Music Production Podcast

This episode marks the beginning of the 4th year of the Music Production Podcast! I never imagined I'd be a podcaster, but I think I've done it long enough to earn the title. And that's what this episode is about: if you want to be a thing, act like the thing. Do the things that person would do!  Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Music Production Club - While my very limited supplies last, you can get Klevgrand's Kleverb when you join the Club! Kleverb - Klevgrand's excellent algorithmic reverb plug-in. Liam Gallagher - Entertaining interview with the frontman of Oasis unapologetically owns who he is. Laptop Feedback Ableton Live Pack - My first Ableton Live Pack. A Journey Inward - My new EP available on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, SoundCloud, etc. Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at My Store with the code: PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please consider giving the Music Production Podcast a review on your favorite podcast provider. And don’t forget to visit my site BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

I've just released my new EP, "A Journey Inward," and the secret to finishing it was in the story. I find that by having the story of your music clearly defined, making music because much easier and more enjoyable. In this episode we talk about how I used story to complete my latest EP. The episode ends with a listening to the EP itself. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Music Production Club - While my very limited supplies last, you can get Klevgrand's Kleverb when you join the Club! Kleverb - Klevgrand's excellent algorithmic reverb plug-in. A Journey Inward - My new EP available on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, SoundCloud, etc. Social Story Songs - Music my friend, Chris P Cauley, and I wrote  to teach acceptable social behavior. Chris P Cauley -  One of my musical brothers.  Leave Stones Unturned - An insightful blog by Seth Godin. Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at My Store with the code: PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please consider giving the Music Production Podcast a review on your favorite podcast provider. And don’t forget to visit my site BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

Graham Cochrane is the founder of The Recording Revolution, whose YouTube channel has over 500,000 subscribers. For over ten years, Graham's tutorials have shown musicians how to record great music at home with affordable gear. Graham also helps entrepreneurs build their online businesses.  Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: The Recording Revolution - Graham's site helping musicians "create radio-worthy songs from your home or bedroom studio." YouTube - A wealth of home recording video tutorials from Graham. GrahamCochrane.com - Learn about online business from Graham. Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at My Store with the code: PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please consider giving the Music Production Podcast a review on your favorite podcast provider. And don’t forget to visit my site BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

Staying organized will keep your music making experience fun. You will have the tools you need when you need them. In this episode, I talk about some things that have helped me stay organized. I also talk about the most impactful book I read last year, Getting Things Done by David Allen. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: FRZN GRAINS - ELPHNT's granular Ableton Live Pack Music Production Club - Join the club to get a steady flow of sounds for you music making. Workflowy - Simple and powerful web-based app I use for keeping lists. Getting Things Done - David Allen's incredible system for keeping track of ideas, staying organized, and getting work done. David Allen - Listen to David Allen on the Tim Ferriss Show. #103 and #51: Music Production Podcast episodes with Eshan Khadaroo, aka Push4Life. Audio and MIDI in the Basement - My chart for keeping track of where everything in my studio is connected. Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at My Store with the code: PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please consider giving the Music Production Podcast a review on your favorite podcast provider. And don’t forget to visit my site BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

Mixing is an art. Mixing is technical. A mix can be objectively good or bad. A mix can be subjectively good or bad. This episode of the Music Production Podcast contains some of the general guidelines that have helped me find the sound I'm looking for and improve the technical quality of my mixes.  Thanks for listening and please pardon the clickbait title; I'm running some experiments in naming. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Space Journey Kit - Free Ableton Live Pack used for the opening music. Music Production Club - Get access to a constantly updated collection of music production tools. 10 Time-Saving Music Production Hacks - An experiment in click-bait titling. Currently my second most downloaded episode. Go figure! 10 Things To Do When You Are Uninspired - An experiment in click-bait titling. Currently my fifth most downloaded episode. Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at My Store with the code: PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please consider giving the Music Production Podcast a review on your favorite podcast provider. And don’t forget to visit my site BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

As you work and toil over your music, there comes a point when a song is finished. But how do you KNOW your track is finished? You can always add or change things. You can try new sounds or alter the arrangement. But how do you know where to stop? In this episode, we explore the topic from both a philosophical and practical position. We ask questions about what makes a song complete and then go through specific techniques and approaches you can use to finish your music. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Music Production Club - Subscribe to my Club to get a steady flow of tools and inspiration to your inbox. FRZN GRAINS - ELPHNT's beautiful granular-instrument Ableton Live Pack. Twilight Zone "Escape Clause" - A great episode about what happens when risk and danger are removed from life. What is Your Audience Doing? - Music Production Podcast about what your listeners are doing while listening to your music. Make Bad Music - Just finish your tracks, even if they are bad! Music Production Podcast episode #2. Some Thoughts on Finishing Songs - Music Production Podcast with practical ideas on finishing music. John Lennon - John's sometimes harsh critiques of songs by The Beatles. Gumroad Founder on the Music Production Podcast - Sahil Lavingia has some powerful thoughts on finishing art sooner rather than working on it too long. Derek Sivers - Derek on the EDM Prodcast (great show) talking about releasing art. More Derek Sivers - Derek on the Music Production Podcast. Pay attention to "deep and shallow happy." EDMProd Guidebooks - The makers of EDM Prodcast have a lot of helpful PDFs for music production. A Simple Mistake That Will Ruin Your Mixdown - Make sure your tracks end smoothly, 2 Minute Ableton Live Tip. Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at My Store with the code: PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please consider giving the Music Production Podcast a review on your favorite podcast provider. And don’t forget to visit my site BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

As you are making music, it can help to consider what your listeners will be doing as they listen. You can also think about the 13 musical emotions and which ones you want to evoke with your music. All of this can help us finish and release an album, EP, or single this month, during the Finish February Challenge! Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: FRZN GRAINS - ELPHNT's collection of Ableton Live instruments made from analog sources run through granular effects. Music Production Club - Get a steady flow of music production tools in your inbox. Finish February 2020 - Music Production Podcast about the Finish February Challenge to release some music this month. 13 Musical Emotions - Studies have shown there are 13 musical emotions.  Inner Circle Podcast - Bobby Owsinski's excellent music industry podcast. Jamuary Spreadsheet - A spreadsheet you can use to organize and categorize your Jamuary Jams and decide which ones to finish in February. My 2018 Spreadsheet - See how I used the spreadsheet to categorize my work in 2018. My YouTube Channel - I will be live streaming my Finish February process. Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at My Store with the code: PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please consider giving the Music Production Podcast a review on your favorite podcast provider. And don’t forget to visit my site BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

Jamuary is over! And if you participated, you probably have lots of ideas to work off of. Even if you didn't participate, I'm sure you have a lot of unfinished ideas anyway. Finish February is a challenge to finish some of that music and release it. It can be a single, EP, or full album. The point is to finish some music and get it out to the world! Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: FRZN GRAINS - ELPHNT's collection of Ableton Live instruments made from analog sources run through granular effects. Thomas Glendinning - The man behind ELPHNT made an appearance on episode 26 of the Music Production Podcast. Let's Start Finish February - Episode 48 introduced the idea of Finish February. Jamuary Spreadsheet - A spreadsheet you can use to organize and categorize your Jamuary Jams and decide which ones to finish in February. My 2018 Spreadsheet - See how I used the spreadsheet to categorize my work in 2018. How to Upload Your Music to Major Streaming Services - A post I did about releasing your music with DistroKid. 7% Off at DistroKid - Save a little money when releasing your music with this link. Music Production Club - Get a steady flow of music production tools in your inbox. Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at My Store with the code: PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please consider giving the Music Production Podcast a review on your favorite podcast provider. And don’t forget to visit my site BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

Derek Sivers is a musician, writer, and entrepreneur. He started CDBaby in 1998, offering independent musicians (including me!) a way to sell their music online. 10 years later, he sold it, donating most of the money to music education. Derek wrote "Anything You Want" explaining lessons he learned from the adventure.  Derek is a graduate of Berklee College of Music, and in this episode he shares some of his insight about making music and the creative process. It was a great conversation that makes meaningful connections between life, business, and creativity.  Be on the look out for his new books "Your Music and People" and "Hell Yeah or No."  Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Official Site - Derek's website. The simple design reflects much of his philosophy. Now - See what Derek is up to now. Anything You Want - Derek's story and wisdom about founding, running, and selling CDBaby. Radio Darvish - Persian Traditional Music. Randy Newman - Official site. Thirty-Two Short Stories About Glenn Gould - film about Gould's life journey. Passengers: Original Soundtracks 1: U2 and Brian Eno's score for imagined films. A Beginner's Guide to Japan - Japan from the eyes of a beginner. Oblique Strategies - Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt's  collection of abstract creative prompts. Oblique Strategies on the web - a site that randomly generates an Oblique Strategy. Social Story Songs - Songs I wrote with my friend Chris P. Cauley to help children learn acceptable social behavior. Music Production Club - Join the club, where I send a steady flow of music making tools in your email inbox. Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at My Store with the code: PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please consider giving the Music Production Podcast a review on your favorite podcast provider. And don’t forget to visit my site BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk

By participating in the #Jamuary2020 challenge to make and share a new piece of music each day, it's become extremely clear how important it is to find ways to focus while working.  In this episode, I talk about some important lessons I'm learning during Jamuary and offer some practical ways you can find focus while working on your music. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube Show Notes: Music Production Club - Get a steady flow of music making tools in your inbox. My Jamuary2020 SoundCloud Playlist - Listen to my (nearly) daily musical output during the Jamuary2020 challenge. Jamuary Live Stream - I've been streaming the entire process of each of my jams on YouTube. Hit the Page Running - Steven Pressfield's blog post about his mantra when he starts working. War of Art - Steven Pressfield's manifesto, which I reference when speaking about Resistance. Howler Timer - a handy free timer for Mac OS. Self Control - a free internet blocker for Mac OS. Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at the My Store with the code: PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please consider giving the Music Production Podcast a review on your favorite podcast provider. And don’t forget to visit my site BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk