When it comes to the world of music, there are some terms that can be muddled up very easily. Whether you are an aspiring musician or you seek to do some business with musicians, you have to know if you want to be a music producer or a beatmaker, or which one you need to hire for your business. These sorts of confusion may affect your career or business.
In this blog, we bring to your notice how a beat maker and a music producer are different in their responsibilities, the equipment each prefers, the music types, the income, etc. At the end, some other confusing terminologies will be discussed.
Who Is a Music Producer?
A music producer can simply mean a person who can create different kinds of music, but it mostly refers to a person who also manages and develops musical projects.
The process of making a piece of music ready to serve its purpose, including creating the song, recording it, making some adjustments and audio editing, etc., is called music production. That is why a music producer plays different kinds of roles in making an artist’s musical idea come to life in its best form. They help and guide the artist step by step to reach a final product that reflects the artist’s style and idea in the most compelling way.
The main roles of music producers in this process include:
Scheduling
The music producer is the one responsible to make all the schedules. This means scheduling studio appointments and recording sessions and managing the project to meet the deadlines.
Budgeting
Everything should be considered and done within budget. An experienced music producer knows where and when to spend and how to complete the project without exceeding the allocated budget.
Supervising and Framing the Song
The artists usually have raw ideas by which they hope to create artistic, technical, heart-capturing music to echo their intentions and emotions. The music producers take these raw ideas, frame them creatively, and make them ready for the public. During this process, they supervise and oversee every performance to get the best out of the artists, use their profound musical knowledge and understanding to create the intended effects in consumers, and judge any major or minor part of the song for its quality, energy, and feeling.
Equipment For a Music Producer
There are many kinds of equipment and technology available nowadays to make the process of music production easier. A music producer needs to know very well how to use the basic equipment at least. The basic equipment for music production includes:
- High-quality headphones and microphones
- Suitable computer
- Audio interface and audio monitors
- DAW (which stands for digital audio workstation)
- MIDI controller (which stands for musical instrument digital interface)
What Does It Take to Be a Music Producer?
Clearly, a music producer needs to have different skills and talents to be able to lead the project in the best way and manage the time and budget. You can start studying at a college to learn the skills and/or become an intern to develop the necessary qualities. Qualities such as:
- Creativity and artistic taste
- Profound musical knowledge (this does not necessarily mean playing musical instruments, theoretical knowledge will do. Of course, playing at least one instrument can make one a better producer.)
- Great musical listening skills
- Be a good leader with a positive attitude
- Be confident and reliable
- Be organized
- Knowledge of music-related technology and equipment
It might take up to 6 years to become a professional producer.
Who Is a Beatmaker?
When we listen to music, we sometimes start taping along with our feet. This rhythmic pulse is aroused by the music beat, which is time-based (to learn more about beats click here.). Therefore, beat making refers to using digital tools to make this rhythmic part of a song. It can also include other rhythms and arrangements, such as synths, bass, and effects.
Beat makers usually use drums to make beats. They mostly work alone and do not need to be in contact with artists. The music genres that beatmakers create their beats in are hip-hop, R&B, and rap.
Equipment for a Beatmaker
Beat makers can make the beats digitally with computer software or use a DAW. There is some other basic equipment they may need to create synths, effects, and bass. Such as:
- MIDI controller
- Keys
- Digital pads
What Does It Take to Become a Beatmaker?
Like any other profession, one must have certain skills to make beats professionally. A beat maker must:
- Have a “good ear” for music and rhythm
- Know beats and beatmakers well
- Have a great handle on the related equipment
- Have deep musical knowledge
- Be creative and hardworking
If you have all these skills and equipment, start making your own beats and upload them to be heard. Get feedback and try to get better and better. Attach yourself to more famous beat makers to learn the business and become more skilled. It can take a few years to be a professional.
A Music Producer or a Beatmaker? How Are They Different?
By now, we know for sure a music producer and a beatmaker are two different professions. But what separates them?
Music Genres
Beats are usually confined to a couple of music genres, including hip-hop, R&B, and rap. So, beat makers normally work in these music types. In contrast, music producers create different kinds of music and manage musical projects and records in all genres.
Equipment and Instruments
As noted above, beatmakers and music producers use DAWs. However, because the nature of what they do is different, they have different preferences when it comes to choosing their audio workstations. For example, FL Studio is mostly identified with hip-hop; therefore, it is not surprising to find it more popular among beatmakers.
On the other hand, music producers need DAWs that are not associated with a specific music type. Pro Tools and Logic Pro X are two workstations that are popular with music producers.
People They Work with
Beat makers usually work alone. They create their beats and then sell them. That is why they do not need to be in close contact with the artists. However, there are times when beatmakers are required to make custom beats for a particular artist or song. In these situations, they have to be in touch with the client to discuss the desired specifications and conditions.
On the contrary, the music producer has to shoulder much more responsibilities, and they have to work shoulder to shoulder with the artists from the first step to the last. Except for the artists, they may be required to deal with mixing and mastering engineers, beat makers, record labels, etc.
The Credit
Beats are usually sold to artists to be used in their songs. This means the beat maker does not get any credit when the beat is exclusively sold to an artist or if it is custom-made. But music producers hardly sell their songs to artists. Conventionally, they create songs and publish them under their own name, or as part of a team.
Responsibilities
For a beat maker, the responsibilities are straightforward. If artists like their beats, they purchase them and that is the end. But, if artists or producers require custom beats, then the beat maker should create a beat according to the artist’s desired specifications, and deliver it on time. Besides, they must not sell a custom beat or a beat that has been exclusively purchased by another artist.
A music producer, however, shoulders much more responsibilities. As discussed at the beginning of this article, they are responsible to take care of many aspects of the production process, including time and budget management. They are even responsible to sort out any difficulties or problems that might come up between band members.
Creativity
Anyone who works in the field of music must be creative, but the amount of creativity and innovation you need depends on the tasks too. For example, beat makers need to be creative to be able to stand out and produce top-notch beats to attract artists and producers. However, even if they are required to make a custom beat, still they have to create it in a way to fit the song and the artist or the producer’s ideas. So, as the song is already made, there are some limitations to the innovations a beatmaker can bring to the project.
But music producers must muster all their imagination and creativity from the very beginning to the final touch, which is mixing and mastering. Even if they do not mix and master the song themselves, they have to choose the right experts and overwatch and judge their job to reach the final captivating product they have dreamed of. Although, in some projects, the artists carry most of this weight and the producer just acts as an advisor.
Income
The amount of money one generates as a music producer or a beatmaker depends largely on how professional one is. An experienced music producer or a beatmaker who is hired for great projects can earn a lot of money. Still, a producer’s income can be up to ten times higher than a beatmaker’s, which is not surprising given the responsibilities and hard work.
Confusing Terminologies in Music
Although a great beatmaker can also become a music producer and do both jobs, we have learned not to use these two terms interchangeably. Except for the terms we discussed above, there are some other confusing terminologies in the field of music that can raise some misunderstandings.
Record Producer vs. Music Producer
In the past, music came in CDs and LPs and the verb ‘record’ was mostly used for these physical formats. Therefore, ‘record producer’ was a more common term for the person who produced music. Nowadays we still use ‘record producer’ to mean ‘music producer’, which is somewhat old-fashioned. The relatively new term ‘recording producer’ is also catching on to mean the same thing.
Music Artist vs. Music Producer
The music artists play, perform, write, and sing, but the producers supervise all these and manage the whole process.
Songwriter vs. Music Producer
A songwriter writes the notes, chords, and eventually the music for a song (also called a composer). They also write the words for it. However, a music producer might only give his opinion and help the songwriter in this process if needed. The producer does not get credit for writing.
Music Producers and Beatmakers at D Man Productions
Here we have a complete team of different music experts. From competent music producers to experienced mixing and mastering engineers, tip-top beatmakers, professional DJs in Kansas City, and exceptional commercial jingle makers. We are ready to help you with any project at a fair and affordable price.
You can call us or contact us via Zoom and Whatsapp. We offer a free consultation!
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