Pre-production is typically the start of the recording process. Here the band or artist meets with the producer and recording engineer and records very basic demos of the songs they’re considering recording for the project. The band or artist works with the producer to rewrite, cut or fix things in the songs, and to make creative decisions. The goals of the project and the overall direction will typically be decided during pre-production. Essentially, this is like the rehearsal phase of a movie before the cameras start rolling.
When the band is now ready to record, first miking takes place. This is typically done by the recording engineer, but the producer might play a part as well. Miking is more than simply placing a microphone in front of an instrument or amplifier and walking away. It involves choosing particular mics and the mic placement to get the desired sound. On the mixing board, the producer and engineer work to get quality sounds. If the desired sound is not being achieved, other techniques might be used, such as where the mic and the instrument or amplifier are located (such as a large open room or a small isolation booth).
Tracking is when recording takes place. Bands or artists generally record every instrument individually or record “live,” which is when all or most of the instruments are playing at the same time. This process can take a long time. Generally, several takes must be done to get a quality result. The producer will typically lead this part, making suggestions such as, “On this take, try to put more emotion into it,” or, “You seem to bend the E string just a little too much. Lay off a little bit.” The recording engineer will do a lot of the technical work involved, setting up and running the tracks on ProTools or whatever the method of recording that was chosen.
After recording is finished, there will be lots of takes to sort out. The editing process is where the engineer and producer pick out the best takes, and make any necessary edits to correct mistakes, or to piece several takes together into one quality take. Essentially, the producer and engineer clean up the song to get things ready for the mixing process.
Mixing is typically the final process a music producer and recording engineer do. The last process of recording is mastering, but that is typically done by a separate mastering engineer. Mixing is more than adjusting the volumes of each part. A big part of mixing is blending the parts of the song together, but also making changes to get the desired finished sound. If the vocals sound a little dry, the producer or engineer might add effects to give it a bigger sound. Mixing is where the producer or engineer pans things to certain sides of the mix, or adds fade-outs, or dynamic changes. They manipulate the songs until they have successfully achieved the desired goal of the project.