In today's music landscape, full production is generally an afterthought. Many of today's producers often do not see a project through to completion, instead they sell or rent a beat to an artist and that is often the end of contact.
In order to develop your sound and meaningful reputation as a serious producer, you must see a project all the way through. A producer must not only compose the beat either directly or via third party but they must have a vision for how the vocals must sound as well as how the mixing and mastering is done.  A producer is often the coach for an artist, the same way a coach is for an athlete; their job is to get the best performance in the studio.  A producer must not pass off the beat and leave the artist to do their own thing unless, they are 100% comfortable with the artist being able to rock the beat without assistance.  To be fair, there are some artists that are uniquely talented enough that you can leave them alone to do their thing but their are others that have the raw vocal skills but need a little guidance to make the song pop.  A producer must determine this by vibing with the artist in order to learn their personality and skill level.
If you are new to the production game, you may not feel comfortable coaching an artist or sitting in on a mixing session, but as you grow, this is a valuable asset that you must add to your skill set in order to be placed with the professionals.

In the beginning of the DAW (digital audio workstation) revolution Pro-tools was considered the gold standard in studio recording (and still is) by both small and big studios alike. Most people just went with it because of it's popularity but the truth is, there are options and there have always been options.

There are many great sounding DAW's that are equal if not better than Pro-tools. There is Logic, Digital Performer (DP), Cubase, Nuendo and others which do the same thing as Protools for a lot less. My Personal preference is DP, it's ease of use, great sound quality, unlimited tracks (as much as your computer can handle) and access to lots and lots of Audio Unit plugins make it a no brainer because you get so much for a lot less money.

So when building your studio, don't just go with Pro-tools because "everybody uses it" or because someone said that your favorite record was recorded on it, think about your options and go with works for YOU best.  I learned years ago when I first started producing music that the equipment you use is only as good as its operator. Many people swore by the MPC and still do but I know quite a few wanna be producers who bought one and their beats were still wack.  I, by the way, used an Ensoniq EPS 16+ for all of my hits in the 90's and early 2000's. I just wanted to be different and stand out. If you are ever to become a successful producer or engineer, follow your heart and dare to be different.  Innovators lead the pack and do not follow!

Until next month,
Keep Bangin the hits
Crazy C!