Music Production Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#34: Mark Towers: Ableton Certified Trainer, Arcade Series Creator Sep 06, 2017

Show notes

Mark Towers is a fellow Ableton Certified Trainer from the UK. He is the creator of the Arcade Series, a collection of retro video game inspired Max for Live sequencers. Mark teaches music technology at Leicester College.

I've been a huge fan of Mark's work for quite some time. Being a fan of old school video games, the Arcade Series is one of my favorite collections for Max for Live. In this episode, we talk about the creation of the Arcade Series, finding ways to fill gaps in our own abilities, and the importance of doing work that is meaningful to oneself. Mark was a pleasure to talk to, and he left me inspired to make more music!

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Show Notes:

Mark's Website
The Arcade Series - Retro Video Game inspired sequences for Max for Live
Isotonik Studios - One of the best places to get all things Max for Live and Ableton Live
Creative Sound Technology - The program Mark leads at Leicester De Montford University
Soulsby Atmegatron - Arduino-based digital 8-bit synthesizer

#33: DiViNCi - Producer, Composer, Musical Sensei Aug 30, 2017

Show notes

DiViNCi is a producer, composer, and educator from Orlando, FL. He is known for his high energy, mind-blowing finger drumming skills, his group Solillaquists of Sound, and his work for Lauryn Hill. He travels the world performing and giving music production workshops.

I had a chance to attend one of DiViNCi's workshops at the Ableton User Group in Brooklyn at The Brooklyn Home of Music. Just as dazzling as his performance was his philosophical view point on creating music and finding balance in one's life. DiViNCi's teachings are immediately applicable to making music, but that's just the surface of what he does. The real power is in how he connects his views on life and self-awareness to everything a person does.

DiViNCi and I had a great conversation about finding flow, trusting your intuition, and how his experience in the martial arts has shaped the way he approaches life and music. There are a lot of valuable lessons in here, so get a pen and paper and be ready to take some notes!

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Show Notes:

DiViNCi's Website
Studio Sensei - Private lessons and wisdom from DiViNCi
Second Subject - The collective of artists DiViNCi is a part of in Orlando, FL
Solillaquists of Sound - DiViNCi's hip hop quartet
Music - DiViNCi's music on Soundcloud
Brooklyn Home of Music - a super cozy and inviting place to learn about making music

Here's a nice introduction to what DiViNCi does:

#32: Breaking Down My New EP, "Country Punkin" Aug 25, 2017

Show notes

I just released my newest EP, Country Punkin. It's a collection of 4 to-the-point no-nonsense rock songs, inspired lyrically by country music and musically by punk rock. There are no intros, outros, interludes, solos, or instrumentals. Every song begins right away with only the core meat-and-potatoes parts of the song.

Recorded entirely on the Teenage Engineering OP-1's four track, using a Shure SM57 plugged straight into it. Instrumentation is Drums, Guitar, Bass, Vocals.

This was the studio for "Country Punkin"

In this episode, I talk about the creation of the EP. We go over it's philosophy, the goals, inspiration, process, recording, instrumentation, lyrics, and themes. I play you some isolated tracks, as well as each song. I hope it inspires you to finish your next project!

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Show Notes:

Country Punkin is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and wherever else you stream your music!

#31: Craig Swann of LoopLabs.com Aug 24, 2017

Show notes

LoopLabs is a cloud based music studio that allows you to compose music using its huge selection of loops. Everything gets tempo and key matched, so it always sounds good. It's a great place for beginners or for experimenting with ideas.

Craig and I sat down for a nice conversation about his vision for Looplabs, the music industry, and the role future generations will play in music making.

Definitely check out Looplabs.com. I'm very excited about how this could open the door to music production for a whole new generation of people. I've even contributed some loops to the library of loops available to use. Maybe sit down with your younger sibling, nephew, or child and have fun making music without worrying about theory or technicalities. It's a great way to share the joy of making music. Regardless of your experience, Looplabs could be a perfect introduction to music creation or a springboard for your next composition.

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Show Notes:

LoopLabs.com - The web-based DAW
Medium - Looplabs' producer showcase
Spotify Needs to Face the Music - We talked about the viability and profitability of streaming services. I admit some of the stuff that came out of my mouth was only partially informed speculation. Here's an article with an oh-so-clever headline that will do a better job at shedding some light on the topic.
No Music Theory Ableton Live Rack - Make music without understanding music theory

Here's a video I made, using Looplabs and some of the loops I provided to the collection:

#30: The Power of Collaboration - Homework! Aug 01, 2017

Show notes

It is a wonderful day and age in which we can create, write, and record music all by ourselves. We have the technology to do every step of the process on our own. While this can afford us plenty of freedom and releases us from the struggle of coordinating schedules and ideals with others, if we never work with other people, we are really missing out.

Collaboration is one of the best ways to learn, grow, develop, and discover new ideas. I personally believe that a good collaboration can bring you wisdom that could take you years to develop on your own and new ideas that you might not ever discover otherwise.

This show is about the power of collaboration. I discuss how collaboration has benefitted me and highlight my recent experience creating the Ableton Live Whistle Pack with pATCHES. I then go on to create a piece of music using some of those sounds.

You Have Homework!

Need an excuse to make music or some direction to help get you going? Well I have a homework assignment for you! Collaborate with someone else to make some music. How you collaborate is entirely up to you. Do it in person or over the internet. Find a musician to play a part or ask someone for an idea or direction. Sample someone singing, talking, washing the dishes... Send someone a half-finished track to work on. It really doesn't matter. Post your results on the Music Production Podcast Facebook Page. Maybe even find someone on that page to collaborate with! Just create some music with the help of another person.

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Show Notes:

The Ableton Live Whistle Pack - My collaboration with pATCHES and You to create 20 free Ableton Live Whistling Instruments.
Podcast with pATCHES - I had a great conversation with pATCHES on this podcast. Give it a listen!
pATCHES - Tutorials, sample packs, wisdom...

#29: Homework- Make Music with Unusual Sound Sources Jul 21, 2017

Show notes

We all strive for the best gear, highest quality samples... but lets not forget that you can make beautiful music from unexpected places. This episode is all about challenging yourself to create music from sources you wouldn't normally think you could.

You have a homework assignment! Create some music from a source or sound that you wouldn't normally use. Maybe it's a terrible preset, an old toy, a piece of wood that vibrates in a funny way... it doesn't matter. Just challenge yourself to make music from an unusual sound source.

Post your results at the Music Production Podcast Facebook page. My piece is there too.

I hope you enjoy this talk and it gives you inspiration to make music in new ways!

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Show Notes:

Music Production Podcast Facebook Page - Give it a like and post your homework assignment!

Americanas Vinyl Synth Ableton Live Pack - Ableton Live Instrument Racks made from samples of old vinyl records of the music of North and South America.

Pacific Vinyl Synths Ableton Live Pack - Ableton Live Instrument Racks made from samples of old vinyl records of music from the Pacific Islands.

AfroDJMac Music Production Club - Get a new Ableton Live Download every month, as well as a bunch of other goodies when you join.

Free Ableton Live Pack #44: Justin Bieber Super Fun Pack - A Justin Bieber toy guitar actually turned into some cool sounding instruments.

Free Ableton Live Pack #41: Steel Water Bottle Synth - A non musical object turned into a music making synth.

#28: Erin Barra - Performer and Educator Jul 14, 2017

Show notes

Erin Barra is a musician, songwriter, teacher, and performer specializing in the convergence of music and technology. She has created music curriculum for students of all ages, including Beatz for Girlz, which specializes in bringing music production to young women and Berklee College of Music. She's worked with Grammy-winning artists and is a powerful voice in the world of music technology and education.

Erin and I had a great conversation about a wide range of topics including education, creativity, and some of our favorite creative tools.

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Show Notes:

Mammabarra.com - Erin's website
Beatz by Girlz - Erin's mission to bring music production to young women
Matthew Herbert's Manifesto
Izotope (We spoke about so much of their stuff, I swear this wasn't a paid promo!)

#27: Thomas Piper - The People's Republic of Sound Jul 07, 2017

Show notes

Thomas Piper is an accomplished musician, producer, performer, and video artist from New York. Over the years, our paths have crossed many times at various shows, workshops, and Ableton User Groups. It seems like wherever the action is, so is Thomas! Recently, Thomas' work was featured in a documentary by Ableton.

We had a great conversation about live performance, overcoming creative blocks, and building community. I love his positivity. Thomas is an example to all of us about productivity and hard work. This episode is loaded with great insights and powerful knowledge from a man who is doing the work!

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Show Notes:

#26: Thomas Glendinning - Ableton Certified Trainer, ELPHNT Jun 25, 2017

Show notes

Thomas Glendinning is an Ableton Certified Trainer, formerly from Cape Town, South Africa, but now living in London. Tom creates music under the name ELPHNT, which is pronounced "Elephant." There he creates sample packs, Ableton Live Packs, and tutorials. We sat down for a conversation about making music, sharing your work, and building communities. Enjoy!

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Show Notes:

ELPHNT - Tom's blog, full of great stuff for fellow producers
Ableton Live Packs - Tom's collection of really cool Ableton Live devices.
Tom's Music
Ableton Live Suite Free Alternative Devices
Deconstruction - Ski Oakenfull's deconstruction of a Todd Terje track
Trello - Online to-do list

#25: Andrew Whiteman - Broken Social Scene Jun 20, 2017

Show notes

Andrew Whiteman is a musician and songwriter out of Toronto. He plays guitar in Broken Social Scene and has a number of other projects including Sonic Poetry and AroarA. Andrew is about to embark on a tour with Broken Social Scene, as they release a new album on July 7th. We spoke about creativity, change, and performing on Stephen Colbert's late night show.

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Show Notes:

Sonic Poetry:

Broken Social Scene performing on David Letterman's show:

AroarA, Andrew's collaboration with his wife, Ariel: