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, 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 YouTube: https://youtu.be/dP71SNhtENo
Greatest Average American on ABC: https://abc.com/show/a0f061ad-bc3e-49f4-926f-40f80f8c7090
Evil Genius: https://www.facebook.com/groups/877961207308818
S...
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 discipline it takes to make this work for real.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WqfsFl0hLrY
https://www.stevenmcdonaldmusic.com/music
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCra...
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: https://youtu.be/iR7q0SAklBQ
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.
Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!
Join...
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: https://youtu.be/qMSUlzL6iZA
Connect with Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelreschke1
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are h...
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: https://youtu.be/kMeLqJJlOYI
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.
Start your free trial ...
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 from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.
Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!
Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community,...
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 Music Group: http://falloutmusicgroup.com
- Randon’s Trailer Course (Hybrid Orchestral Composition and Sound): https://www.masterthescore.com/course/hybrid-orchestral-composition-and-sound
- Brand X Music: htt...
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! https://youtu.be/kEP9Ixeesfg
Getting Things Done by David Allen - https://amzn.to/49ZFIRB
Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte - https://amzn.to/4rxRIQ6
Essentialism by Greg McKeown - https://amzn....
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.
Watch this episode on YouTube! https://youtu.be/RSM5S5sPFpQ
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.
S...
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! https://youtu.be/IVm4dxN1SWQ
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.
Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!
Join the 52...
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: https://youtu.be/6gPapVS1b5o
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.
Start your free trial at ReelCrafte...
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: https://youtu.be/veX7p3hbjlE
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.
Start your free trial at ReelC...
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, masterclasses, community changes, and a clearer vision for building a sustainable creative life together.
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch y...
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 faster, trust your decisions, and get consistent results across any type of cue.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2qh9iEGdERQ
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, ...
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, monitoring setups, and sustainable work life balance as a composer.
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly whe...
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 ear, why organization and deliverables matter just as much as great writing, and how real human performances still rise above the noise in an AI-heavy landscape.
Plus, we listen to a new Indie...
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.
Watch this episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/Dc4c5bXRJK0
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cue...
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 how technology has shifted the production music world and if the artisan mindset still matters.
Plus, we’ll take a listen to my latest hip-hop dramedy cue, "Resting Witch Face."
Watch this episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/cU1VJ5S47jQ
Support for the 52 C...
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 about how composers can stand out in a crowded catalog.
Plus we listen to a recent trip hop tension cue, "Remains to Be Seen."
Watch this episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/ZShsnfsbLzw
Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, ...
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 the line is between using AI as a creative assistant and letting it compose for you, what this shift means for publishers and libraries, and whether the “stink of AI” will ever really go away.
Plus we take a listen to a brooding intrigue cue, "Crisis Me a River."
Watc...
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