The recording producer

In the world of classical music the recording or audio producer is there to act as a facilitator between all the people involved in making a CD recording or broadcast, and has the overall responsibility for all the various stages of the production, and of course the end result.

At the planning stage for a production he will often be involved in discussions about repertoire and artists, and will help in making decisions about recording venue and technical issues.

During the recording sessions his main job is to achieve a creative atmosphere and support the musician so that she/he can perform to the best of their abilities. He will follow the musical score and comment on and perhaps make suggestions about the performance.  He works closely with the Balance Engineer to get the best possible sound and balance (mix). At the end of the day it's his responsibility that everything has been recorded satisfactorily in every sense. Sometimes the Recording Producer and Balance Engineer merges into one person (Tonmeister) who takes responsibility for both the musical and technical issues. 

After the sessions the various takes will need to be edited together into a master performance and the recording producer will continue to follow the process either by listening in at the various stages or even do all the editing himself. In my opinion the latter is usually desirable as he will have intimate knowledge of both the musician's artistic vision and a full overview of the recorded material.