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By Tony Joett
On the surface, my very first record producer back in the mid nineties seemed
like the perfect match for me, and I actually travelled, especially, to another
city AND country to work with him. We'd previously agreed on a couple of hundred
dollars to record four tracks but by the time we'd begun laying down the first
track, immediately after the first session, he hiked his fee to $5,000. What
brought on the price hike? Well, I arrived by plane and booked myself into
a five star hotel. Yes, he'd suddenly realized I wasn't poor. Unscrupulous
he was, yes, and you won't believe what I did next. I went to the local Diners
Club Rep and withdrew the money. I was so desperate to do this I couldn't see
nor think straight. And I'm sure some of you reading this article can relate
to this. Ever felt like you wanted something SO bad you didn't give a damn
what it cost? Well, that's what it felt like for me at the time. Regrettably,
I was so gullible I made the wrong move. I should've packed my bags and flown
home. Let this be your red flag number one. If you ever run into this, don't
ignore it. Take a moment to think. Reevaluate your predicament before you make
any rash decisions. Sleep over it if you have to. You'll probably have a clearer
head the next morning.
OK, so money all paid up and project underway full throttle when I discover
his attitude in the studio is pretty much dictatorial. He pushes too hard and
it's rather his way or no way and he's tactless. Not a very nice person to
work with. I wasn't impressed. That's your red flag number two right there.
If you can, book a trial session and agree on a small fee just to get to know
your producer before you commission them. This would save you the hassle of
having to work with someone you're not even comfortable with. Be picky about
who you work with. You want a good product and you want to enjoy the experience.
There's just as much fun in recording. It can be a magical experience when
you work with people you have a good rapport and chemistry with.
And then I met multimillion selling record producer Tambi Fernando in London,
who'd had numerous number one hits in the UK and had worked with top recording
artists. We basically hit it off from the get-go. Excellent rapport, great
chemistry and an absolute joy to work with he was. And we made good music.
Not only did he have an incredible knack for drawing the best out of me, he
made me-through my own effort-sound incredible. He was good at what he did.
He brought the best out of an artist. Period! And when it comes to quality,
there could be absolutely no comparison to my first producer. Never you mind
the cost... it cost me one thousand pounds per track. Cheaper than the rip-off
merchant I encountered in Mombasa. Your red flag number three? Indeed. Be on
the lookout for that chemistry. That special connection between artist and
producer will unlock your hidden talent and help you achieve the recording
success you've always wanted.
And I can go on. There was the utterly disinterested producer I encountered
in Manchester, UK. I was recording a track for an American music executive
who'd hired an English producer to record my vocals. The producer had absolutely
nothing in him. He was useless and the atmosphere in the studio was utterly
inhospitable. It resulted in the project being cancelled after less than fifteen
minutes of me being in the studio. In fact, we recorded nothing. So again,
if you don't like the atmosphere and the producer you're working with isn't
one bit interested, forget it! Don't waste your time. Tomorrow is another day.
What more can I say?
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