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Featured Composer: Kris Claerhout
Kris Claerhout began his "sync" adventure at the beginning of the pandemic, finding great enjoyment in it—and earning a modest income as well. Kris is also a label manager and booking agent.
Kontakt Behind-The-Scenes with Jon Meyer!
Join special guest Jon Meyer (Merge Production Music, Atomica Music, YouTube), as he gives a behind-the-scenes tour of his brand new Soft Drums sample instrument in Kontakt!
He'll show his process, talk best practices, and take your questions!
Featured Composer: Harley Toberman
Harley Toberman, also known as Toby Tune, is a versatile music artist whose career began at age 12. His musical range is broad, encompassing genres such as pop, jazz, comedy, trailers, children's music, classical, and Lo Fi. His most recent project is a 10 cut album of Lo Fi Chill music.
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.
Be Impeccable with Your Word
I transformed from being sarcastic and judgy to happier, saner, and more peaceful—and guess what? It improved my relationships, allowed people to trust me, and opened doors for career advancement and entrepreneurial enterprise!
Featured Composer: Dolfo Picanco
Picanco is a high school band teacher and life-long music maker. He’s been been composing and arranging for years, and is now investing in the creation and production of his own music.
Dolfo submitted Crush ’em All to the Community to get some feedback. It’s his first venture at a stomp/clap, though he has lots of experience with rock tunes. He mentioned that the cue still needs mastering work to clean up some 60 cycle hum. He asked for feedback specifically on structure, the level of interest it keeps, and thoughts on the stomp clap sounds.
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!
You Can't Control Everything
In this video, Dave discusses the importance of maintaining a flexible mindset and controlling our reactions when faced with unexpected changes or challenging situations. Dave emphasizes the need to focus on personal growth and positivity—rather than anger and negativity—in order to diffuse potential conflicts and foster a more harmonious environment. By practicing patience and self-awareness, individuals can prevent toxic situations from affecting their well-being and overall outlook on life.
A Little Chat with Shannon: Healthy Communication
It’s essential to be mindful of the tone and approach we use in our communications, especially when dealing with sensitive topics. When we remember that behind every conflict is a real, living-and-breathing person, it’s easier to be respectful and open to hearing what that person has to say. In turn, this opens the door for more open and honest conversations, ultimately leading to better understanding and collaboration.
Do Libraries Owe Us a Response on Returns?
Last week I posed a burning question: should libraries reach out to composers whose music was forwarded by Taxi but not selected? This ignited a spirited discussion among composers, publishers, and everyone in between, shared via YouTube comments, our 52 Cues community, DMs, and emails.
Join me this week on the 52 Cues Podcast as we dive deeper into the Taxi debate with their President and CEO, Michael Laskow. We'll uncover the truth behind showbiz rejections, learn how to bounce back from bruised egos, and examine why Taxi-forward success might make make the silence sting that much more.
Why Did Waves Make Us So Angry?
Dave Kropf bikes around Orlando and muses on a wide variety of topics. Here, he wonders why the recent Waves subscription SNAFU made us so angry.
WGA Members Vote Overwhelmingly To Authorize A Strike If No Deal By May 1
“Our membership has spoken,” the WGA Negotiating Committee told guild members. “You have expressed your collective strength, solidarity, and the demand for meaningful change in overwhelming numbers. Armed with this demonstration of unity and resolve, we will continue to work at the negotiating table to achieve a fair contract for all writers.”
Featured Composer: Doug Knight
Doug is excited to be a part of this community of creatives! While new production music, he’s already seeing success with placements! He is learning as much as he can, and is enjoying the journey.
Is Tunesat Really Worth the $$$?
TuneSat can detect nearly any music placement on TV throughout the US and EU, and while it has its limitations, it can be a good way to see if your cues are getting traction. But what can we actually do with this information? And is it even worth the CRAZY subscription cost?
A Little Chat | Nine Keys While Uncluttering
Over the past three years, I've gone through a lot, from two major career changes to losing a dream job. Despite these challenges, I've managed to find success in my graphic design work, which has been great—but also unexpected.
This was never a part of my plan or vocational identity. So I've recently found myself asking, "Who am I, again? And what exactly am I doing with my life?" If you've ever felt this way, know that you're not alone - I'm going through it too.
Featured Composer: Enrico Caporale
Enrico Caporale lays some Cuban salsa on us! Visit the 52 Cues Community to check out the great feedback he got from community members!
How Will a Hollywood Writers Strike Affect Production Music?
A prolonged strike could narrow the opportunities for music synchs in shows and movies, which generated $318 million in 2022, or 2% of overall revenue, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
A Little Chat | Overwhelm
As much as I love my work, I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed lately. During the pandemic, I was working non-stop for my clients because—SUDDENLY—everyone needed everything online.
I went for about 2 years with no days off (not even weekends). I was doing the entrepreneurial “hustle” and becoming increasingly stressed out and unhappy. And to make matters worse, my dad passed away unexpectedly (not COVID). It was a lot to handle, you know?
10 Piano VSTs Compared!
While I’m not a pianist, I’ve certainly done a fair amount of piano programming as well as lot of research looking for that perfect piano sound. On today's episode I compare ten (yes ten!) piano libraries with examples from meditation to jazz and Beethoven to Debussy.
A Little Chat | Celebrating the Moment
Dave and I recently launched the Album Accelerator, which was a heavy lift. It was 35 gigs worth of information and six and a half hours of curriculum, so you can imagine the effort it took to put it together.
When we finally finished uploading everything, we were elated! But guess what happened next?