On Choosing a Producer (Part 1)

The first big step to making your own album is finding a producer. The producer of your album will be the person who will help you take your songs from rough draft to completed form. The producer will also have a huge impact on what your album will sound like because ultimately he/she will be directing the actual recording of the sounds.

The cool thing about being an indie artist who hires their own producer is that you have the option of having a say in how the songs are recorded and what they’ll sound like. This is called ‘co-producing’. Most signed artists aren’t allowed to co-produce until they’ve established themselves as hit-makers or are on their 3rd or 4th album.

Finding a producer can be stressful if you don’t go about it in a methodical manner. First, you need to come up with a budget. Choose a budget that is realistic in terms of where you are in your career. My budget for recording was $10K-$15K. No messing around this time. I want QUALITY! And quality costs. The second step is to come up with a list of producers that you would like to work with, from dream producers to producers of your favorite bands or fellow music friends. You can find producers by looking at the album liner notes of CD’s you like the production on, or artists you know may recommend a producer to you. Always ask for mp3’s samples or their demo reel so you can hear the scope of their work. Most producers concentrate on one style, i.e. ‘Singer-songwriter, country, rock, punk, etc. Also keep in mind their location. I decided I wanted to try to stay local (Los Angeles) for this album if at all possible.

I came up with a list of 6-7 producers in the singer/songwriter/rock genre. I then proceeded to contact them via email or myspace, linking them to the demos and sharing my budget range with them. After receiving some replies, I requested quotes for what they charge for recording, mixing and or mastering. Some charge by the track. Some charge by the project. Some charge for recording and mixing and mastering is extra.

Budget is very important. I did get a reply from one really established LA producer who would cost my WHOLE budget for 2-3 songs. And that’s recording only, not including mixing and mastering! I was kind of tempted for a bit there, but realized that, as amazing as it would have been to have worked with this particular producer, I would then have to split up the work between two producers, it would kill my budget, drag out the release date, and complicate the cohesiveness of the album as a whole.

So, unless you win the lottery or have a windfall of $$$$$, the potential producer list is then narrowed down to those who are in your budget range. In my next post, I’ll share my three final choices and how I chose the producer for “Who Is Sukey Rose!”