Beat Maker vs Music Producer

Every beat maker is not a music producer. There are some differences, but there also exists a large grey area. Let me explain.

A music producer oversees a music project. He may never touch a keyboard or drum machine, but it is his (or her) ear that sees the song through to completion. He may work with session musicians and the mixing engineer to produce the exact song he hears in his head.

A beat maker, you guessed it, makes beats. A lot of people don’t like to be called beat makers, because they think the title music producer sounds more established. Another reason relates to the grey area I mentioned before; while technically not directing artists in a studio and marrying beat and vocals (and therein completing the song), a beat maker does more than just make the beat. He or she will create music that has an artist in mind. It may not be an exact artist, but an artist profile nonetheless. (For example, “gangster rapper with a fast flow.”)

Keeping the artist profile in mind as you put finishing touches to your music will help develop the beat into a song more quickly.

Artists will react more positively to a beat that they can see themselves singing or rapping to. We both know that some songs exist with mediocre beats but a great, catchy vocal track. I want you to really take this in: the beat is as good as the song it could be. Helping an artist see the potential is an art, and this is where you’re stepping into songwriting as well.

I hope you see where this is going. See, while it’s just a beat, the extra steps you take do put you into the music producer category. If you can see the complete song, you’re mentally prepared to produce that song. You can get there technically as well if you’re prepared to put in a little bit of time.

I’d like to finish this introduction by saying that the terms ‘beat maker’ and ‘music producer’ are just titles, and you shouldn’t let them limit you. Just do what you want to do, and do it to the best of your ability.