Best Charlie McCarron Podcasts (2024)

1
Tour 12: Finale in Minnesota 4:42:27

7+ y ago4:42:27

4:42:27

It’s finally here. Four years and 166 episodes later, we’ve arrived at the finale of the Composer Quest podcast. Before I get too sappy about it, I want to let you know what you’ll be in for in this monster episode. It rounds out the end of my world tour, after my journey home to Minnesota. This episode is definitely one for the fans; most of my in…

1
Tour 11: Psychology in the Southwest 3:37:16

7+ y ago3:37:16

3:37:16

Ever since I heard music psychologist Dr. Diana Deutsch on Radiolab, I’ve been fascinated by musical illusions. In this penultimate episode of Composer Quest, I got to visit Diana in person! Join me on a trip that starts at a Halloween organ concert in San Diego and ends in Phoenix with an unprecedented songwriting/podcasting experiment.…

1
Tour 10: Squirrels in California 2:38:55

7+ y ago2:38:55

2:38:55

This episode marks my return to the US after my trip to Australia and Asia. Despite the jet lag, I was able to get 5 interviews in for this Composer Quest episode. Also, Jeff Goldblum?! And you’ll just have to listen for yourself to find out why this episode is called “Squirrels in California.”

1
Tour 9: Surprises in Taiwan 2 2:02:48

7+ y ago2:02:48

2:02:48

The second act of my Taiwan adventure features more interviews with music makers in Taipei, plus an interview with me about interviewing. We also discuss the jingles heard everywhere in Taipei, from the train stations to the 7-Elevens to the garbage trucks.

1
Tour 8: Surprises in Taiwan 1:32:09

7+ y ago1:32:09

1:32:09

Join me on a musical tour through Taiwan in today's episode of Composer Quest. I stumbled into a music festival celebrating Hakka culture, and I got to record a bunch of interesting ensembles, including the Taiwanese jazz group Sizhukong. Plenty of other surprises come up in this episode, including an impromptu flight to another country...…

1
Tour 7: Family in Australia 3:02:28

7+ y ago3:02:28

3:02:28

Australia has been my dream vacation spot since I was about six years old. In today’s episode of the Composer Quest World Tour, you’ll get an audio peek into my adventures staying with musical families in Melbourne and Poatina Village, Tasmania.

1
Tour 6: Creative Work in LA 2:40:51

7+ y ago2:40:51

2:40:51

If you've ever thought about moving to Los Angeles to pursue a creative career, today's episode will give you a glimpse into that world. I talk with six creators about what it takes to turn art into your job, while staying motivated and creatively fulfilled.

1
Tour 5: Games in Chicago 2 2:17:47

7+ y ago2:17:47

2:17:47

Take a peek behind the scenes of the Composer Quest Olympics in today's episode. I also talk with video game composers in Chicago about career advice, rhythmic composing tips, and silly six-second Vine melodies.

1
Tour 4: Songwriting in New England 3:10:24

7+ y ago3:10:24

3:10:24

From pig racing to public-access TV, this three-hour episode chronicles my adventure around New England. I talk with four different songwriters about their process, and I co-create two songs from scratch along the way.

1
Tour 3: Theory in New York 1:59:35

8y ago1:59:35

1:59:35

This episode, I'm in Philadelphia and New York to chat about music theory, film scoring, and slot machine composing.

1
Tour 2: School in Ohio 2:00:49

8y ago2:00:49

2:00:49

This second episode of the Composer Quest World Tour is all about school. Should you go to undergrad or grad school for an artistic field? What do you learn in school that you couldn't on your own?

1
Tour 1: Games in Chicago 1:17:14

8y ago1:17:14

1:17:14

For the final season of the Composer Quest podcast, 110 Kickstarter backers decided it would be fun to send me on a two month trip around the world, interviewing composers and songwriters. I'm thrilled to announce that the first episode of my Composer Quest world tour is here!

1
Quest 20: Olympics 11:33

8y ago11:33

11:33

Since I'll be on my Composer Quest World Tour this fall, I decided we had to do something worldly and big for the final composing quest. In the spirit of the 2016 Rio Olympics, I'll be hosting the official Composer Quest Olympic Games!

1
Sound Design and Score: An Indie Film Round Table 1:16:34

8y ago1:16:34

1:16:34

How does a composer write music that doesn't draw attention to itself? How can a director convey scoring ideas if they're not a musician? Why is temp music important for an editor? When should sound design reflect the real world, and when should it be from a character's psychological perspective? Will the dialogue editor choose the lavalier or boom…

1
30. Drone Variations 13:41

8y ago13:41

13:41

A common request from directors is to provide mood-setting music that doesn't call attention to itself. One of the best ways to do this is with long, held tones. Making these drone tracks can be quick and easy, but there's also an art to getting just the right emotional flavor. In this episode I share some of my drone variations for the film Twin C…

1
Hypnotherapy and Creativity with Vanessa Cornett-Murtada 1:04:52

8y ago1:04:52

1:04:52

St. Thomas professor Dr. Vanessa Cornett-Murtada specializes in teaching piano, creativity, and performance anxiety reduction techniques. In this episode of Composer Quest, Vanessa shares some tips on getting past mental blocks as a composer, and she explains how hypnotherapy can be helpful in reducing stress, increasing productivity, and sparking …

1
Comic and Sublime Songwriting with Erik Ostrom 1:12:42

8y ago1:12:42

1:12:42

Erik Ostrom was working at a Silicon Valley startup when he realized songwriting was his true passion. He has since moved back to Minnesota and found another passion: the improv comedy world. In this episode of Composer Quest, Erik and I talk about his recent performance with The Local Music Scene, a song-based improv comedy troupe. Erik also share…

1
29. MIDI Remix Quest 21:29

8y ago21:29

21:29

What would you do if you were given a barebones MIDI file, and told to fill it in with whatever sounds you want? That's the challenge I posed to Composer Quest listeners, and in this episode we'll get to hear from them about their experience completing our MIDI Remix Quest. You can download the full tracks at composerquest.bandcamp.com.This product…

1
Episode 150: UBK on Music Production and Arranging 1:19:23

8y ago1:19:23

1:19:23

For this special 150th episode of Composer Quest, I got to talk with Gregory Scott, co-host of my favorite music production podcast, the UBK Happy Funtime Hour. Gregory answers my tough music production questions like: “what effect would you use if you could only choose ONE?” He also shares his process in creating the upcoming Sneaky Little Devil r…

1
28. SEGA Counterpoint 7:34

8y ago7:34

7:34

Early video game music was in some ways a revival of Baroque counterpoint. In this episode, I share one of my video game-y tracks inspired by counterpoint techniques, and inadvertently inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog.This production lesson originally aired in Composer Quest episode 149 with Jess Scherer and Peter Lund. For more music production less…

1
Magical Songwriting Tips with Jess and Peter 1:02:54

8y ago1:02:54

1:02:54

Jess Scherer and Peter Lund faced a songwriting quandry: what do you write about when you've been happily married for several years? They decided to stretch their imaginations by writing a magical concept album about wizards, and it turned out to be great songwriting fuel. In this episode of Composer Quest, our conversation covers songwriting tips,…

1
Thing a Week with Bryan Schumann 59:29

8+ y ago59:29

59:29

Composer Bryan Schumann has embraced self-imposed deadlines; he’s been consistently making at least one “thing” every week in 2016 and blogging about it. In this episode of Composer Quest, we talk about what he’s learned from this experiment. Bryan also talks about his eco-friendly music projects, like a bike-powered electric band and his future so…

1
Quest 19: MIDI Remix 7:12

8+ y ago7:12

7:12

Since the recent episodes of Composer Quest have been about electronic and video game music, I thought we could do a composing quest related to it. So here's your challenge, should you choose to accept it: create a loop-able piece of music that's under 2 minutes, using MIDI. Send me your audio file and MIDI layers (charlie@composerquest.com) by May…

1
Patching Together a Creative Life with Anton Torres 55:51

8+ y ago55:51

55:51

Anton Torres has been an electronic music hobbyist for over 20 years, using the very earliest incarnations of Apple's Logic and Ableton Live. In today's episode of Composer Quest, Anton shares some wisdom on living a creative life, even if you only have 15 minutes to spare each day. We also hear why Anton decided to leave his suit and tie job in Ne…

1
Game Music Melee 57:44

8+ y ago57:44

57:44

A few weeks ago, I got to participate in a very fun live composing event at GlitchCon, called Game Music Melee. Three of us composers got up onstage to write video game music on the spot, based on game suggestions from the audience, in JUST 30 MINUTES. Not a lot of time. Emily Reese of the Level with Emily podcast hosted, and after two rounds of co…

1
27. Surfing from A to B 10:55

8+ y ago10:55

10:55

What do you do when you've written an A section and B section that don't quite fit together? In this episode I analyze my surf-inspired chiptune track to figure out how to smooth this transition point.This production lesson originally aired in Composer Quest episode 145: Game Music Melee. For more music production lessons and composer interviews, v…

1
Daniel Levitin on Evolution and Songwriting 1:07:46

8+ y ago1:07:46

1:07:46

Musician, neuroscientist, and author Daniel Levitin has brought music psychology to the masses with This is Your Brain on Music and The World in Six Songs. For today's episode of Composer Quest, I got to interview Dan about why humans evolved to be musical. Dan also shares songwriting tips he's learned in talking with Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Sti…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Charlie McCarron Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Charlie’s Music Production Lessons

Charlie McCarron

1
Composer Quest: A Songwriting and Music Composition Podcast

Charlie McCarron

1
Tour 12: Finale in Minnesota 4:42:27

1
Tour 11: Psychology in the Southwest 3:37:16

1
Tour 10: Squirrels in California 2:38:55

1
Tour 9: Surprises in Taiwan 2 2:02:48

1
Tour 8: Surprises in Taiwan 1:32:09

1
Tour 7: Family in Australia 3:02:28

1
Tour 6: Creative Work in LA 2:40:51

1
Tour 5: Games in Chicago 2 2:17:47

1
Tour 4: Songwriting in New England 3:10:24

1
Tour 3: Theory in New York 1:59:35

1
Tour 2: School in Ohio 2:00:49

1
Tour 1: Games in Chicago 1:17:14

1
Quest 20: Olympics 11:33

1
Sound Design and Score: An Indie Film Round Table 1:16:34

1
30. Drone Variations 13:41

1
Hypnotherapy and Creativity with Vanessa Cornett-Murtada 1:04:52

1
Comic and Sublime Songwriting with Erik Ostrom 1:12:42

1
29. MIDI Remix Quest 21:29

1
Episode 150: UBK on Music Production and Arranging 1:19:23

1
28. SEGA Counterpoint 7:34

1
Magical Songwriting Tips with Jess and Peter 1:02:54

1
Thing a Week with Bryan Schumann 59:29

1
Quest 19: MIDI Remix 7:12

1
Patching Together a Creative Life with Anton Torres 55:51

1
Game Music Melee 57:44

1
27. Surfing from A to B 10:55

1
Daniel Levitin on Evolution and Songwriting 1:07:46

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