What is the definition of a Producer?

I would say a producer is a person who coordinates a project to the effect of getting it successfully and completely to market.

Anyone can do this, but not just anyone does this.

It can be a singer, a composer, an engineer, or someone who simply has the $$$ and the organizational skills to make it happen. It's a designation to be earned, and it is earned with results.

The producer of a recording has a vision of that recording in its end state, and will expidite the teamwork needed to realize that vision, whatever it takes, and in whatever capacity that person can contribute.

Musicians make music; audiences want to hear music. Successfully connect the two, and you have produced. This makes you a producer. How you do it is up to you. You can do everything from soup to nuts yourself, or just be a guiding influence standing back behind a big team of players, or anything in between. It's like Nike: just do it. Produce. Create a vision, finish the thing, get it out there, get paid, and move on to the next production. Make it a routine to do this consistently, and you can accurately describe yourself as a producer.

I hope this helps.

Eric Vincent
Curve Dominant Sound&Vision
curvdominant@earthlink.net

A producer gets the best chair in the control room!

:)

The producer is the person responsible for the completion of the product... this can take many forms...

I am so tired from a R&B vocal engineering session yesterday, (13 hours. 9 of them, WITHOUT FOOD! - THE HORROR!) I have little strength to type!

From what I have read, fatigue and lack of food can cause the same symptoms as being drunk. I know that as a diabetic, if I don't eat regular meals a lack of blood sugar can make me feel like I just drank a short case of beer in a half hour. Do you think being tired and hungry caused any impairment of your abilities?

I've always read you should take a break every now and then to let your senses recover. Did the mix sound good the next day?

I'm spending 14 hours a day building my new studio and after about eight hours I find myself doing some really dumb stuff that I usually have to spend a couple hours doing over..just a question.

Well it was just dumb of me.... I shoulda ate.
I had no assistant, so.. I let it slip.. record-record-record.. It was a rare 'engineering only gig'. Mostly I am producing and call breaks more often. Just one of those days where the folks around me sneaked out for food, and I was stuck with a singer with no appetite.. Nevermind! :)