People often use the terms ” beat maker” and “producer” interchangeably, however there are distinct differences between the two. To better understand these differences, one would have to first define what a beat maker is versus a producer.

Beat Maker

This individuals primary responsibility is the music composition of a song. They create the instrumentals and beats to set the tone for an artist’s lyrics. Beat makers can produce a variety of beats ranging from pop & hip hop to rock and country. Experts in this area sometimes become composers.

Producer

A producer can make beats however it is not absolutely necessary. A producer’s responsibility is to oversee the studio session to ensure that the completed, final production is executed properly.

A producer’s duties may include the following:

Making the instrumentals or beats

Songwriting

Leading the recording session

Vocal Production

Vocal and Instrumental Arrangement

Audio Engineering

Mastering of the Final Session

A producer may or may not do all of the aforementioned tasks, but the end result or master recording of a song is deemed the producer’s responsibility.

Executive Producer

A producer that oversees an entire album is called the executive producer. He/she is responsible for supervising many of the business aspects of putting an album together. This includes but is not limited to: making sure producer checks have cleared, ensuring split sheets are prepared, choosing the final songs on an artist’s album, etc.

Based off of the definitions above, it is easy to see the differences between beat makers and producers. A beat maker’s main responsibility is to compose the instrumentals and beats for a song while a producer is responsible for ensuring that all aspects of song creation are taken care of.

Determining Your Needs

A common mistake among upcoming recording artists, rappers, singers, and musicians is to request a producer when he/she may actually only need a beat maker. The opposite is true as well. An artist may say “I need beats” when actually he/she needs a producer. The simplest way for a recording artist to determine whether or not he/she needs a beat maker or producer is to identify his/her goals.