The following article is the third in the “Lincoln Recording Studios” series begun on August 24th.
THE CONVERSATION PART III:
How much of your time is spent producing? How much does being part of the creative process come into play in your studio?
Brendan McGinn: I am not sure what "producing" would entail. That's subjective. I can give feedback to the bands, but I am just there to document what they are doing. I might suggest a mic-ing technique, but I have no interest in re-arranging songs.
Bryan Klopping: I spend about seventy-five percent of my time producing and mixing the tracks. I generally double or triple each instrument or vocal line to create harmonies, and coming to a conclusion and level for each line generally takes a long while.
Brett Holihan: I spend as much time producing as I spend engineering, sometimes more. Often, a beginning artist’s song is too boxy, (i.e. verse 1, verse 2, chorus, verse 3, verse 4, chorus, etc.). Working with the artist to loosen or break the song up a little--creating an intro, a solo section, bridge and/or a solid ending, certainly takes me out of the engineering role. Anyone can use a manager or supportive coach to encourage and bring out one's best. It's very easy for the creative process to turn negative.
As a producer I gently push, encourage, offer breaks and mark progress to insure this doesn't happen. Often the artist is so close to their song and creative process he or she is not open to, or doesn't hear alternate avenues, solutions for improvement. It's so easy to fly by a small problem, such as not-so-clear diction, a not-so-tight timing or tuning issue. If we don't catch it right away, we practice and just get used to it. Fresh producer ears catch problems, suggest improvement and gently push and lead through practiced, artist comfort zone resistance. Often I find myself playing piano, bass, trumpet or arranging to enhance, broaden and unfold the full potential of a client’s project.
Eric Medley: For me, it’s 100%. If you want someone to just hit record (the red button), then I'm not your guy. I like to get my hands on a project. For me, being a recording engineer is a means to the end of working with artists and song writers. Fortunately, I’m not an hourly studio who depends upon revenue by the hour. For me, producing means helping the artists get the best version of themselves on the tape. I quite often try to get the artist to focus on the performance of their music.
If what they do conveys no emotion or meaning, it’s just precise arrangements of noise. They don’t need a person like me to do that. I’ve tried to set my price structure in a way that takes the burden off the artist. They know what they’re getting into, and in most cases, the price doesn’t change. The challenge for me is to qualify the situation and make a good estimation of what I need to get to make it work financially.
Chris Bowling: I like it when bands ask me to have creative input on their stuff. Just like if I go to a studio, I like to have input from the person recording me.
Mark Wolberg: Recording is always a creative process. As an engineer, I’m making a critical decision every minute. I invite the band to be as much a part of that as they’d like to be. Conversely, I love it when a band asks me what I think they should do with part of a song or to sing backups or make lyric suggestions.
I consider this my style of producing: Before I begin a project with a band, I initiate a dialogue with them about what they want their album to sound like, how many copies they’re going to make, and what format(s) they’ll be releasing it on. From there we can make decisions on what instruments they’ll want to use, how much time they’ll want to spend tracking the album, and how in-depth they want to look at each individual song.
Technically, that’s pre-production, but it gives me an idea of how involved and how together a band is going to be when they come over to my house. Once the band moves in, I usually like to spend at least a full day continuing to talk with them about what they’re going for while we’re setting up instruments, amps and microphones. I’ll get the sounds I think they’re going for and we’ll make adjustments based on their feedback until everyone is absolutely happy with what is coming from the speakers.
Kechley/Johnson: All the time. From the placement of a microphone to the small suggestions made during recording right up to the mix, there is always some producing involved. Most of the time it's just adding to the vision of the band or the artist, or teamwork, if you will. A main-line industry producer will usually call most of shots, but will still work with a group to capture the sound or soul of the music. We try to do the same within the time frame we have to work with a group.
Each project is unique to itself, and may require different techniques to capture music. Remember, major records take time and lots of editing, and the people working on those records are some of the best around, that's why the money exchange on those recordings is so high. They are gearing up to make as much money back as possible with CD sales, downloads, radio airplay and film tracks.
Sean Beste: Here's the kicker: I'm not an engineer! I'm a producer. There is a difference, however unknown to many studio operators. At one time I considered schooling to learn the proper turning of knobs, but then realized that I could turn them without. I am unusually bad with numbers, but unusually good at hearing and understanding music and more importantly, songs. Engineering is an art in itself that requires true dedication and talent. Some spend their time becoming certified for dying software programs, while others learn in the real world. Achieving the right sound for the situation is what makes a great engineer.
You can usually tell the difference between a producer and an engineer when listening to a recording with one. Do they immediately comment on the sound of the snare drum or do they LISTEN to the song? Such as the details, the arrangement and the energy (which is not created by gear.) Look at it this way: the placement of a single crash cymbal can change the entire dynamic of a recorded song.
A producer helps artists do their job, which is to document their work. That's why they call it a record. Whether it be a songwriter who comes to me with an acoustic guitar and a melody wanting a full band recording or a full band that needs coaching and patience in the studio, my specialty is working with inexperienced players and writers who want (and deserve) a high quality recording to take them to the next level, whatever that may be. I do what I do because it's the only thing I know how to do. And it's all I do. To help an artist, I have to respect myself as an artist. And with that comes the responsibility of defending the music. Studio F does not succumb to financial backers or labels. We make records.
Ian Aeillo: Producing is a funny term. Dr. Dre is a producer. I can't see what I do as being remotely close to what he does in any context. However, I love production. On several reviews of CDs I've recorded, critics have called my productions 'daring', 'horrific', 'intense', 'over-done', 'mesmerizing', and 'heavy handed'. I love it. I over-produce. That's what I do. That's what I've always done.
I love big White Album, Peter Gabriel string ensemble backwards productions. If you want something that is a very accurate representation of what the band sounds like, there are tons of music school graduates who would love to record you. I am also very heavy handed in the musical aspect. When people come to me, they know that I'm going to pick apart their parts, their vocals, their drums. I'm going to suggest new parts and different instrumentation. But then again, if you don't want some jerk telling you your part isn't catchy enough, I don't care. You don't have to record with me.
Kellison/Saddler: For SadSon, it varies from project to project. We may produce an entire record (write, record, and play everything), co-produce, or leave the production entirely to the artist, if that is their wish. We believe the goal of a producer should always be to achieve the artist's vision. They always have the final say in our projects. Now, there are times when a label will be the financial backer of said album, and in that case, it is our job to do whatever the label says, creatively.
Usually this isn't a problem, but we always have to succumb to the financer, and that's understandable. Many times, whether it be in hip-hop or with solo singer/songwriters, we are asked to "produce" an entire album based on their songs or lyrics. In that case, it is a lot more work on our end, but we really enjoy helping people make giant productions of their music. There isn't a better feeling than helping someone achieve their artistic vision.
Chris Steffen: I tend to inject my personal opinion into pretty much everything I work on. If you consider that production, then the answer is all the time. That's not to say that I will completely tear apart a song and reconstruct it from top to bottom, but I will offer pointed suggestions and then have the band rework the song if it really needs it. I have a band that I'm working with right now that came in with a song that was really pretty good except that it initially came across as a constant one dimensional punch in the face for about six minutes.
It was just the same thing over and over again. I offered a few ideas and suggested that we might consider shortening up the song a bit. They've since modified the beginning, broken up the progressions a bit and shortened it a hair. It sounds a whole lot better now. I'm not afraid to ask a guitar player to allow me to tweak his settings or to try a different amp. A lot of players tend to fall into a groove or a sound that they consider their own and I think that's great, but sometimes it's nice to add a little different flavor from one song to the next.
Other times I'll have someone come in with a piece of equipment that really isn't up to par. In that case, I pretty much tell them to take it back to the trailer and we'll use something I have. I never want to bruise an ego, but at the same time I want them to sound the best they can. There are times when I will be listening to a band play and I will hear something in my head that I think just has to be included in the song. I will usually offer it as a suggestion and we might try it.
If it doesn't work, we throw it out. If it does, I always leave it up to the band to make the final decision. Of course, all of this goes out the window if I'm working with someone with a very definite idea of what they want. I don't want to force anyone to do anything. Frankly, sometimes other people’s ideas are a heck of a lot better than mine! There are times when it’s best to just put up the mic, plug in the pre and get out of the way.
Mitch Cady: Because Hova and Matt play a number of instruments, they can lend their talents by collaborating and playing down tracks for bands that come into the studio. This is all up to each individual artist, of course, but they also produce if their advice is wanted. Often times, this becomes a group effort between artist and producer/engineer. Both can suggest ideas to make a song flow or sound better and both can notice small mistakes that should be corrected before the recording moves to another stage.
Read Part IV, the final article in this series.
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