Audio: Producers vs. Engineers vs Artists: What's the Difference?

In todays' world, there are more than a million billboard top hit songs. As of today, Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars takes the #1 spot on the Billboard 100 list. With the help of producers and engineers, artists are able to make these ranks. Within this song, Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, and Jeff Bhasker are the producers. Several engineers worked on this song as well such as Boo Mitchell, Charlez Moniz, Wayne Gordon, Bruno Mars, and a few others. Now lets rewind. Bruno Mars. Producer, Engineer and Artist. Are they the same or different? The answer is different and here is why.

An artists is one who performs, or releases recorded music through a label or independently. This is be a singer, rapper, or music with musical talent. Both Ronson and Mars, played drums on this song too.

There are two types of producers. The first type of producer is the one who creates the instrumental. This can be done through playing instruments or programming music using DAWs such as Pro Tools and Logic Pro. They create the track for the artists to sing to, and give advice on any ideas whether good or bad such as redoing a verse second type of producer is an executive producer. The executive producer oversees the production phase. They are also in charge of the recording budget, hiring and overseeing talent, engineers, and any other crew members needed to complete the song.

An engineer is one who operates any audio equipment that is used during the recording, mixing, and mastering stages in music. The main job is to help bring the artists and producer vision. Through the three stages vocals and instruments get recorded, audio gets cleaned up, and the final mix gets corrected for different media formats. Producers are capable of being engineers and vice versa as well, because audio knowledge is needed for both.

It is possible for one person to possess all of these talents through hard work and dedication. In Bruno Mars and Mark Ronsons' case, they were apart of all three positions into getting this song done.