George Martin sat behind the 4 track mixing desk while The Beatles committed their history changing output to vinyl. Phil Spector erected his all-conquering "Wall of Sound" for The Ronettes. Quincy Jones allowed the creative genius of Michael Jackson to reach its highest peaks on "Thriller". All through the history of pop music a music producer is at the heart of its greatest innovations.
While most all people agree on the importance of this role, there is sometimes confusion as to what that actual role is. This might be due to the fact that, for different producers, the job has different duties. The basic setup will be the same for almost any of them: sitting at the mixing desk, headphones on, making sure the riffs, beats, vocals and melody are coming in at the right time and at the right pitch, then supervising the mix later on.
Yet producers often find themselves fulfilling other duties on the album. They may either end up co-writing the actual songs or heavily arranging them. Sometimes they will end up being the motivator for the band when things get rocky. Sometimes they will even end up taking on a managerial role, negotiating with the record company on the artist's behalf.
In 1972, when Lou Reed decided to follow up his coldly received solo debut with something of greater impact, he recruited British glam rock stars David Bowie and Mick Ronson to produce his next LP "Transformer". Many of the proposed tracks were simple acoustic pieces. The British duo, however, breathed life into them with sparkling, vibrant string and choral arrangements, bringing the album to new levels.
As technology has taken over much of how pop is now written, the role of producer has become yet more crucial. Hip Hop, and its long journey to the mainstream, has had a lot to do with this. In rap, the beat-maker has always been crucial to the composition element of the songs, with the rapper concentrating on the lyrics.
Central to this is the process of sampling, taking pre existing recordings and re-arranging them into something new. One of sampling's biggest innovators is LA rap artist Dr. Dre. On his 1992 debut solo album "The Chronic", Dre formed his own band to perform rearranged melodies from 1970's funk tunes, which he would lace with his own heavy drum loops. Dubstep is now the latest trend to hit popular music with its heavy electronic sound.
For the pop stars that come out of TV talent shows such as "The Voice", the music producer will be the person responsible for their musical output. They are, often, little more than the singer of the song, with little input in the composition or recording of the actual tune. The producer is the make or break element in the song's success. Hip Hop artists and Pop singers are now turning to producers that will create instrumental beats for them to record their vocals on.
While most all people agree on the importance of this role, there is sometimes confusion as to what that actual role is. This might be due to the fact that, for different producers, the job has different duties. The basic setup will be the same for almost any of them: sitting at the mixing desk, headphones on, making sure the riffs, beats, vocals and melody are coming in at the right time and at the right pitch, then supervising the mix later on.
Yet producers often find themselves fulfilling other duties on the album. They may either end up co-writing the actual songs or heavily arranging them. Sometimes they will end up being the motivator for the band when things get rocky. Sometimes they will even end up taking on a managerial role, negotiating with the record company on the artist's behalf.
In 1972, when Lou Reed decided to follow up his coldly received solo debut with something of greater impact, he recruited British glam rock stars David Bowie and Mick Ronson to produce his next LP "Transformer". Many of the proposed tracks were simple acoustic pieces. The British duo, however, breathed life into them with sparkling, vibrant string and choral arrangements, bringing the album to new levels.
As technology has taken over much of how pop is now written, the role of producer has become yet more crucial. Hip Hop, and its long journey to the mainstream, has had a lot to do with this. In rap, the beat-maker has always been crucial to the composition element of the songs, with the rapper concentrating on the lyrics.
Central to this is the process of sampling, taking pre existing recordings and re-arranging them into something new. One of sampling's biggest innovators is LA rap artist Dr. Dre. On his 1992 debut solo album "The Chronic", Dre formed his own band to perform rearranged melodies from 1970's funk tunes, which he would lace with his own heavy drum loops. Dubstep is now the latest trend to hit popular music with its heavy electronic sound.
For the pop stars that come out of TV talent shows such as "The Voice", the music producer will be the person responsible for their musical output. They are, often, little more than the singer of the song, with little input in the composition or recording of the actual tune. The producer is the make or break element in the song's success. Hip Hop artists and Pop singers are now turning to producers that will create instrumental beats for them to record their vocals on.
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