For my first blog post, we will delve into the nature of music production and what the role of music producer entails. This may sound redundant since music production seems quite simple to define, but as will see, there are different approaches to producing music. Generally music production can be divided into the different tasks and steps one must take to create a record, such as songwriting, composing, arranging, mixing and mastering. The music producers will be involved in this process to bring to life an idea to the final version of the track.
Some producers, better know as “beatmakers” will primarily focus on the rhythm and instrumentation of the track, and might not be involved in the songwriting or in the mix and mastering stages. Some of these so-called “beatmakers”, might release tracks to be used as a foundation for other musicians to use as they please. While in other instances, some musicians might be credited as a producer, because they added new elements or rearranged some parts, in the goal of enhancing the sonic experience of the record.
Rick Rubin’s approach as a producer is quite controversial, since he knows very little about music theory and the technical aspects of music production. Nevertheless, he’s been celebrated as an incredible artist and mentor, since his involvement and the organic environment he creates, usually helps artists express themselves authentically, resulting in boundary-pushing and timeless music.
All in all, the nature of a music producer is quite ambiguous. It seems as though a music producer is someone that is involved, in one way or another, in the creation of a record, from the initial idea to the final product.