Podcast
52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Hosted by Dave Kropf · EN
Hosted by working composer and long-time professor Dave Kropf, the 52 Cues Podcast takes you inside the real world of production music, library music, and sync licensing – breaking down cues, unpacking industry insights, and sharing candid conversations with fellow composers and publishers.
Weekly episodes deliver practical strategies, creative inspiration, and insider information to help you land more placements and build a sustainable career in sync.
37episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How Sketching Makes Writing Cues Easier
2w ago00:44:31Tap to summarizeIn this episode, community mentor Jeff Hargrove explains why a simple piano sketch can make writing cues easier before production takes over.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xXiCWzwo3TUBe sure to join us for Jeff's free Sketch to Screen Workshop, July 13 at 4p ET!https://my.52cues.com/events/from-sketch-to-screen-with-jeff-hargroveWhat if you could turn a simple piano sketch into a cue that's ready for production music libraries, trailers, promos, and television placements?In this free workshop, we'll pull back the curtain on my composition workflow that’s helped me become successful as a production music composer.Join us Monday, July 13 @ 4p EThttps://my.52cues.com/events/from-sketch-to-Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt'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!
Transcribe →Our Most-Used Plugins for Production Music
3w ago01:04:07Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dave and community mentor Jeff LaPlante share their most-used instruments, tools, plugins, and effects to help production music composers build a dependable toolkit without wasting money on plugins you might not really need.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_pIAgPHp760PLUGINS, SOUNDS, AND LIBRARIES DISCUSSEDSOUNDS AND LIBRARIESOmnispherehttps://www.spectrasonics.net/products/omnisphereThe Unfinished Omnisphere Soundsetshttps://www.theunfinished.co.uk/store/Splice https://splice.comSerato Samplehttps://serato.com/sampleThe Fame Series: Modern Pophttps://www.ilio.com/the-fame-series-modern-popProjectSAM Symphobiahttps://projectsam.com/libraries/symphobiaNative Instruments Kompletehttps://www.native-instruments.com/en/catalog/komplete/EFFECTSMelodynehttps://www.celemony.com/en/melodyneLogic Pro Sample Delayhttps://support.apple.com/guide/logicpro/sample-delay-controls-lgcef18b8738/macLogic Pro Stereo Delayhttps://support.apple.com/guide/logicpro/stereo-delay-controls-lgcef18b892f/macLogic Pro Compressorhttps://support.apple.com/guide/logicpro/compressor-overview-lgcead9636ef/macFender Studio Pro X-Tremhttps://www.fender.com/products/fender-studio-proHONORABLE MENTIONSVienna Synchron Stage Reverbhttps://www.vsl.co.at/products/software/synchron-stage-reverbWaves TrueVerbhttps://www.waves.com/plugins/trueverbSoundtoys Little AlterBoyhttps://www.soundtoys.com/product/little-alterboy/Soundtoys MicroShifthttps://www.soundtoys.com/product/microshift/The God Particlehttps://cradle.app/products/the-god-particleWhat if you could turn a simple piano sketch into a cue that's ready for production music libraries, trailers, promos, and television placements?In this free workshop, we'll pull back the curtain on my composition workflow that’s helped me become successful as a production music composer.Join us Monday, July 13 @ 4p EThttps://my.52cues.com/events/from-sketch-to-Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt'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!
Transcribe →How to Learn Orchestration Without Feeling Overwhelmed
4w ago00:50:44Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Philip Johnston returns to explain how Orchestration Recipes makes complex concepts more practical, what Volume 6 brings to everyday orchestral writing, and where AI may fit into the future of composition and virtual performance.Orchestration Recipes Vol. 6 is out now!https://orchestrationrecipes.comWhat if you could turn a simple piano sketch into a cue that's ready for production music libraries, trailers, promos, and television placements?In this free workshop, we'll pull back the curtain on my composition workflow that’s helped me become successful as a production music composer.Join us Monday, July 13 @ 4p EThttps://my.52cues.com/events/from-sketch-to-Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt'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!
Transcribe →Your Cue Got Accepted! Don't Blow the Deliverables.
Jun 1801:13:13Tap to summarizeIn this episode Dave and community mentor Jeff LaPlante break down production music deliverables, including mixes, stems, cutdowns, file naming, metadata, loudness, and the common mistakes that can make an accepted cue harder for libraries and editors to use.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yIXUIyolKRkWhat if you could turn a simple piano sketch into a cue that's ready for production music libraries, trailers, promos, and television placements?In this free workshop, we'll pull back the curtain on my composition workflow that’s helped me become successful as a production music composer.Join us Monday, July 13 @ 4p EThttps://my.52cues.com/events/from-sketch-to-Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt'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!
Transcribe →Dave Answers Your Production Music Questions
Jun 1201:14:56Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dave answers your production music questions including generative AI, following up with libraries, pitching albums professionally, recovering exclusive cues, building a sustainable sync catalog, and why the tools you use matter when revisions and deliverables are part of the job.What if you could turn a simple piano sketch into a cue that's ready for production music libraries, trailers, promos, and television placements?In this free workshop, we'll pull back the curtain on my composition workflow that’s helped me become successful as a production music composer.Join us Monday, July 13 @ 4p EThttps://my.52cues.com/events/from-sketch-to-Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt'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!
Transcribe →Inside a 52 Cues Cue Breakdown
Jun 400:35:42Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dave pulls back the curtain on 52 Cues with a look inside a cue breakdown, showing how composition, structure, arrangement, and production choices all work together in a finished cue.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YfOLFtiPIigWhat if you could turn a simple piano sketch into a cue that's ready for production music libraries, trailers, promos, and television placements?In this free workshop, we'll pull back the curtain on my composition workflow that’s helped me become successful as a production music composer.Join us Monday, July 13 @ 4p EThttps://my.52cues.com/events/from-sketch-to-Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt'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!
Transcribe →Is Using Loops "Lazy?"
May 2800:53:28Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dave and Jeff discuss whether loops and samples are lazy, how samples can be transformed into original production music cues, and why legal usage still doesn’t always protect you from Content ID headaches or library concerns.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PFoHpTAsHboWhat if you could turn a simple piano sketch into a cue that's ready for production music libraries, trailers, promos, and television placements?In this free workshop, we'll pull back the curtain on my composition workflow that’s helped me become successful as a production music composer.Join us Monday, July 13 @ 4p EThttps://my.52cues.com/events/from-sketch-to-Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt'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!
Transcribe →Brutally Honest Advice from a Library CEO (Chuck Henry, 10 West Music)
May 2100:50:45Tap to summarizeIn this episode Chuck Henry, founder and CEO of 10 West Music, shares brutally honest advice for production music composers on pitching libraries, preparing clean deliverables, avoiding lazy loop usage, and writing cues that actually serve editors and supervisors.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4m7ZUa0aPawLinks:https://10westmusic.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-henry-22a1bb8/ What if you could turn a simple piano sketch into a cue that's ready for production music libraries, trailers, promos, and television placements?In this free workshop, we'll pull back the curtain on my composition workflow that’s helped me become successful as a production music composer.Join us Monday, July 13 @ 4p EThttps://my.52cues.com/events/from-sketch-to-Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt'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!
Transcribe →Stop Pitching and Start Building Relationships
May 1400:55:16Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dave and community mentor Greg Fellman share five practical networking tips for production music composers, from building real relationships to following up and being ready when opportunities show up.Denver Composers Collective - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1433710441750662Sync Meetup Austin - https://www.facebook.com/syncatxWatch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MAHozCY7fRkWhat if you could turn a simple piano sketch into a cue that's ready for production music libraries, trailers, promos, and television placements?In this free workshop, we'll pull back the curtain on my composition workflow that’s helped me become successful as a production music composer.Join us Monday, July 13 @ 4p EThttps://my.52cues.com/events/from-sketch-to-Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt'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!
Transcribe →Can AI Help Get Your Cues Signed? (with Alan Lazar)
May 700:55:46Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I’m joined by composer, library owner, and PMA vice chair Alan Lazar to talk about ethical AI, production music submissions, and whether tools like TrackTrove.ai can help human composers get their cues heard.https://tracktrove.aihttps://alanlazar.comWatch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FatgvGSr9_sWhat if you could turn a simple piano sketch into a cue that's ready for production music libraries, trailers, promos, and television placements?In this free workshop, we'll pull back the curtain on my composition workflow that’s helped me become successful as a production music composer.Join us Monday, July 13 @ 4p EThttps://my.52cues.com/events/from-sketch-to-Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt'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!
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