An Introduction to Studio Professionals

My shop has now been open almost 18 months.  I've learned quite a bit in that year and a half about full time studio life, and yet one of the biggest lessons I've learned is how differently each of us see the world we live in.  It doesn't matter if our world is small or large, we each see things radically different.  Producer Sukhi Singh has been fond of pointing this out to me, and I credit him a great deal in this discovery of mine.  In fact, a typical conversation we would have would go like this...

• Singh "Do you like this song?"
• Seabrook "No, not really."
• Singh "Great. It'll be a hit for sure then."

I'm paraphrasing of course, and I'm sure he'd argue the specifics, but that's one of the reasons we work well together.  We understand the roles we play in the studio and respect each other's expertise.  When the both of us are involved in a project, Singh is the producer and I am the engineer.  As producer, he makes sure that every aspect of the recording is better, from budgeting to performance to creativity, and I make sure that neither he nor the artist needs to worry about the technical side.

Now, when it comes to your studio recording, it is VERY important to know the roles everyone will play once you begin.  As I move forward, with this series of articles, I will go into greater detail with each role to help you understand.  For now, here's a quick introduction to each of the MAIN roles played in the studio.