How to Become a Record Producer (Music How-To) (Paperback)

by David Mellor (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
* Talent spotting
* Assessing demo tapes
* Developing an act
* Rehearsal and pre-production
* Working with live musicians and MIDI
* Dealing with record companies
* Hiring musicians
* Choosing a studio
* Mixing and remixing

Every musician with an interest in recording dreams of being a record producer - it's the top job in music. But although many aspire to become record producers, few ever achieve their dream. This book tells how you, if you have the talent and determination, can become a record producer. You'll never see your name in lights, but you will have the immense satisfaction of knowing that it was you who made that No. 1 hit happen.

This book explains the musical aspects of the process of producing a record, from finding a singer or band and choosing a song, all the way through to making sure that you get your pay cheque on time.

It covers rehearsal and pre-production, selling the singer or band to a record company A&R manager, and working in the studio, whether it is a modest home setup or a top class commercial studio.

You will need to know how to work effectively with musicians, engineers, programmers and arrangers to get them to achieve what you want. You'll need to coax the singer through the trials and tribulations of vocal recording - one of the most difficult aspects of record production. This book tells you how.

Once you have tasted success as a record producer, you will want to continue to make more great records. You will need legal and financial advice, and good management. This book tells you what to look for in your advisors.

Stop dreaming and start to take your first steps into the exciting world of record production.

About the Author
David Mellor is a composer and musician who produces music for radio, film, television and CD in his home recording studio. His music and recordings are frequently heard on BBC TV and Radio, Independent Television and Channel 4. He has worked as a sound engineer at the Royal Opera House, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and other major venues in the UK and abroad.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Cimino Publishing Group (December 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1870775481
• ISBN-13: 978-1870775489
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #232,354 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dribble., November 26, 2003

By A Customer

This book wasn't very helpful at all. Basically, it just repeated the fact that to learn how to be a producer, you need hands on experience. Aside from the lack of information, the book was poorly written. The sentence structure in MANY cases could have been corrected by a high school senior. What made reading this book even worse was the fact that the author failed to be funny whenever he attempted to make a humorous remark. Spend your money on another book! Here's this one summed up in a nutshell - go produce for yourself and learn by trial and error. THAT'S DEEP!

14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars May be helpful in the U.K. but useless in the U.S., October 17, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Landover, Maryland) - See all my reviews

Just like Spielberg dosen't need to know how a camera works. A record producer dosen't need to know how all the equipment works. However this book, which is written in how they do it in the U.K., takes the opposite tack and loads up with generally useless information. Overdubbing, multisequencing, split track editing, these are things a producer shouldn't be concerned with. This book gives you a crash course and more. It even told what types of recorders and microphones are best right down to the model numbers. If you plan on opening your own studio, then this book could be considered helpful. If your aspirations are more like Puff Daddy, Quincy Jones, Russell Simmons, or L.A. Reid, then save your money. Overall, this book was a waste of time and money and I immediately began checking into Amazon's return policy

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's going to get me started!, February 19, 1999

By A Customer

I love making music and I want to make it my career. This book has told me how difficult it is to get into the business, but it also explains realistically how to get started. I know where my life is going now.