I’ve had two conversations in the last three weeks with friends who have horror stories about choosing the wrong producer.
In one story, my friend Jacob (not his real name) hired someone who came highly recommended only to find out that his ideas were being steamrolled by this person.
Literally, the producer did not give Jacob or his ideas the time of day and mostly ignored him.
Luckily, they hadn’t gotten very far into the process when my friend had to endure the awkward experience of cutting ties and asking for his deposit back. It turned out that what Jacob actually needed was an engineer who was on board with Jacob’s ideas, and he is now self-producing some amazing music.
In the other horror story, my friend Laura (again, not her real name) was feeling completely left out of the process of making her album.
At every step, Laura’s producer was making decisions without her involvement by working at night, and then bullying/gaslighting her into accepting his ideas. She told me “This guy has some huge credits, so I just kept telling myself that it would sound good and I would eventually come around to liking it,” but by the time the project was finished, Laura hated it and she'll never release it.
She considers it an expensive lesson in being careful who she hires.
Choosing a producer is so hard.
It’s like buying a used car that you don’t get to test drive. And sometimes it can end up being a very expensive mistake.
The truth is that there's no such thing as a perfect music producer. We all have our flaws and our biases that we're battling. But that's great news, because you don't need to find the perfect producer. You just need one that is open-minded enough to get on your wavelength and skilled enough to carry that vision to fruition.
If you’re an artist thinking about hiring a producer, ask yourself if they have these qualities:
Collaboration. Do they consider themself a small but valuable part of your process, or do they give you the feeling that they are the star of the show? Do they welcome feedback and constructive criticism? A good producer will catch your vision, inspire you to stretch it, respect your ideas, and collaborate with you instead of trying to force their own vision into your music.
Communication. Do they express themselves in a way that you understand? More importantly, do you get the feeling that you are seen and heard when you speak to them? Do you feel emotionally safe bringing your ideas to the table? A good producer speaks your language and won’t talk over you or ignore your questions and ideas.
Compatibility. Overall, do you feel that you can trust this person with your art? Do they have a work ethic that aligns with yours? What does your gut tell you? You’re going to be spending a lot of time with this person, so make sure you get along well!
At the end of the day, there are two basic steps to making a great record:
Hire a producer you trust.
Trust your producer.
Easier said than done, but it can be done.
If you have any horror stories of your own and you’re willing to share, comment and let me know.