (Hons) Electronic Music Production
- MA Music Production
- MA Innovation in Sound
Want to hear what our students have to say about their time at dBs Institute? Hear from a select few of our BA (Hons) Music Production & Sound engineering students here!
Studying a music production course at dBs Institute can help you learn the skills you need for a successful career as a music producer. Learn more about us and our courses on our website and at our next Open Day.
