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
266 episodes
The Secrets of Tasking Cues
In this episode, we’re unpacking tasking cues – the music that underscores moments of focus, pacing, and process in reality TV and beyond. We’ll talk about what makes them work, where they’re used, and break down one of my own inside the DAW.
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Season 2025
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Episode 39
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43:00
What Does "Editor-Friendly" Mean?
In this episode, I unpack what it really means to write an editor-friendly cue. We’ll look at the six essentials that reduce friction in the edit bay and I'll walk through a Shark Week investigation cue I recently wrote and put it to the test.<...
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Season 2025
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Episode 38
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37:45
Writing Melodies That Work
In this episode, I unpack my approach to writing melodies that really work inside production music cues. I walk through how I build motivic ideas, how modes shape the emotional color of a phrase, and how static melodies can create forward...
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Season 2025
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Episode 37
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48:42
Unlocking the Secrets of Reference Cues
In this episode, I share a simple framework I created to help composers break down and study reference cues. You’ll learn how to listen for the musical elements that shape mood and emotion and how to extract those details so you can use them as...
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Season 2025
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Episode 36
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48:47
Must-Know Tips for Music Conferences
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...
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Season 2025
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Episode 35
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46:03
How to Write Investigative Tension Cues
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 -
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Season 2025
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Episode 34
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46:50
Vacation Fails & Life Lessons
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 so...
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Season 2025
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Episode 33
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1:16:49
Prep Like a Chef: The Composer’s Mise en Place
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, ...
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Season 2025
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Episode 32
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36:37
The 4 Stages of Learning Any DAW
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 t...
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Season 2025
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Episode 31
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46:37
Chomp and Circumstance
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!Wa...
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Season 2025
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Episode 30
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41:48
Your Sync Questions, Answered!
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 w...
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Season 2025
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Episode 29
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1:03:39
5 Failures That Kill Your Creative Output
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 ...
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Season 2025
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Episode 27
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1:01:41
How I Think About Light Tension
In this episode, I’m again leaning into my professor side to break down one of the most widely used styles in production music: light tension. From tasking and corporate cues to investigative and true crime textures, we’re unpacking the entire ...
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Season 2025
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Episode 26
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31:33
Sync Terms You Should Know (But Were Afraid to Ask)
In this week's episode, you're invited into Professor Dave’s classroom as I break down the sync music terms every composer should know – but might’ve been too embarrassed to ask. From PROs to button endings, we’re clearing up the jargon. Plus, ...
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Season 2025
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Episode 24
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42:50
Give Your Cues an Edge That Beats AI
In this episode, I explore one simple, yet powerful way to make your cues stand out in a world where AI is getting better by the minute. Using my latest dramedy cue, “Of Mice and Mensa,” as a real-world example, I unpack a creative habit that a...
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Season 2025
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Episode 23
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26:28
Composers, It’s Time to Leave SoundCloud
In this episode, I talk about why SoundCloud just might be too risky for production music composers. From AI policy concerns to publishers turning away cues hosted there, is it time to pull the plug? Plus, I share Optimist Prime –
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Season 2025
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Episode 22
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29:56
Ask Dave Anything (LIVE)!
In this episode, I’m answering your questions live – from piano mixing and cue layering strategies to how many libraries you should pitch to at once. We also cover reversion clauses, B sections in dramedy and sports cues, and pitching etiquette...
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Season 2025
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Episode 21
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1:10:10
Why Your Metadata (Probably) Sucks (with Mrs. 52 Cues)
In this episode, I’m joined by Mrs. 52 Cues (Shannon Kropf) to talk about the one thing composers love to avoid: metadata. We’ll unpack why it matters, where we go wrong, and how to stop sabotaging our own discoverability.Plus I feature ...
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Season 2025
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Episode 20
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1:04:35
Pomp and Circumstance – Composer Quest LIVE!
In this episode, we host a live listening party for our latest Composer Quest: Pomp and Circumstance, where 52 Cues community members were challenged to reimagine the classic graduation march in any genre they wanted – from orchestral ...
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Season 2025
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Episode 19
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52:44
Even More Inconvenient Truths About Production Music
From rejection to relationships, I unpack five more hard truths every production music composer needs to hear, but probably hasn’t. Plus I feature a recent Indian-infused world hip-hop cue!Watch this episode on YouTube
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Season 2025
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Episode 18
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44:02
The Four "C's" of Success
In this episode, I break down the Four C’s of Success – a practical framework to help composers stay clear, creative, and on track from start to finish.Plus I feature a new investigation tension cue and give my thoughts on a psychedelic...
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Season 2025
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Episode 17
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48:16
These 5 Small Choices Can Mean Huge Growth
In this episode, I’m sharing five small daily choices, plus a bonus one, that can quietly shape your growth and long-term success as a production music composer.Plus I feature one of my cues that I KNOW you've heard before, and I give m...
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Season 2025
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Episode 16
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49:23
An Editor Tells Why Great Cues Get Cut! (with Biagio Messina)!
In this episode, veteran TV producer and editor Biagio Messina joins me to talk about how cues actually get used in real-world productions – and what composers can do to make their music easier to work with.Plus I feature a new uplifting...
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Season 2025
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Episode 15
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1:45:30
These Climbers Made the Summit of Expedition 52!
In this episode, I’m joined by composers who completed the 2024 Expedition 52 composer quest – a year-long challenge to write one cue and give one piece of feedback every single week. We talk about what they learned, how they stayed motivated, ...
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Season 2025
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Episode 14
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1:21:04
They Went From Returns to Real Placements (with Michael Reschke)!
Michael and Yuka Reschke were doing everything right… but still felt stuck. In this episode, we talk about what changed, how they found their lane, and how they pushed through when quitting seemed easier.Plus, I’m sharing a new epic roc...
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Season 2025
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Episode 13
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1:16:07