| | Hello sweet fellow songwriter— It's Keppie here! |
Picture this...
I'm 17, sprawled on the floor of my buddy Chris's slightly grungey bedroom in Enmore, Sydney. It's here I first heard my own voice through headphones and a microphone. It was nothing short of magical.
Chris worked a different kind of magic, taking my strange, form-bending half-songs, and giving them beats, textures, and harmonies. I was transfixed. Those sessions ignited a reverence for the studio—working with a producer and musicians in a dark room is a sacred space that's fueled my journey as a songwriter.
Today, the term "producer" casts a wide net.
Some coordinate, ensuring musicians and engineers hit their marks. Others juggle mics and mixers, marrying tech with creativity. Then there are those like the modern 'producer-songwriter', who sculpt songs from scratch, co-writing the song from the ground up.
Recently, my musical partner-in-crime, Benny, and I dove headfirst into the Americana genre for our new project, "Names of Birds." In the midst of our musical brainstorming, we were approached by The Online Recording Studio.
Their pitch? Top-tier studio recordings with live session musicians, minus the studio time and costs.
Curious and excited by the potential, we jumped in. Working with Danny, our UK-based producer, was a fresh experience. Though miles apart, the essence of collaboration was strikingly familiar.
In this newsletter, I'm excited to share three tips to make any producer collaboration, whether remote or in-person, a success.
3 Essential Tips for Collaborating with a Producer
1. Create Dual Reference Track Lists:
- LIST 1—Genre References: Think broad. Your goal is to create a list of songs that give the general genre and stylistic direction for the production. For our song, "Catalina", we channeled the classic Americana vibe of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" combined with the edgy modern aesthetic of Mumford & Sons.
- LIST 2—Specific Sounds and Textures: Get detailed. This is a list of songs designed to point out specific instruments, textures, layers, or approaches to sounds you want in your track. We loved Shakey Graves' body percussion in "Only Son" and the haunting tones woven into Jason Isbell's "If We Were Vampires".
Having these specific guidelines gives incredibly important parameters and limitations for a producer to work within, and will get the production more accurate to your vision much more efficiently.
2. Discuss Your Song's Meaning:
A stellar producer often probes the heart of your song. If they don't, share it anyway. It can help establish the overall mood and energy (which a producer can bring to life in very specific ways with their choice of instruments, sounds, and event through arranging decisions, EQ, panning, and compression!).
It can also help to sculpt specific moments of the song. If you are clear about a particular moment that really expresses the most vulnerable part of the song, a producer will know not to put a cymbal crash and drum roll there 😉
3. Grant Creative Freedom:
Hiring a producer is an act of trust. While it's helpful to a producer to have your references, your visions, and any specific instructions you have, it's also important to both invite and allow a producer to have creative input. It's really what makes collaboration a type of magic—when someone else takes your idea, sees something you didn't, and makes it better because they have added their unique perspective.
While your vision sets the course, their creative flair can take your song to uncharted territories. In our case, Danny's bold guitar solo and the surprising return of the final chorus were purely his genius—unexpected but brilliant twists that enhanced our track.
You can check out the result of our collaboration with Danny and The Online Recording Studio here:
PS: Curious about crafting your next song with them? Set up a chat with their amazing team right here.
Here's to making more music magic, wherever your studio may be!
Cheers,
Keppie
PS - You can find out more about our process and collaboration with TORS right here.
