Abletonlive Podcasts

There’s a lot that goes into a redundant playback rig, and it can feel pretty complex to figure out. So, the natural question is…is it really worth all that time and money? I break it all down for you in this video so you can know whether or not you really should invest in one or if you can get by without it. ★ Support this podcast ★…

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…

I’ve helped thousands of people get more out of Ableton. But you shouldn’t trust me. Apparently the best way to trigger anyone who uses Ableton is to show them another way to do things. I’ve spent years creating hundreds of videos and tutorials about using Ableton on stage, and most people have found them helpful (over 4,000 people have now downloa…

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://…

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 i…

If you’re stepping on stage to do anything, embarrassing mistakes are part of the job. I share some of mine and some of my favorites that you all shared with me. If you’ve ever experienced a major on-stage fail, you know what it’s like to want to just crawl into a hole…forever. But you gotta laugh at yourself and just take it on the chin. Especiall…

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 P…

Jeff is the creator of one of my favorite MIDI controllers ever made: the Oakboard Mini. In this interview, Jeff talks about how he came up with the idea for the Oakboard Mini, and how that eventually grew into a fully-fledged music software and hardware company. I love Jeff’s story because he never set out to start a company. He just started solvi…

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 experience…

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 conve…

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 fa…

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 g…

Sometimes what seems like the simplest solution is actually the worst. If you’re using your computer to run in-ears, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. I’m as much an advocate for using computers on stage as anyone, but this is one thing that you shouldn’t use your computer for. I’ve got 8 reasons why and what you should do instead. P.S. …

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 songwriti…

Here’s how to use tracks on stage, without cheating and feeling like a fraud. We’ve all seen those videos of a pop artist’s performance going sideways with tracks and all of the sudden the whole world knows they’re lip-syncing. And yeah, I’m not a fan of that. But that’s not what the way most artists use tracks. Some of the best musicians in the wo…

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 …

I’ve been an Ableton Certified Trainer for 13 years. These are the 8 most common questions I get. I take a few minutes to answer each question, but I also share where you can get loads of free resources to dive deeper into each topic. My suggestions on the best gear for live performance 👇 https://fromstudiotostage.com/gear Session View vs. Arrangem…

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 …

Mike is a pro drum tech and playback tech — building and setting up rigs for some of the biggest metal artists to…Avril Lavigne and Smashing Pumpkins? Yep. Plus, he’s a From Studio to Stage student. Mike was kind enough to hop on a call with me and share his story about becoming a playback tech and what really helped him get to the point he’s at no…

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-t…

I’ve made this dead simple. These are the only 5 pieces of gear you need to start running tracks with your band. When it comes to buying gear to run tracks, you’ve got more options than you know what to do with. And if you’re just starting out, it’s hard to know what’s actually necessary versus what can wait til later. Well, I’m making it easy. The…

I branched out from Ableton and live audio for two whole years to run a video broadcast. What I learned surprised me. I never wanted to be a broadcast video guy, and honestly, I don’t know if I’ll do it again. But for 2 years, that was my job. And it was 100% worth it. It made me a better Ableton trainer and playback tech, and it taught me some bas…

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 a…

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 mi…

I used to see other people in my industry as a threat. And it turned me into a bit of a jerk. But I eventually flipped the script and became a champion of others rather than just viewing them as the competition. I guess I’m still a jerk, but I’ve made a lot of progress (yep, it really was that bad). So to build on this, I’m focusing on community ov…

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 indus…

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 disc…

If I were in charge of a music tech company, these would top my list of things to create. These three pieces of music tech don’t exist yet, or if there’s a version of them that does, there are things I’d change. Or maybe I’m not aware that they do exist! (Drop a comment with a link if they do!) What’s in this episode: 3 ideas for music gear and/or …

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 w…

Wanna learn Ableton the best and fastest way? Start with these 7 tips that you can do before spending any money. I started using Ableton on stage to run tracks 20+ years ago. I made a lot of mistakes, but also did some things well. Book a 15-minute coaching session with me 👇 https://fs2s.link/15minute Book a 1-hour coaching session with me 👇 https:…

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. Al…

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. Yo…