No matter how good you are, there comes a time in your career that you have to realize and admit that you can’t do absolutely everything and do it better than someone else. As good as you might be as a musician; there is someone out there that is better. As knowledgeable as you are in the ins and outs of production there may still come a time where you need to hire a music producer to get the results you are after.

In my own experience I find that people often are a little to close to their own projects to be able to be objective and get the best out of it that they can get. In my own humble opinion, that is precisely why a good artist might do fine on their own but a great artist knows that he has to step back and do a hand off. Think about football. It’s not often that one guy gets the ball and scores. He has gotten help and assists from the other members of the team.

This is precisely why places like myMusicCircle are becoming so popular. You no longer need to "know" somebody. By the same token you no longer need to live in a music hot spot or make the trek there to take advantage of the talent. The Internet allows you to do that on line and get the best you can find, often for a fraction of the cost.

So how does one hire a music producer and know that you are getting the best that you can get?

The best advice is that you can ask the person that you are considering for a combination of references from prior clients and come hard copy to listen to so you can see what his "sound" is like.

Everyone has a certain style that reflects in the way they do everything from talking to producing. One producer might love hot and heavy bass. That’s great if you are doing a hip-hop CD. But if you are working on a country project, it’s not going to be so good.

So you actually need to hear a sample of what they do. I know one producer that ALWAYS buries the vocals so people have to strain to make it out. That is his style and technique. Great for some styles but not for mainstream pop music.