New Jersey Stage January 2015 | Page 29

lot of engineers, like myself, perform a dual role as producer and engineer,” Parsons said. “The reality, especially nowadays, is much more involved with the technical side of things.” Parsons said that, in the brave new world of recording, the producers should be more adept with technology than they once were, and that it is rare to see producers today who aren’t. “It’s certainly possible for the pro- ducer to handle all engineering duties, but I always work with a computer operator who deals with ProTools, plug-in software programs, editing, and so on. What I’m really focusing on is dealing with the artist, talking about the structure of the songs, the instrumentation, and the performance itself.” At times, the producer has to be a restraining force, especially when tendencies want to over- Read each issue at www.NJArtsMag.com pg 29