chelsea rebecca - producing as an artist

Chelsea Rebecca is a singer-songwriter who you can find performing around Leeds at the likes of Oporto and The Domino Club. We discussed producing from a singer’s perspective and the benefits of learning how to do it yourself.

What was your process for producing your first single ‘This Isn’t About Sex’?

I started with the guitar at first for a rough demo. I tried to use a click track but I’m an amateur guitarist, so I just let the timing issues and imperfections be a part of the feeling of the song. I went into the studio to record, and George Garnett-Easton came and helped me, which was a big help as I wasn’t too confident on the desk. So we recorded a cleaner version of my guitar and then I recorded all the vocals in my bedroom, under a little cave made of sheets. It was very cosy! Once I had all the harmonies in, I mixed everything. It’s quite a minimalist song in terms of arrangement, just my guitar, bass (played by Jack Whitehead), my vocals and a synth later on. I’ve not mixed before for a song that I was fully prepared to release- I think that made the process a little slower because I wasn’t as sure of myself, but I learnt a lot and got there in the end.

What DAW do you produce on and why does it fit your style of music?

I use logic pro, because as a small artist I can just use it on my mac in my room. The main thing is it’s very user-friendly and I like the layout of it- it’s the one I learnt on at college as well. I used pro tools to record my song in the studio but then exported it all to logic. I did music production and A level at college. I chose production because I thought ‘I need to know this to be an artist’ but I didn’t realise it was such an expressive, artistic process. It really is! I love producing, which I didn’t expect. It’s a creative thing in its own right.

Would you advise artists to learn about the production side or is it not necessary?

It’s always useful for artists to know, at least so if you’re working with someone else you know what you’re talking about a little bit. It’s much easier to communicate and be able to articulate what you want from sounds. Also, the more you learn about music production, the more you learn that the production side will influence the whole sound of a song. I would definitely recommend the artist learn at least some terminology and the basics.

What are the benefits of working with a producer vs self-producing?

In terms of collaborating, having another ear and outside perspective on a song (especially when you’ve been listening over and over again or if it’s a really personal project) can give you so much clarity and guidance. It’s more of a fun process as you’re around people with different skillsets, you can learn a lot from them, and the outcome is often better than you could ever think of alone as an amateur producer.

Self-producing is also great because you have all the control and there’s a little less pressure because you have your own timeline. I’m a bit of a control freak so sometimes in the studio I want to take over (but at the end of the day it’s always up to me what goes in the final mix). If you are collaborating, it’s important to work with someone who’s on the same wavelength as you, who you trust and understands what kind of sound you’re looking for. Alone you already have that.