The Trust Factor

[Jose Mrochek]

I´m starting this thread inspired from Jules email US and Them story..

I want to hire a producer in the near future and want to know how to hire.

Who is it I should trust ? ? To me there are 2 types of producers. The ones who have chart or other type of success and the rest. Since the chart success ones are not financialy accesible to me, how do you pick a ¨up coming¨producer ? How does one know.. that HE is the man/woman that will take your stuff a step above ? thanks!

[natpub]

You are missing a 3rd type---the ones who had chart and success, but are now are no longer flavor of the month, so they are much more affordable, and still they have those amazing skills. This, imo, is really the best deal to find.

That said, I really think giving new work to new up and comers is a great and necessary thing, but like you said, it is super hard to know if they are gonna kick ass or not. YOu just gotta listen to what they ahve done so far, and really check them out, ask lots of questions, etc. If they are on the level, they wont mind being totally transparent to you.

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally Posted by natpub

You are missing a 3rd type---the ones who had chart and success, but are now are no longer flavor of the month, so they are much more affordable, and still they have those amazing skills. This, imo, is really the best deal to find.
.

that is true. How do you look for these ? I mean, still .. they are probably above my budget anyways.. even if they did have success back in the day.

So I need to focus on the upcoming guys.. 2 questions come up if I LIKE what I hear, is it the song I like ? how much production did he REALLY have to do ? it´s a very very tuff question if someone doesn´t have a nice credit list..

[djui5]

Jose,
more importantly than what they've done, you need to find someone who's really into your music.

[doug_hti]

Originally Posted by djui5

Jose,
more importantly than what they've done, you need to find someone who's really into your music.

I was going to mention "finding someone who is really into your music", however, I would AT MOST rank it as "equally important".

Lack of experience and lack of (some) commercial success, regardless of what their passion is, will kill a limited budget (too much time in studio) in the blink of an eye and the results will be a roll of the dice, as opposed to someone that will give you something that is usable and professional and focused with the tradeoff being a "little" bit less creative (only possibly)

[joelpatterson]

Or maybe ask yourself the question... why... did I think I needed a producer, again?

[u b k]

what do you want from the producer?


gregoire
del ubik

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally Posted by djui5

Jose,
more importantly than what they've done, you need to find someone who's really into your music.

but people can trick you into thinking that, for $$$$$ no ?

[Ricey]

how about a 4th type- one who's made CDs that aren't on the charts, but you love the way they sound?

[Sqye]

Originally Posted by Jose Mrochek

How does one know.. that HE is the man/woman that will take your stuff a step above ? thanks!

first of all, let me just say that HE is definitely the woman that will take your stuff a step higher

just my $.02

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally Posted by u b i k

what do you want from the producer?


gregoire
del ubik

good question.

to take me as a songwriter/singer on to different paths I didn´t know I could or could discover on my own .

and then listen to the new songs and say holy shit this is good.

[djui5]

Originally Posted by Jose Mrochek

but people can trick you into thinking that, for $$$$$ no ?

Sorta. Anyone can trick you into anything, even believing they are some top shelf person when they really have no credits at all to speak of....

But you should be able to tell if someone's into your music or not. Get some advice about your songs from them...do pre-production of a track and see if it improves a lot. If not, find someone else. They should at a minimum like your music, and be willing to listen to it enough to point out things you wouldn't think of, or thought of. If they just "breeze over the track" then you need to find someone else. You want the producer to be attentave to your music, not your budget. Meeting in person with them is a really quick way to tell if they're into you or not...body language dosen't lie.

Doug made a great point.

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally Posted by Ricey

how about a 4th type- one who's made CDs that aren't on the charts, but you love the way they sound?

I don´t like to see producers as people who give you a ¨sound¨. I prefer to see them as people who take your songs into a higher level of public appeal.

[Sqye]

Originally Posted by u b i k

what do you want from the producer?


gregoire
del ubik

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM A PRODUCER?

ubik, sorry - your post sounds so "woody allen", i couldn't help busting up

LIKE, JESUS, (flailing hands in the air furiously) WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM A PRODUCER, LEAVE ME THE F*CK ALONE, ALREADY

sorry, it just struck me that way.

[joelpatterson]

No, you're right.

[Sqye]

Originally Posted by djui5

Sorta. Anyone can trick you into anything.

SURE - you just gotta watch out for those guys who trick you into the cat juggling.

[James Lugo]

Cat juggling! You win a free oven mit...

[Sqye]

THANK YOU,

GOSH, I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY -
JEEEZZZZ OH PETE, HEVEANS TO MERGATROID, OH ME OH MY,
WHAT, YOU SAY - AN OVEN MITT?

I'M, I'M, well, i'm just OVERwhelmed, there are no words to express my gratitude,

for starters I'd like to thank the Lord, who's blessed me with all of my wonderful opportunities,
then I'd like to thank my gram-gram, then my special sister in law's cousin's room-mate, Alice,
then my two best friends Quisp and Quake, then my lucky astrology mood watch,
and, of course, all my fans, and last of all,
i'd like to dedicate the fruits of this fine occasion to my superb and wonderful audience,
and to my children working in the sweatshops across the ocean - i love you all very much,
oh and i'd like to respond to my african-american hostage nephew in the middle east,
"peace, waneesha, we is chillin', they is treatin' us real good, big ups and shout outs to ray ray",
and lastly, I'd like to thank the bol weevil, who came all the way to texas, just lookin' for a place to stay, just a lookin' for a home.
thank you all SO MUCH, - y'all are too kind. i love you.

please mail the oven mitt to:

led zeppelin
rock and roll avenue
in your dreams, ca

thank you so much.

[Improv]

y'all are odd, but I like it.

In an attempt to find info on this "cat juggling" joke, I found this and realized I have better things to do.

*** workplace warning: could be graphic, depending on what time you view ***

[Sqye]

Originally Posted by Improv

y'all are odd, but I like it.

In an attempt to find info on this "cat juggling" joke, I found this and realized I have better things to do.

*** workplace warning: could be graphic, depending on what time you view ***

lol

[u b k]

Originally Posted by Jose Mrochek

good question.

to take me as a songwriter/singer on to different paths I didn´t know I could or could discover on my own .

and then listen to the new songs and say holy shit this is good.

okay, so my question to you now is "what does any of the above have to do with chart success?" dig deep; if i'm reading it correctly, either you're not being fully honest here about what you want from a producer, or you're working with assumptions that you haven't fully explored.

is hit-status a goal of yours, and are you willing to allow your music and your instinctive expression of it to be shaped and crafted by a producer in order to make it happen? if so, this thread is asking the right questions. if not, the focus of this inquiry is skewed, and imo there is a totally different set of analyses to be made regarding a producer.


gregoire
del ubik