Toby Gad

[Rebecca]

[quote author=Scott Martin

If you're interested Ahmed, I'll do a break down of a song written by Max Martin in the next few days. Ill attempt to describe what they are doing with the overall song structure, instrumentation and mix.

Regards,

Scott.
[/quote]

I'm interested in that too Scott, that would be great, when you have time.

[ahmed]

hey scott,i added questions in the last post  probably in the same time when u answered to it ..can u please read them and answer?

[Scott Martin :)]

thank u so much scott,these information are helpful

You're welcome.

its the first time i know the importance of the sound engineer,but as far as i know the sound engineer in many songs is another person not the producer,

This is generally true, I was just mentioning that some Producers come from an engineering background. (they start out their career this way and move into record production)

i thought the sound engineer job is about how to fix things to make the sound clear and stuff like that.

Yes and no. In smaller studios, the engineer will generally operate all the gear, record each player/singer AND mix the song at the end. In larger budget projects, there are often guys who specialise in mixing alone. (actually referred to as Mix Engineers, so yes its very close.)[/quote]

and i think most of the producer mix the song by themselves.

Some certainly do. I believe from what Ive read of Max, that he produces and mixes down the song. I could be wrong though.

and u said that its not necessary for a producer to play any music instrument...that means if there is acoustic guitar sound on a song or piano sound,does the producer need help from guitar player or piano player to play this music or what?

Definitely, this actually touches on the heart of being a producer - he directs the musician in how he'd like the part played. Just like a film director wont often shoot their own film, they'll give clear directions to their camera operators on what angles to shoot and in what style to do so.

i always see producer sitting on the mixer keyboard in the studio,while the singer is recording the song..what is the producer job in that case?

More than likely he's sitting their as he's getting the best sound from the speakers.  Its true actually, the control room is designed for the best listening position on near-field speakers to be right smack in the middle of the mixing desk. Ive been to many studio sessions where I didnt touch a single thing on the desk, but I still sat right next to the engineer, listened to the music, and told him what I wanted.

thank u very much for sharing ur knowledge  ...and sorry for asking so many questions

You're very welcome, and dont be sorry! 

[Scott Martin :)]

Ahmed, you were asking about Producer videos, I found a great site here;

www.recordproduction.com There's about 130 producer videos on the site.

Also, there's a great explanation of what a producer does on wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_producer

Cheers,

Scott.

[Feelgoodlies]

Hi scott welcome to the forum!

[ahmed]

thank u so much scott 

what about the synthesizer?....all i know about it in the studio that it produces different musical instruments sounds...what is its main role in the studio?

and who play on it ?the producer or mixer or sound engineer?

[Scott Martin :)]

Hi Ahmed, it depends on the style of music as to what role a synth will have. For example, a song like 'Since you've Been Gone' is essentially a pop/rock track centering around drums and guitars. I havent had a close listen to that track lately, but if there are any synth parts at all in that song, they are likely to be small background parts to help fill it out.

Some of the Back Street Boys songs are almost entirely synth - or the guitars might take a background role.

'Hook Me Up' by the Veronica's has a synth bass playing right through it along with guitars and drums.

Synths are very versatile instruments, so the job they have in different songs, varies enormously.

Usually the parts are programmed ahead of time via midi; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI
This saves money on studio time by writing the parts before you start paying by the hour.

But sometimes an idea comes up for a synth line during the production of the song, in this case, it might be one of the band members, or the producer himself that plays it.

[ahmed]

ok thanks scott

[*Sabine*]

This is an extremely interesting thread I just discovered. Scott Martin, it's such a pleasure to read your answers. If you have some material to make us listen to, don't be afraid to post it!

[Scott Martin :)]

Hi Sabine (and hi again to Rebecca, Turnaround, Ahmed etc!)

Sorry for the long absence, my wife and i had twin boys in the last year and its certainly turned our lives upside-down! (in a good way!)

This if course, has put my songwriting schedule back, but the good news is, I have two tracks nearing completion. I PROMISE to post them here when Im done.

[*Sabine*]

Really nice, can't wait!
Take care of your little boys!

[Rebecca]

Hi Scott, congratulations on your twin boys!
oh, that's great you have 2 tracks nearly finished, looking forward to hearing them too!