Music Production Podcast

I wrote a book! It's called What Bob Ross Teaches Us About Music Production . I take the wisdom Bob Ross shared on his show The Joy of Painting and apply those lessons to music production. In this episode of the podcast, I discuss the new book, share a few of its lessons, and discuss the larger theme of acceptance as a big takeaway from the process of writing it. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Go...

Sean Giovanni is a Producer, Engineer and the Owner of The Record Shop recording studio. Sean moved to Nashville to pursue his career in music at age 20. He has since worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including John Legend, Meatloaf, Tim McGraw, and The Wallflowers. Following his passion to help artists realize their creative potential, Sean co-founded Mind Map. Sean shared hi...

Los Angeles's Joseph Holiday makes dark, moody, end-of-the-world modular music as Snakes of Russia. He masterfully weaves together his modular rig with samples and real world instrumentation.  Joseph shares his music making process for his own music and the music he makes for film. We discuss how imposing limitations can build opportunities to be creative. It was a great talk that left me feeling...

When the problems of the world loom so large, it can make the act of music production seem unimportant. But during these times, music is more important than ever by helping us connect and empathize with each other. Over the last month or so, I've found it extremely difficult to find meaning in my musical work. In the face of enormous world challenges, twiddling around with sound has felt insignifi...

Ned Rush is a musician, YouTuber, and Max for Live device maker. His work for Isotonik Studios includes the World Collection, which allows you to incorporate video into your Ableton Live Performances.  Ned and I sat down for a conversation about his work, musician production, and creativity in general. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify ; watch on YouTube Show Notes: YouTube -...

Jerry Seinfeld is a master stand-up comedian, and we can learn a thing or two about making music from him. According to legend, one of the techniques he used to hone his craft is called "The Chain Method."  In this episode of the Music Production Podcast, we explore how Jerry Seinfeld's "Chain Method" can help us become better music producers. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify...

This episode is a guided meditation by Jörgen Kjellgren that I created the music for. Sit back, relax, and drift into your mind. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify ; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Jörgen's BandCamp - Listen to Jörgen's music. Jörgen on the Music Production Podcast - Jörgen and I had a great conversation on the Music Production Podcast. VCR WAVE Ableton Live Pack...

Maddy Kong is a music producer, engineer, music technologist and live performer from Perth, Australia. Currently based in Brooklyn, New York, and winning multiple production spots, she understands the sonic nuances of various genres and has proven to  harnesses positive responses across her work. Maddy makes music under the name Sesamii. Maddy and I spoke about her work combining her classically t...

Tine Schenck is a composer and trained vocalist. Along with Andrew Magee and Clément Panchout, she hosts Music Weeklies Challenge, which gives a community of musicians creative projects each week. Tine also creates soundtracks for video games. Tine spoke about Music Weeklies Challenge and how it helps artists breakthrough creative blocks and learn how to finish music more efficiently. She discusse...

Stephanie Merchak is a composer, sound designer, improviser and performer from Lebanon. Stephanie has a deep academic background in music and loves to explore and experiment with sound.  Stephanie and I had a great conversation about her willingness to take chances and try new things with her art. She isn't afraid of experiments that might not work, and this attitude and philosophy has helped her...

Hainbach is a composer, sound designer, and YouTuber based in Berlin, Germany. He is well-known for his work with tape machines, test equipment, and modular synthesizers. His childlike wonder and endless curiosity about sounds has brought him tens of thousands of viewers on his YouTube channel.  I've been a fan of Hainbach's for a while and it was great to get a chance to speak to him about his wo...

Laura Escudé is the founder of Electronic Creatives, who run playback for some of the largest touring acts in the world, including Kanye West, Arianna Grande, American Idol, Bon Iver, Harry Styles, and so many more. She's a classically trained violinist and one of the first Ableton Certified Trainers. Laura has created a collection of educational workshops for musicians, creatives, and business pe...

Darren Cowley runs Isotonik Studios, a site that offers products for Ableton Live, Max for Live, Novation Circuit, and more. Isotonik Studios has grown into a small army of developers releasing exciting products to producers.  Darren and I have been trying to coordinate a podcast for years. It was worth the wait. We spoke about his beginnings as a DJ, how he developed and shared his DJ template, a...

Animus Invidious is a music producer who runs the site PerforModule for audio production tips and Ableton Live resources. Animus recently put together the Super Awesome Sounds Ableton Live Pack made with the Casio SA-20 synthesizer. We discuss the process behind making sound packs, staying organized, and much more.  Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify ; watch on YouTube Show Not...

Matt Sharp is the creative force behind The Rentals and is the original bass player for Weezer. He is currently releasing the Rentals new double-album, Q36, one song every two weeks.  It was a pleasure to sit down with one of my own musical super heroes. His work in The Rentals and Weezer was instrumental in my own musical growth. Matt spoke about his creative process and collaborations with diffe...

Dan Policar, aka DanTheBand, is a Grammy nominated, international touring musician, songwriter, and producer. Dan has toured the world playing in Sean Paul's band, the "BaddaBanz." He has done production work and songwriting for artists such as Fabolous, Sean Paul, Raekwon, Andra Day, Faith Evans, and Mystikal. Dan also produces music for video games. Dan and I spoke about his work as a touring mu...

Rob Barbato is a creative director at Squeak E Clean Productions, a composer for Film and Television, a producer and engineer of records, and a multi-instrumentalist. Rob has produced music for brands like Lexus, Nike, and Apple. He recently produced the new Vivian Girls album, Memory .  Rob spoke about translating marketing briefings into music and emotion. He explains some of his techniques for...

Peder Losnegård, aka Lido, is a producer, singer, songwriter in LA from Norway. He has worked for an impressive list of artists such as Chance the Rapper, Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, A$AP Ferg, and many more. He started as a pop star in Norway as a teen but gave it up to pursue his artistic vision in the United States.  Lido and I had a great conversation about his work as a producer and musician...

We are living through unprecedented times. It is our duty to stay home to slow the spread of coronavirus. In an effort to maintain positivity and make the most of our time at home, this episode runs through some ideas you can use to be productive. Stay healthy! Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify ; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Live Performance in Ableton Live - My video course i...

Thomas Glendinning is an Ableton Certified Trainer and the man behind the popular site ELPHNT, where he helps producers "make better music."  Tom and I sat down to speak for the second time on the podcast about his recent work (including the amazing FRZN GRAINS Ableton Live Pack), finishing music, and crafting a business out of a passion.  Thanks to Tom for creating the beautiful artwork for this...

This episode marks the beginning of the 4th year of the Music Production Podcast! I never imagined I'd be a podcaster, but I think I've done it long enough to earn the title. And that's what this episode is about: if you want to be a thing, act like the thing. Do the things that person would do!  Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify ; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Music Production...

I've just released my new EP, "A Journey Inward," and the secret to finishing it was in the story. I find that by having the story of your music clearly defined, making music because much easier and more enjoyable. In this episode we talk about how I used story to complete my latest EP. The episode ends with a listening to the EP itself. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify ; wat...

Graham Cochrane is the founder of The Recording Revolution, whose YouTube channel has over 500,000 subscribers. For over ten years, Graham's tutorials have shown musicians how to record great music at home with affordable gear. Graham also helps entrepreneurs build their online businesses.  Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify ; watch on YouTube Show Notes: The Recording Revoluti...

Staying organized will keep your music making experience fun. You will have the tools you need when you need them. In this episode, I talk about some things that have helped me stay organized. I also talk about the most impactful book I read last year, Getting Things Done by David Allen. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify ; watch on YouTube Show Notes: FRZN GRAINS - ELPHNT's gr...

Mixing is an art. Mixing is technical. A mix can be objectively good or bad. A mix can be subjectively good or bad. This episode of the Music Production Podcast contains some of the general guidelines that have helped me find the sound I'm looking for and improve the technical quality of my mixes.  Thanks for listening and please pardon the clickbait title; I'm running some experiments in naming....