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aberdeen producers?


summerkid

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mark can be hit and miss, but when he hits it's pretty good (see the recent dedalus tracks on the dedalus/politik split). Really though with anyone locally you're going to get what you put in. Give them something good to work with and you should get a decent enough result, a producer will only help you they won't make you sound great if you sound shit to begin with,

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Nial from mill studios is rated highly' date=' but im not sure if hes still there,

[/quote']

Niall is still there, its his studio, he's currently producing the new Pallas album so he's a bit busy, but he's the only full time professional record producer/engineer in these parts.

G...

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marks mixing skills are good' date=' i wasent aware captain toms had a producer i thought you just got a sound man, Nial from mill studios is rated highly, but im not sure if hes still there, also dave in RnBS pretty good.[/quote']

A 'producer' is somebody employed by your record company to ensure that a record is produced to their standards, be these artistic or commercial. If you haven't got a record contract, what you need is an engineer (this is what you call sound guys when they live in studios). Producers tell people what to do, engineers do what you ask them. Bad engineers act like producers and tell you what to do, mainly because they don't have the skills to do as they're told.

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A 'producer' is somebody employed by your record company to ensure that a record is produced to their standards' date=' be these artistic or commercial. [/quote']

Not true! A producer is whoever's in control of the general direction of the recording session. Not neccesarily directly responsible to a record company.

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A 'producer' is somebody employed by your record company to ensure that a record is produced to their standards' date=' be these artistic or commercial. If you haven't got a record contract, what you need is an engineer (this is what you call sound guys when they live in studios). Producers tell people what to do, engineers do what you ask them. Bad engineers act like producers and tell you what to do, mainly because they don't have the skills to do as they're told.[/quote']

Which is all very well unless you dont actually know what to tell the engineer to do, at which point he will help and advise with production affectively becoming a producer.

Most producers (the good ones) will work with a band, taking their ideas and helping to translate those ideas to record, and I believe you will find that most producers will be employed by the band or its management to help achieve the sound and style thats right for them, and not by the record company.

Even well established bands with many years of production skills will sometimes bring in a producer to bring some fresh ideas and techniques to the table.

G...

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The best record producer in the North East is davie sinton of skerries music, but he doesn't like hardcore punk or metal. Sinton's former engineer, stu richardson now has his own studio at spook music and is more enthusiastic about new music and is mobile too and is a close second to sinton.

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Guest Tam o' Shantie

G, i think Mark Thomas would be considered a full time pro engineer also, he has quite an impressive set o' credentials too, definately the best producer/engineer/man-that-records-and-stuff that 10ew have worked with, I can't reccomend him highly enough.

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The best record producer in the North East is davie sinton of skerries music' date=' but he doesn't like hardcore punk or metal. Sinton's former engineer, stu richardson now has his own studio at spook music and is more enthusiastic about new music and is mobile too and is a close second to sinton.[/quote']

They could be the best producers in the world but...Skerries are more or less 100% scottish music and spook are mickey mouse and cant even cope with a drum kit!!!

And I assume you have worked with every producer in the N/E before declaring Sinton the best?

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G' date=' i think Mark Thomas would be considered a full time pro engineer also, he has quite an impressive set o' credentials too, definately the best producer/engineer/man-that-records-and-stuff that 10ew have worked with, I can't reccomend him highly enough.[/quote']

Which Mark Thomas is this Tom?

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G' date=' i think Mark Thomas would be considered a full time pro engineer also, he has quite an impressive set o' credentials too, definately the best producer/engineer/man-that-records-and-stuff that 10ew have worked with, I can't reccomend him highly enough.[/quote']

I agree. If you want quality then Mark Thomas is your man. I've seen him in action at a couple studios and it's mind blowing. Heard some wicked stuff coming from him, well who hasn't!?? Stiff Little Fingers, Muse, Idlewild, Supergrass. This guy is the dogz.

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As far as I was always concerned, a proper producer ie Rick Rubin, Ross Robinson, Butch Vig etc takes the songs a band writes and makes little tweaks and changes to the songs to make them as good as they can be. The producer essentially becomes a member of the band for a few months. One of the best examples of this is the demo version of Blind by Korn and the album version - there's huge sections of that song taken out. THAT is producing in my mind, along with helping the band get guitar sounds etc. They help craft the band and the bands path for the next couple of years until they record their next album, basically.

People like Captain Tom or Mark Nicol, 95% of the time they get a band in, they set the mics up, get the sound the band wants and then presses record and that's pretty much it. A few helpful hints along the way to make it sound better but on the whole, no producing - in my mind that is.

(In case he's reading this, I would say Mark TOTALLY produced the pisscranes track I recorded for the Fudge Xmas CD cos there were certainly aspects of that I didn't have a scooby what I wanted to do or what I should do or how to even pull it off so that track is DEFO produced by Mark!)

So, rather than asking who the best producer is or whatever, you should really be asking who the best person is to RECORD your music is unless you're willing to spend a good few months and a fair bit of money making demos and re-recording songs over and over until it's perfick.

If anyone can correct my views of what a producer does, feel free, that's all just come from slightly-educated guesses.

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I agree. If you want quality then Mark Thomas is your man. I've seen him in action at a couple studios and it's mind blowing. Heard some wicked stuff coming from him' date=' well who hasn't!?? Stiff Little Fingers, Muse, Idlewild, Supergrass. This guy is the dogz.[/quote']

So is he living here now? and didnt he just engineer those bands you mentioned?

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Not true! A producer is whoever's in control of the general direction of the recording session. Not neccesarily directly responsible to a record company.

No, true. That is where term comes from. The person responsible for producing (ie making) the record. The usage of the term has shifted a bit, but that is where it comes from. He was the middle-man between the band in the studio and the company paying for it.

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So is he living here now? and didnt he just engineer those bands you mentioned?

He did engineer the bands I mentioned, but he usually works alongside a pro-producer (John Leckie, Dave Eringa etc) so there is no need for him to produce also. Smaller bands, those who don't have their own producer, benefit from having a producer/engineer such as Mark as he posses the skills not only to get them the best recording but also enough imagination and vision to get beyond the recording and into the guts of the sound. On the times I have worked with him it is obvious he has a natural talent and is really focused on getting the best product whether by just engineering and leaving the producing to someone else, or by doing the producing himself. He certainly doesn't just press the buttons.

He is living in Aberdeen at the moment. If you wanna catch up with him he can be found engineering in The Moorings most Saturday nights or I can give you his contact details?

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He did engineer the bands I mentioned' date=' but he usually works alongside a pro-producer (John Leckie, Dave Eringa etc) so there is no need for him to produce also. Smaller bands, those who don't have their own producer, benefit from having a producer/engineer such as Mark as he posses the skills not only to get them the best recording but also enough imagination and vision to get beyond the recording and into the guts of the sound. On the times I have worked with him it is obvious he has a natural talent and is really focused on getting the best product whether by just engineering and leaving the producing to someone else, or by doing the producing himself. He certainly doesn't just press the buttons.

He is living in Aberdeen at the moment. If you wanna catch up with him he can be found engineering in The Moorings most Saturday nights or I can give you his contact details?[/quote']

I have met him and have heard his work, he's very good, but, it would cost the earth to hire him and a studio well enough equiped to make it worth while.

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I have met him and have heard his work' date=' he's very good, but, it would cost the earth to hire him and a studio well enough equiped to make it worth while.[/quote']

It doesnt cost the earth!!

It would cost about 300 a day all in for a Top studio and me. but when I am working for record co's that can go up to 900+ a day. It is best to spend time in pre-production first before getting to the studio so everyone knows what to do etc.. As said I do produce and engineer. If Im producing I like to engineer because I can get the sound I want without trying to explain it to someone else. When engineering it is my job to create what the producer wants quickly without fuss.

Mark.

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It doesnt cost the earth!!

It would cost about 300 a day all in for a Top studio and me. but when I am working for record co's that can go up to 900+ a day. It is best to spend time in pre-production first before getting to the studio so everyone knows what to do etc.. As said I do produce and engineer. If Im producing I like to engineer because I can get the sound I want without trying to explain it to someone else. When engineering it is my job to create what the producer wants quickly without fuss.

Mark.

Hi Mark how you doin....we met a couple of years ago at that Library studio, Mark Nicol had you doing some stuff and I wanted you to work with Small Enclosed Area but of course it all fell through....ho hum!!

What studios do you use in Scotland?

G...

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Niall is still there' date=' its his studio, he's currently producing the new Pallas album so he's a bit busy, but he's the only full time professional record producer/engineer in these parts.

G...[/quote']

And he is awesome!

For us (my minds weapon) anyway, he has been so fantastic and helpful in every way imaginable. I absolutely love going out to the mill to record - it's like a holiday, and largely that is thanks to Niall's approach to recording.

I might also add we're very nearly finished our next three tracks and they are sounding really good so far.

P.S. I'm not gay.

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