Special Section: Studio Guide 2011

Picking A Producer

They can make you or break you. For every great producer (Butch Vig/Smashing Pumpkins; Phil Chess/ Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon) who’s made the career of a local or national artist or band, there’s a horror story of band and producer conflicts. Like a VH1 Classic movie, it can morph into several outcomes: producer takes the money and runs; band hires producer who becomes babysitter for months-long drug and alcohol binge; and then there’s the proverbial musical differences between band and producer.

For most of you reading this, there won’t be a budget for the binges or the cash-in-the-briefcase advance that has befallen several local Chicago bands of the past. The biggest sacrifice maybe checking your ego at the door and giving a third party creative input on (or full control of) your music.

Local producer, manager, and engineer Perry Bax – who has worked with bands from Stabbing Westward to Black Uhuru – offers this: “You are bringing in a producer to be a third party. A fresh set of ears. Someone who has experience to craft your raw ideas into a finished product that might just even open your eyes and ears to potential of your performance and writing, that you might not know you even had in you. A producer can ‘speak the speak’ to the engineer to mold the sound into a way you might not have even thought of.”

Many bands, especially in the era of cheap home recordings, balk at the idea of giving up their baby. Having heard several thousand demos during is tenure at IE, Editor Steve Forstneger tends to agree a few local bands could use a producer. “In many ways, a producer is like someone to give you your first review,” he says. “It’s not a simple matter of detecting whether you’re sharp or flat – though there’s that as well – but whether your ideas are developed, much less worth hearing. Apart from that, you’re asking people to invest in your art, maybe you should invest in it, too.”

Once you’ve come to the conclusion that you’re ready to bring in a musical advisor, it’s best to be prepared. The days of month-long studio lockouts where you compose in the studio while record company picks up the tab are long gone, at least for indie bands. Being efficient is the key. Pick three or four of your best songs and have the arrangements “radio ready” to conserve your budget. “Practice your songs and arrangements the best you can on your own dime in the rehearsal room,” advises Bax. “Don’t go into the session with a closed mind, with the rehearsal version of the song in your head as the finished project. And don’t stamp your feet and insist you have it your way. You are paying for a musical art director. Live and breathe with him or her.”

Andy Gerber, owner/producer and engineer at Million Yen Studio, advises that it’s crucial to go in with a plan. “Know what you are going for, and discuss it with the producer. Are you making Dark Side Of The Moon or Raw Power?”

After the ego check, the next biggest obstacle a band will face is the cost of making a record, whether it’s a five-song EP or a 16-track album. A smart band are they who can discuss it in advance with the producer. Gerber always spells out what the studio costs will be in advance. “Get a clear idea of what you will be charged, and hold them to it.” Since most bands will be funding their studio sessions themselves, don’t get buyer’s remorse because you didn’t work out the finances in first. “Make sure you are comfortable with your budget, and keep it appropriate for the project. Don’t be the band who spent $35K on a seven-song demo.”

Don’t let words like finances and budget scare you away from using a good producer. With advances in technology, you can keep your costs down while retaining a pro recordist for your project

Once you have you budget and songs to record, what type of producer is best for you? A little research and common sense go a long way in finding your guy. Gerber says, “Ask your friends who play in bands who they’ve worked with. If they had a good experience, you probably will, too. Check the credits on CDs that you like. Most will list the producer, engineer, and studio. A client list is more important than a gear list. While great gear makes it easier to get good sounds, the hand that twists the knob is more important than the knob itself. As I like to say, ‘Just because you have a scalpel in your hand doesn’t mean you are a surgeon.’ Make sure the client list is legit. Doing a radio edit or a live broadcast is not the same as doing a full CD.”

Local bands are fortunate to have a wide choice of top-notch producers and studios in Chicagoland. However, this is the music business, and few bad apples can completely fuck-up your recording project. Gerber advises that bands should “be careful out there. As Hunter S. Thompson once said, ‘The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side . . .'”

— John Vernon

Category: Features, Monthly