On today’s show, I go over five books that have transformed my way of thinking and helped in my career as a professional  composer, even though they’re not explicitly about the music industry.

Plus in my Year of Taxi update, we check in on any returns or forwards and take a listen to this week’s submission which is a fourth contemporary hip-hop cue, then a little later, I give my thoughts a lush orchestral cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Dan Maynard (https://soundcloud.com/dan-k-maynard).

Watch this episode and get show links on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/msEth53C3sQ

00:00 - Intro & Welcome
02:22 - Year of Taxi Check-In
11:51 - The 5 Books That Changed My Way of Thinking
54:48 - Join the 52 Cues Community!
56:02 - "Mythcal Aeolia," by Dan Maynard
01:07:28 - Outro & How You Can Support 52 Cues!

Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.

Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!

Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded for tension-filled tracks and cinematic trailers. Now available exclusively at Production Music Tools!

https://productionmusictools.com/products/bowed-cymbals-by-52-cues
 

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

Regardless of mood, emotion, or genre,  I keep finding myself dipping back into the same handful of plugins time and time again. So on today’s show I share the sounds and FX which have become so deeply embedded into my workflow that they should be immortalized into my own personal Mount Rushmore of plugins.

Plus in my Year of Taxi update, we check in on any returns or forwards and take a listen to this week’s submission which is a return to contemporary hip-hop, and then I give my thoughts a solo jazz piano cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Simon Armitage (https://open.spotify.com/artist/25D5tU7Ij8L6xJZLKf8dL8?si=oXN-AeJYQhuqmJ64hLJTkA).

00:00 - Intro & Welcome
02:22 - Year of Taxi Check-In
12:54 - My Mount Rushmore of Plugins
01:06:31 - Join the 52 Cues Community!
01:07:45 - "Head Over Heels," by Simon Armitage
01:20:02 - Outro & How You Can Support 52 Cues!

Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/vKmXhbxBRdM

Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.

Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!

Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded for tension-filled tracks and cinematic trailers. Now available exclusively at Production Music Tools!

https://productionmusictools.com/products/bowed-cymbals-by-52-cues
 

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

On today’s show, I share the 8 things I think it takes to be successful in the production music industry, with the understanding that most of these I’m still working on myself!

Plus in my Year of Taxi update, we’re going to check in on any returns or forwards and take a listen to this week’s submission which is a Lo-Fi/Chill Hop cue, and I give my thoughts a dark, mysterious cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Claudio D (https://soundcloud.com/keschkau).

Watch This Episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/kJnxhgJ7CW4

00:00 - Intro & Welcome
02:37 - Year of Taxi Check-In
12:47 - Do you have what it takes?
45:34 - Join the 52 Cues Community!
46:48 - "Night Owl," by Claudio D
53:26 - Outro & How You Can Support 52 Cues!

Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell
https://amzn.to/3mzJdYF

Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.

Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!

Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded for tension-filled tracks and cinematic trailers. Now available exclusively at Production Music Tools!

https://productionmusictools.com/products/bowed-cymbals-by-52-cues
 

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

When you’re just getting started, you don’t even know what you don’t know, but when you learn a little then you know what you don’t know. You continue this until finally, you know what you know, you know there’s more to know, but you’ve stopped thinking of what you know because now you know  it.

This is the path to learning any new skill, and on today’s show, I’m going to unpack each these four stages of competence and discuss how they correlate to the production music process.

Plus in my Year of Taxi update, we’re going to check in on any returns or forwards and take a listen to this week’s submission which is another contemporary  hip-hop cue. And then I  give my thoughts a hip-hop cue cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Steve Mochel (https://www.mochelmusic.com)!

Watch This Episode on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqI8DWXINn8

00:00 - Intro & Welcome
02:31 - Year of Taxi Check-In
19:06 - The 4 Stages of Conscious Competence
49:52 - Join the 52 Cues Community!
51:06 - "East 149th Street," by Steve Mochel
01:01:41 - Outro & How You Can Support 52 Cues!

5 Ways to Stay In the Creative Flow State | 52 Cues Podcast, 2022 Week 43
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax9lCrzqesI

Resources referenced in today's episode:

• Gordon Training - https://www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/learning-a-new-skill-is-easier-said-than-done/
• Medium.com - https://medium.com/@zainabz/the-four-stages-of-competence-ee5c6046b205

Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.

Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!

Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded for tension-filled tracks and cinematic trailers. Now available exclusively at Production Music Tools!

https://productionmusictools.com/products/bowed-cymbals-by-52-cues
 

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

Wrangling keywords and mood terms across spreadsheets, PDFs, and submission forms, can feel pretty soul sucking at times, but metadata may be the important part of the life of a cue!

On today’s show, I go over the most common type metadata found in libraries and give you some of my strategies that could mean the difference between getting placed or getting passed over.

Plus in my Year of Taxi update, we’re going to check in on any returns or forwards and take a listen to this week’s submission which is a contemporary  hip-hop cue. And then I  give my thoughts a neutral tasking cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Gun-Britt Sundstedt (https://soundcloud.com/user-442882086)!

Watch This Episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/MKSdDLTqvlE

00:00 - Intro & Welcome
02:33 - Year of Taxi Check-In
10:20 - Let's Talk Metadata!
43:01 - Join the 52 Cues Community!
44:16 - "Lost Tooth" by Gun-Britt Sundstedt
52:41 - Outro & How You Can Support 52 Cues!

52 Cues Friends and Family subscribers can watch the full-length workshop here: https://my.52cues.com/posts/24681479.

Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.

Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!

Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded for tension-filled tracks and cinematic trailers. Now available exclusively at Production Music Tools!

https://productionmusictools.com/products/bowed-cymbals-by-52-cues
 

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

On today’s show, I welcome composer, educator, and certified Ableton Live guru, Christina Horn, who talks about how she uses the non-linear and expansive capabilities of Live to unlock her creativity, and how she relishes in breaking through stereotypes.

Plus in my Year of Taxi update, we check in on any returns or forwards and take a listen to this week’s submission which is an epic orchestral hip-hop cue, and I give my thoughts a hybrid action trailer cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Marc Alan.

Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/NvAIUwyB9Bo

00:00 - Intro & Welcome
02:43 - Year of Taxi Check-In
14:23 - Creativity Using Ableton Live with Christina Horn
01:07:11 - Join the 52 Cues Community!
01:08:25 - "Crimson" by Marc Alan
01:18:49 - Outro & How You Can Support 52 Cues!

Christina on Instagram
https://instagram.com/abletonchristina

Christina at Ableton
https://www.ableton.com/en/certified-training/christina-horn/

Pitchwire Studio
https://www.pitchwirestudio.com/

Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.

Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!

Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded for tension-filled tracks and cinematic trailers. Now available exclusively at Production Music Tools!

https://productionmusictools.com/products/bowed-cymbals-by-52-cues
 

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

The best way to add realism on any track is by adding some kind of recorded instrument, but what if you don’t really know how to play a lot of instruments or you have a tight budget? On this episode, I  show you a handful of instruments that are relatively simple to play, easy to record, and won’t break the bank.

Plus in my Year of Taxi update, we’re going to check in on any returns or forwards and take a listen to this week’s submission which is a sentimental piano solo cue, and then I give my thoughts a braaams heavy tension cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Alex B (https://alexbmusic.com).

Watch this episode on YouTube (as well as all the instrument links from the episode)
https://youtu.be/CWjetg4tGxc

00:00 - Intro & Welcome
02:34 - Year of Taxi Check-In
11:23 - Inexpensive, Easy-to-Play Intruments You Can Add to Your Cues!
57:18 - Join the 52 Cues Community!
58:33 - "March of the Demons" by Alex B
01:08:06 - Outro & How You Can Support 52 Cues!

Ukulele Zen YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@UkuleleZen 

Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.

Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!

Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded for tension-filled tracks and cinematic trailers. Now available exclusively at Production Music Tools!

https://productionmusictools.com/products/bowed-cymbals-by-52-cues
 

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

When you peak behind the curtain of companies who have become household names, you realize these businesses are run by real people with a real passion to help others. That’s why I invited Sam Hulick and Sara Pocius, the power couple behind Reelcrafter,  to talk about their story and discuss the features, the future, and maybe even what I might have gotten wrong.

Plus in my Year of Taxi update, we’re going to check in on any returns or forwards and take a listen to this week’s submission which is a pulsing minimal tension cue, and then I give my thoughts on dark intrigue cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Daniel Rose (https://soundcloud.com/danirosestudio)!

Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/PMIlFfWhVfU

00:00 - Intro & Welcome
02:19 - Year of Taxi Check-In
10:00 - Interview with Sam Hulick and Sara Pocius of Reelcrafter
54:47 - Join the 52 Cues Community!
56:01 - "Prey for Protection" by Daniel Rose
01:05:25 - Outro & How You Can Support 52 Cues!

Use Code 52CUES25 to get 25% off your first three months of Reelcrafter at https://www.reelcrafter.com!

Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.

Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!

Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded for tension-filled tracks and cinematic trailers. Now available exclusively at Production Music Tools!

https://productionmusictools.com/products/bowed-cymbals-by-52-cues
 

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

So much of this gig is wildly, frustratingly inconsistent, but I’ve found there are some overarching guidelines which can help govern a lot of our choices. So today, I thought I’d share my 10 commandments of production music!

Plus in my Year of Taxi update, we’re going to check in on any returns or forwards and take a listen to this week’s submission which is an ambient minimal tension cue, and then I give my thoughts on an energetic, nostalgic Broadway cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Mojo X (https://soundcloud.com/mojox)!

Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/vkgtId8N1JI

00:00 - Intro & Welcome
02:26 - Year of Taxi Check-In
15:02 - The 10 Commandments of Production Music
15:50 - 1. Thou shalt read the brief and keep it holy!
17:04 - 2. Thou shalt not steal, but referencing…?
23:03 - 3. Thou shalt stick to one mood!
26:15 - 4. Thou shalt use complete phrasing!
29:38 - 5. Thou shalt use predictable layering!
32:29 - 6. Thou shalt include edit points!
36:17 - 7.  Thou shalt have no other key signature but one!
38:41 - 8. Thou shalt include a button (stinger) ending!
40:58 - 9. Thou shalt not covet odd meters!
45:06 - 10. Thou shalt do whatever the library says!
49:42 - Join the 52 Cues Community!
50:56 - "Opening Night" by Mojo X

Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.

Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!

Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded for tension-filled tracks and cinematic trailers. Now available exclusively at Production Music Tools!

https://productionmusictools.com/products/bowed-cymbals-by-52-cues
 

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

I’ve said before that you need 100’s of cues to make a living in the production music industry, but is one cue per week really enough? Today I’m going to unpack and illustrate how productivity and output might not be the linear journey we think it is.

Plus we take a listen to “Waltz of Shame,” the latest submission in my Year of Taxi and check in on any forwards or returns, and then we take a listen to a funky heist cue cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Dex Williams (https://soundcloud.com/dexwilliamsmusic).

Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/lSX0AdUabfw

00:00 - Intro & Welcome
02:30 - Year of Taxi Week 1 Check-In
08:35 - Is One Cue Per Week Really Enough?
35:56 - Join the 52 Cues Community!
37:10 - "Funky Heist" by Dex Williams
47:26 - Outro & How You Can Support 52 Cues!

Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.

Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!

Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded for tension-filled tracks and cinematic trailers. Now available exclusively at Production Music Tools!

https://productionmusictools.com/products/bowed-cymbals-by-52-cues
 

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!