Music Production Podcast

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 I nearly backed out of but ultimately went through with. In the end, it turned out to be the right decision by a long shot. For the first time on the Music Production Podcast, you'll actually hear some music. It's the iPhone recording of that very live performance that almost never happened. The experience left me in a better place than if I had taken the easy way out and bailed on it. I hope you enjoy this episode and it inspires you to take action!

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 love of old school video game chip music. Bonus Free Ableton Live Pack: Yamaha DD-8 Drums and Synths - These Free Ableton Live Instruments were made from some of the free samples over at Bedroom Producers Blog. Enjoy! Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Bedroom Producers Blog Mssiah MIDI SID Cartridge TherapSid - Hardware synth that uses the SID chip Fact TV Against the Clock - Producers make beats in 10 Minutes Gameboy Drums Ableton Live Pack - a collaboration with BPB and AfroDJMac Commodore 64 Drums Ableton Live Pack - a collaboration with BPB and AfroDJMac Gameboy Glitches and Synths Ableton Live Pack - a collaboration with BPB and AfroDJMac

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! Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Michael Harren's Website Mikeypod - Michael's Podcast Christopher Willits on the Mikeypod Podcast OurHenHouse.org Tamerlaine Farm Sandra Bernhard Ariel Publicity 365 Ableton Live Tips - Jon Margulies Eban Crawford - Who Michael collaborated with at Moogfest Live Performance with Ableton Live

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 Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Cars and Trains - electronic-folk toy-instrument live-looping craziness by Tom Filepp Subscribe to Cars and Trains - Bandcamp subscription that keeps you in the loop of Tom's work True Deceiver - Tom's other, heavier music project Bastl Micro Granny - Exciting little granular synthesizer Ableton is the Engine - Ableton's feature on Cars and Trains AudioMulch - Tom's dessert island software Soulsby Atmegatron - Arduino based digital 8-bit synthesizer

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 potential for this is much smaller than the benefits. In this episode I discuss how we can think outside the box a bit with our music. Enjoy! Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon

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 and are looking for new artists all the time. They've found a unique way to reach the community of producers through their new site, Gravitas Create. In this episode, I got to speak with Jesse about being a part of the music community, finding and encouraging new artists, and educating young people and involving them in the music making process. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Gravitas Recordings Free Music From Gravitas Gravitas Create Gravitas Create Facebook Group Lion's Share Digital - Jesse's web agency Jesse's Music on Soundcloud Jesse on Facebook Music from Gravitas Artist CloZee Team Supreme "Strength in Numbers" Women's Audio Mission Erin Barra High School Sounds- Free Ableton Live Pack 144 Noverture Percussion - Free Ableton Live Pack 142

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; his popular workshop for Moogfest; and creating imperfections in digital music. It was inspiring and fascinating; just look at those show notes! Enjoy! Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Reaching for Lucidity Productions Senator Jaiz Bandcamp Senator Jaiz Soundcloud Eban's Instagram Eban's very active YouTube page Moogfest Profile for No Permission Needed North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Roland Kays Michael Harren Cinematic - iOS Video App Takete - iOS Audio Visual App James Taylor - Guitar Tuning Multi-Scaled Guitar - "Fanned Frets" Gnash - Homegrown mini-documentary Family Guy - Peter becomes a DJ CDM's Response to DeadMau5's "We All Press Play." Henry Rollins and Pharrell

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, Nuno and I have a great conversation about building an app, how to create something featured packed yet intuitive to use, and all kinds of topics related to making music. SPECIAL OFFER: Nuno is offering 50% off the desktop version of DRC. Head over to Imaginando and use the code: AFRODJMAC to get this fantastic virtual analog synthesizer for half price . The sale is good April 24- May 1, 2017. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Imaginando - Nuno's company that creates iOS apps. DRC - Polyphonic Synthesizer for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android TKFX - Traktor Effects Controller LK - Ableton Live and MIDI Controller OP-1 Control Surface - Control Ableton Live with an OP-1 Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield DRC is powerful virtual analog polyphonic synthesizer that recreates the characteristic sound of an analog synthesizer. DRC aims to reproduce the special characteristic of the most cherished analog synthesizers by proving a minimal but powerful set of parameters, for limited but incredible sonic capabilities.

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 their work, making music, and how they approach delivering complex material in a world of ever-shrinking attention spans. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Tutorials on pATCHES Ableton Live Devices Max for Live Devices Utilities - Including those Radiohead Groove files! Manifestos - Philosophical pieces on making music (including my own!) Ludicrous CGI Abs Jai Paul stolen album Figure iOS app Roger Linn on Art + Music + Technology 99% Invisible - Nick Drake Searching for Sugarman

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 quality is a little lower than I'd like, but I hope it doesn't distract from the important message! Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Team Supreme: Strength in Numbers

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 creativity and productivity. You could easily read his blog about music production and apply it to any artistic or creativity endeavor. This conversation proves that Jason is the real deal. It was a lot of fun for me and gave me lots to think about! There's so much in here and we barely scratched the surface of some of Jason's work. Be sure to check the show notes below for some incredibly helpful resources. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: MusicSoftwareTraining.com - Read Jason's blog. Seriously. You will learn and grow. Music Habits - The Mental Game of Electronic Music Production - Jason's 5-star reviewed book on Music Production Making and Finishing an Album - Words of wisdom on a tough topic Do it Like Your Life Depends on it (Because it Does) - Need some motivation?! How I Wrote 49 Songs in 1 Year - Jason wrote a song almost every week for a year. Here's the story of how. Learn with Splice - a great collection of mini-courses from Jason, myself, and some great musical minds.

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 of his intricate Elemental Mixing Spreadsheet that ensures he makes use of all the tools in his plug-ins folder. As a special bonus, Animus provides a free download of his new Dynamic Panning Audio Effect Rack. I've also built a Stereo Rhythmic Gating device that I'm packaging together with his device for the 151st Free Ableton Live Pack. Download it here. The conversation runs deep and through a lot of different topics. Listen and enjoy! Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: PerforModule: Where Animus releases his tutorials and Ableton Live Packs How to Organize User & Plugin Presets Like a Boss in Ableton Live 9 Animus's Work for Isotonik Studios Elemental Mixing Spreadsheet Microcassette Tape Instruments by PerforModule and Subaqueous PMX 300 Brass Synths Free Ableton Live Pack #113 Vinyl Snackler Free Ableton Live Pack #128 Super Mario World Special Zone Free Ableton Live Pack #145 IQ Analyser Free Ableton Live Pack #151: Panning FX Some Music from Animus Invidious: 8.1 Bit (version 8.1.1) by Animus Invidious & St. Bernard

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 Knob Lab - iOS app for creating customized layout of MIDI knobs "Making a Salad" Inbalance - The "lost" album we spoke about. Find Uri Nachmias online - Website- Twitter - Facebook

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 Composer Quest. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Composer Quest - A Songwriting and Music Composition Podcast, hosted by Charlie McCarron Charlie's Music Production Lessons - A shorter, tutorial-style podcast Train Jam 2017 - Musicians and game developers travel from Chicago to San Francisco, creating the entire 52-hour journey. Homesick by Charlie McCarron Film Score Fest Isotonik Studios - Max for Live devices for visuals and much more Helium Requiem - Music and art from Charlie, inspired by Salvador Dali's work Visit Charlie McCarron on Twitter and Instagram

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 joke. Ben is putting out tons of useful content every week. Listen in to his words of wisdom and be sure to click on some of his links in the show notes. Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Support Ben Burnes on Patreon Ben's Work: Abstraction Ben on YouTube, where he streams live, twice per week! Ben's Free Kalimba Ableton Live Instruments Reddit 2-Hour Track Sundays Video Game Music Academy Video Game Music Academy - The Agile Composer: Andrew Huang - YouTube How To Use Famitracker Wind Chimes Ableton Live Pack Some Related Videos: Music Made with Famitracker Ben's Two Hour Track Challenge Creative Explorations with Ben Burnes Andrew Huang - Making Music with Electromagnetic Fields WindChime Ambience by AfroDJMac More about the Wind Chimes Ableton Live Pack

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 Notes:

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 ditch the template and break the routine! Support the Music Production Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Toy Synths Ableton Live Pack Ableton One Thing

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 Free Finger Snaps Foundational Drum Beats Sample Pack Drum Fills Sample Pack 50 Rut-Busting Tips for Improved Workflow, Productivity, and Finishing Tracks The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

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 Godin on the Moment with Brian Koppelman

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

Are you having trouble moving tracks forward and finishing them? Perhaps you need to make bad music. Here are some words of encouragement to see your projects, even if they are not your best, to the end. Support the Podcast on Patreon Show Notes: Links to things mentioned in the episode. Social Story Songs with Brian and Chris Cuckoo (for his #Jamuary2017 challenge) My #Jamuary2017 Tracks:

Welcome to the Music Production Podcast! This podcast is an informal and unrehearsed exploration of topics related to music production, recording, songwriting, and creativity. The first episode deals with some important lessons I learned along the way. I hope you enjoy it. Please leave your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions in the comments below. Support the Podcast on Patreon