Music these days is usually a collaboration between the artist, the audio engineer and a music producer. When everything is going smoothly, the music producer's job can be easy. However, that is rarely the case, and this is where the music producer needs to shine. In the real world there are strict budgetary limits on studio time, so artists who keep messing up their tracks, or equipment glitches that pop up at the most inappropriate times, can be time consuming and waste money. It is at these times that the music producer needs to be a problem solver and a decision maker. The bottom line is that the producer is responsible for the finished music track. Needless to say, that the better the artist and recording engineer, the less work there is to do for the music producer.
While the exact role of a music producer will change from project to project, there are certain skills that each and every music producer should be good at.
A producer needs to be a people person. The recording studio is a small space inhabited by talented, creative people. In a stressful situation - the music producer is responsible for getting the most out of everyone involved, whether having to persuade the singer to give it one more try, or to make suggestions to the engineer on how to get a desired effect.
A producer needs to know music and music theory so he can clearly and convincingly communicate with both the artistic and technical talent the idea he is trying to get across. Often, the music producer is a talented musician in their own way, having mastered at least one instrument in some cases.
The producer should also be familiar with a wide variety of music styles and genres. A good knowledge...