What makes a great recorded vocal performance? What does it take? How will we know if we've done it? Are we fooling ourselves? What matters more, precision or feeling? We take a look at all the moving parts from gear to voice to completion. This week, on the show!

We weren't even sure where to start with this episode. We uncover and re-discover legendary music producer Tony Visconti, talk about what producers do, the power of the groove, and more…

Kenny G might be popular, but is he any good? What makes a creative project good or bad? What makes art/music good or bad for us? Are there things you used to think were good that you now think are bad? How about the reverse? When did your art start being "good"? What changed? This week, on the show!

Professional athletes, mobile apps, comedy specials, beach views. Self-care. What is it? How do you do it and why? Learn how we are nice to ourselves, and how and why you can be nice to yourself as well!

Sleep. We all should be getting 6-8 hours a night. Why don't we? What are the negative impacts of not sleeping enough? What can we do to improve our sleep hygiene? All this and more!

We talk about the relationship between persistence and commitment, how they can serve each other in your projects and daily life, and more...

We talk about superstitions and compulsive practices that can hinder or help our creative work, and more...

We talk about setting realistic goals and the path to personal and professional success, using software tools and Scrum/Agile development practices, scheduling time with the Muse, what you are going to do tomorrow, and more...

We talk about what's so important about the Neil Young vs. Joe Rogan and Spotify upset this week, why it is more complex and depressing than you think, discuss curation, whether or not everyone should have a voice, the bad old days before music services and the internet, and more...

We talk about relationship missteps, gaffes, and breakdowns, what might have been, and how to use those opportunities, and more...

We talk about lucky breaks and opportunities, saying "Yes!", bands that should have made it but didn't, Dee's "Irish Grunt" history, the curse of too much willpower, the value of being a good hang and having fun, and more...

Dee, Michael, and Anu talk discuss the effectiveness of practicing deliberate gratitude, and a whole lot of other stuff.

Dee, Michael, and Anu talk discuss the dilemma of being almost done with a project, what being done means, and a whole lot of other stuff.

Guest Christian Menses talks with us about touring and his new record with Filthtraction. We share road stories. And much more!

We cover daily creative productivity practices, share a few more Atmos and surround audio thoughts, and take a few deep diversions.

With Michael gone, Dee and Anu play some of their recent recordings, and discuss inspiration and what's next...

Dee and Anu talk about writing the perfect pop song. How do you balance and prevent both boring and confusing the listener? How do you make things - lyrics, melody, chords, instruments - interesting? Why are pop songs like THAT? Why do the bass notes matter so much? And more!

Dee, Michael, and Anu talk about the concept of frames in art and music. John Cage, Brian Eno, and Marcel Duchamp! The importance of back stories and marketing, and how it changes your mind. What happens when artists and framing challenge listener expectations. Public shaming! The power of stories...and more.

Dee, Michael, and Anu talk about MORE effects pedals…and a whole lot of other stuff.

Dee, Michael, and Anu talk about effects pedals, integrating noise and happy accidents into songs, the value of "just playing around", tools that you only use for special purposes, being someone who just buys gear but doesn't make music, the merits of modern amp simulators like the Boss GT-1000, Line 6 HX, Kemper profiler, and Strymon Iridium, and even a detailed look at the Hologram Electronics Infinite Jets pedal...plus more!