Sound Engineers

[launchpad67a]

Good thread! Excellent replies.

Something that should also be noted and understood is the role of an engineer and a producer. How those roles work together to create the finished product is important to understand. While many producers are engineers, and many engineers are producers, their roles are different in the recording process.

 

In short, a Producer creates a vision for the product, whether their own vision or that of the band, and oversees the process to make that vision happen. This includes everything from sounds, tones, and instruments, to song arrangements, lyrics, composition, and mixing. When you listen to a finished song, you're hearing the producers vision (version) of that song.

The Engineers job is to capture the producers vision. This includes everything from operating the recording console, external processors, tape machines and digital mediums, to microphone selection/setup/placement, signal routing, and room acoustics. When you listen to a finished song, you're hearing the sounds captured by the engineer.

 

As you can see, they are different roles, and the differences are worth understanding.

 

I did wonder what the difference between the two was, and I thank you very much for telling me. I did notice that often an album will have more than one sound engineer.

 

The entire process sounds to me like this is a field that you can't go into without the talent for it. It's a gift the same as all other talents.

 

It must be very hard for all of those egos to work together, especially when the producer tells the band that's not what he wants. But apparently it can be done. There are so many masterpiece albums out there! :)

You're welcome. Just thought you might like to know the differences and how Each contribute to the final product.

 

Not sure of the exact stats but, most popular and successful producers and engineers started as musicians, and became interested in the recording process at some point. Playing shows, recording demos, learning what sounds good, all the while gaining the knowledge and experience of making records. It's not uncommon to even see them playing various parts on their clients recordings.

 

Yes, egos can get in the way and certainly create problems. This is why absolute confidence in your producer and engineer is essential. It can be tricky to say the least. It doesn't always please everyone involved.