i just got picked up as a producer, help with studio!!!

[funky shit]

I would rent a pro studio when needed..

And spend a shit load of money getting to know it.

[ashtonron]

And spend a shit load of money getting to know it.

I would expect the studio to come with an engineer leaving you to focus on being a producer..

The Music Producers job is to help you get the recording that you want to make. In most cases the music producer is also a competent arranger, composer or songwriter who can bring fresh ideas to your tracks. As well as making any songwriting and arrangement adjustments, the producer is also in charge of the creative mix. He or she will liase with the sound engineer who concentrates on the technical aspects of recording, whereas the music producer keeps an eye on the overall projects marketability. Some sound engineers also produce.

Dont want to be an arse... but it does depend on what your role as a producer is going to be.. as I know all to well it is very easy to get bogged down in technicalities...

[funky shit]

Speaking for myself here but i like to be in charge of everything.
Control freak

[ashtonron]

Speaking for myself here but i like to be in charge of everything.
Control freak

me too

[UncleAge]

what will i need to make music on a professional level?

Even though you have shared a lot of info I think some of us would need more specifics before giving sound advice (this is not a slight on the advice given so far).

For example...
What will your responsibilities include? Be specific.
What will your deliverables be (customer expectations)?

Provide some info along those lines and see what answers you get. Collecting a bunch of "tools" is nice and all, but they may not get the job done unless you purchase them to address a specific need...

[Ballack13]

Agree, need a bit more info if possible.
Certainly read up first. Don't spend your whole budget before you've shown results. Get things as you need them for the project - build it don't buy it. It's impossible to say what you'd need without more info. Your budget and the goals of the project dictate everything. For instance, the size of the room will influence your monitor choice broadly, then price will narrow it down, then personal preference and what you think will work best for the gig. You get what you pay for and you have to spend at a certain level, but that doesn't mean you need Genelecs- does that make sense?
Btw, EM just had an issue about building a project studio.
Tape Op rules, as does Sound on Sound.
Do not get 2 DAW's! Do not make a personal wishlist, follow the task you've been given and think about versatility. A MacBook pro would rule if you can swing it, nothing compares. +1 on room treatment. It's not the gear it's how well you know it, but you will need certain things of a some quality so do your research and make every dollar count. Enjoy your work. Good luck.

[ashtonron]

For some reason I got reminded of this...

"goldie has a very vivid imagination, and knows nothing about the technical side of the process. meanwhile, my imagination has been stunted by the familiarity i have with the electronics. if i'm sitting here on my own and i have an idea for a track, i go through this whole process of whether i should bother doing it or not. if there's someone beside you like goldie, who comes up with the same idea, but can't realise it, then you want to show what you're capable of -- it becomes a challenge.

"goldie and i both came through similar musical experiences at the end of the '80s and in the early '90s, so he could describe things to me that others wouldn't begin to understand; it was a very special chemistry. i would then have a go at it, and he'd get excited that here was somebody who could turn this sound or style in his head into something that he could actually hear. i was like an interface, but an interactive one; i could see the direction he was going in and try and take him that little bit further with my knowledge of the gear. then that extra step would kick him up onto another level. that's my role; being able to understand what someone is telling me and not just doing it, but showing them what else the technology is capable of, based on that seed of an idea.

[Sales Dude McBoob]

Don't spend your whole budget before you've shown results. Get things as you need them for the project

95% of the time when someone is buying gear with a specific budget they have been alloted by a business, they need to get everything at once. More often than not, the budget is something that can be taken away or withdrawn at any time. So when they have a dollar amount and a green light, sometimes the best thing to do is spend it.

I don't think this person should buy stuff they don't need, or over spend, but I do think they should spend all of the cash upfront. These are lean times we're living in. You can't count on a green light for techno glitch gear to stay on forever.

[SubLixx]

Trust me I'm a salesman

[aisling]

I'd consider using some of that "budget" money and booking a few hours in a real studio to get some tutorial advice/exposure on eq, compression, mixing, mastering..... (depending on your experience level)

All the best of luck, wishes for inspiration and creativity...

+1 on any motu audio gear. Especially the 896 mk3.
Genelec monitors

[ These are lean times we're living in. You can't count on a green light for techno glitch gear to stay on forever.

Classic!

[infix sans]

I would forget about all this fancy recording shit, just set yourself up with booze, drugs and dancing girls.

Then just waste the rest.......

[mikemc]

Key piece of gear not mentioned yet: get a nice chair, one that supports your back comfortably.

Ideally, it also allows the farts that you blow through your new silk undergarments to flow unimpeded you lucky barstard.

[Dretlin]

I have been working very well with this set up recently:

Focusrite Pro40
Presonus D8
Ableton Live 7
Reason

Mac or Pc works, but if it is possible of course go down the route of a Mac.

I record bands in my own studio and I tend to keep things as accoustic as possible, that set up does well even with sub standerd mics. If you can fiddle around with Ableton well enough that is!

[aqua_tek]

Damn, how did you get picked up as a producer and yet you don't know what equipment to buy? Man I must be doing something wrong...

congratulations on the sweet job though!

Not to be harsh but I have to agree with this post. How does someone with zero knowledge get picked up to produce? What kind of a project is it? Maybe I'm missing something here.

Anyways, congratulations and best of luck!

[starving student]

do a search for nick the zombie on this forum and buy all of his tutorials, you will thank me later and they don't cost much at all.