Carter Vail is a musician, producer, and video creator. His fast-paced, lighthearted short-form songs have garnered him hundreds of thousands of followers across social media. His new album, 100 Cowboys, combines upbeat music with emotional lyrics that document a difficult breakup. Carter shares his songwriting process, thoughts on collaboration, and why he chooses to work fast and be prolific in his creative process. This episode is sponsored by Baby Audio, makers of incredible music software. Use the code MPP15 to save 15%! https://babyaud.io  Listen on Apple, Spotify, YouTube ..read more

Evan Frankfort is a Songwriter, Sound Designer, and TV and Film Composer. His TV and film credits include Wild Kingdom: Protecting the Wild, The Harlem Globetrotters: Pay it Forward, 90210, and The 100. He writes music and plays in the indie rock band The Spiritual Machines. He has collaborated with diverse artists including Warren Zevon, The Bangles, Rancid, and Liz Phair. Evan and I spoke about his passion for creating music and his ongoing search for the creative lightning strike. He shares insights from his process and workflow that can help any music maker. Evan's passion and excitement f ..read more

Francis Preve is a sound designer, producer, and synthesizer programmer. He programs factory presets for the leading synthesizer manufacturers including Sequential, Roland, Korg, Oberheim, Serum, and many more. He is the Section Lead of Digital Composition at Austin Community College. Francis releases sound packs through his company SympleSound. His latest release, Serum Models, turns the popular synthesizer into a hyper-realistic physical modeling synth. In our 4th conversation on the Music Production Podcast, Francis discusses his new pack, Serum Models, and explains how physical modeling sy ..read more

Tyler Manning and Jordan Dale are part of Boredomfighters, a nonprofit that brings music-making and collaboration to kids across the United States. Boredomfighters conducts workshops, assemblies, and "Instrument Gardens" to empower young people to create music on the fly using modern production techniques. Tyler and Jordan spoke to me about their work in Boredomfighters and how they've been inspired by inspiring young people to create music. They share their techniques to help participants feel safe to drop inhibitions and have fun creating music together. The principles they share apply to an ..read more

Dex Green is a Nashville-based producer, engineer, and songwriter. He recorded his new album, Imaginary War, by himself, playing every instrument. Dex has worked with artists like Elvis Costello, Margo Price, and Collective Soul. His work has been nominated for a Grammy. Dex and I spoke about his work and the lessons he's picked up from recording countless acts in various genres. He discussed the process of recording his new album Imaginary War. Dex shared how he's combined philosophies and concepts from jazz studies, playing in punk and ska bands as a teenager, and recording top artists in Na ..read more

AI is getting really good at generating realistic and emotional music. Where will this leave music-makers?  Today we discuss how we can ensure that we remain relevant in the face of an AI music takeover! Listen on Apple, Spotify, YouTube Links: Rolling Stone AI Song - https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/suno-ai-chatgpt-music-soul-of-the-machine-1234992365/ Jeff Leisawitz on the Music Production Podcast - https://brianfunk.com/blog/jeff-leisawitz-2 Forest Far by Project Nairb - https://open.spotify.com/album/1pS6U9EJbSvM8lDc1xdPEE Some Good Evil - https://distrokid ..read more

Mikas is the creator of We Make Dance Music, a site of music resources for producers. On his podcast, Live Electronic Music Tutorials with Mikas, he creates tracks in real-time, sharing tips and techniques along the way. The result of each episode becomes a template viewers can purchase on WeMakeDanceMusic.com.  This is the second time Mikas and I spoke on the Music Production Podcast. Immediately I was reminded of his passion and impressive work ethic. As a new father, Mikas discussed the importance of staying consistent and scheduling time to work on his music career. He spoke about how ..read more

Jeff Leisawitz is a musician, producer, coach, college songwriting professor, and author. His new book The Magical Impact of Storytelling explores how creatives can connect with their audiences and produce more meaningful work with effective storytelling.  It was great to have Jeff back on the Music Production Podcast to discuss how we can use storytelling to make better music. We talk about how writing about the specific helps illuminate the universal. Jeff shares famous stories that have helped hit songs connect with listeners. We discuss dealing with the inner critic and the concepts o ..read more

Iftah is the creator of a number of official Ableton Live Packs, including CV Tools, Time and Timbre, Microtuner, and the new Performance Pack for Live 12. Formerly one-half of the duo, Skinnerbox, Iftah has performed around the world. His creative pursuits cover various mediums and styles such as electronic music, field recordings, photography, and programming.  Iftah and I spoke about his work as a music producer and developer. We discuss Iftah's journey in music, the development of the Performance Pack for Ableton Live, and the importance of rest and recovery in the creative process. I ..read more

Gregg Lehrman is the founder and CEO of Output. Output is a music-creation software company created by musicians for musicians. Gregg is an ASCAP award-winning musician and producer who has worked in television and film. Gregg spoke about his work at Output and how he started the company to fulfill his creative needs. He shared lessons he learned working for Hans Zimmer and how those experiences informed his work at Output. Gregg elaborated on how focusing towards a clear vision can help creatives work through the process and finish more work. Gregg also shared details about Output's latest wo ..read more