The award-winning engineer knows that feeling the room is an important skill of an engineer. That’s how you get comfortable with an artist and give them the space to be creative.
According to the star producer, in music production it is all about bringing out what the artists want. When they write a song or prepare to sing it, every artist has a specific sound in mind. It’s inside them, and much like experts of any other creative field, the sound engineer and producer must bring it out. They have to shape it into something that will resonate with the artist.
Read The Room And Vibe
For that to work, one has to acknowledge the people. Read the room and the personality of the people. What is their mood? The way of the talk will tell a lot. That’s how Max Lord operates. Does the person want something romantic, or are they looking for sick beats? By understanding their vibes, the producer already knows exactly what beat to pick or build.
Additionally, it is about being bold with constructive criticism. Nobody appreciates a ‘Yes Man.’ If an artist is asking for your opinion, you have to be true to them. It’s another duty. If you think they can do better, you should tell them. That’s what the Grammy-winner firmly believes. It would explain why Cardi B and Young Thug don’t mind working with him. If anyone is familiar with Young Thung, he gives sound producers a run for their money. However, Max Lord never seems to have such issues with the stars.
A Comfort Zone For Artists
‘Not being a weirdo’ is another best practice the artist learned in the industry. There will be a time when the next artist will call you in the middle of the night. Perhaps, like Juice WRLD, you will end up traveling to Germany so that they can get that creative streak. Whatever it is, you need to play it cool and not get weirded-out. It is essential to understand that these people are artists and all artists have a creative streak. Therefore, you would have to match them somehow. You might have to drink or party with them, hang out, talk. Whatever it takes, attune to them.
Max Lord’s most prolific work definitely has come from friendship-level collaborations and environments. Neither a random fact, nor something that aspiring producers shouldn’t keep in mind.
