52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast

Dave Kropf
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Hosted by working composer and long-time professor Dave Kropf, the 52 Cues Podcast takes you inside the real world of production music, library music, and sync licensing – breaking down cues, unpacking industry insights, and sharing candid conversations with fellow composers and publishers.  Weekly episodes deliver practical strategies, creative inspiration, and insider information to help you land more placements and build a sustainable career in sync.

  1. 1 day ago

    Our Most-Used Plugins for Production Music

    In this episode, Dave and community mentor Jeff LaPlante share their most-used instruments, tools, plugins, and effects to help production music composers build a dependable toolkit without wasting money on plugins you might not really need. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_pIAgPHp760 PLUGINS, SOUNDS, AND LIBRARIES DISCUSSED SOUNDS AND LIBRARIES Omnisphere https://www.spectrasonics.net/products/omnisphere The Unfinished Omnisphere Soundsets https://www.theunfinished.co.uk/store/ Splice https://splice.com Serato Sample https://serato.com/sample The Fame Series: Modern Pop https://www.ilio.com/the-fame-series-modern-pop ProjectSAM Symphobia https://projectsam.com/libraries/symphobia Native Instruments Komplete https://www.native-instruments.com/en/catalog/komplete/ EFFECTS Melodyne https://www.celemony.com/en/melodyne Logic Pro Sample Delay https://support.apple.com/guide/logicpro/sample-delay-controls-lgcef18b8738/mac Logic Pro Stereo Delay https://support.apple.com/guide/logicpro/stereo-delay-controls-lgcef18b892f/mac Logic Pro Compressor https://support.apple.com/guide/logicpro/compressor-overview-lgcead9636ef/mac Fender Studio Pro X-Trem https://www.fender.com/products/fender-studio-pro HONORABLE MENTIONS Vienna Synchron Stage Reverb https://www.vsl.co.at/products/software/synchron-stage-reverb Waves TrueVerb https://www.waves.com/plugins/trueverb Soundtoys Little AlterBoy https://www.soundtoys.com/product/little-alterboy/ Soundtoys MicroShift https://www.soundtoys.com/product/microshift/ The God Particle https://cradle.app/products/the-god-particle Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard. Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues! 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!

    1hr 2min

  2. 25 Jun

    How to Learn Orchestration Without Feeling Overwhelmed

    In this episode, Philip Johnston returns to explain how Orchestration Recipes makes complex concepts more practical, what Volume 6 brings to everyday orchestral writing, and where AI may fit into the future of composition and virtual performance. Orchestration Recipes Vol. 6 is out now! https://orchestrationrecipes.com Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard. Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues! 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!

    49 min

  3. 18 Jun

    Your Cue Got Accepted! Don't Blow the Deliverables.

    In this episode Dave and community mentor Jeff LaPlante break down production music deliverables, including mixes, stems, cutdowns, file naming, metadata, loudness, and the common mistakes that can make an accepted cue harder for libraries and editors to use. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yIXUIyolKRk Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard. Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues! 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!

    1hr 12min

  4. 12 Jun

    Dave Answers Your Production Music Questions

    In this episode, Dave answers your production music questions including generative AI, following up with libraries, pitching albums professionally, recovering exclusive cues, building a sustainable sync catalog, and why the tools you use matter when revisions and deliverables are part of the job. Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard. Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues! 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!

    1hr 13min

  5. 4 Jun

    Inside a 52 Cues Cue Breakdown

    In this episode, Dave pulls back the curtain on 52 Cues with a look inside a cue breakdown, showing how composition, structure, arrangement, and production choices all work together in a finished cue. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YfOLFtiPIig Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard. Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues! 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!

    34 min

  6. 28 May

    Is Using Loops "Lazy?"

    In this episode, Dave and Jeff discuss whether loops and samples are lazy, how samples can be transformed into original production music cues, and why legal usage still doesn’t always protect you from Content ID headaches or library concerns. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PFoHpTAsHbo Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard. Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues! 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!

    52 min

  7. 21 May

    Brutally Honest Advice from a Library CEO (Chuck Henry, 10 West Music)

    In this episode Chuck Henry, founder and CEO of 10 West Music, shares brutally honest advice for production music composers on pitching libraries, preparing clean deliverables, avoiding lazy loop usage, and writing cues that actually serve editors and supervisors. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4m7ZUa0aPaw Links: https://10westmusic.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-henry-22a1bb8/ Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard. Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues! 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!

    49 min

  8. 14 May

    Stop Pitching and Start Building Relationships

    In this episode, Dave and community mentor Greg Fellman share five practical networking tips for production music composers, from building real relationships to following up and being ready when opportunities show up. Denver Composers Collective - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1433710441750662 Sync Meetup Austin - https://www.facebook.com/syncatx Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MAHozCY7fRk Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard. Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues! 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!

    54 min
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About

Hosted by working composer and long-time professor Dave Kropf, the 52 Cues Podcast takes you inside the real world of production music, library music, and sync licensing – breaking down cues, unpacking industry insights, and sharing candid conversations with fellow composers and publishers.  Weekly episodes deliver practical strategies, creative inspiration, and insider information to help you land more placements and build a sustainable career in sync.

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