Table Of Contents

Part 1

Chapter 1- The History Of Music Production

    The Early label Era

    The Mature Music Era

    The Independent Era

    Game Changing Producers

        The Pioneers

        The Trailblazers

        The Innovators

        The Trendsetters

Chapter 2 - What Is A Producer?

    Different Types Of Music Production

    How To Become A Producer   

    What Are The Responsibilities?

    Who Do Your Work For?  Artist or Label?

Chapter 3 - The Elements Of Music Production

    Project Management

        Managing Time

        Managing Rentals

        Managing People

    Creative

    Financial

    Political

Chapter 4 - The Business of Music Production

    What’s My Deal?

        The Basic Deal

        The Deal of the Past

        Who’s Paying

        The New Deal

        When a Label Isn’t Involved

    The Budget

        Assembling the Budget

        Typical Budget Numbers

    Using Union Musicians

        Additional Fees

        Hiring Union Musicians

        Union Versus Non-Union Players

    The Recording Fund

    A Final Word On Budget

Chapter 5 - It’s All In The Song

    Let’s Discuss Your Songs

        Dynamics On Records

    Arrangements Are The Key

        Arrangement Elements

        Sonic Arrangements

        Clash of the Guitar Players

    Rules For Arrangements

Chapter 6 - Music Mechanics

    Dynamics

        How To Learn To Play Dynamically

        Don’t Confuse Volume Level With Intensity   

        Builds

    Play Together - Listen To Each Other

    Timing Is Everything

        Song Starts And Stops

        Accents

        The Groove and the Pocket

        How To Find The Pocket

        Attacks and Releases

    Turnarounds

    Tempo

        Faster Does Not Create More Excitement

        A Click Can Help

    Play In Tune

Chapter 7 - Pre-Production - The Most Important Step

    Getting To Know You

    Selecting The Songs

    Pre-Production Rehearsals

        You Gotta Hear Yourself

        Practice In The Round

        A Few Rehearsal Tips

        Pre-Production Demos

    How Long Should It Take?

    It’s The Little Things That Count

   

Chapter 8 - Preparing For The Session

    Initial Decisions

    Selecting A Studio

Chapter 9 - Basic Tracks - Where The Magic Is Made

    What Are Basic Tracks?

    Setup

    How Long Are The Sessions

    Getting Sounds

        Choose The Best Instruments

        Different Gear For Different Jobs

        Well Maintained Equipment Required

        Is Vintage Gear Necessary?

    Recording The Drums - The Song’s Heartbeat

        The Keys To A Great Sounding Drum Kit

        The Snare

            Snare Construction

            The Snare Unit

        Tuning Tips

    The Headphone Mix

        Personal Headphone Mixes   

        Recording Without Headphones

    To Click Or Not To Click

        Making The Click Cut Through The Mix

        Preventing Click Bleed

        When A click Won’t Work

    Leakage Is Your Friend

    Don’t Forget To Record A Tuning Note

    Don’t Forget To Record A Count-Off

    The Scratch Vocal

    Using Session Musicians Or The Band?

    Listening To Playbacks

    Session Breaks

        Dinner Breaks

    How Do You Know When You’re Finished?

Chapter 10 - Overdubs

    The Recording Plan

    Make It Better, Not Just Different

    Time To Experiment

    When Artistic Block Hits

    Limit The Attendees

    Recording In The Control Room

        Vocals In The Control Room

    Overdubbing Techniques

        Use The Big Part Of The Studio

        Vocal Doubling

        Vocal Stacking

        Instrument Doubling Or Stacking

        Vocal Comping

        Tips for Comping

Chapter 11 - Working With Your Team

    Be A Professional

    The Importance Of Diplomacy

        Steps In Resolving A Conflict

    Getting The Best Out Of Musicians

    Getting The Best Out Of Singers

        The Three P’s - Pitch, Pocket, Passion

            Pitch

            The Singer Music Hear Herself

            Pocket

            Passion

    Background Vocals Need Attention Too

        Harmony Vocals Take More Time

            Phrasing Is Everything

            Attacks And, Especially, Releases

            Gang Vocals

    Working With The Engineer

    Working With The Artist

Chapter 12 - Mixing - Where It’s Make Or Break

    The Mechanics Of Mixing

        Hearing The Final Product

        Tall, Deep And Wide

    The Keys To A Great Mix

        Find The Direction Of The Song

        Develop The Groove And Build It Like A House

        Find The Most Important Element And Emphasize It

    The Master Mix

        Competitive Level

    Mixing With Mastering In Mind

    Mixing “In-The-Box”

    The Mixing Engineer’s Style

    How Much Should It Cost?

    How Long Should It Take?

    Alternative Mixes

Chapter 13 - Mastering - The Finishing Touch

    What Is Mastering?

    Why Is Mastering So Important?

        The Reason It Sounds So Good When A Pro Does It

        Experience Is The Key

        The Mastering Engineer’s Sound

        The Mastering Engineer’ As A Security Blanket

    How Long Should It Take?

    How Much Should It Cost?

    Preparation For Mastering

    Competitive Level Take 2

        Hypercompression - Don’t Go There!

    Use A Pro or Master At Home?

    Mastering For Different Delivery Formats

        The Source File

        Exporting For iTunes

Chapter 14 - Production Checklist

Part 2

Chapter 15 - Interviews

    Michael Beinhorn

    Mark Bright

    Jack Douglas

    Richard Feldman

    Gareth Jones

    Mark Plati

    Carmen Rizzo

Glossary