Guest Advisor : Jay Tavernese Answers Your Producer Questions

As I’ve mentioned…I’m happy to share my thoughts.. but if I think a friend of mine can provide better advice I’m going to seek it out!  I’ve received a handful of questions regarding producers and thought it a perfect opportunity to call upon my good friend Jay Tavernese.  Jay and I have worked together on tours, comparing notes, managing bands, sharing information, and so on.   He’s currently a Producer and Band Manager @ In De Goot Entertainment working with producers Toby Wright, Mike Watts, Steven Haigler, and others as well as artists like 10 Years.

Here are his thoughts:

We’re  thinking about working with a producer but don’t know if it makes sense yet.   At what point in an indie bands career do you think it’s something we  should do?
Working with a producer depends on a lot of factors and what your desired result may be.  Every band may need or desire to work with a producer at a different point in the career so there’s no one answer here.  The most general answer I can say to that question is to seek out and work with a producer if you’re looking to take your music to a national level and have mass awareness.  Now I say “work” with a producer and what I mean is don’t just hire a producer and not listen or follow what they want you to do.  They’re there to offer a different opinion and pull the music out of you that you & your band may not be able to come up with on your own.

How  important is a GREAT recording job for an indie band?  We’re debating on  how much to spend.  It seems to me that it’s real easy to tell the  difference between a bad and good recording but much harder to tell the  difference between a good and great recording.
It’s very easy to tell the difference between bad & good & great recordings and I would say it’s very important to have great recordings to gain a mass audience, sell records or just get the attention of a & r for a deal.  If you’re demo sounds 5 times worse then you do live, chances are you might not want to send that out.

How  does a band that’s not on a label get to work with a producer?  I mean, I  know they cost a lot of money but where do we even start to get our musi

c to  them and see how much?
Producers work with unsigned bands all the time.  Just find out who their manager is or contact them directly.  You’d be very surprised at how many of them have studio websites, myspaces, etc.  As for the “I know they cost a lot of money” statement, every producer is different.  They’re not all an arm and a leg and if you know they cost a lot of money, why would you ask the question?  Tons of producers do spec deals, take smaller fees & higher points and even shop developmental projects.  DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS!  DON’T ASSUME ANYTHING!!

What  exactly does a producer do?  I know the engineer records, I know the  mixer mixes, I know the guy that masters it, but what about the producer?   Or do they do everything?
If you don’t know what a producer does, chances are you don’t need one.  I can’t tell you how many bands I’ve seen over the years running up to me going “we need real management,” and then I ask them “what does a manager do?” and they have no response.  So, by that rationale if you see a commercial for a new cologne you know you need it because you play football?  NO!

All producers are different, some co-write, some arrange, some just get great sounds and some just get all the band members on the same page as to what the recording should be.    It’ll take a few conversations and maybe even doing some demo sessions or co-writes with different producers and artists before you can really determine what you’re looking for in a producer and which one will deliver what you want.