I’m a Producer
So, what the hell is a producer anyway? Good question. The producer is the guy that makes the big picture decisions – things like tempo, feel, arrangement, instrumentation, etc. He’ll turn your 4/4 country rocker into a 3/4 ballad. A producer makes sure everything runs smoothly before, during and after a session. A producer will help find musicians if needed. A producer will play anything a song needs.
Of course, every producer has their own style, and you should choose one that suits your songwriting and vision. So if you wanted to make a Limp Bizkit sounding modern rock album, i wouldn’t be the first guy on your list. My ideal approach involves getting as many people in a room playing together, you know, like a band playing music together. You get some pretty amazing results when you can capture the of-the-moment interactions between musicians. Honestly, can you really make good music locked in an iso-booth wearing headphones playing to a click track? No way. Well maybe, but I bet Neil Young, Tom Waits or Miles Davis never step foot in an iso-booth, and either should you. Not to say that i’m opposed to overdubbing and isolation, i’ve done it. There is a time and place for everything.
As a producer, I’ll help shape your ideas into completed songs. Here are some examples of songs I’ve produced. When available,the “before” files are the demos brought to me in their original format, and the after’s are the end result.
Examples
Unbelievable Luck – Bottlerocket
When David brought in the demo for this song, I immediately thought “modern 50’s ballad” a la the Penguins. I’m playing guitar, keyboard and fretless electric bass, David plays guitars and vocals, Ed Hong on drums.
Bottlerocket – the demo:
Bottlerocket – the finished song:
Erin Farrell
I’ve been playing bass in Erin’s band for the last couple months. Erin’s sister was getting married, so she wrote them a song and wanted to give them a nice recording of it. For initial tracking, I played rythm guitar and Erin sang. I then overdubbed upright bass, lead acoustic guitar, lapslide, and drums, all the while trying to keep a natural live feel to things.
The Wedding Song
Jacob Langfelder
Jacob found me through the Scissor Sisters album liner notes. He basically called me up, said he liked the album a lot and was looking for a place to record some songs. I said sure come on down. He asked how much. I told him how much. He said holy shit that’s cheap! I said I know! And so it began…
We spent about a day doing preproduction, figuring out what each song should sound like. For the basic tracking, I brought in drummer extrodinaire Kevin Shea, I played bass, and Jacob played rythm acoustic guitar and sang scratch vocals, all captured live. I then overdubbed electric guitars and keys, and Jacob replaced his scratch vocals.
Misplaced – the demo:Misplaced – the finished song:
Unoriginal – the finished song: