Why Community Is The Real Skill You Need As A Music Producer In 2026
In our latest Signal Chain Stories episode, Mordio and I got real about what actually matters as music producers heading into 2026. Spoiler: it's not your latest plugin or that new piece of gear you've been eyeing.
The Year of Community
That's what 2025 was for both of us. While we talked about creative disconnection, the struggle of balancing content creation with actual music-making, and the anxiety of leaving corporate safety nets, one theme kept coming back: the people around us made everything possible.
Mordio now makes his living from YouTube – not from ad revenue, but from his community buying preset packs and supporting him on Patreon. I'm taking the leap into full-time content creation after losing my day job at Sennheiser. Both of us are becoming dads in 2026. Both of us realized we're teachers now, not just producers.
How Community Creates Opportunities
Mordio and I wouldn’t have met without our communities: we met because someone in our community connected us. The Ableton workshop we taught in Berlin? Community. My flagship sound pack launch through Isotonic Studios? A community member made that connection. The Discord servers we run aren't about follower counts – they're about creating warm spaces where knowledge flows freely, without gatekeeping.
The AI Shift: Human Connection Becomes Essential
As AI makes music production more accessible, human connection becomes more valuable, not less. Anyone can generate a beat now. But can you inspire someone to keep making music for two years straight? Can you create a space where beginners and experts learn from each other? Can you show up authentically, share your struggles, and build something that feels genuinely warm?
What This Means for Your 2026
That's the real skill producers need in 2026. Not better sound design. Not faster workflows. Connection. Community. Showing up for each other.
In this episode, we challenge you to think differently about your 2026 goals. Maybe step number one isn't making more tracks. Maybe it's finding your people, getting involved in communities (online or offline), and remembering that we're all in this together.
Because at the end of the day, your music is important – but the community you build around it? That's what makes it last.
You can also find the podcast on Spotify (we know the irony lol) and all other streaming platforms:
