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Featured Composer: Ralph Oleski
Ralph Oleski is the 52 Cues Podcast Featured Composer for Week 25. Ralph has been gigging and teaching guitar for 30+ years, and has started composing over the last couple of years. Listen to his song, “Sunshine Girl.”
Dave Kropf and Steven Beddall Talk Music Careers
Dave recently joined Steven Beddall of Production Music Academy on his YouTube channel. Dave and Steven both run their respective music production communities, and are both full time composers/educators. Dave shares insights on how he manages his busy life, how he got started in sync licensing, and how he gets things done!
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!
Featured Composer: Ed Smaron
Ed Smaron used to play music for improv theater in Chicago, including for The Second City. While he admits that he thought his experience creating background music on the spot in front of live audiences would transfer easily to writing sync music in a studio, so far, he says that has not been the case!
5 Steps to Starting Your Music Production Career
It used to be the TV industry’s best kept secret, but more composers are getting hip to how they can carve out a career for themselves writing production music. So here are the 5 steps to starting your music production career!
Sneak Peek! Coming Soon!
Coming soon! Professor Dave’s Production Music Almanac: A Compendium of Compositional Consultation!
Project Sam Launch Features Dave Kropf
Last week, Project Sam launched Version 2 of the free orchestra. They asked Dave to demo the library, and he was happy to! Learn more about Version 2 and check out Dave’s Cue Breakdown, “Chumming the Waters,” using the new Project Sam free orchestra.
Featured Composer: Ralph Martin
Ralph Martin is multi-faceted musician, playing flute, sax, and congas. He’s also an arranger, composer, music director, teacher and Berklee College of Music alumni.
He’s working on a Native-American themed album. Listen to the latest track, “Darkness Comes” and tune into the 52 Cues Podcast to hear Dave’s comments!
Christmas in July Production Derby: RESULTS!
We had tons of great entries in the Christmas in July Production Derby! And now, the winners are in. Check out these killer tracks from Jeff Hargrove and Darin Peckham.
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!
Featured Composer: Darin Peckham
Darin is a 30-year music pro. He’s found himself in many roles from Composer/Arranger, Producer/Engineer, Music Director. He’s currently pursuing his love of composition.
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.
Cue Breakdowns: New Feature for Friends!
Cue breakdowns are quick, 15-20 minute guides which feature Dave Kropf talking through one of his published cues. It’s a great way to find new ideas, techniques, and sounds for your own cues!
Featured Composer: Caroline Moore
Caroline Moore collaborated with an Artist/Composer on “Limitless,” a Cinematic Pop track. She and her partner aren’t satisfied with the mix, so Dave Kropf will share some valuable advice.
From Pitch to Prime Time: Your Cue’s Journey to Air
Though we're all familiar with "Write - Submit - Forget - Repeat," there is much more that goes into your cue getting air! Once it leaves your digital desktop for the library, what happens then?
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!
Featured Composer: Greg Fellman
52 Cues Member Greg Fellman is passionate about composing the right music for your media. For Greg, it is not about ego. He knows his music is not the star of the show but rather is a supporting character in a larger production. Therefore, he is eager to work with you on exactly what you need for your project.
Featured Composer: Reed Gesteland
Reed Gesteland is an aspiring composer and producer who has a “soft spot” for hybrid music, especially hybrid orchestral instrumentals. This week, Dave Kropf will take a listen to Gesteland’s epic cue, “Never Look Back.”
Will Artificial Intelligence Ever Replace Composers?
Why do we get such anxiety over how technology and AI might one day make us all obsolete? To help us understand why we might get so wound up about the threat of technology, I thought it’d be a good idea to get an historical perspective, so I welcome back Mrs. 52 Cues herself, Shannon Kropf, who takes us on multiple centruries-long journey to show us that technological apprehension is nothing new!
Featured Composer: Doug Knight
Doug Knight is our featured composer for Week 28. He’s written a guitar-driven, muddy blues cue. You can catch Dave’s feedback on this week’s podcast or visit Doug’s TAXI page!