Being a record producer is not just about the debate between documenting a performance or actually shaping the sound of it. It’s also about how a record producer really relates to an artist. To give a very simple polarity, some record producers really exist to just facilitate an artist’s process. But there are other record producers who aim to imprint their sound, their particular trademark sound on that artist. This is crucial to know when studying music education.
When Jerry Wechsler signed Aretha Franklin, he helped her cultivate a particular sound that served her because he felt that a more soulful, more churchy approach to music would fit her well. He didn’t imprint a sound on her; he helped to bring the best out of Aretha Franklin.
This is opposed to a producer like Phil Spector, who imprints that wall of sound on his artists, no matter who they are. With a lot of electronic music producers, the minute you hear a song by Pharrell Williams, you kind of know it’s a Pharrell Williams song because they are imprinting their own particular sonic and musical take on those artists. This is just one of the many aspects of music you will learn in your online music education courses.
