Popular sound engineer and producer Mix Master Garzy is urging a clearer understanding of what it takes to earn the title “music producer.”
In an interview on Hitz FM, he cautioned that the term is being thrown around far too casually in the industry.
Garzy, whose career spans collaborations with some of Ghana’s biggest musical names and international acts, drew a firm line between being a beat maker and being a complete producer.
“Before you call yourself a producer, you have to know how to produce, how to make beats, how to engineer audio, meaning proper recording as a recording engineer. You need to know how to mix, how to direct, how to write, maybe even how to sing. All of these are part of being a full producer,” he said.
For Garzy, many who label themselves as producers are only contributing a fraction of what the role actually entails.
“Some people are just beat makers, some are mixing engineers, others are recording engineers,” he added.
He emphasized that a full-fledged producer is someone who understands and contributes to every stage of the music-making process, not just one. That includes everything from conceptualizing and arranging to engineering and even performing if necessary.
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“Some people are just beat makers, but because they can record, they assume they can mix too. It’s time they understand the difference,” he said.
Reflecting on his own journey, Garzy credited his versatility to early exposure and training in all aspects of music production. He said his ability to handle everything from beat-making to engineering is why he truly earns his name.
“Where I’m coming from, I was fortunate to learn all of these skills together, and that’s why I’m ‘Mix Master Garzy,’” he explained.
