Episodios

  • Must-Know Tips for Music Conferences
    Sep 4 2025

    In this episode, I share practical tips for navigating music conferences without feeling overwhelmed. From what to bring and how to prepare, to approaching networking in a way that builds real connections at events like PMC, the Taxi Road Rally, or any industry gathering!

    Plus, we listen to a new ominous intrigue cue, "Shanks for the Memories."

    Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/k0NGPyYsMrU

    Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

    Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
    It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

    Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

    One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

    Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
    Más Menos
    47 m
  • How to Write Investigative Tension Cues
    Aug 28 2025

    In this episode, we’re unpacking investigative tension cues – those cerebral, clue-assembling moments that show up everywhere from crime and dating shows and house hunting reveals.

    Watch this episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/yMJaUS776yQ

    Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

    Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
    It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

    Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

    One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

    Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
    Más Menos
    47 m
  • Vacation Fails & Life Lessons
    Aug 21 2025

    In this episode, Mrs. 52 Cues joins me to talk about our recent vacation that started with noisy cabins, wrong turns, and even a dropped pizza. But somewhere between the chaos, the hang gliders, and the quiet mountain mornings, we discovered some unexpected lessons about life and what it means to be a composer.

    Plus, we take a listen to an Italian-infused hip-hop comedy cue, "Leave the Cannoli."

    Watch this episode on YouTube!
    https://youtu.be/Kj4DX4IoxrM

    Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

    Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
    It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

    Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

    One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

    Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
    Más Menos
    1 h y 17 m
  • Prep Like a Chef: The Composer’s Mise en Place
    Aug 14 2025

    In this episode, I show how the French cooking concept of mise en place can streamline your cue-writing process. You’ll learn five practical steps to get organized, work faster, and hit deadlines – plus, I feature my dark, ominous tension cue, "From Inside the House."

    Watch this episode on YouTube

    https://youtu.be/VB8Jy_jHLo0

    Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

    Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
    It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

    Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

    One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

    Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
    Más Menos
    37 m
  • The 4 Stages of Learning Any DAW
    Aug 7 2025

    In this week’s episode, I compare learning a new DAW to learning a new language – and share where I’m at in my own journey toward “speaking” Ableton Live fluently. Plus, I feature a new reggaeton-meets-comedy hip hop cue.

    Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pEN_lE0HZyo

    Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

    Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
    It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

    Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

    One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

    Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
    Más Menos
    47 m
  • Chomp and Circumstance
    Jul 31 2025

    In this episode, I’m joined by band director and composer Brandon Psenicka, whose eerie reimagining of the classic graduation march – complete with creepy vocals from his own daughter – took first place in our recent Composer Quest!

    Watch this episode on YouTube!
    https://youtu.be/OFSRYuqc6TI

    https://brandonpsenickamusic.com

    https://www.jwpepper.com/s?q=psenicka&fuzzy=0&operator=and&facets=fuzzy%2Coperator&sort=score_desc&page=0

    Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

    Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
    It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

    Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

    One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

    Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
    Más Menos
    42 m
  • Your Sync Questions, Answered!
    Jul 25 2025

    In this episode, I’m playing submissions from our latest Composer Quest – “A Whole New Light,” and then we open things up for a live Q&A. We talk stems and deliverables, SoundCloud ads, mastering workflow tips, library contracts, and even whether or not you should leave your computer on overnight.

    Watch this episode on YouTube!
    https://youtu.be/H9uHTZcDNg4

    Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

    Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
    It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

    Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

    One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

    Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
    Más Menos
    1 h y 4 m
  • 5 Failures That Kill Your Creative Output
    Jul 10 2025

    In today’s episode, we’re talking about the unexpected breakdowns that threaten to bring your entire creative process to a halt. Plus, Dave features “Thoughts and Prayers,” a recent ominous tension cue written for a documentary.

    Watch this episode on YouTube
    https://youtu.be/SHb9GCqSlyg

    Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

    Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
    It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

    Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

    One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

    Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
    Más Menos
    1 h y 2 m