Mississippi-based producer and musician Jim Dickinson has worked on hundreds of recordings over a career in music spanning five decades. In that time, he has worked at some of the most legendary studios in the southern United States (such as Ardent, Muscle Shoals and Sun), and contributed to a veritable who’s who of the past fifty years of rock, blues and soul – from playing keyboards for Aretha Franklin, Ry Cooder, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan to producing records for artists like Big Star, Green on Red, Mudhoney, Mojo Nixon, the Spin Doctors, The Replacements, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, as well as dozens more.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson explains the difference between a live performance and performing for a recording, and why recording live (with all musicians playing at once) is not usually a very good idea. He also shares hard-won advice for creating space and the impression of loudness in recordings.
Long-time record producer Jim Dickinson sits down with ArtistsHouse for a frank and freewheeling discussion of the craft of producing records – how to get your first studio job, how to manage strong personalities, why producers should understand both music and engineering in addition to their own responsibilities, how to sequence an album to tell a story, how he got to play on a Rolling Stones album, and much more.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson explains how he became inspired to be a producer and discusses some of his early experiences in the music industry. In particular he shares a story about watching Lenny Waronker produce Randy Newman that led to his own “eureka!” moment as to what the producer’s role is in a session.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson discusses the myths and realities behind the making of Big Star’s classic breakup/breakdown album, variously called Third or Sister Lovers.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson discusses the art of making a complete album – that is, an album with a story (or a multitude of stories), and how the personnel, song selection, and sequencing all go into making an album into a story.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson discusses his long career, the new technologies he is using as a producer today, why eight hours with Pro Tools is like “being beat in the face with a rubber hose,” and why younger producers who work exclusively in digital might be missing some of the best perks available to the career.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson discusses the fundamental principles of recording and engineering – what young people should understand to be an engineer, what schools are best at teaching the skills, and whether engineering school is worth it.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson shares his thoughts on production as a career, what young people should know when they start their career, what opportunities to watch out for, why people choose a career in recording in the first place, why interns have ruined the Nashville scene, and much more.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson explains what the role of a producer is in a recording session (according to him), and shares stories about working with some of the great producers from the golden age of Memphis music.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson explains how the roles of producer and engineer are distinct from each other, and shares his opinions on whether it’s useful for producers to have some engineering experience.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson shares his experiences working with the Rolling Stones during a secret recording session in Muscle Shoals in 1969.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson continues his tale of working with the Rolling Stones during a secret recording session in Muscle Shoals in 1969 – in particular how he came to play keyboards on their single, “Wild Horses.”
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson shares his opinions on whether there’s any such thing as self-producing, and what the pitfalls are for artists who try to produce their own work. He also discusses digital recording suites like Pro Tools, and their effect on the recording process – especially the tendency to confuse “correct” with “good,” and the need to learn how to defeat digital recording’s perfection in order to make better recordings.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson discusses using digital recording suites to nudge the beat structure of a recording, and shares some tips on using recording and mixing software to improve the groove of a beat.
Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson explains how he builds a track in the studio – how he works with a band while tracking, how he helps establish the rhythmic base of the song, in what order he records instruments, how he works with horns, how he manages the overdub process, the value of a great engineer, and much, much more.
