What Really Happens Behind the Scenes in Music Production?
When you hear the word “music production”, what comes to mind? Is it the recording of instruments onto a piece of software? Perhaps adding effects to a vocal track? Or maybe it’s just “beatmaking”? Whatever your preconceived notion is, it’s clear that there is more than one way to describe what music producers do. Given the various connotations that music production has come to encompass, we wanted to clear the air on common misconceptions about the field, while also sharing some insights about the commercial music production process that you might not know:
Misconception #1: Production vs composition vs mix-mastering
A common pop culture trope is the persona of the “producer” that artists hire to “flip” their tracks into chart-topping “bangers”. The assumption here is that producers are responsible for everything that happens in-between writing a lyric and publishing a track, and for smaller, more independent projects, this is actually true. However, the more commercial a project gets; we’re talking film and advertising industry-level; the more this assumption begins to misrepresent what a producer actually does.
By definition, music production is a holistic trade, involving elements of composition, arrangement and audio mixing. However, for most big-budget projects, where creative teams have multiple talents involved in the production process, the role of a producer is more nuanced. Most film, advertising or television production teams have dedicated composers and recording engineers who specialise in their respective fields. This leaves producers to focus on arranging instrumentation, creating song structures and actually putting elements of the song together on a DAW to create the final product.
Misconception #2: Ideas Are (Always) Born in the Studio
Studio time is expensive (especially in this economy), so, unless you have the money to rent out your local studio all day, everyday, you’re most likely going to want to only rent out a dedicated recording space if you know exactly what you want to record. For many producers, especially on commercial projects, recording sessions are often used to build upon existing ideas they’ve experimented with earlier, and piece together various elements to create the final iteration of that idea. This not only ensures that studio utility is maximised, but also allows for rougher ideas to be polished using professional equipment.
For example, an artist writing an orchestral piece might start by composing a “demo track” with software string instruments (violins, cellos, etc.) on their personal computer, before booking a studio session to record the same instruments live with real musicians. While emulated instruments may sound nice, the “human touch” of a played violin ensemble would add character to the track, making the composition better articulated in the final recording. In this situation, the demo track acts as a sort of mind-map with place-holders that indicate what the final product would look like once all the instruments are recorded and arranged.
Misconception #3: Reference Tracks are everything, but also a Double-Edged Sword
For commercial projects such as advertising jingles, reference tracks are a vital part of the initial research and ideation phase. Understanding what musical genres and technical elements in a track a business’ audience is most receptive to can be the deciding factor that makes an ad jingle stick in a consumer’s mind. To achieve this, producers often turn to specific musical ideas that have proven “success” in the past, and leverage them to create a catchy tune or elaborate composition.
Video – Samsung Ringtone’s Evolution
Leveraging older work for inspiration is a tried and tested way to innovate, however, it can also be a double-edged sword for producers. Constantly relying on existing musical tropes to craft commercial success can lead to plagiarism and hamper innovation, especially if ideas are transplanted verbatim from one track to another. Given strict rules around copyright and intellectual property fair use, producers need to be able to aptly use sonic inspiration to push boundaries and forge new ideas.
Conclusion
When viewed from a commercial lens, the role of a music producer is quite nuanced. However, it is also a challenging role, requiring those involved to navigate creative restrictions (copyright, fair use, etc.) while also innovating new ways to string musical elements into tracks that hit the ears just right. If not for their organisational skills and ability to think on their feet, the music making process might just be that little bit more tedious…
