An album's producer can make or break its sound. An album's producer can make or break its sound.
Record producers function much like movie directors.
They set the tone and help to create a band's distinctive studio sound. For example, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are the audio architects behind Janet Jackson and Boyz II Men. And Eminem and Snoop Dogg would be nothing without Dr. Dre at the control panels. When it comes to rock music, Steve Lillywhite is a genius of a producer. He's the man behind the best work from Peter Gabriel, U2 and Phish.