Music Production Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#134: Julie Covello - Rise of Controllerism, Community, and Warper Party Oct 26, 2019

Show notes

Julie Covello, aka DJ Shakey, is a DJ, producer, performer, and founder of Warper Party. It's hard to overstate how important Julie's role in the shaping of live electronic music has been. Warper Party is a monthly live electronic music event that has been running since 2005. So much of what modern live electronic music has become has roots in the community Julie has helped build.

In this episode of the podcast, Julie talks about the early days of Warper Party and how community has helped her and the scene in general grow and develop. We learn about the days of modding MIDI controllers into creative live performance tools and how the live electronic music scene has changed over the years.

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube

Show Notes:

DJ Shakey Instagram
Warper Party Instagram
Shakey's Record Fair Instagram
Empire Breaks NYC Instagram
The Plaster Cramp Instagram
Warper Party Radio Extravaganza
Matt Moldover - Father of Controllerism
DJ Tech Tools - Founded by Ean Golden
Dan Freeman - creator of Ableton Push "key-tar," Blinky.
Mojo Video Tech - The Art of Projection Mapping, Brooklyn.
Improbable Confetti - The Plaster Cramp Radio Show.
Ill Gates - Creator of the Producer's Dojo.
Chill-struments - Ableton Live Pack made with the OP-1.

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

#133: William Kage - Composing Within the Limitations of 16-bit Video Games Oct 14, 2019

Show notes

William Kage is a video game programmer and music producer, who produces music in the style of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System sound card. William built SixEngine, a web-based 16-bit video game engine. William releases music in the style of the SNES and is working on a new 16-bit RPG called Otosan.

William and I had a great conversation about his work and the challenges of writing within restrictions of the Super Nintendo's sound card. We discuss how game composers were able to find creative solutions to the limitations using some clever sampling techniques. William also gives some nice sound examples to help explain how this type of composing works.

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube

Show Notes:

Official Site - The hub of William's work, his music, SixEngine, and Otosan.
SixEngine - 16-bit web-based game engine.
Otosan - 16 bit role playing game William is developing.
miniVerb - 8-bit chip tune reverb plug-in.

Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at the My Store with the code: PODCAST

Brian Funk

#132: Don't Upgrade Your Mac to Catalina Oct 09, 2019

Show notes

It's very exciting when a new update comes out for your computer. There are new features and tools that may make things much easier, smoother, and faster. However, if you rely on your computer to make music, an update can break that system. Instead of enjoying new features and workflows, you will be stuck trying to figure out why nothing works.

And if you are on a working machine, ask yourself why you need to update. Is it really Resistance? Are you avoiding work? Don't get stuck with a machine that doesn't work. Stick with what does and wait for things to iron out!

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube

Show Notes:

Create Digital Music explains why you don't want to upgrade yet.
Bobby Owsinki offers insight on why you shouldn't update.
Ableton's official Mac OS compatibility help page.
War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at the My Store with the code: PODCAST

Brian Funk

#131: Ben Burnes - Wisdom from 200 2-Hour Track Challenges Oct 09, 2019

Show notes

Ben Burnes is a producer, live streamer, and game programmer. He releases unique sample packs and is very active in the music production community. Ben is known for not only sharing his work and projects, but also creating projects and collaborating with the community to make them come to life.

Note! In the episode we mention Ben's Two Hour Album Challenge. At the time of our talk, we didn't expect the show to go live before then, but we pulled some strings and made it happen! If you want to be a part of the Two Hour Album Challenge, it starts Friday October 11, 2019 at 6PM GMT and ends Sunday October 13, 2019 at 6PM GMT. Go to Two Hour Album Challenge for more details. And if you miss this one, there is another one planned in January.

Ben Burnes was my first guest on the Music Production Podcast. It was great to reconnect with him. Ben shared wisdom and lessons he's learned from completing nearly 200 2-hour track challenges. He spends a lot of time discussing the growth he's undergone by making himself vulnerable by live streaming as he attempts to write a song in 2 hours. Lots of great insights!

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube

Show Notes:

Support Ben Burnes on Patreon
Ben's Work: Abstraction
Ben on YouTube
2 Hour Album Challenge
2 Hour Album Challenge on Bandcamp
Shakka and Pal's Podcast
Color Jumper - Ben's Video Game.
2 Hour Track Challenge Playlist
2 Hour Track Challenge Recordings
The Tree That Was A Forest
Composer Quest Podcast
Ben's first appearance on the Music Production Podcast.
Tommy Zee on the Music Production Podcast
Vespers on the Music Production Podcast
24/7 Eurorack Modular Music Stream
Ben's tutorial on How To Use Famitracker

Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at the My Store with the code: PODCAST

Brian Funk

#130: Drew Vespers - Warp Academy and Hacking Productivity Oct 01, 2019

Show notes

Drew Vespers is a musician, producer, and founder of Warp Academy, an Ableton Certified Trainer Center in Canada. Warp Academy is one of the leading producers of high quality online music production education. His tutorials have helped thousands of musicians (including myself!) grow and develop into successful artists. Drew's music combines elements of rock, jazz, hip hop, and electronic bass music, and been released on a variety of record labels.

I really enjoyed talking with Drew about his work, Warp Academy, and how he manages to stay so productive and focused. This conversation covers a lot. We cover advanced mixing techniques, which has become a passion of Drews. There's also quite a lot along the lines of getting and staying productive. Drew shares practical tips on health and mindfulness, as well as many resources and books that have helped him keep his attention on his work.

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube

Show Notes:

Warp Academy - Ableton Certified Trainer center Drew founded.

Vespers - Drew's personal work as an artist and teacher.

YouTube - Subscribe to Warp Academy for tons of tutorials.

Nexus - Facebook Group for producers to share knowledge and ideas.

The Mod Method - Drew's video course designed to give the tools and inspiration to create music you can be proud of.

Ableton Push 2 Jumpstart - Ableton Push 2 video course I made with Warp Academy.

5 Focus and Productivity Hacks - Drew shares some tips on getting work done.

Book Recommendations:

Stealing Fire

Optimum Nutrition for the Mind

Deep Work

The Power of Full Engagement

App Recommendations:

Freedom - Block the internet and apps for focus.

Self Control - free alternative to Freedom that I'm experimenting with.

Vitamin R - Productivity app.

Free Downloads:

Mixing Template - Drew's Mix Template for Ableton Live

Song Structure and Energy Heat Maps - Derived from the MOD Method video course.

Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at the My Store with the code: PODCAST

Brian Funk

#129: Jörgen Kjellgren - Swedish Producer on Releasing 9 EPs in the Last Year Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

Jörgen Kjellgren is a prolific ambient producer from Sweden. Since May 2018, Jörgen has release 9 EPs. He has developed a working method that uses restrictions to encourage creativity.

In this episode, Jörgen shares how discipline and restrictions has allowed him to become a prolific producer. Jörgen shares his thoughts on progressing ideas into finished piece of music and how the Japanese concept of "Wabi-Sabi" has allowed him to silent the internal critic.

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube

Show Notes:

Bandcamp: Jörgen's music on Bandcamp.
Soundcloud: Jörgen's music on Soundcloud.
Spotify: Jörgen's music on Spotify.
Apple Music: Jörgen's music on Apple Music.
YouTube: Jörgen's work on YouTube.
Wabi-Sabi - Japanese concept of impermanence and imperfection.
GUITAR CHORDS Sample Pack: The sounds that made the introduction music for today's episode.

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.

Enjoy!

Brian

#128: Back Up Your Backups! Sep 25, 2019

Show notes

I recently had a hard drive fail and I have lost years of music, photos, and other stuff. It might be gone forever.

This episode is a public service announcement and reminder to back up your files and back up your back ups! Your digital work is irreplaceable. Today, I share a few ideas on how to back up your work, and also think about how to handle this loss on a psychological level.

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube

Show Notes:

Guitar Chords - My new Sample Pack that I used to create the intro music.

Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at the My Store with the code: PODCAST

Brian Funk

#127: Emre Yilmaz - The Mind, Meditation, and Music Production Sep 22, 2019

Show notes

Emre Yilmaz is a guitarist and singer songwriter from Istanbul Turkey, living in New York. He's done work for film and commercials. Emre is an avid meditator and yoga practitioner, and often produces music for those environments.

I had an excellent and wide ranging conversation with Emre. We explored the idea of self and the artist. We discussed how the mind works and how that affects our music production. Emre shared his wisdom from years of yoga and meditation, and showed how that can be applied to not only our music production but our everyday life.

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube

Show Notes:

Emre Yilmaz - Official Site.

YouTube - Check out some of his live performances.

Instagram - Keep track of Emre's work.

Gumroad - Emre and I met at a dinner hosted by Gumroad.

Sahil Lavingia - Gumroad founder on the Music Production Podcast.

Slate Digital - Plugins and Tutorials.

Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at the My Store with the code: PODCAST

Brian Funk

#126: Remute - Producing Music on Sega MegaDrive and Fighting Maximalism Sep 17, 2019

Show notes

Remute is a techno artist who is bringing new meaning to "minimalism." Revolting against our maximalist culture, Denis Karimani (aka Remute) programmed and released his latest album on the Sega MegDrive 16-bit video game system of the 1990's (known as "Sega Genesis" in the USA).

On this episode of the Music Production Podcast, Denis Karimani (aka Remute) discusses his work as an artist and how he started his own record label to pursue his artistic vision. Remute talks about how he built his album "Limited" on a 3.5 floppy disc, and how he released his latest album as a Sega MegaDrive cartridge.

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube

Show Notes:

Remute - Check out Remute's entire musical catalog.
Technoptimistic - Remute's latest album, programmed and released on the Sega MegaDrive.
Limited - Remute's album released on a 3.5 floppy disc.
Trump - One of the many tracks Remute made with headline news samples.
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
genMDM - Device for connecting MIDI to and controlling the Sega Genesis sound card.
Plogue - Makers of Chipsounds and Chipsynth MD video game sound chip emulation plug-ins.
Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at the My Store with the code: PODCAST

Brian Funk

#125: Dani DiCiaccio - KYOSi - Collaboration, Performance, and Expanding Artistic Horizons Sep 10, 2019

Show notes

Dani DiCiaccio produces experimental electronic music with a hint of pop as KYOSi. She just released a new EP Negative Space. Dani has produced music for film, theatre, and podcasts.

In this episode, Dani shares her thoughts on experimental music and live performance. We talked about how saying yes to a variety of different projects can help expand one's artistic horizon.

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play or Spotify; watch on YouTube

Show Notes:

KYOSi - Official Site

SoundCloud - Keep up with Dani's new music.

Instagram

Facebook

SoHo Shakes - Dani did music for their adaptation of Macbeth, The Sisters.

Tommy Zee - Music Production Podcast about making music for brands.

Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at the My Store with the code: PODCAST

Brian Funk