Here are Bob Power’s 130 Laws of Music Production. Go here for some background on these:
Power’s Laws of Production
1. The artist is often right.
2. Never tell the artist that they are often right.
3. Often, you don’t realize the artist was right until much later.
4. It always takes longer.
5. When making a record, you go through incredible changes to make it sound spontaneous – like you just stood up and did it.
6. One in two hundred times you “just stand up and do it,” and it works.
7. When you work on something for too long, the artist loses steam; everyone associated with the project loses enthusiasm.
8. If you have 2 or 3 things that are single-friendly on the album, you can do whatever you want on the rest of it, and the label will stay off of your back.
Otherwise, expect a lot of scrutiny.
9. Save.
10. Sometimes you must work on something for too long. Work hard to keep the freshness and enthusiasm.
11. If you get stuck creatively, move on to something else and come back to it. Keep your momentum.
12. You’ll never make a truly great record with a mediocre artist.
13. People really listen to the sound and emotion of the voice (Marvin Gaye quote).
14. If the drum track is great you can do anything and get away with it. If the drum track is not happening, you can do everything in the world, and the song will still be not happening.
15. The best production takes what is most unique and special about an artist and puts it in the best possible frame.
16. A good arrangement and production will focus attention on the vocal.
17. Save
18. It always takes longer.
19. Most records have some drama, agita, and heartache during production.
20. Special records often have a lot of drama, agita, and heartbreak during production.
21. Despite the fact that we must sweat the details, when it really comes down to it, it’s all about a great performance of a great song. James Taylor could make a great record on a phone.
22. Most people will not notice many of the fine details you sweat over.
23. You must sweat over the fine details anyway.
24. The artist and the producer have to love the record first. Then comes everyone else, A & R included.
25. Don’t play “in progress” roughs for the label unless they are REALLY good. They will tell you that they’re used to hearing in-progress, but will get scared and think that that’s all they’re getting. Let the artist know that you will not play anything for anyone unless they are happy with it.
26. Save.
27. If you’re working for a label and using a lot of outside (not your own) studios and personnel, get to know the label’s A&R administrator. They are the people who get the invoices and pay the bills, and you need a good relationship with them.
28. Don’t cop drugs or intoxicants for your artist – you’re there to produce a record, not be a connection.
29. Remember, you’re driving the bus. Everything you do, in and out of the studio, reflects upon how you are perceived (and trusted) by the artist.
30. One result of a successful record is when both parties (producer and artist) come away knowing some things that they didn’t know before.
31. Productivity rate often plummets after 11 pm.
32. Artist and producer must have the ultimate trust in each other. Early on, make sure the artist understands that you will be there, and work – until it’s great.
33. Song structure is an important key to a great track.
34. If there is something during the song (a sound, a riff, a vocal part) that is super cool and hook-y, consider trying to get it into the intro if the track.
35. Use the best musicians possible.
36. Save.
37. If a good musician isn’t cutting it in a session, it’s probably your fault for casting them in the wrong setting.
38. If you are using a live drummer along with programmed drums, only use the kick from one of them. Things will generally lock much better.
39. Careful about adding an element once or twice during the song with huge low end. When it goes away, the track will sound thin.
40. Pitch correction, EQ, audio quantizing, and time chopping are all the same – once you do it to one thing, you often have to do it to everything.
41. It always takes longer.
42. Educate the artist to the fact that the record label is putting a lot of money and work into their career – they owe it to them to listen – at least a little bit – to what they feel is important.
43. The record is worthless (and will probably sound false) if it’s not what the artist is really about.
44. Be honest with the artist up front about your participation. You’re there to make them sound great.
45. Save.
46. Go to the wall for the record; you’ll occasionally have to ask the same of an artist.
47. Educate the artist. When the artist stops making money for the label, the same people who are sending limos and champagne will not take their phone calls.
48. The best A & R people assemble a great team and let them do their thing – and their best.
49. The worst thing that A & R can do is transfer their own anxiety and lack of confidence about a project to the production itself. Uncertainty is a creativity killer.
50. Do everything you can to make the record sound great – but keep the recording process as transparent and fluid as possible while people are performing in the studio.
51. Save EVERYTHING. Outtakes, especially. You never know when you’ll need a word or a chord.
52. Remember, the record is the most important thing in the world to the artist. Treat with care and respect.
53. It’s much more important that the artist is different from everybody else, rather than the same as them.
54. Have your “kick and scream” rule. In the event of differing views and approaches, make a strong case for what you feel is best – but, if the artist is on the floor kicking and screaming, reconsider, and figure out a way to make it work. It’s probably very important to them. Ask them to do the same for you.
55. Before and artist goes on mic, ask them to let you know when they have the performance to a place approximating what they mean to do. Try and keep your mouth shut and directions to yourself until then.
56. Don’t let the singer drink cold drinks.
57. Make sure the headphones you use for vocals (and acoustic guitar) isolate well.
a. Headphone leakage or click on a vocal track really sucks.
58. If they don’t already, educate your singer too the advantages of warm-ups; especially lasting power.
59. Many times, the first 2 to 4 vocal takes simply gets the voice to the place it needs to be. Takes 4 through 8 are often the meat.
60. Try to get the singer or MC to memorize (and internalize) the lyrics. It they’re reading off paper or a phone, it can sound that way.
61. Save.
62. NEVER let the artist comp vocals with you. Aks them to give you some time alone, do your best, and show it to them. If you’re doing a good job, they’ll be very happy that you made them sound so good, and they will trust you and stay off your back.
63. Great producers are usually great compers.
64. With any comp, there is usually a take or two that comprise much of the best material.
65. It always takes longer.
66. KEEP THE FORWARD MOTION OF A SESSION GOING. Momentum is key to efficient and good work. If there are problems, technical or otherwise, try to fix them quickly. If not, move on to something else. Energy, positive and negative, feeds on itself.
67. Even the most acclaimed, decorated, and awarded artists live for being told that you love what they just did.
68. If there is a live band, sometimes it helps if the producer is on the floor with them, in headphones.
69. Be ready WAY before the singer arrives. When they are ready to sing, everything should be working properly. CHECK EVERYTHING (vocal chain, headphone mix) twice. Set the lighting, if necessary, and warm up the studio, If necessary, have a space heater near the singer’s position. Studios are often too cold for singing (don’t forget to turn it off when starting takes).
70. Save.
71. USE THE TALKBACK EVERY TIME THE TRACK STOPS. Let the performer know what you’re doing. It’s horrible to finish a take, and then sit in silence while everyone in the control room is gesturing and yammering at each other – silently, through the glass.
72. If you are engineering, each time before you start playback or recording, use the talkback to ask talent if they are ready. Tell them where you’re playing or recording from – even if you think they know.
73. If the artist is in a special zone, use the talkback sparingly. The performance will let you know when the vibe is over.
74. Don’t contradict yourself as I just did.
75. Show respect and kindness to everyone, especially those lowest on the totem pole. It doesn’t cost anything. At least the people at the top are getting paid. The ones at the bottom are not.
76. Be gentle when reprimanding or correcting studio personnel. It’s usually best to do it when you’re alone with them.
77. Don’t write the song in the studio.
78. Don’t do the arrangement in the studio.
79. Sometimes you have to write or doctor the song or arrangement in the studio.
Trust your instincts.
80. If you’re working with a band, the songs should sound great with one mic in the rehearsal room before you hit the studio.
81. Save.
82. Be open to “mistakes.” The best producers know when to keep the good mistakes.
83. If someone is playing or singing with the track, always be in record, even if they’re just learning it.
84. If the track changes direction as the production progresses, and it’s much doper, go with it, no matter how much work you put into the original.
85. Keep a small pad with you or take phone notes when in production. Write down ideas that come during other tasks. Don’t interrupt the progress of the task at hand – but you’ll remember all of those “passing thoughts” which can be creative gold.
86. Good production and engineering are the result of a lot of tiny details that by themselves, are not that big a deal. But they are the bricks from which the wall is built. The cumulative effect of all those small details is huge.
87. Don’t try to be down. Just be yourself.
88. Enthusiasm and positive energy are contagious. That’s why you get paid.
89. The more expensive and sophisticated the studio, the more problematic the HVAC.
90. Make a rough mix at the end of every session after something changes. You never know when you’ll need it. (This was a bigger issue before digital and easy access to the session).
91. Save.
92. Stay organized. You’re the one who’s supposed to know what’s going on.
93. Pay close attention to the vocalist’s distance from the mic for sonic consistency over the course of a session.
94. If the drummer is using new heads, and you intercut different takes for a master take, the pitch of the snare will change with the edits. Every once in a while, play a section from a keeper take for the drummer so they can tune the new heads to match.
95. There’s a stereotype of “real” producers standing in the rear of the control room talking on the phone. Don’t do it.
96. Call the studio days before the session and let them know exactly what you will be doing, and what gear you’ll need. If they are at all professional, it will all be ready when you walk in. This saves a lot of time in the session.
97. Surround yourself by people who are really good at what they do, and let them do their thing.
98. Let your session personnel know that you appreciate that they are there working with you.
99. Learn to use some good backup software – something that keeps a clear catalog of what exists, and where. This is huge.
100. Save.
100. Make vocal comp sheets before vocal sessions. Construct a master blank, and print it with song lyrics as necessary.
101. Mark the comp sheets carefully. You’ll end up listening to everything anyway, but it’s good to have the notes from the session. Save them until the project is completed. Better yet, scan them.
102. If you are marking the comp sheet during vocal takes, be inconspicuous. No one likes to feel they are being graded while performing.
103. If the vocalist is more comfortable with a handheld mic, figure out a way to make it work.
104. Watch the vocalist’s distance from the mic. If they’re right on top of it, it is extremely hard to deal with sonically. Two windscreens can help – one as a windscreen, one as a physical mark for the vocalist.
105. A great advantage of hard disk recording is that you can refine the sound and mix as the project progresses, and get it back with the touch of a button. Do it.
106. Pay attention to gain staging. It’s a really big deal. Even in your DAW (even though some may tell you otherwise).
107. An important phrase for a producer is “Ok, let’s try it.” Don’t squash the artist’s creativity. If it’d something that you’ve tried a lot and it never works – find a way to pull it off.
108. Creative ideas that get recorded quickly are often the best ones.
109. If you notice the production, it’s not working.
110. There are no little things.
111. Pre-production should include studio-ready setup of instruments. If you’re working with a guitar-based band, try to get a guitar tech to work with the band the day prior to the session.
112. When you’re not working, compose small sketches – basic grooves, with limited harmonic changes. Create a stockpile of these as seeds for writing sessions.
113. Hire a good drum tech whenever you can afford it. The drums will sound great and record well – quickly.
114. If it’s really cool, use it. Demo material included.
115. If you tune a weak vocal performance, it will still sound like a weak vocal performance…just tuned.
116. If there is a part that must be sung high and hard (often the hook or bridge), have the vocalist whisper through the section until you have good takes on all the lower register parts or the song. Once they have sung high and hard, they lose the low end of their vocal range for a while.
117. Suggest breaks during lead vocal overdubs. Few people can sing hard for more than an hour without a break.
118. Do not spend a lot of money on a studio for things you record with one mic. Do it at your place. No rig? Make getting one a priority.
119. At the end of your drum session, take solo hits of the individual parts of the kit at different dynamic levels. You may need them for drum replacement (stick hit mic, distortion, programming a fill, etc.)
120. Arguably, a record is made in preproduction. Not that everything is predetermined, but all of the foundations are covered so you can concentrate on a great performance and tweaking the song.
121. Get your engineering chops up. You become more of a valuable commodity, save some money, and can put the savings into the record elsewhere – like hiring great musicians.
122. For instrumentalists and background vocalists, studio chops are a different thing than live gig chops. Consistency of time, tone and control of dynamics are super-important.
123. Don’t use musicians who haven’t recorded a lot.
124. If you are engineering and working with an experienced studio player, ask how they usually like to record their instrument. They’ve done this a lot. Unless it’s really wack, it’ll probably make you look good.
125. Develop a coding system to use to name mixes – roughs and finals – so you know exactly at at what stage the mix is from. You don’t have to bother with the date – it’s on the file creation date.
126. Recalls are REALLY important. Develop a shorthand so you can nest the recall information (what gear, the settings – especially mic preamp levels) in the DAW session in a track comments or notes area. You won’t need it but once in a while, but when you do, it saves a LOT of agita and time.
127. If you’re doing a number of tracks with a band, try to get a studio lockout (no one else can use the studio when you are not working). Do the setup for the rhythm tracks – getting sounds, levels, headphone mixes – the night before, so they can come in fresh the next day, sit down, and go to work without going through an energy-sucking setup.
128. Stagger your call times for the musicians. Give the drummer 30 or 40 minutes for setup and sounds before you have the bass player come in, on so-on for the rest of the players. Sitting around the studio waiting is a huge vibe-killer.
129. If you hear something that’s out – even a little, between takes ask the guitaristand/or bass player to check their tuning.
130. There are always exceptions to the rules. Stay open.
© 2021 Bob Power