The difference between a PRODUCER & BEAT-MAKER

People have often gotten producers and beat-makers mixed up in the hip-hop industry. There are a couple types of producers but at the end of the day they all have something in common. Beat-makers are just beat-makers and don’t necessarily produce. I will be talking about the difference between the two and what they exactly do.

PRODUCER:

A producer does not just make beats, a producer makes records. The producer is responsible for taking a song in its most basic form and turning it into a finished record. Sometimes the producer will wear two hats. First, they are the creative force behind the project. Second, they have to control the business side of things. Being able to master both jobs at once is a great skill to carry, but the most important part is to be good with people. Some artists are sensitive and out of their minds that you need to have their egos catered to. A producer really needs to be able to deal with different attitudes and different people.

BEAT-MAKER:

Beat-makers don’t necessarily produce a record. Their job is to make a beat from scratch or sample material into their beat than sell/lease the material off to an artist and leave at that. Some beat-makers end up becoming producers because they might already have a set-hook or melody in their head. There are way more beat-makers in this world than award winning record producers. Just because you make beats on fruity loops does NOT consider you a record producer. If that was the case every beat-maker that existed would be a so called a, “producer”. Beat-makers spend most of their time working on their production and craft. Most beat-makers don't want to be involved in the recording process and rather let the producers handle that. But if you are someone who makes a beat, records the artist, and does all the duties of a music producer than you would be qualified as one. I’ve listed some of the roles the music producer plays in the studio.

Producer’s Role/Job Checklist

There are 3 essential phases of the recording process.

Pre-Production:

- Songwriting

- Song selection

- Hiring of musicians/talents

- Key/tempo selection

- Demo recording

- Rehearsals

- Tape transfers

- Sample clearance

Production:

- Tracking of music

- Vocal tracking

- Overdubs

- Background vocal tracking

- Rough mixing

Post-Production:

- Editing

- Remixing

- Final mix

- Mastering (Get your final mix mastered from a professional)

So after understanding what a producer and beat-maker does, do you have what it takes to be a record producer? Simple, do you want to get paid or just pay the cost? Producer or beat-maker: which one truly fits you?

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