Once in the studio, they help to keep the project moving along efficiently and will act as coach or even cheerleader to keep everyone' s spirit up in order to get the best performance possible. Most producers are accomplished musicians and will often lend their expertise to a project through help with song arrangements or even adding or playing parts on the project. Many producers are hired for their distinct ability to take a song and mold it into something that the original artist might not have been able to come up with on their own. These producers in effect become another member of the band. Famous producers such as Babyface, the Dust Brothers, Flood, or Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have a definite signature sound that they impart to projects they work on.
Most producers start out their careers as engineers.
As an engineer, they learn the technical side of the craft. The engineers with a strong musical background usually progress to production after they have mastered the technical side of things. When they become producers, some of them prefer to work with an engineer so that they can concentrate on the creative side of things while someone else handles the technical aspects. Others prefer to do it all themselves, acting as both producer and engineer, thus allowing them to get the sound they want without having to try to explain to an engineer what they are looking for. Producers work in many different styles, some are very energetic and always coaching you towards that perfect performance, while others are very laid back and prefer to quietly guide you toward the results you want.