Zach Robinson and Leo Birenberg are film score composers whose credits include Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Cobra Kai, Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, and Florida Man.  Zach, Leo, and I had a great conversation about their work with the Weird Al biopic and scoring Cobra Kai. Both shared their thoughts about bringing films to life, working together and with others, and how they seek to challenge themselves and bring their best to every project. Listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, ...

Even though I spend most of my days wishing I had more time to make music, when that time arrives, I find myself avoiding the task.  Why do we Procrastinate? What can we do to end procrastination and get to work? In this episode of the Music Production Podcast, I share 3 techniques that have worked for me over the years. Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/XYhsBdo__80 Listen on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Google, or watch on YouTube Show Notes: Seth Godin on Chores -...

Zack Zarrillo is co-founder of Alternate Side, a full-service music company that represents over 30 artists in the alternative/rock/pop/electronic/metal genres. He also co-founded Bad Timing Records, and he began writing his popular music blog "PropertyOfZack" when he was just 16 years old. In addition to helping artists build their careers, Zack is co-owner of Hello Donuts + Coffee in Philadelphia, PA. Zack spoke about the ways the music industry has evolved over the last 15 years and the...

Making Music is hard. Even when we have attained all of the skills and knowledge to create music, it's still extremely difficult to finish music. Along the way, there are thousands of tiny decisions that need to be made. At each decision lies the risk of running into self-doubt and a crippling inner critic. In this episode of the Music Production Podcast, we explore the importance of almost recklessly making decisions and committing to them. Listen on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Google, or...

Amadeus360 started his career as a DJ and came up under the mentorship of the legendary Kid Capri. He's also produced records for Rap legends like Kool G Rap, Busta Rhymes, Paul Wall, Sheek Louch of The LOX, etc. His new album The MPC Jedi releases on May 12 Amadeus and I spoke about his work as a boom bap hip hop producer. He shared his experiences collaborating with a wide range of artists and how his work ethic and dedication to quality and authenticity have served him during his...

Paul Laski is a music producer, sound designer, and Ableton Certified Trainer. He designs sounds in the factory preset bank of XFER Records Serum and sample and preset packs for Sample Magic, Splice, and Sonic Academy. Paul teaches computer music production, sound design, and live performance with ICON Collective in Los Angeles. I had a great conversation with Paul about how he has carved out a career in music via producing, teaching, and sound design. Paul went into detail about the...

Ariane Paras helps artists define their vision, build confidence, and find the strength to reach their goals. She runs Olympia Coaching and has 15 years of experience in the music industry and has been coaching artists along their journey for 8 years.  In our second conversation on the podcast, Ariane and I spoke about fears and struggles artists face. Ariane shared how we can pay close attention to our mindset and thoughts to reframe challenges and criticisms into learning and growth...

Keppie Coutts and Benny Romalis are professional songwriters who run the website and YouTube Channel How to Write Songs. Both have released numerous albums, written songs for many artists, and teach songwriting. Their YouTube channel is one of my personal favorites and their courses have helped thousands of songwriters. Keppie, Benny, and I had a great discussion about writing music and their new course on Udemy: The 5 Most Powerful Songwriting Exercises... Revealed. Keppie and Bennie...

Matthew Patrei is a music producer and teacher who releases music under the name Yasei Mare, which means "Wild Ocean." Matt just released his new album, EP Two. He teaches music at the Steeple Street Music Academy in Massachusetts. Matt and I had a great conversation about the creation of his new Yasei Mare album, EP Two. We discussed his songwriting methods, vocal production, and sound design. Matt shared how he manages to overcome creative challenges in himself and his students. Listen on...

Rob Kovacs is a classical trained pianist, singer/songwriter, and composer. He recently released the soundtrack for the game Straylight. Rob performs classic video game soundtracks on piano as 88-Bit, and he also writes and records indie rock music under his own name.  I met Rob at the Long Island Retro Gaming Expo last summer where he performed as 88-Bit, playing piano renditions of classic video game soundtracks. On this episode, we had a great conversation about his work as 88-bit, his...

Ben Burnes is a musician, producer, and game developer. Every week for years, and nearly 400 times, Ben has live streamed his production of a new song in two hours. He is a prolific creator and also has a large collection of sample packs to help fellow producers create their music.  This is my fourth conversation with Ben on the podcast! We covered a wide range of topics, including how to finish songs, creating a discipline around music production, and how to find a artistic balance that is...

Matthew Dicks is a best-selling author of fiction and non-fiction, including two books I immediately started reading again when I finished them, Storyworthy and Someday is Today. He is the 56-time Moth Story Slam Champion and 9-time Grand Slam Champion. He also wrote a rock opera. Matthew Dicks is a master storyteller and discussed how good story-telling can help make us better songwriters and conversationalists. He shared specific techniques and practices that will help artists of all kinds...

Cameron of Venus Theory is a musician, sound designer, and YouTuber. He works for many companies producing music, presets, and videos. Cameron shares his musical adventures and artistic philosophy on his YouTube channel, where he inspires fellow artists to "create something awesome." Cameron and I discussed his work and how he has forged a career as an independent artist. He explains how staying true to his beliefs and curiosities is at the core of his success.  Listen on ...

John Matthias and Jay Auborn are a British duo that takes their experiments with sound to new levels, catapulting their work into unexplored territories of human-robotic collaboration. John is a violinist and composer, Jay is a musician, producer, and sound artist. Their new album Ghost Notes utilizes their unique combination of skills to create mini electronic symphonies. John and Jay spoke about their forthcoming album, Ghost Notes, and their work on the video game soundtrack for The...

Kevin Breuner is the SVP of Artist Engagement & Education at CD Baby. He and his team produce educational content to help independent artists move their careers forward in a rapidly changing industry. Kevin plays guitar in Smalltown Poets, who recently released their 10th album NWxSE. Kevin and I spoke about the changes happening in the music industry. Whether it's AI, social media, or changing trends, Kevin looks for ways to help independent artists navigate their careers. Listen on ...

Evan Price is the CEO of Artist collective where he coaches musicians helping them generate revenue to have the financial freedom they need to pursue the lives they’ve always wanted. Evan is a lifelong musician who hopes to help artists with the business side of the music business. Evan and I spoke about how artists can build their careers. We discussed some of the new technological developments that artists face and how they can brace themselves to succeed in everchanging music climate. ...

Ebonie Smith is an award-winning music producer, audio engineer, and singer-songwriter. She is a 10-year in-house engineer at Atlantic Records, and the founder and President of Gender Amplified Inc., a camp experience that supports women and gender non-binary in music production and audio engineering. Smith has received numerous awards and worked with artists like Charlie Puth, Ms. Lauryn Hill, The Roots, Kodak Black, Zoe Kravitz, and many more.  Ebonie spoke about her work and experience....

Alex Walker is a musician, producer, and YouTuber, who creates under the name Human Synthetics. Alex has created numerous videos for Isotonik Studios and is known for his live streams. During the streams, Alex shares all parts of the creative process, including the less glamorous struggles, in order to share an accurate depiction of the process. Alex and I had a great talk about his work and the creative process in general. Alex spoke about how live streaming has focused his work and helped...

Tommy Zee runs Tommy Zee and Co., a music production company that makes music for some of the world's largest brands, such as Nike, Adidas, Google, Sony, and more. He created the site Making Music for Brands that teaches producers how to get in the business of producing music for companies. This is the third time Tommy and I have done a podcast. You don't do three podcasts unless you enjoy it and find lots of value in it. I look forward to our fourth.  Tommy shared a ton of wisdom from his...

Imposter Syndrome is the feeling that we are not qualified or good enough to do something and that someone will expose us as a fraud. In this episode, I speak about Imposter Syndrome, what we can do about it, and an embarrassing mistake I made that is proof that I am complete fraud in everything I do! Listen on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Google, or watch on YouTube Show Notes: Brian Funk Website - https://brianfunk.com Music Production Club - https://brianfunk.com/mpc  5-Minute Music...

Roger Neill is an accomplished film and television composer who worked on the new Hulu film Darby and the Dead, the award-winning Sam Now, and all 13 seasons of King of the Hill. He has arranged and orchestrated concerts for artists such as Beck, John Legend, and Air. Roger's work has received numerous awards, including an Emmy for King of the Hill, and he holds a PhD in music from Harvard. Roger and I discussed his work on the film Darby and the Dead, including how they needed to rethink...

This is the Some Good Evil Vinyl Listening Party! Some Good Evil is my 3-piece rock band. I play guitar and sing. Alex Oliveira sings background vocals and plays bass. Chris P. Cauley plays drums and sings background vocals.  In this episode, the band gets together at Chris' house to listen to our newly arrived vinyl records. We discuss some of the stories behind the songs, the writing process, and the creative and philosophical approaches we took as a band to complete the album.  You'll...

Brendan Becker is a chiptune musician and video game composer. He produces music using a variety of vintage video game systems under the name Inverse Phase. Brendan runs the Bloop Museum in Maryland, USA, where classic video game consoles and vintage electronics are on display and ready for interaction. Brendan shared his deep knowledge of classic video game sound chips as well as how he creates music with them. He details how such systems and chips produce sound with minimal computing...

Jason Donnelly, aka DJ Puzzle, is a musician and sound designer, as well as co-founder of Soundtrack Loops. Soundtrack Loops provides producers with royalty-free samples and loops. Jason and Soundtrack Loops create sounds for many of the industry's biggest companies including Acid, Roland, Antares, and more. In January 2023, Jason and Soundtrack Loops co-founder Matt Yost are launching their first plug-in, Double Scoop, under the brand Array Sounds. Jason's music has been placed in many...