As a Record Producer, what do I actually do?
Being a record producer, music producer others will call me, or someone who does “demo music production”, demo CD recordings, I, generally speaking, produce music CD demos/masters for my clients, which tend to be mostly songwriters, but also singers/artists and even bands.
There are in fact a multitude of words that can be used to describe what I am, what I do and can provide you: from Record Producer, Music Producer, UK Music Producer, Music Programmer and Arranger; to Demo CD; Demo Productions Services; Demo Music Production; CD Demo Recording – it really does not matter what you call it, I am here to help you with your songs, providing you high quality demos and masters of your work.
But of course there's a lot more to providing demos & masters than this. So let's look in more detail about what it actually takes to provide professional demos & masters as a professional music (record) producer to all these singers/songwriters out there.
As a musician/programmer and musician songwriter that I also am, I can embellish just about any song and turn them into a full blown production, but of course the song has to be there to begin with as well. Regardless of my talent and skills as a producer/programmer/arranger/musician and demo CD maker, and I have been a musician for over 30 years, no amount of talent/skills can disguise a mediocre song, as simple as that. You will end up with a great demo/master sounding production by all means, but with just as bad a song. But on the other hand, if a great song be complemented a great production, this is indeed the right approach, and one certain to stand more chances on the music charts.
Why do singers/songwriters and artists need CD demo recordings for? Quite simply because this is the only way these days to show A&R's your work (Artists & Repertoire - the people that listens to the demos that come to every record label every week, by the thousands at times).
Because the music industry has involved so much and so quickly, and added to that, the very fact that technology has progresses so fast, we are all living in a very pressurised environment, the standards are much higher than they ever were! And course, that also brings intense competition among the artists, singers, bands and songwriters.
So, as an artist, singer/songwriter you need to shine brighter than your competition, and your music demos/masters are just the right vehicle for that! And that is what record producers concentrate on, making your songs stand out from the crowd, getting the best out of your song writing ideas.
But it does not stop there! These days most A&R's (in the music industry) tend to be business men, as opposed to real genuine musicians, and therefore cannot help the artists develop their artistry, and song writing, that is just not the case anymore. This important role is now confined to qualified record producers. So it is imperative that your demos CD/master produced songs have all the arrangements handed on the plate to them, with every instrument and sound emulating the best way possible what the songs writer had in his/her mind. Of course you do not need to hire a string quartet to play the strings on a pop song, but having quality arrangements and quality sampled sounds will indeed go a long way to bridge the gap between a competent and professional sounding demo and a professional full blown production on a major recording studio.
Having a professional quality demo CD/master recording done by a qualified and experience record producer is therefore imperative these days, if, as a songwriter you want to have yours songs heard and hopefully placed with a major artist. It is worth the investment, if you are really serious about your music and career!
Ricky Seraphico