Great Producers

[steve-soar]

Tony Visconti, George Martin, Phil Spector, Brian Eno, Rick Rubin, Holland Dozier and Holland, Quincey Jones......
These people are the dream makers, the sound sculptors, what do you think?
I love production nearly as much as bass playing, are there any other producers that are bassists?

[jakenewmanbass]

Marcus Miller, Walter Becker, Steve Rodby.

[Kiwi]

Trevor Horn?
Youth?
Don Was?
(all bassists)

[bnt]

Michael Brook and Daniel Lanois among my favourite producers, though they're guitarists. Larry Klein and Bill Laswell are other bassists/producers to know. Not forgetting, of course, Brian Wilson.

Edited September 3, 2008 by bnt

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='bnt' post='276608' date='Sep 3 2008, 11:30 PM']Michael Brook and Daniel Lanois among my favourite producers, though they're guitarists. Larry Klein and Bill Laswell are other bassists/producers to know. Not forgetting, of course, Brian Wilson.[/quote]
+1 for Brian Wilson and what about Macca?

[chris_b]

Great producers;
Glyn Johns (Led Zep, Stones, Faces),
Andrew Loog Oldham (Stones),
Willie Dixon (everyone on Chess Records),
Jerry Wexler (Altantic Records),
John Porter (Jon Cleary, Keb Mo),
Allain Toussaint (everyone in New Orleans).

These guys made fantastic records out of great songs.

[NancyJohnson]

All US rock, all distinctively different end results:
Eddie Kramer
Jack Douglas
Ted Niceley
Rob Cavallo
Ed Stasium

I'd also offer up Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne bass player) and Mark Hoppus (Blink182/+44). They've both produced some good work.

P

[cheddatom]

I love listening to the sound of albums, the "production" but I think a lot of producers get credit for things they haven't done. I always though Rick Rubin was a master producer, considering the amazing sound on some of the albums he's done, but I read in an interview that he doesn't and has no interest in knowing how to use a mixing desk. He just tells an engineer how he wants it to sound. With the description of sounds being so entirely subjective, I find it hard to beleive that he has been the one actually "crafting" the sound.

[coasterbass]

I remember watching one of those 'greatest album' shows. They gave the master tapes of Pet Sounds to George Martin, and he transformed it.

(at least thats what i remember. It might have been the other way around tbh... )



and...
RICK RUBIN !!

[velvetkevorkian]

Devin Townsend- not a bassist but a master producer as well as an all round wierdo genius/guitar hero.

[SteveK]

[quote]I always though Rick Rubin was a master producer, considering the amazing sound on some of the albums he's done, but I read in an interview that he doesn't and has no interest in knowing how to use a mixing desk. He just tells an engineer how he wants it to sound. With the description of sounds being so entirely subjective, I find it hard to beleive that he has been the one actually "crafting" the sound.[/quote]That's common practice - A good producer will be concerning himself with the music. Patch bays and the like are for the engineer to worry about...Engineers engineer and producers produce. At least, that's how it was in the olden days

Steve

[Bilbo]

Steve Swallow - he produced John Scofield's 'Still Warm' album and has done many others that I can't recall.

[Dr.Dave]

What about Roger Glover?

One of my fave producers , as well as being a great writer and possibly the most under rated guitar hero ever , is Lyndsey Buckingham.

His production transformed the very ordinary material Nicks and McVie were supplying to Fleetwood Mac and turned them from a college circuit band in a transit to folk that live on yachts.
From interviews I've seen he feels his best contributions were as someone who could give form to others raw material rather than as a songwriter/singer/guitarist.

[Protium]

Not a bassist but Steve Albini - refuses to use any digital recording means
Trent Reznor - plays all instruments except drums when recording NIN

[cetera]

James William Guercio..... sometime bassist with the Beach Boys and legendary Producer of:

Chicago
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Carl Wilson

From Wikipedia:
Guercio was the founder of Caribou Ranch, a popular recording studio in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. The first true radio hit recorded at Caribou was Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way". In addition to Chicago (starting with Chicago VI), the studio has been used by numerous other artists: Elton John (for his Caribou album as well as "Captain Fantastic" and "Rock of the Westies"), Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Carole King, Stephen Stills, Waylon Jennings and Supertramp

[cheddatom]

[quote name='SteveK' post='276775' date='Sep 4 2008, 10:30 AM']That's common practice - A good producer will be concerning himself with the music. Patch bays and the like are for the engineer to worry about...Engineers engineer and producers produce. At least, that's how it was in the olden days

Steve[/quote]

Obviously, my point was that Rick Rubin doesn't even touch any faders. He might say to the engineer "I need to hear more bass" or "that guitar sounds crap" but my point is that the description of sounds/musicality is so subjective that without actually sitting there moving faders and trimming pan pots, you're not actually "crafting" the sound. For all we know, Rich Costey (one of Rick's most famous previous engineers) just used the DDA filter all the time.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='276863' date='Sep 4 2008, 12:21 PM']Obviously, my point was that Rick Rubin doesn't even touch any faders. He might say to the engineer "I need to hear more bass" or "that guitar sounds crap" but my point is that the description of sounds/musicality is so subjective that without actually sitting there moving faders and trimming pan pots, you're not actually "crafting" the sound. For all we know, Rich Costey (one of Rick's most famous previous engineers) just used the DDA filter all the time.[/quote]

Subjective it may be, but 'the producer' will only be happy when he hears the sound that is in his/her head.

It's not that uncommon for a producer to be 'hands off'.

[Rich]

Gareth Young
Prince

[cheddatom]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='276873' date='Sep 4 2008, 12:28 PM']Subjective it may be, but 'the producer' will only be happy when he hears the sound that is in his/her head.

It's not that uncommon for a producer to be 'hands off'.[/quote]

I totally agree, but before I realised this I would give the producer credit for what I now think is mainly the engineer's work, and I think a lot of people are like that. The producer might get the engineer to keep working until it's "right" but I think that could be anyone - the band, the manager, the engineer's mum....

[chris_b]

What about Steve Cropper. He has produced thousands of successful records including the classic 60's soul records from Stax studios. He also produced the first major label Tower Of Power album, Bump City. Cropper was inspired by Willie Mitchell who produced most of the hits from the Hi label including Al Green and Ann Peebles.

Edited September 4, 2008 by chris_b

[NancyJohnson]

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='276771' date='Sep 4 2008, 10:23 AM']Devin Townsend- not a bassist but a master producer as well as an all round wierdo genius/guitar hero.[/quote]

I just wish DT had had the balls to stick with The WiLDHEARTS.
P

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='276908' date='Sep 4 2008, 12:49 PM']I totally agree, but before I realised this I would give the producer credit for what I now think is mainly the engineer's work, and I think a lot of people are like that. The producer might get the engineer to keep working until it's "right" but I think that could be anyone - the band, the manager, the engineer's mum....[/quote]

Aye, but... what makes a GREAT producer great is knowing what *right* sounds like.

No offence to the engineer's mum, or the band's manager, but chances are they don't have a clue.

[quote]What about Steve Cropper. He has produced thousands of successful records including the classic 60's soul records from Stax studios. He also produced the first major label Tower Of Power album, Bump City. Cropper was inspired by Willie Mitchell who produced most of the hits from the Hi label including Al Green and Ann Peebles.[/quote]

Random aside.. I went to a Steve Cropper gig last week and it was fab. Not only that, but he sang. And sang well.

I didn't know dat.

[cheddatom]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='276933' date='Sep 4 2008, 01:12 PM']Aye, but... what makes a GREAT producer great is knowing what *right* sounds like.

No offence to the engineer's mum, or the band's manager, but chances are they don't have a clue.[/quote]

Yeh, good point, I would just have more respect for someone who knows what "right" is, and how to get it, rather than trying to get someone else to get it "right" and probably settling for a compromise.

[dangerboy]

As someone in a band, I'd hate to work with a "producer". I want it to sound like what's in our heads, not what some other guy imposed by a label or whatever wants. I think it's a different issue if you're a Phil Spector, or the like, who assembled the band to achieve the sound in his head...

But for me - the band will have spent months or years working out their sound. Get a good engineer to capture that. Job done. Not some guy rearranging things, asking for overdubs, pooring on reverb and compression...

nb - I only have an opinion on rock recording, most of which is compressed mush these days. I bow completely to opinions on other genres, about which I know next to nothing.

Edited September 4, 2008 by dangerboy

[wateroftyne]

[quote]Yeh, good point, I would just have more respect for someone who knows what "right" is, and how to get it, rather than trying to get someone else to get it "right" and probably settling for a compromise.[/quote]

I hear what you're saying, but...

Someone mentioned earlier how great a producer Phil Spector was. And he was.

He also knew *exactly* what he wanted each instrument to do. HOWEVER... he didn't play the instruments himself. He got someone else to do it. Someone who knew that role inside-out.

Do you respect him less because of that?

...a producer's relationship with their engineer is no different.