Sound Business with Akash Thakkar

#39: Our guest today is composer Maclaine Diemer who has worked on projects such as Guild Wars 2, Salt and Sacrifice, Rock Band, and many others. In this episode we talk about the simplicity of networking in our field, transitioning from being a rock star to being a sound designer, and then transitioning from sound design to composition, and much more. Find Maclaine Diemer here:   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maclainediemermusic/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/maclainediemer Website: http://maclainediemer.com/   And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod

#38: Our guest today is Film and TV Composer, Sherri Chung who has worked on projects such as Family Guy, Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash, Kung Fu, and many others. In this episode we talk about what it takes to become a full-time composer, the difference between composers and film composers, dealing with impostor syndrome and much more.  Find Sherri Chung here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherrichung/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sherri_chung Website: https://www.sherrichung.com/ And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod

#36: Today, our guest is Hrishikesh Hirway - musician and creator of the wildly successful podcast, Song Exploder.  In this interview, we talk about growing up in an Indian immigrant household, the fear of side projects taking away from our main musical interests, how his studies in philosophy and graphic design in college contributed to his career, how he created Song Exploder in the first place, and much more. Find Hrishikesh Hirway here: Song Exploder Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/songexploder/ Song Exploder Twitter: https://twitter.com/SongExploder Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hrishihirway/ Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/HrishiHirway Song Exploder Website: https://songexploder.net/ Personal Website: https://hrishikesh.co/ And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod

#35: Today, our guest is Steve Horowitz - a composer who has worked on quite literally hundreds of film, TV, concert, and video game projects throughout his career.  In this interview, we talk about not niching down as a composer, why he chooses to compose for practically every type of media, what it's like to compose for over 100 projects in radically different styles, and much more.  Find Steve Horowitz here: Game Audio Institute Website: https://www.gameaudioinstitute.com/ Personal Website: https://www.stevehorowitzmusic.com And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod

#34: Today, our guest is Jeremy Blake, the man behind the wildly successful music-focused Youtube channel, Red Means Recording!  In this interview, we talk about the importance of educating others in our field, how getting fired from his day job helped him become a full-time musician, the importance of pivoting and changing our goals within our career, and so much more.  Find Red Means Recording here: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RedMeansRecording Twitter: @jjbbllkk Website: https://rmr.media/ And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod

#33: Edouard Brenneisen is a composer for video games, film, and TV who has worked on projects such as League of Legends, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dr. Oz, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, and tons of other projects!  In this episode we talk about the long uphill climb to becoming a full-time composer, how composers sometimes need to pivot and transition their careers, what a composer's actual job is, and so much more.  Find Edouard here: Website: https://eb-music.net/ Instagram: @ebrenneisen And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod

#32: Bryan Wilson is a touring, composing, and performing cellist based out of New Jersey. Unlike most cellists, however, Bryan doesn't focus exclusively on the world of classical music, instead focusing on the worlds of music improvisation and comedic music.  Bryan is also the author of two books: String Jams and Cello Chords, both of which help cellists play their instruments in a more improvisatory way.  In this episode we talk about the struggle of building up an income as a touring cellist, touring in Vietnam as a western musician, and so much more.   Find Bryan here: Website: https://www.bryanwilsoncello.com/ Instagram: @bryanwilsoncello Spotify: Bryan Wilson And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod

#31: Marshall McGee is a video game sound designer who's worked on projects like Just Cause 4, Roblox, Outriders, and has worked with clients such as Nike and Adidas. He also has a wildly successful (and incredibly fun) Youtube channel where he breaks apart sound design in a beautifully clear way that anyone can understand.  In this episode, we talk about the importance of showing up, building a network, creating your own opportunities in your field, and much more.    Find Marshall here: Website: https://www.marshallmcgee.com/  Youtube: Marshall McGee And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod

It was my birthday this week, and in what's become an Akash tradition, here are three things I've learned over the last year about life, careers, and what I've learned to focus on.   Send me a message: hello@akashthakkar.com @akashthakkaraudio on Instagram

Every single one of us is making tiny decisions every single day, and those micro-decisions make all the difference when it comes to our life and career. In this episode, we dive into some of the most important decisions you can make to ensure a successful game audio career and life.  Book recommended in this episode: Personality Isn't Permanent by Dr. Benjamin Hardy   Send me a message: hello@akashthakkar.com @akashthakkaraudio on Instagram