10 Production Tips I Learned from Ed Cash

I worked for music producer Ed Cash for seven years. During that time I learned a thousand things, but here I've distilled the top ten production tips. These are gems I gained in conversation with Ed and from watching him work:

1. The listener is mostly listening to the vocal

Become a great vocal coach, be an encourager, perfect your signal chain/gear choice, comp for emotion, and pay careful attention to the vocal at every step of the process.

2. Drama wins

A song is a journey; even on subtle songs it should go somewhere new with each section.

3. Song is king

Lyrics and melodies should make you feel. If it doesn't, keep writing.

4. No change is off limits until the song is released

No matter how far along you are in the process, it's rarely too late to fix something that's not working.

5. Major on the majors

Spend the most time on the best song, don’t get so lost in the minute details (editing, tuning, etc) that you lose the heart of the song.

6. Break rules

Listen with your ears and not your preconceived notions of what should work. Be open to using unconventional tools. Use the tracks that feel right - even if they were supposed to be scratch tracks.

7. Spend more time making music

Take advantage of systems: saved patches, saved channel strips, session templates, and leaving microphones and gear set up and dialed in whenever you can.

8. Those who do great things have great team

When you hire players and engineers you are defining the caliber of the project. If you know someone who can do it better, delegate.

9. Business matters, don't neglect it

Be wise with your budgets, be clear in your communication, and invest money and time in things that will pay a dividend.

10. Serve those around you

Make it a great experience, give credit to your team, and help your artists flourish in their art and work.

Bonus. Each project you produce is your next business card

Put these tips in practice and let me know how it goes! And if you know Ed, or get the privilege of meeting him, tell him thank you.