Music Production Podcast

Thomas Piper is an accomplished musician, producer, performer, and video artist from New York. Over the years, our paths have crossed many times at various shows, workshops, and Ableton User Groups.  It seems like wherever the action is, so is Thomas! Recently, Thomas' work was featured in a  documentary by Ableton.  We had a great conversation about live performance, overcoming creative blocks, a...

Thomas Glendinning is an Ableton Certified Trainer, formerly from Cape Town, South Africa, but now living in London. Tom creates music under the name ELPHNT, which is pronounced "Elephant." There he creates sample packs, Ableton Live Packs, and tutorials. We sat down for a conversation about making music, sharing your work, and building communities. Enjoy! Listen on iTunes  or Stitcher  or Google...

Andrew Whiteman is a musician and songwriter out of Toronto. He plays guitar in Broken Social Scene and has a number of other projects including Sonic Poetry and AroarA.  Andrew is about to embark on a tour with Broken Social Scene, as they release a new album on July 7th. We spoke about creativity, change, and performing on Stephen Colbert's late night show.  Listen on iTunes  or Stitcher  or Goo...

Most of the things I regret in life are the things I did not do, and not the things I did do. With the exception of being mean or vindictive, in most cases taking action resulted in a positive experience in one way or another... even if it was by learning from failure. In this episode of the podcast, I discuss this idea and how it applies to music production. I share a story of a live performance...

Tomislav Zlatic is the creator and editor in chief of Bedroom Producers Blog, a website dedicated to sharing music making tips, software, and gear for music making enthusiasts and professionals alike. Over the years, BPB has been extremely supportive of my work, and we have even collaborated on a few projects.  I had a chance to chat with Tomislav about writing, staying consistent, and our mutual...

Michael Harren is a composer and performer from Brooklyn, New York. He combines classical and electronic components, plays piano for Sandra Bernhard, and produced a one-man theater piece called "The Animal Show." Michael recently returned from Moogfest and sat down with me for a conversation about making music. Bonus: Get a free Ableton Live Pack created from a Skype glitch during our conversation...

Tom Filepp makes music as Cars and Trains . He describes his sound as "electronic-folk toy-instrument live-looping craziness." I was originally drawn to Tom's music because of its combination of electronic and acoustic parts. In this episode, we discuss the creative process, some gear,  and finding music in unlikely objects like cardboard boxes. Listen on iTunes  or Stitcher  or Google Play Suppor...

This is a little case study about how doing things that may seem counterintuitive can actually be productive. Sometimes we can win even if we lose or are cheated.  Having a money-back guarantee on digital products leaves me open to the possibility that people could be buying my products and asking for their money back even if there is no problem. It's an easy scam. But in truth, I think the potent...

It's all about community. People connecting, sharing ideas, collaborating and supporting each other. This is something Jesse Brede, founder of Gravitas Recordings, understands. I  think we can all picture that stereotypical record label, with the stack of demos on a desk that just get shoveled into the trash without ever being heard. Gravitas Recordings is different. They want to hear new music an...

I spoke with Eban Crawford, who makes music as Senator Jaiz. Eban is bringing his workshop, "No Permission Needed," to Moogfest for the second year in a row. He has an awesome "grown up" music job at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. In this episode, we discuss a plethora of topics like his sound design work for the museum, which involved creating music to the flight data of an egret;...

Nuno Santos is the creative force behind Imaginando, a company that makes applications for creating and controlling music. The latest project is DRC, a virtual analog synthesizer for mobile and desktop platforms. It allows you to create and edit sounds on any platform and access them from all other platforms.  Imaginando also released a powerful Ableton Live controller called LK.  In this episode,...

Dan Hilse and Pierce Porterfield are the creative forces behind pATCHES.zone , a website full of useful tutorials, sample packs, and Ableton Live Packs. What sets their site apart is the practicality of the information and the beautiful presentation. Every page has characteristic GIF images to help explain the concepts and ideas within the post.  I had a chance to talk with Dan and Pierce about th...

Are you looking at fellow musicians, bands, dj, and producers as your competition? Stop! You'll get much further fighting the war with an army than as just one soldier. Think more about building community. In this episode, I talk about building community and adding value to others in order to grow.  This episode was a bit of an experiment; it was recorded in my car during a commute. The audio qual...

Jason Timothy in that awesome The Jesus and Mary Chain t-shirt! Open up your minds, because Jason Timothy is about to fill it with gold. Jason is a professional music producer, DJ, Ableton Live coach, and author. He also runs the site MusicSoftwareTraining.com . What I like about Jason's work is that it's more than just tutorials on compressing kick drums, it is rooted in a philosophical stance on...

I had a chance to talk with Animus Invidious of PerforModule for the podcast. Animus and I have collaborated on a few Ableton Live Packs in the past. His work on PerforModule is both unique and extremely useful. On the show we had a chance to discuss digital hoarding, the importance of organization, and how to make use of the tools we have. Animus is generously providing a download and explanation...

Uri Nachmias is the creator of Sonic Logic , an iPad app that allows you to build your own custom MIDI controller. We had a great discussion about creating apps, balancing features and simplicity, and the lost art of getting to know a piece of gear. Listen on iTunes  or Stitcher  or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon   Show Notes: Sonic Logic - completely customizable MIDI controller app K...

One of the great podcasts for songwriters and producers is Composer Quest . The show tackles making music from all different angles and takes wisdom from the host, Charlie McCarron , and a wide array of guests. Recently the show finished its final episode with a 12-city world tour. I had the pleasure to speak with Charlie about music, his work, and the community of musicians he met while hosting C...

Episode 10 is a special episode because it's the first conversation! I had the privilege to speak with Ben Burnes about creativity, chip music, growing as an artist and more. Ben is a composer and active YouTuber with some very interesting ideas on making music and the creative process. I first heard of Ben on the late, great Composer Quest podcast. It was a real treat chatting with Ben. He is no...

When we come up with something new and unique, it's tempting to hide it away and keep it for ourselves. But I think that if we give away our secret tricks it can actually help us grow as artists. Also, it's a great way to help other artists grow. And who knows, something you share could very well come back to you in a new form and ultimately inspire you again!

What is your definition of success as a musician? Are your goals undermining your ability to find success? In this episode, we talk about what kinds of goals can help you find success and what kinds of goals may be dooming you to failure. It's all about a change in mindset and how a few words from Steve Martin could make all the difference! Support the Music Production Podcast on Patreon Show Note...

Let's play devil's advocate to our last episode on streamlining and maximizing our music production time. Today I want to go against a lot of important productivity tips, such as creating templates, routines, and patterns, in order to find new inspiration. Breaking a routine and changing patterns can allow us to climb out of a rut and see things with new perspective.  For today's episode, let's di...

Last time we spoke about creating time for music making. On this episode we will discuss how you can make the most of that time once you have it.  Support the podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Creating Custom Templates in Ableton Live Free Ableton Live Channel Strip Suggested Device Defaults by Patches Best Ableton Live Shortcuts by Patches Free Egg Shaker Loops by Patches The AbletonOp Real Clap 200...

How do you find time to make music? We all live busy lives. Producing music is so time-consuming! Here are some tips, techniques, and tricks you can use to find and maximize your time for making music. Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Your Turn To Hold Me Accountable - LifeHacker War of Art  by Steven Pressfield Rescue Time Seconds Pro High Intensity Interval Timer

Do you want to make a living making music? Yea? Really? Are you sure?  What does it mean to "go pro?" What are the positive and negative consequences of success? Here are some thoughts on what it means to become a professional, as well as a surprisingly relevant reading of Shakespeare's "To Be or Not To Be" soliloquy in Hamlet . Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: "To Be or Not To Be" Seth...

This episode focuses on the importance of maintaining a learning mindset. It's all about keeping the mind open for opportunities to grow, even from the most unlikely of sources. Support the Podcast on Patreon