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Featured Composer: Jim DiGritz
This week, we take a listen to a delicate emotional cue with a variable tempo (and talk about whether or not that’s ok) written by 52 Cues Community member, Jim DiGritz!
Do We Really Need to Know Music Theory??
Do we have to know music theory as production music composers? I've invited Mrs. 52 Cues herself, Shannon Kropf, who’s quite literally written the book on music theory, to help answer this question!
Summer 2022 Mastermind!
The 52 Cues Mastermind is the fastest--and perhaps most enjoyable--way to grow your music production skills, network with an elite tier of composers, and explore the discipline, mindset, and motivation needed to succeed in this business!
And the Winner is…
Scott McLaughlin has won our very first 52 Cues Composer Derby! You can read more about the track here.
Tips and Strategies for Maximizing Taxi!
On today's episode, I sit down and chat with two of our own 52 Cues members, Chris Moser and Jeff LaPlante, who seemed to have cracked the TAXI code! We talk tips, strategies, understanding Taxi’s strengths, and discuss the lessons learned in Taxi’s seemingly enigmatic and elusive screening process.
Featured Composers: Jeff LaPlante and Chris Moser
Dave Kropf chats with 52 Cues members Jeff Laplante and Chris Moser about their success with Taxi music. Click to listen to their Taxi cues!
Sampling Bologna is Really Hard!
This week, we had our first Production Derby Day! Composers had 3 weeks to write a tension cue using sound-designed samples from the kitchen. You can view the replay of the composers presenting their music, and then vote for the winner. It’s easy and free to join the community!
Summer Mastermind Session
Our Summer Mastermind Session registration will open on June 6. There are only 6 seats available, and they’re guaranteed to go fast! We’ve provided a waiting list/interest email list. You might want to hop on the list so that we can let you know the moment registration opens.
SHOWDOWN! Soundcloud vs Reelcrafter vs Disco
What is the best way now to put your music out there to pitch to libraries? On this week’s episode, I take a look at the three biggest players in the catalog management and playlist space: SoundCloud, Reelcrafter, and Disco. I’m looking at their strengths, weaknesses, and costs. Which service is right for you?
Basic Music Theory for the DAW Composer
Shannon Kropf is a composer, music director, and professor who has taught thousands of people internationally. She has a gift for making complex musical ideas simple and straightforward for learners.
Keeping it Real with Sync My Music
If you’ve been digging around YouTube for Production Music resources for any length time, then I can almost guarantee you’ve come across Jesse Josefsson and the @Sync My Music YouTube channel. I was super excited to be able to chat with him on this week’s 52 Cues Podcast.
Featured Composer: Mark Morgon-Shaw
Mark Morgon-Shaw is a Sync Producer since 2016 for multiple Libraries. He has 500+ cues out there in multiple genres, and is closing in on 300 placements.
You’re Invited to Derby Day!
We’ve got 10 fantastic composers competing in our “Tension and the Kitchen Sink” challenge…and you can help select the winner!
The Best YouTube Channels for Media Composers
Back in week 10, I warned about subscribing to educational services that seem to overpromise but will probably underdeliver. Today, instead of talking about what's not working, let’s talk about the YouTubers out there doing it right and had the most influence on me!
Plus we listen to hybrid orchestral hip-hop cue from 52 Cues community member, Omar Blyde!
Featured Composer: Omar Blyde
Congrats to Omar Blyde, 52 Cues Community member. He’ll be featured this week on the 52 Cues podcast. You can get a sneak peak of his hybrid orchestral hip hop cue, “Lost Oceans,” by checking out his SoundCloud.
31 Tips To Boost Your Mental Health
31 tips to boost your mental health, from morning coffee (yes!) to philosophy from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
4 Kontakt Instruments for $9.90
Sonuscore has announced the launch of their Spring Donation Bundle, a collection of 4 Kontakt instrument libraries offered at a 95% discount in support of children in Ukraine.
Should Composers Ever Work for Free?
We all have to start somewhere, and building a career in any creative industry often involves paying your dues, but does that mean we should be giving our music away? We talk about that, plus we listen to an industrial tension cue from 52 Cues community member, Pete Mason!
Tension & the Kitchen Sink - Production Derby
Join us for the first Music Production Derby
Your task is to write a tension cue which incorporates at least one sound from something found in the kitchen!
Feel free to sample, mangle, and sound design to your heart’s content.
This race is open to all 52 Cues Community Members. Membership in the Community is always free!
Composer’s Survival Kit with Marlon Gibbons
Marlon Gibbons is a full-time composer in the music production (sync licensing) world. We’re delighted that he will be hosting our May workshop, “Composer’s Survival Kit.” This workshop is open to all paid subscribers of the 52 Cues Community. If you’ve been thinking about moving up to the next level, this might just be the sign you’ve been waiting for!