Shows / 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
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.
Episodes
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
How My Didgeridoo Landed on The Bachelor
In this episode, Dave breaks down "Outback Intrigue," an Australian-inspired tension cue featuring the didgeridoo that landed on ABC's The Bachelor, sharing…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Is There Still Money in Sync in 2026?
In this episode, Dave and Jeff explore whether there's still money to be made in sync in 2026, comparing royalties from network sports, cable TV, streaming…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Can Production Music Prepare You for Film Scoring?
In this episode, production music composer and 52 Cues community mentor Mary Shaw shares what she learned during five months at Michael Whittaker's Scorecraft…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Reviewing Your Cues LIVE
In this special live episode of the 52 Cues Podcast, I’m reviewing cues submitted by members of the 52 Cues community and giving real-time feedback on what’s…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What I Listen For When Reviewing Cues
In this episode, Dave reviews a production music cue from composer and bassist Elysa Tancheff, breaking down what he listens for in arrangement, energy, edit…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What's going on this week at 52 Cues? | 2026 Week 38
Weekly Feedback - Week 38https://my.52cues.com/posts/weekly-feedback-weekly-feedback-week-38Office…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
The Unwritten Rules of Sync
In this episode, Dave and 52 Cues community mentor Jeff LaPlante unpack the unwritten rules of production music, from pitching and follow-up etiquette to…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What's going on this week at 52 Cues? | 2026 Week 37
Weekly Feedback - Week 37https://my.52cues.com/posts/weekly-feedback-weekly-feedback-week-37Office Hours with Marlon…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
The Non-Negotiables of Production Music Genres
In this episode Dave and 52 Cues community mentor Jeff LaPlante break down the non-negotiable sounds, arranging choices, and production techniques behind…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
How Much Music Theory Does a Producer Really Need? (with Dr. Tim Stulman)
In this episode, Dave talks with Dr. Tim Stulman, Program Director for Music Production at Full Sail University and creator of Keyboard Kafe, about how much…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What's going on this week at 52 Cues? | 2026 Week 35
Weekly Feedback - Week 35https://my.52cues.com/posts/weekly-feedback-weekly-feedback-week-35How Would You Start a Composing Career in 2026 (with Anne-Kathrin…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
How Would You Start a Composing Career in 2026 (with Anne-Kathrin Dern)?
In this episode, film and game composer Anne-Kathrin Dern joins Dave to talk about how she’d start a composing career in 2026, including the differences…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What's going on this week at 52 Cues? | 2026 Week 34
Weekly Feedback - Week 34https://my.52cues.com/posts/weekly-feedback-weekly-feedback-week-34Office Hourshttps://my.52cues.com/events/office-hours-104215323Live…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
We Asked Anne-Kathrin Dern About Her Brutal Composer Advice
In this episode, film and game composer Anne-Kathrin Dern joins Dave to talk about her recent brutally honest composer advice, how her own career has evolved…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What's going on this week at 52 Cues? | 2026 Week 33
Watch this on YouTube: https://youtu.be/72TYUpvBsysWeekly Feedback - Week 33https://my.52cues.com/posts/95668894Office…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
I Wrote 8 Cues in a Week and Didn’t Burn Out
In this episode, Dave reflects on what he learned from spending an entire week focused almost exclusively on writing music, and how simplicity, flow state, and…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What's going on this week at 52 Cues? | 2026 Week 32
Weekly Feedback - Week 32https://my.52cues.com/posts/weekly-feedback-weekly-feedback-week-32Office Hourshttps://my.52cues.com/posts/103906733Q&A and Cue Review…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Have You Outgrown Your Composer Workflow?
In this episode, Dave talks with Pibox founder and CEO Ivan Talaichuk about the point where Dropbox, email, and spreadsheets stop being enough and what…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What's going on this week at 52 Cues? | 2026 Week 31
Weekly Feedback - Week 31https://my.52cues.com/posts/weekly-feedback-weekly-feedback-week-31Office Hourshttps://my.52cues.com/posts/103906733Orchestral Chat…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Is Production Music Worth It in 2026?
In part two of their response to Anne-Kathrin Dern's brutally honest career advice, Jeff and Dave look at the money, the workload, the lifestyle, and the…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What's going on this week at 52 Cues? | 2026 Week 29
Weekly Feedback - Week 29https://my.52cues.com/posts/weekly-feedback-weekly-feedback-week-29Office Hourshttps://my.52cues.com/events/office-hours-103906725How…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
How Hard Is it to Make a Living in Production Music?
In this episode, Dave and Jeff use Anne-Kathrin Dern’s recent composer reality-check video as a jumping off point to discuss how hard it really is to make a…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What's going on this week at 52 Cues? | 2026 Week 28
Weekly Feedback - Week 28https://my.52cues.com/posts/weekly-feedback-weekly-feedback-week-28Free Workshop! From Sketch To Screen (with Jeff…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
How Sketching Makes Writing Cues Easier
In this episode, community mentor Jeff Hargrove explains why a simple piano sketch can make writing cues easier before production takes over. Watch this…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
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…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
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…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
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…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
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…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
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…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
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…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
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…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
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…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Can AI Help Get Your Cues Signed? (with Alan Lazar)
In this episode, I’m joined by composer, library owner, and PMA vice chair Alan Lazar to talk about ethical AI, production music submissions, and whether tools…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Composers, You Need a Second Brain
In this episode, Dave is joined by 52 Cues mentor Mary Shaw to talk about building a “second brain” for composers, getting ideas and tasks out of your head…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Why Good Music Isn’t Enough in Sync
In this episode, Dave and Jeff LaPlante talk about the non-musical skills that can make a huge difference in the sync business. Watch this episode on YouTube…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Stop Using Spreadsheets for Metadata with Cuemonic
In this episode, Dave is joined by Jesse Carrigan to talk about Cuemonic, the metadata tool he’s building for composers and publishers, and why this…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Inside the Production Pipeline of Warner Chappell
In this episode, Dave sits down with Warner Chappell Production Music’s Dave Milne to talk about what libraries really look for in composers, how the…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What It Takes to Score a Network Game Show
In this episode, I’m talking with Timothy Andrew Edwards and Tim Mosher about how they landed the music for Nate Bargatze’s Greatest Average American and what…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
How Do You Actually Go Full-Time in Production Music?
In this episode Dave is joined by Steven McDonald to talk about how he went from posting music on YouTube to landing major placements, why he writes fast and…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
The Biggest Sync Mistakes We’ve Ever Made
In this episode, Dave and Jeff LaPlante share some of the biggest sync mistakes they’ve made, from technical blunders and bad deals to mindset traps and missed…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What Non-Drummers Get Wrong About Programming Drums
In this episode, Dave is joined by community ambassador and drum educator Michael Reschke to break down the biggest mistakes non-drummers make when programming…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
How Do Composers Find New Libraries?
In this episode, Dave and Jeff break down practical strategies for finding new production music libraries, building relationships, and pitching in a way that…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
TV Composer Reviews Your Production Music Cues Live!
In this episode I review cues from the 52 Cues Community! Watch this episode on YouTube! https://youtu.be/1hgYh8PZaRg Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Let's Talk Trailer Music (with Randon Purcell)
In this episode, trailer composer Randon Purcell breaks down what it actually takes to write modern trailer music, from massive structure and signature sounds…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Do I Just Suck at Workflow?
In this episode, me and 52 Cues mentor Mary Shaw unpack why “bad workflow” is often a misdiagnosis and how simple project management tools can make writing and…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
What New Composers Get Wrong About Sync
In this episode, Jeff Hargrove and I talk about the early mistakes new composers often make when stepping into production music – from chasing plugins and…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Building Better Work-Life Balance
This week, Greg Fellman and I talk work-life balance and how routines, boundaries, travel, burnout, and community can actually recharge you instead of…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
The Production Music Industry Quietly Changed
In this episode, Jeff LaPlante and I talk about how production and library music has changed in the last decade, why authenticity matters more, and how…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Your Influences Are Louder Than You Think
In this episode, Jeff LaPlante joins me as the first co-host of 2026, and we’re talking about influences – the obvious ones, the weird ones, and the ones you…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
I Wrote Fewer Cues in 2025. Should I Be Worried?
In this episode, Mrs. 52 Cues and I wrap up the year by looking honestly at what worked, what didn’t, and how 2025 shaped both my writing life and the…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
I Use The Same Mixing Method on Every Cue
In this episode, I walk through my entire mixing and mastering process from beginning to end using a real indie pop cue as the example. We zoom out and talk…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Office Hours with Prof. Dave
In this episode, Dave opens up live office hours for an Ask Me Anything session. Topics range from PRO royalties and cue output expectations to writing tension…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Inside the A&R Mind (with Farnell Newton)
In this episode, I’m joined by trumpeter, educator, and Marmoset A&R lead Farnell Newton for a conversation that tackles some of the biggest pain points…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
How to Write True Crime Tension Cues
In this episode, we’re taking a closer look at the true crime corner of the light-tension spectrum where I’ll walk you through the sounds, the pulses, and the…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
I Said This Isn’t Art… Was I Wrong?
In this episode, I revisit the bold 2021 statement that what we do in production music isn’t art and ask if that still holds up in the age of AI. I talk about…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Meet the Exec Who Decides Which Cues Get Used
In this episode I am joined by Emmy and Mark Award–winning composer and Head of Production at Warner Chappell Production Music, Scott Reinwand, and we chat…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
The PROs Say Yes to AI Music. Should You?
In this episode, I unpack what ASCAP, BMI, and SOCAN’s new policy on partially AI-generated works means for production music composers. We’ll talk about where…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
A VIP Tour of 52 Cues
Ever wonder what really goes on inside 52 Cues? In this episode, I’m unpacking how the community works, what each space is for, and how it all ties together to…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Why Conferences Matter (PMC 2025 Recap)
This week, Shannon joins me to unpack her very first Production Music Conference – what it’s really like to meet the 52 Cues community in person, how one…
- 52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Level Up Your Pitches with Reelcrafter 2.5
In this episode, Sam Hulick and Sara Pocius from ReelCrafter return to talk about the brand-new ReelCrafter 2.5 update, what’s new under the hood, and how it…