Top Podcasts For Learning Music and Audio Production

For those looking to expand their knowledge about the field of audio and music, the task to find good information can be daunting. The internet is full of message boards, forums, and tutorials about how to create, mix, master, and implement audio. It can be difficult to filter through the massive amount of information to find useful tips and advice for improving these skills.

In my own searches I’ve come across a number of podcasts that provide coverage of these specific topics. These podcasts range from covering specific aspects of mastering and mixing music to wider discussions on events and trends in the game industry concerning audio. Today I’ll be sharing a few of my favorite music and audio production podcasts that have helped expand my knowledge of these topics. This is by no means a complete list, but I hope it can be a good jumping off point for anyone else looking to learn more about the audio world.

Game Audio Hour

First up is the Game Audio Hour, hosted by Vince Diamante, Kyle Johnson, and Mike Shapiro. The podcast is a weekly web show dedicated to discussing topics on game audio, including software, hardware, creative techniques, and current events in the game industry. The show takes place live on their YouTube channel every Monday evening at 6 pm PST. Viewers are also able to join in on the discussion via the chat room during the live show. Past episodes are also archived on the YouTube channel for those who can’t catch the live broadcast.

Beards, Cats, and Indie Game Audio Podcast

The Beards, Cats, and Indie Game Audio Podcast is a monthly podcast hosted by Matthew Mateinsson and Gordon McGladdery. The show focusses primarily on audio work in the indie game part of the industy. Featuring discussions about music, sound effects, audio implementation, and more, the podcast offers up insights into the world of freelance and contract work outside of the usual AAA game studio environment. Special guests from the industry come on to talk about their work as well. A great podcast to check out if you’re interested in learning about the indie side of game audio work. You can check out the podcast on PodBean.

Tonebenders Podcast

Here’s a podcast specifically focussed on the audio recording and recording tech. Hosted by Rene Coronado and Timothy Muirhead, the Tonebenders Podcast focusses on the world of audio recording for movies, television, and other media. Topics have ranged from ADR, microphone choices for field recordings, and interviews with veterans of the audio world. The podcast also has some mini-episodes focussed on testing out different recording gear and sharing stories about audio jobs. A great podcast for those looking to learn specifically about audio recording, sound design, and post production. You can find out more at the main Tonebenders website.

The Mastering Show

Ian Shepherd is a mastering engineer who has been offering plenty of useful advice on mixing and mastering techniques on his website for years. Last year he started a weekly podcast called The Mastering Show to discuss mastering topics in more detail with co-host Jon Tidey. Topics have included mastering EQ, compression, the effects of dithering, and other important aspects of audio production. A top notch podcast for those looking to get into the specifics of mastering and mixing for music. You can find out more at The Mastering Show website.

UBK Happy Funtime Hour

My final podcast recommendation is the incredibly entertaining UBK Happy Funtime Hour, hosted by Gregory Scott and Nathan Daniel. Each week the two mixing engineers answer listener questions about mixing, workflow, how to deal with clients, room acoustics, and many more nerdy music topics. The podcast has a comedic presentation in the vein of NPR’s Car Talk, with the hosts often ribbing each other about their mixing process and getting in a few jabs at over-serious parts of the music gear world. Overall it’s a fun show with useful music production advice mixed in with some random silliness. If an informative show that can make you laugh with some crude humor and amusing stories sounds like your thing, check this podcast out at the UBK Happy Funtime Hour website.

These are just a handful of the music and audio podcasts that I’ve found among the many resources that exist out on the web. Hopefully these are a good starting point for anyone looking for tips, advice, or inspiration on improving their audio and music production skills. If you have any favorite podcasts or web series that you’ve found useful or informative, feel free to share them in the comments below.