OK, I suppose I'll offer my own answer. I consider myself first and foremost a musician and secondly a producer. I grew up playing music and my first college degree was in Music Theory. I spent ~20 years playing professionally in bands (bass, keys, vox) and orchestras while putting myself through a second round of undergrad and grad degrees (non-music). But, I also spent a considerable amount of time doing both live and studio production work during that period. Now, I have a non-music career (biologist) and composing/producing music is something that I just do in my spare time. When I'm doing my own stuff, my "role" ranges from musician to producer with a huge gray area in-between, but when I'm working with others, my role is usually more clearly defined as being either the producer or a musician.

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Both, more Musician than Producer, because my enginnering is not that good.

Kopi =o.

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Producer, I know more of techniques, technology etc. than I have musical skills.

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Storyteller Website | Storyteller @ Facebook | Storyteller @ Beatport | Storyteller @ Soundcloud | Stephen J. Kroos - Europa (Storyteller Remix)
Anthony Mea - Get It On (Storyteller Remix)

quote:

If less is more think about how much more more would be. -Frasier

It's pretty clear cut. Producers mix, help arrange and tweak songs, get the best out of musicians in a live recording studio setting. They orchestrate the whole production, oversee it. Sometimes they are musicians, sometimes not. Often times they know nothing about EQing or sound engineering, so they have several sound engineers assisting them. Two well known producers, off the top of my head, are Phil Spector and Russel Simmons.

Musicians are the ones who play the music, a lot of them have never even put their hand on a mixer knob. Some of them co-produce or even fully produce their own music.

I've been a musician for well over 20 years, I've played in several bands over the years. So I consider myself a musician. I feel silly calling myself a producer. A producer, to me, was always the guy in the studio that wasn't in the band, overseeing everything. I always thought it was odd that EDM artists all called themselves producers. If you are writing music, and that includes programming the notes into a computer, you are a composer. If you are EQing and mastering, you are a sound engineer. If you refer to yourself as just a producer, you are leaving out several other important job titles.

When I first got into EDM, I assumed every producer was a musician. I quickly learned that wasn't the case. I have to say though, if you are pecking out notes on a music keyboard, you are a musician of sorts.

both

Since i have an Honours degree in Music, obviously i'll say musician. But in the competitive market today, i think it's important to have elements of both musicianship and production skills. Even though i'm sure lots of 'producers' can make some killer techy beats with no musical knowledge, eventually when they want to show some musical diversity, and fads fade out, they'll be stranded.

it must be both, i dont just come up with an idea or a melodi and ask someone else to finish it with structure and all. noone does come up with ideas and asks me to finish it for them either, so in order to make a full track at all i must be doing all, even compose
does it matter? most people dont even consider what were making as music at all so im more a computer-nerd really

Ummm this is me...a girl and a cellist...

www.myspace.com/carecello

I'm a composer and producer in the context of the music I put out. I'm also an instrumentalist. Generally speaking, I can be called a musician, but I don't find much occasion to speak so generally. More often, I'm asked my hobbies, and I say, "composing and producing electronic music." Makes me sound like a git, but it's the most precise thing I can say.

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www.jexmusic.com - My website

quote:

Originally posted by DarkWater Ummm this is me...a girl and a cellist... www.myspace.com/carecello

And a spammer.

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Latest releases:
Endless Cycles [Capital Heaven]
The Charlatan [Morphosis]

quote:

Originally posted by Mr.Mystery And a spammer.

I bet the I am a girl and the fancy pic works her out very well ...
What is she selling us, her music, image, or that she is a girl?
Crap, and I added her only because I used to play the cello for a chamber orchestra some years ago, and because I am a big fan of Jacqueline Du Prè, will fix that now.

Kopi =o.

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My forum for Down Tempo/Ambient/Chillout Music Producers.
www.chilloutworld.com
Where the world spins sligthly slower ...