A Letter From FORD

People ask me everyday how I got into this business. They want to know what my big break was, who I knew and how I managed to make a career out of a hobby. Believe it or not I get even more questions as to what a producer is and asked where I get the beats that I spin to make the remixes.

To begin, being a record producer and being a DJ have nothing to do with one another. If you are under the impression that when you buy a mix CD or pay a hefty cover charge to see a big name DJ spin live, that he or she is creating their own music, Well, I am happy to disappoint you. The truth is they are not. Mix CD’s contain licensed music created by other people (producers like me) the DJ is merely presenting these songs to you. No different from a Radio Disc Jockey. There are however a few DJ's who produce much of music that they spin. To make the distinction, I highly recommend reading the production credits within the CD Jacket. If you are in love with a particular track, find out who produced it. Chances are you will love many other tracks created by that producer. There is also a good chance they too are DJ's which may open a whole new world of music to you.

To be a producer you must first be a musician. There are no short cuts. There are some really cool programs and toys out there that allow you to “create” your own music, but they all have limitations. If you want to produce records, you must learn at least the fundamentals of music and learn how to play an instrument. Beyond being a musician, you must fully understand the recording process. You must have vast knowledge of the workings of a professional recording studio and its equipment. In fact, like me, most record producers start off as recording engineers.

So what is a record producer anyway? I tell people that like a director of a movie a record producer directs the recording of a song. In movies, the director receives a script (the story) from the movie studio. The director often rewrites much of the script to fit his own vision of what the movie is about and how it should look. The director then pulls together talent, i.e. actors, camera operators, a crew, etc… to make the idea and the script into a movie. Well in music, a record producer has the same functions and even more. A record producer receives an idea for a song from a record company. The producer either writes a song or helps re-arrange a pre-existing song. The entire time creating a “vision” of what the song should sound like. The producer then goes into a studio, hires singers, engineers, and studio musicians to make the song and the “vision” a reality.

At least that’s the way it used to be done. Actually lots of records are still made this way but as technology increased so did the role of a record producer. When I was a kid anyone who thought of being a “rock-star” or “pop-star” imagined themselves as a guitar player, a singer, a bass player, or a drummer. I wanted to be a superstar drummer. Today, aspiring young musicians want to be producers. The reason for this is because of the new developments in the recording process. With all of these new advancements, a producer can now actually perform every aspect of a record. By striking keys on a keyboard for example, I can pound out and record my own drum tracks, bass lines, guitar riffs, and whatever sounds I am looking for. Technology has increased the work that I have to do but never before has a producer had so much control over ideas. When you listen to dance music and most of today’s pop music, the producer is usually not only the producer of the record, but also the keyboard player, the bass player, the drummer, etc… Why spend years to become a master of one instrument a “guitar god” for example, when you can learn to be a producer and make entire songs by yourself. No other instrument gives a musician remotely the same expression.

My road to becoming a successful producer is actually the most usual route. I started out as a drummer playing in bands. I longed for more musical expression, I wanted to write songs, so I picked up the keyboards and am now completely self taught. I went on to play keyboards in various bands and write songs for various people. My introduction to the recording process and recording studios memorized me. I made it my mission to learn everything could about it. In college, I took every internship opportunity in any recording studio I could find. I spent my time there mostly cleaning and getting coffee, but I did manage to learn a lot from some very knowledgeable people. I was fortunate enough to witness countless hours of real productions taking place by some of the biggest producers out there. After college I got a job as a recording engineer. Working right under producers, here is where I gained most of the tricks that I employ today. I also developed a few tricks of my own through the years as well. After engineering more than 500 records, I had enough credibility to get a job a s a staff producer for a small record company. I struggled, and learned even more. Over the next 3 years or so I produced more than 50 records, and even had a few minor hits. I changed record companies to become a chief producer over seeing all of the production there. After a few years there, I finally got my “Big Break”. I wrote and produced a song called “I See Stars”. It was the first “Hit” I had that was all mine. A modest hit, the song took me around the world, introduced me to the real players of the game and gave me the money to work for myself.

I consider myself lucky to be successful in a career that I love, but I hardly consider my getting here lucky. Yes, like most successful people, I was in the right place at the right time, but I worked my ass off to always be in the right place all the time.

I hope this letter was helpful to some of you interested in following the same road. I am nowhere near completing my journey, this is only the beginning so stay tuned for future paragraphs.

-FORD

www.trancecommander.com