Outsourcing

The name for this might not be so appealing, but it’s actually a very effective method of collaboration. It is especially useful when multiple musicians are involved. One person is the primary writer, arranger, or producer, who works with other musicians possessing particular skills (instruments, arranging, mixing, production) that contribute specific parts to the piece. An excellent example would be a producer of dance music laying down an instrumental track, then asking a vocalist to write and record a vocal part, or a country writer recording piano and vocals but working with a guitarist for acoustic and electric lines.

Outsourcing can be done either on or offline, and should not be confused with simple session playing (work for hire). In this case, though the primary writer can be doing the most work overall, they are not actually writing every part. Other musicians are still writing, performing and contributing, and their level of involvement can extend past their own parts. A vocalist can help craft the arrangement and instrumentation of a given section, for example, to make their vocal part fit in well.

This method of working is really the only viable one for larger collaborations, where it would be impractical to use either of the first methods of collaboration due to time, geography, or technical restraints. It enables multiple musicians to work on the same piece simultaneously without stepping on each other’s toes, provided the primary arranger maintains clear perspective of the “big picture” for the song.

Despite the name, outsourcing does not necessarily mean that the primary arranger is doing the most work overall, or that they have the most important role. They may simply be crafting a basic arrangement, while other musicians flesh out the instrumentation, add new writing, and then finally produce and mix the track.

courtesy of soundtempest.net