Have you ever listened to your favourite music and wondered how they achieve THAT sound? It could be any aspect from the song itself, how big and wide it sounds, the space, the impact, the dynamics, or just the vibe. Writing, performing and producing your own music can be fun and rewarding. At some point however, you may find you have hit a brick wall and you are having difficulty progressing your music or project to the next level. You may have even done some online research about the availability of a music producer or mixer to help you, which led you to a multitude of choices further complicating your decision. Put simply, doing everything yourself just doesn’t cut it in the long term. A major production of any sort, whether it be music, movies or on the stage is achieved by a cohesive team of highly skilled people. Each individual quite often specializes in their specific role or field too.
The following list highlights some of the key benefits of appointing an audio professional and how it can help you elevate your music and perhaps even change your perspective:
EXPERIENCE
Let’s say you are a singer and you occasionally dabble in recording your own music and have achieved reasonable results. There’s no question that it’s likely your experience as a singer far outweighs your experience as a mixing engineer. The cumulative experience added by appointing an audio professional adds insurmountable value and broadens the depth to your project.
OBJECTIVITY
A professional producer/mixer/mastering engineer does not (well, they shouldn’t) have an emotional attachment to your music. Sometimes you need someone to highlight that the tinny sounding snare or the bridge to the song is not working for you. They should provide objective advice to shape the project into a cohesive final product.
FRESH EARS
You’ve spent 3 weeks on your new song. You’ve probably heard it 300 times by now, maybe more. There comes a point where you can no longer hear the good or the bad things about it. You have become almost indifferent. Getting someone new involved gives you access to a fresh set of experienced ears and can give your project a completely new lease on life.
TIME
When creativity strikes, you want to make the most of the opportunity and focus on being creative. You don’t want to be bogged down figuring out the compression ratio of a kick drum from a song you recorded 6 months prior. Budget permitting, outsourcing your audio requirements will free up your time to focus on the creative side of things.
FREEDOM
This ties in with time. Having more time permits more freedom and head space for new ideas to be imagined and explored.
NETWORKING
Building a solid, reliable network is crucial to your progress. When you choose to appoint a producer or mixer for your project, you also widen your network of not only professionals but other artists and collaborators for the future.
KNOWLEDGE BASE
Sure, you can search Google all day and maybe find an answer to something that’s been bugging you for a while. But, having a good working relationship with an experienced audio professional also gives you access to their knowledge base and historical experience.
EQUIPMENT
An often discussed and often maligned topic. You may have heard the expression “it’s not the gear, it’s the ear”. Sure, you can go out and buy an expensive piece of hardware equipment, but to intimately learn the nuances and workings of it, will take considerable time and effort. An experienced audio professional will not just have access to the equipment, it’s likely they have used it in many different scenarios and know exactly how to implement it into your project. Or even advise against using a particular piece of hardware, based on the same experience.
INSPIRATION/MENTORING
Establishing multiple sources of inspiration is vital to maintain a lengthy career and stay motivated. Find someone that can also act as a mentor and that can coach you through periods of growth.
POLISH & PROFESSIONALISM
Once you have committed a significant amount of time in writing, recording and creating your musical masterpiece, you want it to shine in all aspects. Appointing a professional mixing or mastering engineer will add the final sheen and polish to deliver the best possible result.
If you have any questions or would like further detail about any aspect of music or audio production, reach out to us and we would be happy to chat.
Until next time,
Mike
