Part of the job of being a producer is the Vulcan mind meld, where you listen not to what they're saying but what they mean.
Nobody taught Picasso how to paint - he learned for himself. And nobody can teach you to be a producer. You can learn the mechanics, but you can't learn what's right about a script or a director or an actor. That comes from instinct and intuition. It comes from inside you.
I was really impressed with Naomi [Watts]. She was a producer, and she was doing things that I wasn't really aware of. The way she was able to switch from handling problems to shoot a really difficult scene, I think is a real testament to her true ability.
I don't think there's anybody that has such a keen sense of vocal production and attention to detail as Dre.
The thing people forget about Kevin Shirley a lot of the time is that he's not only a great producer, he's also a world-class engineer. He really knows how to get a sound.
A lot of producers don't have any musical education. I couldn't make the music I make without playing the piano.
A producer has to know all about everything from set-building to costumes to acting.
I used to have sort of mixed feelings about a producer whose only skills seemed to be going into the studio, schmoozing the artists and making them feel good. I can see now that in some cases, that's what you have to do because that's the only way you're going to get them to produce.
Well, Babyface brings his savoir faire to every project. He's a very easy producer to work with, very detailed in listening to everything.
To be a good producer, one needs to be able to eat lunch, and make ill-informed decisions.
One other thing, if it's possible, as songwriters, you should also develop yourself as record producers.
Frederico Pena is an amazing talented guitarist and producer.
Navigating the studio system has its own challenges, and, as a producer, you want to be astute and clever.
All the skills of housewifery are the ones I'm using as a producer.
I'm not the most technical producer, so the weird mixes and blown-out sound happen naturally.
That's really important in a producer - a producer that can step up and play a keyboard, play a bass, play a guitar, and help you with things instead of just saying, 'I think this could be better.'
Ricky's [Reed] a lot like me. He always says we have the same brain. He does all different genres, and it just happens his first big hit as a producer was [Derulo's] "Talk Dirty to Me," and that Pitbull is his best friend. But he can actually - I swear - he can do every genre.
I had very few skills. If I hadn't been a producer I'd been a failed actor. That would have been really disastrous.
