News | Podcasts | Articles

Great Music Production Books by Dean Krippaehne

Great Music Production Books by Dean Krippaehne

Dave devoured these three books in 2017 and 2018! Dean Krippaehne's music production books—"Demystifying the Cue," "Demystifying the Genre," and "Write Submit Forget Repeat,”— stand as an indispensable resource for anyone navigating the competitive world of music licensing and songwriting.

Read More
From Sample Making to Filmmaking with Jon Meyer

From Sample Making to Filmmaking with Jon Meyer

We production music folks tend to have a lot of irons in the fire and I can’t think of a leader in our industry who best embodies this than Jon Meyer (@JonMeyer)!

Jon has just released his brand new Kontakt instrument, Soft Drums, and I wanted to have him on the show to not only talk about that, but also, to share how he balances so many creative outlets - from music making to sample making to filmmaking.

Read More
Production Music Q&A

Production Music Q&A

Dive into the world of production and library music with Dave Kropf on the 52 Cues podcast. This episode covers mastering alts and stems, AI tools, pitching to libraries, choosing sounds for cues, backend royalties, finding references, mastering dynamic tracks, panning practices, using samples, placements in PRO catalogs, transition music, and learning sample libraries.

Explore the ins and outs of being a working production music composer!

Read More
January Workshop: Read the @#$%& Brief!

January Workshop: Read the @#$%& Brief!

Join Dave Kropf as he takes a deep dive into his method for understanding library briefs and listings. He'll unpack his strategies for decoding terms and translating references for the best chance of placement and forwards!

Plus he'll go over how to avoid some of the pitfalls of cloning and how we can stay original without slipping into "artist brain!"

Read More
The Inconvenient Truths About Production Music

The Inconvenient Truths About Production Music

Being a production music composer is not always lollipops and sunshine, and truth is, there are some pretty sobering and inconvenient truths about this industry that you should know before you go all in. So today, we’re going to say the quiet parts out loud, and talk the aspects of the gig which you just need to get ok with.

Read More
Collaborations and Conferences with Tracey and Vance Marino

Collaborations and Conferences with Tracey and Vance Marino

On today’s episode, I sit down and chat with Tracey and Vance Marino, authors of “Hey That’s My Song," and we discuss their experiences in navigating the co-writing process and chat about the upcoming PMA conference and Taxi Road Rally!

Read More
We Need to Talk About Waves

We Need to Talk About Waves

Fair warning: today’s podcast is a little ranty because we need to talk about Waves, their marketing strategies, and what you should know before you start dropping real money on plugin deals which seem too good to be true.

Plus we feature “To The Finish Line,” an indie/alt rock cue by 52 Cues community member Darin Pekham!

Read More
The Many Ways I Make Money Making Music

The Many Ways I Make Money Making Music

Nearly every composer I know doesn’t just compose for a living. They often find themselves cobbling together a career from many different aspects of the industry, from writing to arranging to gigging to teaching. So today, I thought I’d talk about all of the various ways I, personally, make money making music.

Read More
Are You Too Old to Start a Music Career?
52 Cues Podcast, Composing, Education Dave Kropf 52 Cues Podcast, Composing, Education Dave Kropf

Are You Too Old to Start a Music Career?

On today’s show, I sit down and chat with longtime 52 Cues member, and now recent Full Sail graduate, Greg Fellman, who left his career in social work to pursue his dream of being a media composer.

Plus, we listen to three of his cues which were recently selected to be featured during the 2022 Full Sail Hall of Fame induction ceremony!

Read More