Arranger (Adaptor)
An arranger provides musical arrangements of a musical composition or song for an artist, band, orchestra or other ensemble. The arranger determines the voice, instrument, harmonic structure, rhythm, tempo and other aspects of a song or composition, based on the artist, producer or conductor's specifications. Training in music theory, orchestration, composition, and harmony is required. An arranger should have experience as a copyist, writing music and playing one or more instruments.
Producer
Producers work mainly with recording acts and record labels to produce records. They also work with composers and produce sound recordings for film, TV and other forms of multimedia as well. The producer supervises all aspects of the recording process including contracting session players and overseeing the recording budget, and a producer may also help the artist select songs to be recorded. Preferably, a producer should be an excellent musician with a lot of performing experience, and have a great depth of musical, acoustical and studio technical knowledge.
Orchestrator
An orchestrator is responsible for transposing music from one instrument or voice to another in order to accommodate a particular musician or group, and writing scores for an orchestra, band, choral group, individual instrumentalist(s) or vocalist(s).
Composer
A composer creates instrumental pieces, either to stand-alone or to be combined with lyrics. They may compose for a specific situation such as film/TV composers who score/compose music to enhance videos or films, or they may compose for live performance and/or recording situations.
Film Scorer/Composer
A film scorer/composer scores music to accompany a motion picture for film or television. This could include dramatic underscore as well as popular songwriting. The traditional role of a film composer is to provide the orchestral dramatic underscore, and only more recently has the popular soundtrack begun to stand on its own.
Jingle Writer
A jingle writer is a songwriter/composer/lyricist who specializes in writing music for radio and television commercials. They are responsible for representing their client musically as directed. They must be skilled in all styles, be strong, musical arrangers and able to compose well for a very short form.
Songwriter
A songwriter writes both lyrics and music and is either a staff writer with a publishing company or a freelance songwriter. A songwriter may also perform and/or produce their own songs.
Transcriber
A transcriber notates musical performances onto a score from a recorded performance.
Copyist
A copyist transfers musical parts from a score onto individual parts. This person must have strong notation and transposition skills, training in music theory, as well as neat and accurate copy work.
Conductor
A conductor's main duty is preparing an orchestra or ensemble for the finest performance they are capable of presenting. This includes choosing the repertoire, rehearsals, and possibly planning an entire season of musical events, as well as handling all other business-related matters of an orchestra. A conductor must have a strong ability on an instrument (preferably piano), be able to sight read, and have a strong stage personality.