Introduction

Music production per se is a strange entity and an odd thing to do. It is certainly a challenge to quantify and very difficult to measure, analyze, and then simulate. Despite this, we perceived a need for a guide that provided an insight into the world of record production, as requested time and again by our students and various other people.

This book tries to offer not only this insight but also some solid guidance. It does not try to over-analyze seminal albums and the actions of the producers, engineers, or musicians involved. Neither does it seek to over-glorify these oft unsung heroes; however, we must admit we might admire a few of them along the way. What we are interested in is providing an overview of the process of making music work and the day-to-day activity of the producer and his or her colleagues. The nuts and bolts, if you like, and a detailed look at this fascinating and rewarding profession.

Using real-world examples and a few interview excerpts, we delve into approaches to the production process and the skills required to perform the various tasks. More than anything, this book is a production “guide.” There is neither an over-bearing amount of interview material nor overblown step-by-steps on producing. The range of professionals whose words and experiences are woven into this book can be seen in the acknowledgments section before this introduction; we offer some of their shared themes and also their diverging viewpoints. As you’ll read, not all agreed with the majority view, and by presenting their opinions we discover that production can be many things to many people.

Getting to the status of a producer can be a long and arduous endeavor. Once, and only if, success arrives, the producer has further work to do to maintain momentum and carry this forward. Like many other careers, the road is rocky and contains pitfalls. We touch on some of the more practical solutions to staying on top of the game, gleaned from friends and colleagues who have graciously given their time to be interviewed for this book. We wrote this book because of them, and because of all the production professionals before them and after (which includes you!).

Whatever your slant on music production and its variety of guises, many of the processes involved are about guiding the events, performances, people, and magic that result in a musical story.

This book is a guide to that guidance.

Russ Hepworth-Sawyer and Craig Golding

Northern England, U.K.