Music Production Podcast

The Pleasure Principle is a psychological phenomenon that likely plays a role in how we make music. In this episode, we explore how we can use the Pleasure Principle to our advantage and avoid allowing it to negatively impact our music-making. Listen on Apple or Stitcher or Google or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Video Game Bundle - https://brianfunk.gumroad.com/l/videogame Music Production Club - https://brianfunk.com/mpc  5-Minute Music Producer - https://brianfunk.com/blog/5minute Website - https://brianfunk.com Intro Music Made with 16-Bit Ableton Live Pack: https://brianfunk.com/blog/16-bit Music Production Podcast - https://brianfunk.com/podcast Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at my store with the code: PODCAST - https://brianfunk.com/store Thank you for listening.  Please review the Music Production Podcast on your favorite podcast provider! And don’t forget to visit my site https://BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

Keppie Coutts teaches songwriting and runs the YouTube channel "How to Write Songs." Keppie studied and taught at Berklee College of Music. Her credits range from genres diverse as folk, pop, and heavy metal. Her latest work is on a new audiobook/album Mothertongues. Keppie and I spoke about her songwriting process and the challenges songwriters face. We explored what it means to turn nothing into something, as well as some of the common misconceptions around the craft of songwriting that hold people back. Listen on Apple or Stitcher or Google or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Keppie's Music Site - https://www.keppiecouttsmusic.com How to Write Songs (YouTube) - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHX6_NG_L7OitIAgcS56zpw/videos How to Write Songs (Blog) - https://kcsongstudio.com 5 Song Writing Exercises That Will Change Everything - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoUQ0kR-lTg Songwriters on Songwriting - https://amzn.to/3m4gSGV Twelve Foot Ninja - https://www.twelvefootninja.com/ Seth Godin - https://seths.blog Austin Kleon "Steal Like an Artist" - https://amzn.to/31ZcIJ2 "Art and Fear" - https://amzn.to/321LEbY Jonathan Mann (a song a day) - https://www.jonathanmann.net Matthew Dicks "Storyworthy" - https://amzn.to/3GDyeSC "The Lanyard" Billy Collins - https://youtu.be/0EjB7rB3sWc Sean Lennon Interviews Paul McCartney - https://youtu.be/iCe8fdBeTCs Brian Funk Links: Website - https://brianfunk.com Intro Music Made with 16-Bit Ableton Live Pack - https://brianfunk.com/blog/16-bit Music Production Club - https://brianfunk.com/mpc  5-Minute Music Producer - https://brianfunk.com/blog/5minute Music Production Podcast - https://brianfunk.com/podcast Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at my store with the code: PODCAST - https://brianfunk.com/store Thank you for listening.  Please review the Music Production Podcast on your favorite podcast provider! And don’t forget to visit my site https://BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

Francisco Dean is a trained jazz musician and music educator at the University of Chicago Lab School. Francisco composed a piece for his school's electronic music ensemble for the Jewish Student Association's Holocaust Remembrance event. Every sound was created with samples from Holocaust artifacts from the Illinois Holocaust Museum.  In my opinion, this is one of the finest examples of using modern electronic music production techniques in an educational setting. Dean's students became deeply connected to the victims and events of the Holocaust, on a level rarely reached in traditional education.  Francisco shared the depth of thought that went into the project, the obstacles faced along the way, and his creative strategies to translate Holocaust artifacts into music. Listen on Apple or Stitcher or Google or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Explore all exhibit posters (photos of the artifacts and usage in the piece), the full score of the piece, a "Making of" video (Behind the scenes featurette), video of the live performance of the piece, and complete notes giving a background of the composition: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14qF6QdSwIToU8VXKnA5geUx9gcXCnS6f?usp=sharing  Brian Funk Links: Website - https://brianfunk.com Music Production Club - https://brianfunk.com/mpc  5-Minute Music Producer - https://brianfunk.com/blog/5minute Music Production Podcast - https://brianfunk.com/podcast Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at my store with the code: PODCAST - https://brianfunk.com/store Thank you for listening.  Please review the Music Production Podcast on your favorite podcast provider! And don’t forget to visit my site https://BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

Bill Small is a musician, songwriter, and founder of Artist Mind Inc. He has lots of experience in just about all aspects of the music business. Bill applies what he has learned over the years as a personal coach for people from all walks of life, including artists, lawyers, doctors, and entrepreneurs.  Bill shared many of his techniques and strategies for helping people define success in their lives and creating clear goals for the future. We discussed how we get in our own way and often have trouble realizing we are doing so. Bill has a lot of wisdom that applies to just about all aspects of life.  Listen on Apple or Stitcher or Google or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Bill Small Website - https://billsmallmusic.com Artist Mind Inc. - https://www.artistmind.co Bill's Bandcamp - https://billsmall.bandcamp.com Bill on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/589911163 Bill's Podcast "The Subtle Art of Not Yelling" - https://subtleartofnotyelling.com Brian Funk Links: Website - https://brianfunk.com Intro Music Made with 16-Bit Ableton Live Pack - https://brianfunk.com/blog/16-bit Music Production Club - https://brianfunk.com/mpc  5-Minute Music Producer - https://brianfunk.com/blog/5minute Music Production Podcast - https://brianfunk.com/podcast Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at my store with the code: PODCAST - https://brianfunk.com/store Thank you for listening.  Please review the Music Production Podcast on your favorite podcast provider! And don’t forget to visit my site https://BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

Tyler Campbell is the founder of Alder Audio. He hand makes high-quality ribbon microphones in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Coming from a background in chemistry, music, and working for his father's business, Tyler combines his skills to create his own unique microphones. Tyler and I spoke about ribbon microphones and how he started creating them. Like so many things in life, the path was not planned. We discussed the challenges of creating both physical objects and music, and how Tyler's "low barrier to entry" mentality is the key to his success. So many of the lessons he's learned in crafting microphones apply directly to music-making. Listen on Apple or Stitcher or Google or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Alder Audio - https://www.alderaudio.com/ Alder H44 Ribbon Microphone - https://www.alderaudio.com/h44 Alder Audio Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alderaudio/ The Other Favorites - https://www.theotherfavorites.com Josh Turner - https://www.youtube.com/c/JoshTurnerGuitar Carson McKee - https://www.youtube.com/c/carsonmckeemusic The Other Favorites covering Paul McCartney using the Alder H44 - https://youtu.be/oM6SSopAkvc Line Audio CM4 - http://www.lineaudio.se/CM4.html Ear Trumpet Labs - https://www.eartrumpetlabs.com Leather Pros - https://leatherpros.com Brian Funk Links: Website - https://brianfunk.com Intro Music Made with 16-Bit Ableton Live Pack - https://brianfunk.com/blog/16-bit Music Production Club - https://brianfunk.com/mpc  5-Minute Music Producer - https://brianfunk.com/blog/5minute Music Production Podcast - https://brianfunk.com/podcast Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at my store with the code: PODCAST - https://brianfunk.com/store Thank you for listening.  Please review the Music Production Podcast on your favorite podcast provider! And don’t forget to visit my site https://BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

I recently read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont, a book of advice for writers. Although it is intended for writers, there are some really nice lessons for us music producers. This episode of the podcast is all about those lessons and how we can apply them to our music making. Listen on Apple or Stitcher or Google or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont - https://amzn.to/3nJfdaZ On Writing by Stephen King - https://amzn.to/2ZgHNqK War of Art by Steven Pressfield - https://amzn.to/3r1Oubp Seth Godin on Writer's Block - https://seths.blog/2020/06/the-simple-cure-for-writers-block/ Make Bad Music Music Production Podcast #2 - https://brianfunk.com/blog/2017/3/5/2-make-bad-music "Highway Patrolman" by Bruce Springsteen - https://youtu.be/o7v1YwubWw8 Brian Funk Links: Website - https://brianfunk.com Ableton Live Pack Archive - https://brianfunk.com/blog/ableton-live-pack-archive Music Production Club - https://brianfunk.com/mpc Music Production Podcast - https://brianfunk.com/podcast Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at my store with the code: PODCAST - https://brianfunk.com/store Thank you for listening.  Please review the Music Production Podcast on your favorite podcast provider! And don’t forget to visit my site https://BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk Watch the Music Production Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk4jo7_Rx2-2mjUoTXTL4u0iUH5_XqBYi

Serik Slobodskoy is a music producer and founder of the Hyperbits music school. Serik began his musical career in bands, then became a DJ and music producer. After an exciting period of touring, he found his true calling in teaching music production. Serik and I had a great conversation about his career and the surprising, and sometimes upsetting, twists and turns along the way. We spent a lot of time discussing the mental challenges of making music and how knowing our definition of success can help us find our path.  Listen on Apple or Stitcher or Google or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Hyperbits Music School - https://hyperbits.com Serik's Story - https://hyperbits.com/about/ Hyperbits Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hyperbits/ Hyperbits Blog on Spotify Playlists - https://hyperbits.com/spotify-playlists/ Elevate Ableton Live Pack - https://youtu.be/P42b27XXE18 Steal Like an Artist - https://amzn.to/3ne8oxP Brian Funk Links: Website - https://brianfunk.com Music Production Club - https://brianfunk.com/mpc Music Production Podcast - https://brianfunk.com/podcast Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at my store with the code: PODCAST - https://brianfunk.com/store Thank you for listening.  Please review the Music Production Podcast on your favorite podcast provider! And don’t forget to visit my site https://BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

Valery Vermeulen is a Belgian mathematician, lecturer, data analyst, and electronic musician. His new album, Mikromedas, was made using data from black holes. Valery and I had a great conversation about his new album and finding creative ways to create music. We spend some time discussing the nature of the universe and black holes, and it all relates back to making music. This is a deep and sometimes dense conversation that left me feeling fascinated and inspired. Listen on Apple or Stitcher or Google or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Valery Vermeulen Website and Socials: https://www.valeryvermeulen.net/ https://www.instagram.com/valeryvermeulen.studio/ : Instagram https://www.facebook.com/valeryvermeulen.studio : artist FB page Mikromedas: https://www.valeryvermeulen.net/works/mikromedas/ :  webpage Mikromedas project https://ashinternational.bandcamp.com/album/mikromedas-ads-cft-001 : bandcamp page for pre order/order album Mikromedas AdS/CFT 001 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSSBuKF5_Dk : preview of album Mikromedas AdS/CFT 001 and the AV live show  Teaching: https://www.facebook.com/centermcs : FB page of Center-MCS, the organization under which Valery gives various online workshops and masterclasses on sound synthesis, sound design and electronic music production https://www.valeryvermeulen.net/center-mcs/ : webpage of Center-MCS Other works: https://www.valeryvermeulen.net/works/emo-synth/ : EMO-Synth project on music, AI and biofeedback https://www.valeryvermeulen.net/works/krystalball/ : Krystal Ball project on using mathematical models from Wall Street to produce electronic music Valery would like to credit:  The scientific aspect of Mikromedas AdS/CFT 001 was realized in collaboration with several academic partners including the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Alabama University (US), the Alabama Holography Research Group (US), the Institute for Theoretical Physics of KU Leuven (BE), the Centre for Mathematical Plasma Astrophysics of KULeuven (BE), the Department of Mathematics of the University of Antwerp (BE), quantum cosmologist Prof. Dr. Thomas Hertog, Prof. Dr. Matthias Kaminski, Dr. Casey Cartwright, Dr. Ileyk El Mellah, Dr. Bart Ripperda, Dr. Fabio Bacchini and Prof. Dr. David Eelbode.   The realization of Mikromedas AdS/CFT 001 was made possible via a co-production with Concertgebouw Brugge (BE) and Baltan Laboratories (NL).   References with respect to data used for the realisation of the Mikromedas AdS/CFT 001:   https://arxiv.org/abs/1610.00986 Montreal White Dwarf Data base https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.04831 SXS Gravitational Waveform Database https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.11507 Cartwright, C., Kaminski, M. Correlations far from equilibrium in charged strongly coupled fluids subjected to a strong magnetic field. J. High Energ. Phys. 2019, 72 (2019) Brian Funk Links: Website - https://brianfunk.com Music Production Club - https://brianfunk.com/mpc Music Production Podcast - https://brianfunk.com/podcast Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at my store with the code: PODCAST - https://brianfunk.com/store Thank you for listening.  Please review the Music Production Podcast on your favorite podcast provider! And don’t forget to visit my site https://BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

Making music is a challenging mental game. Every session involves puzzles and obstacles.  The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a psychological phenomenon we humans experience while learning new things. It causes us to overestimate our abilities in the beginning and question them as we advance.  Understanding how the Dunning-Kruger Effect impacts us can help us reach new levels in our music production. Listen on Apple or Stitcher or Google or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Great video on Dunning-Kruger Effect - https://youtu.be/4FGnb2lgPBA My Website - https://brianfunk.com Intro Music Made with 4-Track Ableton Live Pack - https://brianfunk.com/blog/4track Ableton Live Pack Archive - https://brianfunk.com/blog/ableton-live-pack-archive Music Production Club - https://brianfunk.com/mpc Music Production Podcast - https://brianfunk.com/podcast Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at my store with the code: PODCAST - https://brianfunk.com/store Thank you for listening.  Please review the Music Production Podcast on your favorite podcast provider! And don’t forget to visit my site https://BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

Kristopher Ragnstam is the creative force behind The Owe Us, a rock/alternative/electronic band from Sweden. Kris recently released the band's new album, Kram, to much critical acclaim.  Kris and I sat down for our second talk on the podcast. We discussed how he manages to balance the raw energy of musical performance while maintaining a certain level of polish. We cover philosophical approaches to gear choice, including his healthy "headache" mixing console and his 2006 computer. Kris also talks about collaborating with others and the importance of keeping a healthy relationship with bandmates. Listen on Apple or Stitcher or Google or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: They Owe Us - https://www.theyoweus.com Kram - https://www.bengans.se/sv/artiklar/they-owe-us-kram-limited-edition-with-signed-and-hand-numbered-riso-poster.html Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theyoweus/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheyOweUs/ Extinct Audio Microphones - https://www.extinctaudio.co.uk 1st Music Production Podcast Appearance - https://brianfunk.com/blog/2019/7/10/they-owe-us Brian Funk Links: Website - https://brianfunk.com Intro Music Made with 4-Track Ableton Live Pack - https://brianfunk.com/blog/4track Ableton Live Pack Archive - https://brianfunk.com/blog/ableton-live-pack-archive Music Production Club - https://brianfunk.com/mpc Music Production Podcast - https://brianfunk.com/podcast Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at my store with the code: PODCAST - https://brianfunk.com/store Thank you for listening.  Please review the Music Production Podcast on your favorite podcast provider! And don’t forget to visit my site https://BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk