What Separates a Good Producer from a Great One?

Hey y’all!

Lately, I’ve been pondering a question that seems simple but is actually pretty complex: What separates a "good" producer from a great one? As I progress in my journey as a young producer, I’ve been trying to identify the qualities that set great producers apart so I can better myself and emulate those slay-ullar traits.

Insights from EVO

On that fabulous philosophical note, I chatted with Producer EVO (Chris Brown, H.E.R., Cardiak) to get his take on the matter.

I asked him: “In your opinion, what seperates a "good" producer from a GREAT producer?”

He said: 

“A good music producer knows how to make music sound great, but a great producer adds, creativity, inspires artists, and brings a unique vision that makes their work stand out and shape the music scene. A great producer can act as a therapist for an artist. A good producer can guide a session, tell musicians or writers what to do, or even compose a song. A great producer can really get inside the artist's mind. Acting as a music therapist, a great producer can bring out every emotion from the artist, writers, musicians, and the composition. An example of a great producer, in my eyes, is Rick Rubin. Being a producer doesn’t mean you have to make beats or physically touch anything in the studio. A producer, in general, captures moments, but a great producer captures not just moments but the essence and emotion of a song, turning it into something memorable and impactful for a lifetime.”

Key Takeaways

I loved reading EVO’s answer. The biggest takeaway for me was his perspective on what truly defines a GREAT producer. It’s not just about making a song sound good—it’s about taking things to the next level of slay in every possible way-  a great producer doesn’t just enhance; they elevate. Whether it’s refining the composition of the song, bringing out the best in all of the creatives involved, or amplifying the artist's vision, a great producer makes everything more impactful. 

The ability to elevate is something I’m going to consciously keep in mind as I move forward in my young producer journey. How am I bringing out the best in the people around me? How can I take a composition and really level it up? And most importantly, how am I helping to elevate the artist's vision, making it bigger, and more impactful? These are the questions I’ll continue to ask myself as I strive to not just be a good producer, but to slowly grow into a great one.