The Human Music Podcast

Ep. 087 - [MAD-LAB Treats Music As An Experience] This week on The Human Music Podcast Live we're interviewing MAD-LAB, a multi genre collaboration between bass music producer Parker White and instrumentalist Wayne Karim. Their self titled EP just dropped on the Producer Dojo label and combines heavy, bass driven sound design with guitar driven melodic elements that will send you on an epic journe...

Ep. 086 - [DIY Mastering] Can you master your own music? Yes! Why would you want to do it yourself? Why would you want to hire someone else? What are the benefits to your mixing process when you self master your WIPs? All this and more coming up on this episode! Song of the Week: Trap Jesus - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen https://open.spotify.com/album/3teqbVvXRGrjEDR0gUtn7R https://music.apple.com/...

Ep. 085 - [Roasting Our Early Tracks] This week we went on Dojo TV live to roast the earliest tracks we each completed. You’ll get to hear some early Luke Rain rap tunes, RIP Kenny’s big room house and Melbourne Bounce attempts and Tesko’s metal songs and pop trap remixes from years ago. We had a blast clowning on ourselves with the folks in the chat and had insight into what was working and what...

Ep. 084 - [The Best Video Game Music] This week we got into a fun discussion about the video games with the best music. We talked about the tunes from Zelda, Mario, Halo, Tony Hawk, Guitar Hero and Rocksmith (and how it taught RIP Kenny guitar skills). We also dove into some old school jams we like that weren’t necessarily in video games (that we know of) and even gave a sneak preview of a RIP Ken...

Ep. 083 - [slowform on Finishing an Album] This week our guest is the one and only slowform. The Colorado based deep dub producer just dropped her debut album on the Producer Dojo label and has had multiple official remixes released as well. We asked her about the process of completing an album, stereo imaging, pushing techniques to the limit so you can find where the balance is, taking time away...

Ep. 082 - [Best VSTs for Producers] With Black Friday coming up we dive into our favorite VST plugins, the free, the cheap and the expensive. We cover: all the ways you didn’t know how to use Soothe2; Distortions & Saturations including Sausage Fattener, Softube Saturator, Trash 2, Devious Machines’ Inflitrator, Rift, Krush and Melda’s Saturator and Wave Shaper; Soft Synths like Serum, Quanta...

Ep. 081- [Schuz on Collaboration, Label Releases and Production Music] This week our guest is Schuz! Hailing from the Pacific-Northwest, the multi-talented producer joined the Class of 808 in 2019 and has honed his sound into a fusion of bass, trap, and other dance elements that will take any listener on a journey through space and time. Schuz is fresh off the release of a Spiderhound remix collab...

Ep. 080 - [Having Fun With Music Production] We got a question from our human Slap Silla asking what we do to have fun with music. It turns out it also made us think about how we could be having more fun, too! We touched on how it’s ok that production is not always fun, building musical friendships and community, jamming with friends, musical multi tasking, leveling up production like a video game...

Ep. 079 - [Finding Balance as a Music Producer] We all want to produce more music, but it’s also important to find balance in our lives and stay mentally, physically and emotionally healthy. We got together with our humans in the Dojo TV chat to discuss healthy habits on exercise, stretching, yoga, nutrition, meal prep, smoking weed, using substances for creativity, taking cold showers, breathing...

Ep. 078 - [Remix Tips & Tricks] It’s the REEEEEMIIIIIIXXX! We had a question from a YouTube comment from @DeadConnectDJ about remixing, so this week we dive into why to remix a tune, the different types of remixes, the benefits of each type of remix and techniques on how to start and complete a remix. We also found a few tools that can help you remix, like: Tone Transfer: https://sites.researc...

Ep. 077 - [Organize Your Sample Library] Should you organize your sample library? Hell yes, human! In this episode we dive into methods of organizing, making folders based on how your brain works, setting yourself up for good workflow, favorites folders, organizing your racks, organizing mudpies and how all this can help you hone in on your signature sound. Song of the Week: Luke Rain - Air Force...

Ep. 076 - [Playing a Small Festival] Last Weekend, RIP Kenny had the opportunity to play at Any Patch of Grass, or APOG, a small festival in the NorthWest of Washington State, and Luke Rain went with him. We dove into how RIP Kenny’s DJ set was received, his takeaways and lessons, the benefits and differences of smaller festivals compared to bigger ones, their favorite moments and performances, do...

Ep. 075 - [Dealing With Rejection as a Music Producer] What’s the best way to deal with rejection as a music producer? We can be rejected by our friends or acquaintances, by our fellow musicians, by bloggers, gatekeepers, playlisters or even labels. How can you best respond to rejection and use it to grow as a music producer? Song of the Week: RIP Kenny - Not One More https://open.spotify.com/trac...

Ep. 074 - [Don’t Should On Yourself] What does “should” even mean? What about “supposed to”? Today we dive into intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation, the inner critic, comparison vs referencing, shoulds in mixing and vocals and not letting others should on you either. Song of the Week: Seancy x Luke Rain - Storm Drain http://www.lukerainmusic.com/luke-rain-news/storm-drain Support Our Sponsors: Dojo...

Ep. 073 - [Cryptochronica on Becoming a Full Time Musician] We talked about his show on Dojo TV, Get Quick, Get Sick, how he’s been able to go full time as a musician, the power of being a “lateral thinker,” developing your own signature sound, what it means to make a song heavier, the difference between OTT plugins, what type person House Music would be, and much more. Follow Cryptochronica: http...

Ep. 072 - [Alby Makes It Juicy] This week on the Human Music Podcast we interviewed newly minted Dojo Blackbelt Alby, fresh off his Really Cute EP, a collab with vocalist Jassy. We asked about his songwriting process and sample selection, how he keeps a positive mind state while producing, what his favorite track of his EP is and much more. Follow Alby: @albybassmusic https://twitter.com/ALBYbassm...

Ep. 071 - [DJ Discussions] This week we’re tackling some important DJ discussions like: why are CDJs so damn expensive? How do you get past nervousness when starting a set? What are the best ways to prep your tracks? And why the hell are CDJs so damn expensive?? For real! Song of the Week: Tesko f. Squashed Out - For the Homies https://music.apple.com/us/album/for-the-homies/1564573293?i=156457344...

Ep. 070 - [Finding Authenticity and Identity as a Music Producer] What does authenticity even mean? What is your identity? As a music producer or artist it’s important that you’re not only able to answer those questions, but find out what they mean to you. Today we dive into a discussion on what it means to be authentic and how you find and make your own identity to apply to your music. Song of th...

Ep. 069 - [How to Make Your Drums Sound Right] This week’s episode comes from a comment left by Juzix, one of our humans watching on Youtube. They said “as someone who does hip hop my weakness is drums... I would love to see a dedicated episode all about writing, sampling, synthesizing, layering, compressing, EQing, or otherwise making the drums feel “right.” Song of the Week: Sam Shoemaker - Too...

Ep. 068 - [Transitioning Out Of Lockdown] During the quarantine, many producers have had way more time to sit in the studio and work on music. But lots of places in the world are starting to open up again, for now at least. That’s why this week we’re talking about getting back out into the world, playing and watching music events, FOMO, carving out time for music, embracing change, refilling your...

Ep. 067 - [Production Is A Shitshow For Everyone] If there’s one thing that’s sure about being a producer, it’s gonna be hard. But how do you push through? Remember that it’s ok if some portions of your process feel unproductive. Find lessons in what feels like failure, keep your expectations realistic and push through the urge to quit. Support Our Sponsors: Dojo TV: Free producer live stream clas...

Ep. 066 - [Recording Live Sounds for Electronic Music] This week on The Human Music Podcast Live we are talking about recording live sounds for electronic music. We talk about mics, instruments, vocals, recording techniques and answered some questions from the Dojo TV Discord chat. Support Our Sponsors: Dojo TV: Free producer live stream classes from the Producer Dojo Senseis https://www.thehumanm...

Ep. 065 - [Common Producer Mistakes] “What are the most damaging production practices that objectively always make your tracks sound worse, if any?” We cover blindly putting the same effect on all elements, not focusing on how effects change the sound, testing multiple plugins for the same job, gain staging, limiting false beliefs, misusing filters and EQ, and much more. Support Our Sponsors: Dojo...

Ep. 064 - [Music Artist Promotion] This week we talk about the things that really matter when promoting yourself as an artist, and which things do not. We touch on having a coherent brand, ignoring vanity metrics, not getting ahead of yourself, and the most important thing, focusing on the music first! Support Our Sponsors: Dojo TV: Free producer live stream classes from the Producer Dojo Senseis...

Ep. 063 - [How To Start Producing A Song] It’s great to know how to finish a song, but none of that matters unless you know how to start a song first! We cover some of our favorite methods of beginning the songwriting process, including starting with chords, finding a vibe, creating an emotion, not overthinking it, library organization and building templates. Support Our Sponsors: Producer Dojo Su...