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
297 episodes
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.
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 edit...
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 ...
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 like TrackTrove.ai can help human composers get their cues heard.
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, and creating systems that help future-you stay focused, organized, and more productive....
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: https://youtu.be/7ARhc9dohm4
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 unglamorous part of the business matters more than most of us realize. Watch thi...
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 production pipeline works behind the scenes, and what it takes to turn great cues into truly u...
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 it really takes to score a network game show.Watch this episode on...
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 doesn’t throw ideas away, and the honest truth about the freedom, pressure, and discip...
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 opportunities.Watch this episode on YouTube:
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 drums.Watch this episode on YouTube:
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 gets you taken seriously in the sync industry.Watch this episode on YouTube:...
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
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 to trends, placements, and surviving in a saturated market.Fallout Mus...
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 delivering cues feel far more doable.Watch this episode on YouTube!
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 genres to overlooking the fundamentals that actually move the needle. Watc...
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 distracting you.Watch this episode on YouTube!
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 streaming has shifted the royalty game.Watch this episode on YouTube:
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 don’t realize you’re borrowing from. Watch this episode on YouTube:
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 evolution of 52 Cues. We also lay out what’s coming in 2026 – new podcast formats, mentors, m...
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 about building a repeatable, genre-agnostic approach to mixing that helps you work fast...
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 versus upbeat cues, epic versus non-epic styles, synth tools, sample libraries, moni...
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 composers face in the sync world. We talk about what actually catches an A&R rep’s ...
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 gritty textures that push this style right up to the edge of ominous tension.