How You Produce Your Music

[john]

Hey

 

I was giving some feedback to Mahesh on his current production (in the member only Mix Critique board) and it reminded me about discussing the topic of how members approach production and to ask if they are missing a trick here.

 

To my mind, the easiest form of production is creatively fairly lazy. In essence it is when the production process is almost entirely focused on balancing the instruments and basic support of the melody via harmony and rhythm, so that each member of a band (or typical band set up)plays in their typical style. Creatively there are no real ideas there. I think of this as minimalist genre or as a literal interpretation.

 

Going beyond the minimalist genre approach is to view production as transformative as the songwriting process. Where production can interpret the song, add creative ideas that add or develop a concept for the song, or a concept for the band/brand or album. Such production is more challenging for the band. It tends to be less about showcasing of instruments because it focuses almost entirely on the needs of each song, or at least each song within the confines of the current band and their approach to music.

 

This second approach really splits into 2.

 

1. Where the production is a slave to the brand aesthetic. The concept is band/brand driven. It’s really an evolution of the minimalist genre based production, but at least a concept is being applied.
2. Where the production is primarily a slave to a song concept. This production can be relatively literal to completely off the wall. The real difference is that the needs of this recording of the song drive the production with the artist aesthetic or album aesthetic coming a close second.

 

If you look at a band like the Foo Fighters, most of their music is more about the first approach. Led Zeppelin were more about the minimalist/literal approach too, though both evolved towards a brand aesthetic approach where showcasing instrumentation was still an important feature. Both bands have elements that stepped into the brand anesthetic approach, but overall, whatever arrangement, it was more about bringing the instruments together, in a balanced way, and leaving room for solos. Very traditional hard rock. In truth, they probably use experimentation and concept, but they do so within a heavily restrained way.

 

Compare that with Pink Floyd, or Radio Head. Both bands were initially much more minimalist approach, but both evolved a consistent approach where the 2nd method of production became the driving force.

 

In modern times producers like Mark Ronson do apply a song concept, but it is still a slave to an overall style, commercialism and the band aesthetic. When Ronson’s and Salaam Remi’s tracks were added to Amy Winehouse’s album Back To Black, the songs were very genre driven, capturing a very specific brand aesthetic.

 

Meanwhile a producer like Finneas O’Connell produces music where the production is far more of a slave to the song followed by the band aesthetic. The only instrumentalist really being showcased is the singer, usually Billie Eillish. The result is much more lush productions, more creativity on show, more depth of emotion, more breadth of emotion too. Much more variety. Much stronger conceptually.

 

How do you view your approach to production? If you don’t give it much thought, take a minute and have a think about it. In your journey as a music producer, do you have a direction of travel, an intended destination?

 

Cheers

 

John

[Hessel]

6 hours ago, john said:

Hey

 

I was giving some feedback to Mahesh on his current production (in the member only Mix Critique board) and it reminded me about discussing the topic of how members approach production and to ask if they are missing a trick here.

 

To my mind, the easiest form of production is creatively fairly lazy. In essence it is when the production process is almost entirely focused on balancing the instruments and basic support of the melody via harmony and rhythm, so that each member of a band (or typical band set up)plays in their typical style. Creatively there are no real ideas there. I think of this as minimalist genre or as a literal interpretation.

 

Going beyond the minimalist genre approach is to view production as transformative as the songwriting process. Where production can interpret the song, add creative ideas that add or develop a concept for the song, or a concept for the band/brand or album. Such production is more challenging for the band. It tends to be less about showcasing of instruments because it focuses almost entirely on the needs of each song, or at least each song within the confines of the current band and their approach to music.

 

This second approach really splits into 2.

 

1. Where the production is a slave to the brand aesthetic. The concept is band/brand driven. It’s really an evolution of the minimalist genre based production, but at least a concept is being applied.
2. Where the production is primarily a slave to a song concept. This production can be relatively literal to completely off the wall. The real difference is that the needs of this recording of the song drive the production with the artist aesthetic or album aesthetic coming a close second.

 

If you look at a band like the Foo Fighters, most of their music is more about the first approach. Led Zeppelin were more about the minimalist/literal approach too, though both evolved towards a brand aesthetic approach where showcasing instrumentation was still an important feature. Both bands have elements that stepped into the brand anesthetic approach, but overall, whatever arrangement, it was more about bringing the instruments together, in a balanced way, and leaving room for solos. Very traditional hard rock. In truth, they probably use experimentation and concept, but they do so within a heavily restrained way.

 

Compare that with Pink Floyd, or Radio Head. Both bands were initially much more minimalist approach, but both evolved a consistent approach where the 2nd method of production became the driving force.

 

In modern times producers like Mark Ronson do apply a song concept, but it is still a slave to an overall style, commercialism and the band aesthetic. When Ronson’s and Salaam Remi’s tracks were added to Amy Winehouse’s album Back To Black, the songs were very genre driven, capturing a very specific brand aesthetic.

 

Meanwhile a producer like Finneas O’Connell produces music where the production is far more of a slave to the song followed by the band aesthetic. The only instrumentalist really being showcased is the singer, usually Billie Eillish. The result is much more lush productions, more creativity on show, more depth of emotion, more breadth of emotion too. Much more variety. Much stronger conceptually.

 

How do you view your approach to production? If you don’t give it much thought, take a minute and have a think about it. In your journey as a music producer, do you have a direction of travel, an intended destination?

 

Cheers

 

John

"Production" in the last 2 or 3 decades has a different definition than like, in the '70s.
Now, it all about making it slick, with added sounds/fx and perfect mixing.
In the 70's all the focus was on the performance of the musician and the perfect take on the 16 tracks available on the tapedeck.
Because musicians had to play better back then, we still enjoy that records, 50 years later, while music from this day and age and recorded with the computer, is just for the moment, and goes up in smoke afterwards...

When i am mixing something everytime you hit a knob on a vst, the sound might get slicker, but a bit of soul leaves the recording, haha