In this article, I’m going to breakdown my favorite music production podcasts. Podcasting has grown immensely over the past decade. As of 2024, over 460 million people worldwide are expected to listen to podcasts at least once a month. There are now more than 5 million podcasts and over 70 million episodes available globally across all platforms. This represents a massive increase, with many new podcasts emerging each year. With this growth, and with many podcasts being recorded with low to no budgets from home, it can be a challenge to find the very best content. Fear not though, as I’m going to share some of my favorite music production podcasts, information about them, as well as which episodes you may want to start with.
Source: Backlinko
1. Tape Notes
Tape Notes is a captivating podcast that delves deep into the art of music production. Hosted by seasoned music aficionado John Kennedy, many episodes bring together an artist and producer to reflect on the key moments of their creative collaboration in the studio. Others simply focus on an artist talking through their process. With most episodes nearing 2 hours long, you really get to know the artists and producers as well as gain insight into their creative methods.
These fruitful conversations uncover every phase of the process—from the first spark of inspiration and choices around style and instrumentation, all the way through to refining the final track. The show is packed with compelling stories and features early demo versions and stems from the original recordings, offering an unparalleled glimpse into the techniques of some of music’s most forward-thinking creators.
Tape Notes is hosted by John Kennedy, a celebrated figure in the music world, who has been a driving force behind new music discovery on his Radio X show (formerly XFM) for over two decades. Having first emceed the Quarry stage at the In The Woods music festival in 2008, John has been a steadfast supporter of the festival and electronic music at large, ever since. His vast knowledge, passion for music, and experience interviewing countless artists make him the ideal guide through the intricate world of music production on Tape Notes.
Even when episodes feature artists whose music I don’t listen to regularly, it’s still fascinating to see their process. I still have a ways to go before I listen to the entirety of this fantastic music production podcast, but a few of my favorite episodes so far include St. Vincent and Bonobo.
2. Song Exploder
Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians break down their songs and share the stories behind how they were created, step by step. Hosted and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway in Los Angeles, each episode offers a detailed look into the creative process using the isolated tracks from a song’s recording. Hrishikesh guides the artists in exploring the choices that shaped their work, then carefully edits the interviews, removing his own voice to keep the narrative tightly focused on the artists’ perspectives.
The show has featured a wide array of renowned guests, including Fleetwood Mac, Billie Eilish, U2, Metallica, Solange, Lorde, Yo-Yo Ma, The Roots, Bon Iver, and more. No matter what genre of music you prefer, there are likely several episodes that would pique your interest.
The podcast became so popular that Netflix produced 8 episodes, which are wonderfully conceived, shot, and edited. The episodes featuring Nine Inch Nails and R.E.M. are standouts.
3. Twenty Thousand Hertz
Twenty Thousand Hertz is simply one of the most enlightening and entertaining podcasts ever, even if music production isn’t one of your passions. This spectacularly written, recorded, and edited show from Dallas Taylor, who is also the Founder and Creative Director at Defacto Sound, serves to tell the stories behind the world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds.
Over the years, the podcast has explored the sound design behind some of the most recognizable brands, including Apple, Netflix, HBO, and Microsoft. It has uncovered intriguing phenomena, such as whales altering the pitch of their songs and the reasons behind why modern movie dialogue can be so hard to understand. The team has even solved mysterious audio puzzles, like tracing the source of a strange hum coming from a Canadian island.
There are of course some fascinating episodes on music production, with my favorites All About That Bass, The Loudness Wars, and 808.
4. Soundworks Collection
The SoundWorks Collection is dedicated to spotlighting the most innovative and influential sound professionals from around the globe, showcasing their remarkable contributions to audio post-production. Launched in 2009 by filmmaker Michael Coleman, this online platform takes you behind the scenes, offering an insider’s view of the sound design process for feature films, video games, and original soundtracks. They also have a podcast, and while many of the episodes feature interviews with post-production professionals including dialog editors, production mixers, and sound designers, there is plenty of content that focuses more on music.
Through an exclusive and series of intimate podcasts and videos, SoundWorks Collection focuses on the individuals and teams responsible for bringing some of the world’s most exciting projects to life. With over 200 million hits and 8 million views, the series has featured interviews with legendary directors such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, James Cameron, Mel Gibson, Robert Zemeckis, Brad Bird, and many more. From dub stages to the creative minds behind blockbuster soundtracks, SoundWorks Collection offers a rare glimpse into the world of cutting-edge audio craftsmanship.
My favorite episodes include composers Christophe Beck and Mac Quayle.
5. The SoundGirls Podcast
The reality is that women are woefully underrepresented in many of the creative arts, including the music industry. Recent studies suggest women make up less than 5% of the music workforce. To combat this, thankfully there are resources available to empower women, including the Women’s Audio Mission and SoundGirls, the latter of which has an excellent podcast.
Episodes feature important people from all facets of the audio production industry, ranging from post production, to music, and beyond. Conversations delve into addressing challenges that women face in the industry, and are simply really informative from an audio engineering perspective. Whether you are a woman or not, The SoundGirls Podcast is an excellent listen. Favorites include Mastering engineer Darcy Proper and composer Belinda Coomes. All episodes here.
6. Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond
For generations, liner notes were an essential part of the music experience. When you bought an album, it came with stories: digressions, backstories, and sometimes even invented histories. These narratives offered deeper connections between the artist and their audience, creating a dialogue that enriched the listening experience. While the era of physical albums has mostly passed, the need for these conversations has not.
Enter Broken Record, a music production podcast that revives the lost art of musical storytelling for a modern audience. Hosted by Justin Richmond, with interviews conducted by legendary producer Rick Rubin, renowned writer Malcolm Gladwell, and former New York Times editor Bruce Headlam, Broken Record brings intimate and insightful conversations with musicians and creators across genres. Whether it’s an in-depth look at the creative process or an exploration of an artist’s influences, the podcast serves as a platform for music lovers to engage in the kind of deep discussions that once lived in liner notes.
Episodes feature artists of many genres, and favorites include Raphael Saadiq, Sharon Van Etten, and Beach House.
7. Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin
Yet another excellent series from one of the most successful producers of all time, Tetragrammaton mostly strays away from luminaries in the music production field, but is still a wonderful listen. Music-centric favorite episodes include Nick Cave and Peter Asher, but don’t miss the episode featuring iconic director Terry Gilliam.
8. The Tape Op Podcast
Tape Op delivers in-depth interviews with engineers, producers, and musicians behind some of the most notable recordings. Each episode features lengthy conversations that dive into the creative processes, technical approaches, and personal stories of these professionals. As a listener, you essentially become the “tape op”—the studio apprentice—learning from seasoned experts as they share their experiences and craft. With new episodes released every month, it offers a rare opportunity to gain insights from those working at the forefront of music production.
In addition to the podcast, Tape Op is highly respected for its magazine and website, both of which serve as invaluable resources for audio engineers and producers. Tape Op magazine, which launched in 1996 as a free publication, continues to provide long-form interviews, gear reviews, tutorials, and industry insights, all geared toward helping recording professionals. The Tape Op website complements the magazine with a vast archive of articles, interviews, and guides, making it an essential hub for anyone looking to deepen their knowledge of recording, mixing, and mastering, whether they’re just starting out or have years of experience.
Going strong with almost 100 episodes to date, this music production podcast features some heavy hitters in the industry, with my personal favorites include Tony Visconti, Michael Brauer, and Susan Rogers.
9. Recording Studio Rockstars
For anyone interested in conversations that go super deep about the technology and technique of record production, Recording Studio Rockstars is for you. Host (and talented engineer in his own right) Lij Shaw’s warm conversational style leads to insightful discussions with some of the best engineers in the business. Favorite episodes include mixing engineer Todd Burke and mastering engineer Daniel Bacigalupi.
10. Working Class Audio
Another excellent podcast for in depth chats with record makers, Working Class Audio features over 500 episodes in which host Matt Boudreau and guest dive into the nitty gritty of music production. Favorite conversations include Vance Powell and Paul Fig.
Music Production Podcasts Summary
With so many distractions in daily life, I find it essential to fill my time with content related to my passions, and the aforementioned podcasts do just that. This list is by no means exhaustive, with new content being released each and every day. If you have one of your own favorites and want to share, feel free to reach out.
