Music Production Podcast

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#44: Dustin Ragland - Young Weather, Educator, Engineer Dec 26, 2017

Show notes

Dustin Ragland is a musician, educator, and engineer. He teaches at the Academy of Contemporary Music at UCO in Oklahoma City. Dustin creates music under the name Young Weather and is an Ableton Certified Trainer. He owns and operates Mir Studio in Oklahoma City.

In this episode of the Music Production Podcast, Dustin and I discuss a wide range of topics related to making music. Dustin shares his thoughts on how to work well with other musicians, his role at the Academy of Contemporary Music, and the importance of preserving curiosity.

Show Notes:

Young Weather - The musical project of Dustin Ragland

Bandcamp - Young Weather on Bandcamp

iTunes - Young Weather on iTunes

Pyramind - A wealth of video tutorials by Dustin

Instagram - Dustin's Instagram

M ax for Live - Dustin's free Max for Live creations

Mir Studio - Dustin's recording studio in Oklahoma City.

AMC@UCO - The Academy of Contemporary Music at University of Central Oklahoma.

#43: Josh Spoon - Ableton Certified Trainer, Producer Dec 17, 2017

Show notes

Josh Spoon is a musician, producer, and Ableton Certified Trainer living in Los Angeles. His music pulls inspiration from hip hop and alternative rock. Think Dr. Dre meets the Flaming Lips. Josh runs the site Producerskitchen.com, where he shares his deep knowledge of music production and live performance.

In this episode, Josh and I talk about staying creative, losing yourself in the moment, and how to stay in that creative moment.

Show Notes:

Josh Spoon.com - Josh's site for his music and teaching

The Producer's Kitchen - Tutorials on music production

Bandcamp - Listen to and get Josh's music

SAMPLEnHOLD - Performance collective of "electronic weirdos"

Reverb.com - How to Make Your Drums Sound Like Ringo Starr

Music Production Podcast web page.

AfroDJMac.com

#42: Sam Gribben - Melodics Founder and CEO Dec 06, 2017

Show notes

Sam Gribben is the founder and CEO of Melodics, as well as the former CEO of Serato. Melodics teaches people how to play MIDI pad controllers, electronic drum kits, and now keyboards. What makes Melodics unique is that it uses aspects of video gaming to teach the discipline of practice. Melodics makes practicing fun and productive in a few minutes a day. I've been using it for finger drumming for over a year and my skills have grown tremendously.

Sam was kind enough to spend some time with me to discuss the newest version of Melodics, the importance of discipline, and how to make learning both fun and productive.

Download Melodics and use the promo code: MusicProduction-Podcast to unlock extra lessons for free.

Support the Podcast on Patreon

Show Notes:

Melodics - Learn finger drumming, electronic drumming, and keys. Unlock extra lessons for free with the special promo code: MusicProduction-Podcast

Jane McGonigal - Game designer and author

#41: Kristoffer Lislegaard - Electronic Musician and Producer Nov 29, 2017

Show notes

Kristoffer Lislegaard is an electronic musician, producer, and sound artist from Norway. He is one half of the duo, Sgrow. Sgrow combines influences from pop, ambient, and club music. They've just released their new album, Circumstance.

I wanted to speak with Kristoffer after hearing the new album because I was intrigued by the interesting palette of sounds made from a combination of real world instruments, field recordings, and synthesizers. Kristoffer has some really inspiring takes on sound design and manipulating samples. Our conversation covers various topics from unusual sound design techniques, some of his favorite gear, and learning how to leave the ego behind to have successful collaborations.

Show Notes:

Sgrow - Kristoffer's electronic duo with Vilde Nupen

Sgrow on Facebook

Sgrow YouTube Channel

Kristoffer's YouTube Channel

Critter & Guitari Organelle

LOM Elektrosluch

Lo-Fi Loop Junky

Monome

Check out my website AfroDJMac.com for more music production materials.

#40: The Most Important Lesson... Nov 10, 2017

Show notes

What is the most important lesson? If my students remember just one thing, what would it be?

Check out AfroDJMac.com/podcast for the full show notes, featuring some very useful videos and links.

Support this podcast on Patreon and by shopping the AfroDJMac Store!

#39: Ableton Live 10 - My Thoughts After a Few Months Nov 04, 2017

Show notes

Ableton has just announced Live 10, the latest development of the popular DAW. It's currently becoming available to beta testers now and will be released in early 2018. I've had access to Live 10 for the last few months and have quite a lot to say about it. In this episode, I discuss some of my favorite features and devices. There are some sound examples to help demonstrate my points, as well as some thoughts on how Live 10 has improved my music making experience. Basically, an Ableton Live nerd reveling in his new toys. Enjoy!

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play

Support the Podcast on Patreon

Show Notes:

Free Ableton Live Pack 162: Mitchell's Harpsichord

New in Ableton Live 10 - My YouTube Playlist with in-depth tutorials and walkthroughs of some of my favorite new features

#38: Francis Preve - Sound Designer, Journalist, Educator Nov 01, 2017

Show notes

Francis Preve is a synthesist, journalist, and educator, amongst other things. He is one of the industry's most in-demand sound designers. In fact, it seems like every time I investigate the names behind some of my favorite synths, apps, and plug-ins, I find Francis Preve. His writing can be found in popular magazines such as Keyboard, Computer Music (UK), Future Music, EQ, and Music & Computers. Francis is a college professor in Austin, Texas. He also creates some of the finest sound packs on the market for Ableton Live via his company SympleSound.

I've admired and learned quite a lot from Francis' work over the years. He's even been kind enough to allow me to use some of his samples to build Ableton Live Packs. It was a real pleasure talking with him. His depth of understanding of sound design is incredibly impressive and a joy to explore. As this conversation will show, it is all fueled by an undying curiosity and love for sound and music. Enjoy!

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play

Support the Podcast on Patreon

Show Notes:

Official Web Page
Scapes - Synthesized recreations of natural environments
SympleSound - Preve's sound design creations for Ableton Live (use the code AFRODJMAC2017 by Nov. 30, 2017 to save 25%!)
Francis' Apple News Channel
Facebook
Twitter
Revisiting FM - Keyboard Magazine article on FM synthesis
The Friendly Sine Wave - Another great example of Francis Preve's synthesis tutorials
The Haunting Scape - Write up and video about Francis' The Haunting Scape
The Haunting - 1963 movie
Adam Neely on 432Hz
"Arrow Through Me" by Wings
Moog Minitaur Madness - Free Ableton Live Pack made with samples of Francis' Moog Minitaur

#37: Roisner - Ancient Instruments Oct 22, 2017

Show notes

Francois Benner producers music as the artist Roisner. He recently released his latest album Rhombes Timber 25000 BC. For this project, Roisner sampled hundreds of instruments that date all the way back to prehistory. He then reached out to me to create Ableton Live Instruments so he could use them and his samples to create his newest album.

In this episode, Roisner and I discuss the production of his latest album. We talk about our collaboration on the Ableton Live Pack, ANCIENT, which we've been working on over the last year and a half. It was a great talk about finding new avenues to realize an artistic vision. Enjoy!

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play

Support the Podcast on Patreon

Show Notes:

ANCIENT Ableton Live Pack

ANCIENT is a collection of 104 Ableton Live Instrument and Drum Racks all made from samples of instruments that date back to prehistoric times. Journey back to the roots of human music-making with the instruments and sounds of ANCIENT.

Buy Now

*ANCIENT is the October 2017 download for the AfroDJMac Music Production Club*

Requires Ableton Live Standard 9.7 and Above

#36: Chris Rucks - Don't Make Beats Like Me Oct 07, 2017

Show notes

Chris "MAYDAY" Rucks doesn't want you to make the same mistakes he made. He wants to save you time and prepare you for the journey. Most producers make the same mistakes as producers before them. To help combat this, Chris Rucks has written Don't Make Beats Like Me - 24 Powerful Laws to Guide You Towards Success As a Music Producer. The book breaks down a host of challenges most producers will face and explains how to handle them. It's a bit like a warning sign, a shoulder to cry on, and a slap in the face all at the same time. Chris dishes the sometimes harsh realities of what it really means to be a successful music producer.

I had a great chat with Chris. He is full of deep insights and wisdom, as well as some obvious truths that are easy to underestimate. I've been able to preview a few chapters of his book and it left me feeling inspired and prepared. The issues he raises can be enough to stop producers in their tracks, but Chris has a way of making you feel as if you can make it through the journey, without ever sugar-coating it or pulling his punches.

Enjoy this talk and be sure to pick up his book!

Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play

Support the Podcast on Patreon

Show Notes:

Don't Make Beats - Chris's Website
Don't Make Beats Like Me - Hard copy of the book via Amazon
Don't Make Beats Like Me - iTunes digital copy
The Blog - Words of wisdom from Chris's Blog
Instagram - A steady dose of visual inspiration
Be Focused Pro - Focus Timer

Essential recommended reading by Chris Rucks:

#35: Cooper Anderson - Mixing Engineer, Producer Sep 22, 2017

Show notes

Cooper Anderson is a mixing engineer and producer with a pretty impressive resume. Undoubtedly, you've heard some of his work. Cooper's credits include work for artists like Fun, Kanye West, Ghost Killah, and John Legend.

Cooper and I had a chance to speak about his work and experience. I found Cooper to have some nice insights into what it takes to find success in the music industry. Enjoy!

An afterthought from Cooper: "I've been thinking about the desert island golden piece of gear….I said Antelope cause that's what I was thinking about at the time, but now I'm thinking maybe my monitors….Adam A7x. That would probably be my one indispensable item."

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Support the Podcast on Patreon

Show Notes:

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