In this episode, we break down our Audio Network album ‘Off Grid’, a sound-design project built on manipulating percussion and household objects into brooding drones and pulsing instruments!

We walk through the whole process, from album concept and working with world-renowned percussionist Paul Clarvis, to recording kalimbas and hitting ballpoint pens! We discuss how our initial pitch evolved into a contemporary drama brief and how we leaned into creating a unique sonic palette.

We also dive deeper into the tracks ‘Off Grid’ and ‘Dark Trade’, demonstrating how we transformed organic recordings into unrecognisable cinematic textures. It was a lot of fun to take a much more experimental approach with this album than our previous projects!

Check out the full album on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4TB0LqlmsDG1ZT9eODFad6?si=Tsmi-fOFReaWdbsW3DEJoA

Chapters

0:00 Intro
3:33 Our pitch
7:01 Recording with Paul Clarvis
17:19 How we made the track ‘Off Grid’
27:32 How we made the track ‘Dark Trade’

#sounddesign #composer #offgrid #productionmusic #percussionist #manipulatingsound #drones #dronesalbum #audionetwork #syncmusic #albumbreakdown #sounddesigner #musicproduction

Four composers, one big question: what is art?

In this episode, we’re joined by friends and award-winning composers Carlos Villalobos and Jeannie Tanner to try tackle that!

Amidst the rapid rise of AI technologies, we debate the core elements of art from human intent to audience response and interpretation. We explore Tim Minchin’s take on ‘content vs intent’, discuss the growing concern of AI artist profiles deceiving listeners, and decide whether a shoe left in an art gallery can be ‘art’…

We also highlight a resurgence of composers returning to writing at the piano instead of a DAW, creating custom sounds, and playing live! It’s an honest look at the difference between creating art and consuming it, and why the imperfect human process matters more than ever.

#aimusic #ai #composer #aigeneratedmusic #suno #songwriter #productionmusic #syncmusic #aiart #composing #humanmusic #realmusic #synccomposer

In this episode we sit down with the brilliant Andrew Sunnucks. Co-founder of Audio Network, a prolific orchestral producer and a farmer, Andrew has built a career on integrity, real musicians, and having a good time!

From Andrew’s first job as a singing rabbit to working in commercials and eventually co-founding production music catalogue Audio Network, we trace his journey over the years. As one of the biggest employers of musicians, we discuss Audio Network’s commitment to using real musicians . Andrew tells us why he refuses to compromise on live players, despite being more expensive and time consuming, and shares the secrets to creating a community of trust in recording sessions with both players and composers.

Andrew also opens up about the human side of the music industry, discussing imposter syndrome, the importance of humility and his core principle of a “no knobs” policy. Along the way, he shares hilarious stories from his career including a medieval music mishap, legs falling off a grand piano, and a tape machine bursting into flames…

Chapters
0:00 Intro
4:57 Andrew’s musical background
13:09 Founding Audio Network
20:44 Orchestral producing
29:52 Session stories
35:47 A producer’s ear and communicating with players
40:50 41:10 What’s left on Andrew’s bucket list?

#audionetwork #composer #composing #tvmusic #filmmusic #filmcomposer #productionmusic #librarymusic #syncmusic #orchestralproducing #realmusicians #recordingstudio #abbeyroad #schoolfarmstudios

This week we're thrilled to welcome multi-talented engineer and musician Stefano Civetta, with an impressive career spanning from playing the organ at the Vatican to engineering for some of the biggest films including Avengers: End Game and Solo: A Star Wars Story.

We begin with Stef’s musical roots from growing up in a small Alpine village surrounded by music, his summer gig playing organ at the Vatican, and his leap to the UK for the Tonmeister course. From there he shares his 6 years at Abbey Road - climbing from studio runner to trusted engineer, working 42-day stints, and learning from some of the best in the business, before a bold new chapter converting a 17th-century barn into School Farm Studios alongside Audio Network’s Andrew Sunnucks!

Having spent countless sessions with Stef, we’ve seen his incredible ability to multitask in the control room when engineering, running the session, and catching the slightest squeak or wrong note. We ask how he does it, what he listens for, and what makes a session work well.

Stef also shares his invaluable tips for composers preparing for recording sessions, reveals why Tom Waits tops his music bucket list, and tells us the story of the time he pissed off John Powell…

Chapters

0:00 Intro

3:43 Stef’s musical background

13:55 Playing organ at the Vatican

17:34 Working at Abbey Road

22:22 Turning a 17th-century barn into School Farm Studios

30:44 Multitasking in the control room

37:49 Navigating complex sessions

41:04 Advice when preparing for a recording session

45:55 Stef’s musical bucket list

54:53 Engineering for John Powell

#abbeyroad #abbeyroadstudios #engineer #recordingengineer #composer #vatican #organist #organ #recoringsession #recordingsesstionstories

In this episode, we’re honoured to welcome 80s pop icon Nik Kershaw, whose four-decade career spans chart-topping hits like “Wouldn’t It Be Good” and the massive number-one single “The One And Only” which he wrote for Chesney Hawkes.

We explore Nik’s upbringing in a musically rich family, channeling teenage angst into dramatic lyrics, and journeying through prog-fusion and jazz bands before launching his solo career with agent Micky Modern.

Nik reflects on his whirlwind rise to fame, culminating in his iconic Live Aid performance alongside legends like Queen and David Bowie, sharing the nerves, out-of-body moments and the one artist who left him starstruck…

But fame wasn’t the end of Nik’s story! Beyond the 80’s spotlight, we discuss his pivot into a sought-after songwriter for icons like Elton John, writing tracks for commercials, TV and Film, and how imposter syndrome and creative hunger still fuels him today.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:27 Nik’s musical background
09:09 Early songwriting
19:53 Joining bands
24:32 Becoming a solo artist
33:00 Performing at Live Aid
40:50 Writing ‘The One and Only’ for Chesney Hawkes
50:41 Writing music for Film, TV and Adverts
57:09 Collaborating with Elton John
1:04:19 What’s next for Nik?

#nikkershaw #80spop #80smusic #liveaid #eltonjohn #chesneyhawkes #composer #songwriting

We’re taking you behind the scenes of our recent trip to Nashville, where we recorded an album of sizzling soul grooves designed for use in Film & TV.

This time, we’re skipping the writing process to focus on the recording sessions at the iconic Sound Emporium Studios, complete with it’s rich musical history and quirky tiki-bar studio charm!

From a horn section with lips of steel to the slightly humbling moment the rhythm section rewrote all our charts using the Nashville Number System, we share the stories, surprises and lessons from the sessions. We also look at how recording in different cities across the world can shape the feel of the music, comparing London’s precision with Nashville’s soulful behind-the-beat groove.

This episode is perfect for composers, soul music enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the world of production music!

You can listen to the finished album here (and it will be available on streaming platforms soon!) - https://www.audionetwork.com/browse/m/album/soul-control_4829

Chapters

0:00 Intro

2:21 The brief

5:06 Sound Emporium Studios

8:45 The recording process

10:47 The Nashville Number System

15:27 The way brass and rhythm players interact

19:00 Recording styles across different cities

24:25 How we record - linear vs in chunks

26:56 Our thoughts on Nashville

29:17 How did it turn out?

#nashvillemusic #recordingsession #composer #tvcomposer #soulmusic

Are you new to composing for sync, but overwhelmed by the jargon? In this episode, we sit down with Emmy-winning composer and sync expert Brad Hatfield to cut through the confusion.

Brad teaches Songwriting for Film & TV and Music Supervision at Berklee, drawing from decades of experience in the industry. From understanding contracts and ownership to knowing what to expect once your track is synced, this episode provides a thorough breakdown of sync licensing, publishing, royalties, and beyond.

We define essential terms such as ‘master recording’, ‘writer’ and ‘neighbouring rights’, and explain why getting your splits and agreements in order can make or break a placement…

We also explore what ‘useful music’ means for Film and TV, and how AI is reshaping the future of sync.

Whether you’re a songwriter, composer, or musician looking to break into sync, this episode will help you confidently navigate the production music world!

Chapters

0:00 Intro
3:38 What is Sync Licensing?
5:55 The three T’s: Term, Territory & Type of Media
9:14 What is a Publisher?
12:43 What is a Writer?
15:14 What is the Master Recording?
21:49 What is a Producer?
25:57 What are Mechanical Royalties?
31:01 What are Neighbouring Rights?
36:25 What is a Needle Drop?
38:45 What actually happens when a song is licensed for use in Film?
45:55 Writing ‘useful’ music and the importance of Outros
50:10 Why you should provide stems
54:00 AI and the future of Sync Music

Brad’s website - https://www.bradhatfieldmusic.com

Brad Hatfield Music Collective - https://www.bradhatfieldmusiccollective.com

#sync #syncliensing #syncmusic #synccomposer #composer #songwriter #productionmusic #librarymusic #filmcomposer #tvcomposer #filmmusic #tvmusic #synclicensing101 #productionmusic101 #neighbouringrights #royalties #publisher

On today’s episode, we’re joined by Italian composer, sound designer, and Sonora Cinematic founder Alessandro Mastroianni!

Alessandro shares how his career evolved from composing for Film & TV (including writing for Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers!) to diving into custom sound design and virtual instrument creation.
He takes us inside a recent recording session, where he captured impulse responses and the foundations for a new virtual instrument in a restored 19th-century church with a fascinating history!

We also explore the creative and practical sides of sampling, why your choice of sample libraries change the way you compose, and why quality of music matters more than a huge quantity of tracks.

Find out more about Alessandro’s work here - https://alessandromastroianni.com

Chapters
0:00 Intro
3:37 Recording in a church
6:30 Using impulse responses to capture space reverbs
10:59 Alessandro’s journey from composition to sound design
15:51 Creating sample libraries and the artistic process
19:04 Balancing usability with artistic expression in virtual instruments
22:44 Planning a recording session for a sample library
31:33 Soundbox vs Kontakt
37:32 Splitting time between composing and creating samples

#composer #sounddesign #samplelibraries #virtualinstruments #samplelibrary #filmcomposer #tvcomposer #sounddesigner #recordingsession