Finding the right producer is incredibly important when you're looking to record in studio. Here's some tips on how to find whose the best for you and/or your band.
Know Who You Are As A Musician
Know your sound. Musicians who don't know their "sound" or don't have an idea of what they want the finished product to sound like often create studio albums that take on their producer's desired sound. It's not your producer's album, it's yours. Be confident in your music and your style, if they're trying to get you to change or fix something that you love, stand up for yourself and insist that it stays. Bring what you have to the table and make sure that your music is strong, so that your producer knows who/what they're working with and that there are no questions on what the finished sound should be.
Know What You Want
This goes with knowing who you are. Being in the studio is a wonderful opportunity that gives you a chance to create a piece of art that projects who you and/or your band are. The studio gives you the flexibility of making a multi-genre project. Some songs may take on a more pop-like feel, some may feel more bluesy or jazzy than you expected. There are so many options in the studio. A producer is there to help you discover all of the possibilities and to accurately convey to the audio engineer what you want while making sure that your project still contains a lot of you element.
When you enter into the exciting recording process, know what you want out of each song and make sure that you're working with someone who can understand what you want. Of course occasionally you won't know what you want out of a song, and that's oaky. Make sure you're working with someone who can help you figure it out, not someone who changes things without permission and does whatever they feel like with your musics sound. Ultimately, you're going to take the credit for the final outcome, so if you hate the sound of something just let your producer know that it's not working for you.
Shop Around & Observe
Spend a lot of time listening to other artists' music. What do you hear? Learn what you like and what you don't like. When you hear an album that stands out to you, it's okay to email the artist and who they worked with - you won't get a response if it's a major artist (most of the time), but if they're local they'll probably be willing to lend a hand. Ask them their opinion of the working relationship they had with their producer. Talk with that producer to see if you might be compatible. Spend a lot of time researching and learning about the person that you could be potentially working with. Find a producer who has worked in a similar genre as you.
Compatibility
You don't want constant disagreements with your producer. Just because someone is good at their job, doesn't mean that they're the right person to work with. Make sure you're working well with someone. Don't hire someone with a conflicting personality, it just won't end up well. Be able to trust your producer, trusting and liking them will make your album fun and stress free!
If you start working with someone and later decide that they aren't working out well, it's okay to respectfully let them know that things are not working how you'd like them to. They'll either step up, or you'll have to fire them.
Know your sound. Musicians who don't know their "sound" or don't have an idea of what they want the finished product to sound like often create studio albums that take on their producer's desired sound. It's not your producer's album, it's yours. Be confident in your music and your style, if they're trying to get you to change or fix something that you love, stand up for yourself and insist that it stays. Bring what you have to the table and make sure that your music is strong, so that your producer knows who/what they're working with and that there are no questions on what the finished sound should be.
Know What You Want
This goes with knowing who you are. Being in the studio is a wonderful opportunity that gives you a chance to create a piece of art that projects who you and/or your band are. The studio gives you the flexibility of making a multi-genre project. Some songs may take on a more pop-like feel, some may feel more bluesy or jazzy than you expected. There are so many options in the studio. A producer is there to help you discover all of the possibilities and to accurately convey to the audio engineer what you want while making sure that your project still contains a lot of you element.
When you enter into the exciting recording process, know what you want out of each song and make sure that you're working with someone who can understand what you want. Of course occasionally you won't know what you want out of a song, and that's oaky. Make sure you're working with someone who can help you figure it out, not someone who changes things without permission and does whatever they feel like with your musics sound. Ultimately, you're going to take the credit for the final outcome, so if you hate the sound of something just let your producer know that it's not working for you.
Shop Around & Observe
Spend a lot of time listening to other artists' music. What do you hear? Learn what you like and what you don't like. When you hear an album that stands out to you, it's okay to email the artist and who they worked with - you won't get a response if it's a major artist (most of the time), but if they're local they'll probably be willing to lend a hand. Ask them their opinion of the working relationship they had with their producer. Talk with that producer to see if you might be compatible. Spend a lot of time researching and learning about the person that you could be potentially working with. Find a producer who has worked in a similar genre as you.
Compatibility
You don't want constant disagreements with your producer. Just because someone is good at their job, doesn't mean that they're the right person to work with. Make sure you're working well with someone. Don't hire someone with a conflicting personality, it just won't end up well. Be able to trust your producer, trusting and liking them will make your album fun and stress free!
If you start working with someone and later decide that they aren't working out well, it's okay to respectfully let them know that things are not working how you'd like them to. They'll either step up, or you'll have to fire them.