Glen Ballard, songwriter/producer that has sold over 150 million albums gave an interview in sound on sound about the most important assets of songwriter.producers and how to improve mixes of pop music. (LO3+LO4)

“When I collaborate with an artist, it is very important for me to understand what their goals are. It sounds like a question that doesn’t need to be asked, but it is a very important question. Some people want to be famous. If that is their number one goal, I am probably not the right person to be working with. I want them to be famous as a result of what we do. For me, the most important thing is the motivation of the artist and the commitment to making great music. So that is the first question. What do you want to do? When I get to the core of what somebody wants to accomplish, it makes it much easier to go out and do that.” – Albeit something that does not become relevant in my project, due to the nature of myself writing and producing for myself. It is difficult being both artist and producer, I am trying to produce pop music I enjoy and also want to produce.

“So don’t get obsessed with changing one thing. A special effect you’re looking for could take a day, and you waste a day chasing after something that isn’t going to make that much difference. I have learned over the years to try and keep focused on what really is important.” – Whilst mixing I have tried to limit changes and keep moving on within the mix instead of focusing on one aspect for too long. Otherwise I will spend a lot of time on one area which won’t improve much.

“I think a producer’s job involves many aspects. The most important thing that a producer can bring is judgment of material. A great song or a great piece of music is very hard to mess up. Your skills as a producer will only be elevated by the level of the material you are working with. If you are working with mediocre material, it takes a lot of work to make it palatable. Most of us have spent time on material that probably didn’t deserve that much time. “For me, it starts with that and knowing where to spend your time. It all goes back to developing a critical faculty in terms of understanding what really works. While it’s intangible, it’s something that you can develop an instinct about. I start with material. That is the first thing. If you are going to produce a record, what are the songs? If you don’t have any songs, that is your first order of business. If you don’t have anything that makes you excited, then you must find it.” – This is something that I find the most relevant throughout this process. I have had many ideas floating about but whether they are good enough to work on or not is a different matter. When I haven’t fully invested in the material it has become a lot harder to write and produce which is time consuming work when I could be investing in other tracks.

http://www.soundonsound.com/people/glen-ballard-songwriterproducer