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
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.
Watch this episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/wzAwYf4O9x8
Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, m...
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.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2FoaMZuqekk
Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performanc...
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 motion without getting in the way.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mTf90xoGIdc
Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 uniq...
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 a blueprint for your own cues!
Plus we check out a new Trip Hop crime tension cue, "Hard of Red Herring."
Watch this episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/U-tL_t2OvBw
Cymbal SFX - Bow...
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, or any industry gathering!
Plus, we listen to a new ominous intrigue cue, "Shanks for the Memories."
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/k0NGPyYsMrU
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 - https://youtu.be/yMJaUS776yQ
Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded for tension-filled tracks and cinematic...
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 some unexpected lessons about life and what it means to be a composer.
Plus, we take a listen to an Italian-infused hip-hop comedy cue, "Leave the Cannoli."
Watch this episode on YouTu...
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, "From Inside the House."
Watch this episode on YouTube
Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 un...
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 this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pEN_lE0HZyo
Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded ...
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!
Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/OFSRYuqc6TI
https://brandonpsenickamusic.com
https://www.jwpepper.com/s?q=psenicka&fuzzy=0&operator=and&facets=fuzzy%2Coperator&sort=scor...
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 whether or not you should leave your computer on overnight.
Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/H9uHTZcDNg4
Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—...
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 this episode on YouTube
https://youtu.be/SHb9GCqSlyg
Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously ...
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 light tension spectrum.
Plus, I feature one of my latest hip hop comedy cues, "Cat Gotye Tongue."
Watch this episode on YouTube
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, I share a no-pizzicato dramedy waltz from my latest Discovery album.
Watch this episode on YouTube!
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 adds realism, nuance, and authenticity – giving your music an edge the machines just can’t match.
Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/gp_vsawIZL8
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 – a dramedy cue written without a single pizzicato string.
Watch this episode on YouTube
Other links:
https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/09/soundcloud-changes-policies-to-allow-ai-train...
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.
Watch this episode on YouTube
Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, m...
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 a brand new playful dramedy cue with no pizzicato strings!
Watch this episode on YouTube
https://youtu.be/Rqhy-npPH0k
Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterf...
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 to ska, cinematic trailer to chipmunk glitchcore.
Vote for your favorites at https://52cues.com/vote!
Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Mj_xxGFzjn8
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
https://youtu.be/ef1lMcXViHo
Cymbal SFX - Bowed! Elevate your soundscapes with Cymbal SFX - Bowed—a masterful collection of 68 unique bowed cymbal performances, meticulously recorded for tension-filled tracks and ...
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