How Duda Changed Deadmau5 Kicks FOREVER (10+ years)

How to get the perfect EDM kick? Deadmau5 and Steve Duda can help...
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👀BASED ON: Deadmau5 Rants about Kicks - • Deadmau5 RANTS about K...
👀 How Habstrakt Makes Kicks - • How Habstrakt makes hi...
ABOUT THE VIDEO
After seeing Deadmau5 rant about short kicks, Marcell Kovacs
sent me a video with Steve Duda - the video that started the whole Deadmau5 kick rant and a video that reveals a lot about the perfect edm/house kick. So when it comes to getting the perfect kick, I think it makes to listen to Steve Duda, and get a few Deadmau5 mixing tips!
🎵DEADMAU5
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open.spotify.com/artist/2CIMQ...
🎹STEVE DUDA
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🎵PYRAMIND
Full 3hr Duda Video - • Elite Session with Ste...
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pyramind?lang=en
pyramind.com/
👋SOL STATE
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kzbin.info...
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Stream - fanlink.to/solstate-getdown
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⏰ TIME STAMPS
Steve Duda = Deadmau5? - 0:00
Don’t Lose Sight a Big Picture - 0:24
Have an Artistic Vision - Macro & Micro 0:50
Create Space - “what can I afford to get rid of?” - 1:31
Waves of Bass - 2:35
The Story: What Duda told Deadmau5 - 3:35
Why Less Bass Can be Good (headphones are not clubs) - 4:39
Genre Matters - but how long should the kick be? - 5:49
Faking Loudness (Like / Sub / Comment for more) 6:40
Thanks to Wikipedia for the Deadmau5 file - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:De...
Author - Deadmau5, Wikimedia Commons
Thanks to Marcell Kovacs for sending the video - / @marcellkovacs5452
🔔 DON'T FORGET TO SUB - kzbin.info...
Help me help you...master music production

[@SolStateMusic]

Looks like Steve Duda is at the root of the Deadmau5 Kick Rant - kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3Pdpmuug9VojpY Shoutout to Pyramind & Marcell Kovacs for sparking this whole video! Full 3hr Duda Video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4C4nHxrna1lfrs

[@noname-ng6sj]

By sparking you mean stealing content from, right?

[@synchronic_]

if you want to know why staying big picture makes you more creative rather then focusing on something specific look up diffused mode in psychology and you can see this is actually a part of how the human brain works

[@marcellkovacs5452]

Oh wow, thanks! 😅

[@msy003]

I remember watching that Pyramind video years ago and thinking then there was so much gold. Great job editing it for the topic

[@atomictraveller]

back in th' 80's before genres you have an idea about what you want your song, your creation, to be like, maybe how it fits into ambient memetics, but not to fit into a generic application. if you let people tell you how to do something, to define your vision by trust, you are open to all manner of poisons. sustaining, humming kicks are fun as fuck to ride on, to bounce up and down on, pending actually having decent acoustics, but this one tale can trap you into a practice that can rob you of your finest years of creativity and impulse. in the early 90s nobody was ignoring gabber because the kicks were too long... boingboingboing that's good stuff.

[@djcj]

The craziest part about this is that Steve Duda had a "Sol State" sticker on his laptop 10 years ago... dude is an OG fan man! 😉

[@SolStateMusic]

He was a fan before I existed. If that's not proof Steve's a genius, I don't know what is 😂

[@meyer2534]

Lmao that’s what I thought the whole time

[@NikoNoxious]

I have been trolled

[@Yuuna_Sol]

Oh I thought it was just a png covering the logo of the computer, or did I just not get the joke? 💀

[@DVRKNOISE]

@@Yuuna_Sol u didn't get the joke lmao

[@mparkerdrums]

That last tip was huge. High end frequency reverb on a kick… illusion (huge kick) and then the bass hits (actual low end information) result=massive.

[@aneraxxmusic2343]

Thank you for mentioning! I love using high end reverb on kicks and I think a lot of people should do the same

[@colinmitchell1287]

Real drum kit recordings are in a room and the room mics are soooo important, even for the kick. Same principal can apply to samples/electronic kicks.

[@taejun9017]

yeah that was the biggest take away for me, make the kick a reference point for the listener so they think its big, and then, go BIGGER with the bass haha, cool tip

[@user-ux1vj9vx7s]

Or even a gated verb kick would be cool

[@rawallon]

Does that work on cats?

[@nikolaudio]

Steve Duda is the one who came up with so many of the clever tricks deadmau5 uses and its unreal how well together they work. They were made for each other

[@marcellkovacs5452]

Steve is the engineer and Joel is the artist, they complement each other perfectly

[@realityonx3063]

@@marcellkovacs5452 their joint work is called BSOD its their artist name

[@marcellkovacs5452]

@@realityonx3063 yeah, I love BSOD

[@SaltSpirits]

more like steve made joel

[@sarojinimilton8169]

Dude how do I get the music symbol nxt to my username

[@urphakeandgey6308]

Deadmau5 and Duda are real good because they're some of the few dance producers to put "you can't have loud without quiet" into practice. In an age of dance music that's all brick walls sausage limited, it's nice to hear their stuff.

[@bitmau5]

The video being 8:08 long is the pure genius. Jokes aside, this clarified a lot for me, intuitively. Thanks.

[@danielabdelmalak3211]

I’ve never heard music explained like this. “Feels like water after being in the desert” when talking about deprecation of bass. Love the commentary and short form video. Thank you!!!

[@ssuperfour]

Watch the whole Pyramind talk! Duda is so insightful and you'll remember his tips years down the track! One that stuck with me is, when you introduce a new instrument or sound, automate the volume (e.g using Utility in Ableton) instead of the Gain for the entire track. This lets you bring that instrument track into focus for a moment, and then back down once its had its moment (and automate it back down to clear space in your mix)

[@SolStateMusic]

Yup, definitely worth watching the original Pyramind video if you have 3 hours!

[@nathaniel_cook]

this guy is such a great speaker, really felt like i could understand everything well

[@SolStateMusic]

Duda's the best!

[@drifter402]

Mate it's all those Vengeance packs that everybody used to buy a few years ago. Those kicks are HUGE.

[@Enders]

12 years of making music and I still get a tiny tip from Steve almost every time I hear him talk... Also I've played about 40 of my own productions on "big systems"... you don't want muddy low end, for sure.

[@Sanguinor_Energy]

trusting in the mix and dynamics seems so hard sometimes but then i remember its gonna be freakin loud when its played lol

[@SolStateMusic]

Steve is just one of those people that gets to the essence of any topic. Gotta love him

[@samvanblarcom4758]

@@margix1172 How do you know they don’t play instruments?

[@rocksta9742]

@@margix1172 bro every music producer know how to play at least one instrument wdym i know how to play 4 instruments wut

[@R3BBiT]

@@margix1172 Shit! Who let you in here??

[@winterlogical]

As a wise man once said: Production is *reduction.* I'm an amateur but I am starting to think about my mixes in this way too. Typically I find when I start getting a general vibe going I start muting various elements - and per what I learned in another Sol State vid, if you don't miss the element you just paused, don't bring it back! Think of kicks this way too, in the context of your mix if you shorten it and it works better, don't elongate it again because it sounds good on its own. Think about preserving the core of your idea as much as possible.

[@SolStateMusic]

All good tips. Side note, learning to effectively simplify takes time, so don't get discouraged. I think this is the video Winterlogical mentioned - kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4vJaaCwgqljhdE

[@richardgullick1867]

This is so odd to read because I came to this exact conclusion last night while working on something. After 8 years of producing lol. Twisting my melon man.

[@margix1172]

LEARN A REAL INSTRUMENT AND CREATE REAL MUSIC MASS OF TALENTLESS IDIOTS!

[@MrClarkio]

margix the same rules apply to an orchestra, you don't want your kettle drums banging away when your tuba or bassoon is trying to play a melody. There's a difference between playing and composition and this video is primarily about composition not playing. But it was nice of you to stop by.

[@richardgullick1867]

@@margix1172 herp de derpy derp

[@gomelive]

nailed the video length at 8:08

[@KniteGraffiti]

that last part about dubstep is really enlightening

[@thetarealm]

@@margix1172 weak bait

[@margix1172]

@@thetarealm simply the truth

[@yourunemployedfriendat2pm]

@@margix1172 good one

[@iWantAMod]

@@margix1172 Imagine being this much of a douche, poor guy.

[@margix1172]

@@iWantAMod It's interesting how truth can be so disturbing for so many people

[@neroverweiss7533]

This channel is a true gem for producers.

[@dandahlstrom2650]

This is the best channel for music production tips hands down 100%

[@juhxofficial]

Wow, this was incredibly insightful. You are still my favorite production page, pure knowledge no filler, appreciate your work Sol 🙏

[@SolStateMusic]

Aw thanks, glad this was helpful!

[@artemetra3262]

this next tip is also very useful in arrangements: there's a psychoacoustic effect that states that the listener gets completely used to the constant bass/sub bass in about _40 seconds_ (or even less). so by that time, huge kicks won't sound huge, constant basses won't be as good. that's why Duda talks about _excitement:_ if you make breakdowns or just parts without kick/bass relatively often, you preserve the punch and the excitement, the listener doesn't get bored/used to it (if you don't want to remove your sub, you can also change its pitch, btw!) also, if you are making techno with huge quarter note humming and rumbling kicks, try making the sample of the kick fall in volume (doesn't have to be to -inf db), this will 1) preserve the punch and the excitement 2) allow for much more headroom in general, not just in the low end hope this helps! :p

[@ekyo_stuff]

actually that dubstep kick reverb trick is a super nice tip! I hadn't even thought of that!

[@margix1172]

LEARN A REAL INSTRUMENT AND CREATE REAL MUSIC MASS OF TALENTLESS IDIOTS!

[@SGTCloudrunner]

@@margix1172 I can play 8 different "real" instruments proficiently and I still enjoy both listening to and producing electronic music, but go off I guess.

[@bartelvandervelden9894]

@@margix1172 what do you mean with "a real instrument"? What about instruments that aren't real, what are they then?

[@st0rm766]

3:28 The real Steve Shady spittin bars

[@ehoed9665]

Ahahahh

[@MrBannanasandapples]

this channel is a blessing

[@norec792]

Huge value as always

[@Omido.official]

this channel has so much insane value. Thanks for doing this man

[@SolStateMusic]

Thank uu

[@thiswiedel]

very good video man, learned a lot in the last section

[@AquashiiMusic]

Your channel is amazing! So SO many gems! Thank you for doing this

[@tempestional]

3:29 is a kick

[@1UPMuzic]

This is so enlightening! Thank you ⛽⛽⛽⛽

[@mikeg8343]

Clever, good watch.. nice editing !

[@BenCaesar]

This is amazing! Saving this video rn. Starting to grasp the idea that producing is constricting perception.

[@sandwich-breath]

Creativity and editing are mutually exclusive. A good workflow I've developed over the years is to first add all the ingredients without judgement or editing). I then come back to edit and remove what's not adding to the core of the track to make it stronger/better. Following this I'll come back to review prior to mixing to make sure nothing is overlooked like wonky programming. After taking a break I'll come back to mix with fresh ears. And then finally come back to master with fresh ears. This separation is more about the headspace required to do each task properly, because it actively requires different parts of the brain and to do it effectively requires preparation and the proper mindset.

[@SolStateMusic]

I don't think creativity and editing are fully mutually exclusive, but i know this workflow helps MANY people. I think it's just nice to know what hat your wearing - creator/editor - and not stray too far. A big part of what you're saying is about taking breaks - which works wonders for me too!

[@sandwich-breath]

@@SolStateMusicone more benefit is committing to ideas and then moving on to the next chapter. Thanks for the great content!

[@SeanRaine]

Really loved the added stuff to help us learn thank you 🙏

[@SolStateMusic]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Quawnn]

Great video. I could listen to that dude all day. He seems like he really nerds out on this and that’s right up my alley.

[@1darkmatterbeatz]

Always coming through with these. Thank you man.

[@SolStateMusic]

🙌👊

[@mingusfan]

Duda is such a brilliant mind. Thanks for this!

[@adrianthomas4163]

Saw that Deadmou5 vid before. Now seeing this one, I now have a new perspective on kicks and will apply that to my next set of tunes.

[@SolStateMusic]

Awesome! Hope this helps ;)

[@ettorel]

Recently, I've found this to be true. Shorter kicks really makes a difference when aiming to create more space. Your channel is my favorite for music production and I won't get tired of saying it. Those edits of the kicks graphically showing what Steve was explaining was spot on. Big fan.

[@SolStateMusic]

Thanks bud 🙌

[@Xeniumnebula]

Depends what style of edm youre making. In Hardstyle/hardcore its all about the kick,

[@ettorel]

@@margix1172 So bitter. At least I already play the piano. Though, thanks to all this technology we can create extremely complex sounds that not many instruments allow us to express.

[@cornoc]

@@margix1172 learn to chill, these are different pursuits. do you yell the same thing to people doing talk radio or people painting or building furniture?

[@margix1172]

@@cornoc For sure LOTS of "modern art" (read CRAP) have the same value compared to a Michelangelo or Leonardo paint like a piece of shit in front to the Gioconda . And so is for "music" made with dumb machines, more humans use computers and more DUMB they become.

[@Heavee773]

Transient plugins and decay in ADSR have become my most useful tools lately, Shaping your kicks does get the job done.

[@reiiincarnate]

thank you for uploading these vids, they are opening my small producer brain.

[@SolStateMusic]

Great to hear, thanks!

[@GZWA]

the full interview of steve duda is super inspiring

[@Matt-mn1nn]

great vid, thanks for putting this together

[@kanemanly9725]

Another great video - I wish I was aware of this when I first started producing, beginner producers take serious note!

[@vgaportauthority9932]

This is really good info, thanks!

[@relvin8619]

Love this channel!!!!!!

[@Nox-Eldar]

Been hitting these short kicks for awhile now, and learning where the bass set's.

[@jeremyjohnson7676]

I'm a passionate producer and musician for over 40 years now. (I created this account just to comment, I don't want to reveal my artist name), Quincy Jones is a close friend of mine. I remember when he asked me: "Who do you make your music for?" ... I answered "for no one but myself!".... And Quincy laughed and said, "Right answer! Only for you! Not for the others, not for any events, and not for the clubs! Just for YOU!" ... Then I said "but of course it means the world to me if others like it and I make money with my music!" Quincy laughed again and said "Of course! And it's the best feeling in the world to become successful with something you made just for you!". I would never mix music like that to have the poor acoustics of a club in mind. If a great track that was mixed in an acoustically perfect room is terrible booming in a club, then the problem is the acoustics of the club, not the track. The video just made me shake my head, because there are tracks with long 808 kick drums, with a fat sub bass underneath, and in an acoustically good club it sounds incredible! So my advice to any real producer: Make music for YOU, not to please others. Mix your track the way YOU like it, but still keep certain basic rules in mind. Don't ask yourself if your track sounds good in a stupid club, if it sounds great on a reference system, on your kitchen radio, on a hi-fi system and in the car, then you've done everything right! Deadmau is a cool guy, but his music and methods are not to be taken as a reference. END OF STORY.

[@rickborousk8655]

That's a great story, but the reality of the music business is that the trailblazers get to live that what Q said and then the endless clones make music to please others. And I don't know that in and of itself that's a bad thing, but it is quite often. However, I have made music to please others many times in my life. Who hasn't written a song to impress a girl? I've made dance tracks when the pleasure I get isn't from the song, but seeing the effect it has on people in the club, and most musicians will agree that seeing the effect on others is the true rush of being onstage. I like Deadmau5 a lot, but I think his music is trash. He makes fun of Skrillex for being a moron, but the complexity of Equinox blows away anything mau5 has ever done. Funny isn't it?

[@ChristianIce]

Imagine being a sound engineer working in a venue and not caring about the acoustic of the place. "Hey, it sounds good in theory, but the venue sounds bad..." That would make for a very short career :)

[@jasonshrestha]

this was amazing!!

[@kaybecker]

I wish I had someone to help me out like this, Joel is really lucky to have met him, I strongly believe without Steve there would be no Deadmau5 or at least we would have a very different Mau5 lol. I have been doing music production for quite sometime all by myself and just starting to get noticed a bit now only years later. It's a tough life but alright, I really do manage by myself, but it gets tough at times and I wish I had someone to share the passion with in my studio. I learn everything myself. I would die to have a friend this cool to geek out with at the very least, magic is meant to happen when people make such cool and strong connections. Cheers and thank you immensely for sharing that!

[@peakingmantis5331]

this channel is amazing

[@Shel-fu9jb]

Great video, great channel 😎

[@DaDamuse]

Thanks man awesome vid

[@KenshoBeats]

Great talk, essential for all kinds of beats. I love to mess with kicks and space making experimental beats. Love the use of sonic artifacts to created the illusion of the boom tearing up the space it is in. Like it hardly fits in the track 😊 it’s all illusion

[@childersryan91]

People really don't comprehend how much this man has given to music.

[@cyrusrichard8935]

That was fucking interesting. Good infos and clean edits. Gg and thanky

[@nermhouse]

"its like drinking after being in the desert." 🤞🔥

[@DEEP_PRACTICE]

Very, very insightful. Duda is a prod guru.

[@supadupahilton6848]

A lot of "no duh" yet really profound information in this clip. Just brilliant.

[@antadopteuntrip7086]

This video was a revelation ty

[@morganpage]

Great tips!

[@ackzz]

Great info,-thx and cheers!

[@JulianGrayMedia]

I remember watching that pyramind video years ago and taking it to heart. Made me the mixer I am today for sure

[@SolStateMusic]

Amazing! Duda's certainly got a way with words

[@iamjove]

Great video, the first one was so true!

[@sammywonder4502]

Sol State you legend!

[@creativical]

That's actually kind of similar to what Ian Kirkpatrick said in a stream once: If you want a sound to be huge and hit bigger, turn down all other sounds in relation to that to make it stand out. And also leave enough headroom on all tracks so you can have space to expand into when you want to go louder. If everything is loud, then in relation to each other everything will be the same loudness and that's the same as everything being quiet. That was really an eyeopener for me. It matters, what the sounds do in relation to each other, not what they do in solo.

[@dannionconrad6717]

This is gold Holy Hell man

[@JVDABEATS]

You make excellent informative videos! Keep going my dude (:

[@SolStateMusic]

Thanks, planning on it!

[@naed9music]

Awesome video, thanks!

[@TechOttawa]

Great nfo!!! As a live sound engineer I learned to use my gates to tame that stuff even if the artist doesn't "get it" - almost every style of music eventually ruins the low bass area for live PA work - 40-400hz is a tricky place to fiddle, leave it to the pro's!

[@claymason494]

I think I needed to hear this more than anyone have been making perfect kicks for 3 years now and always wondering what's stopping the vibe from scaling up systems. I admit I love long kicks, it's a poison.

[@FINXainarskrastins]

my prefference - short to medium kicks. eq the mids and or highs to adjust the clicky-nes and 60 hertz for the punch AND highpassing if there is too much rumbble, doing that while comparing it to the mix. if the kick is too loud after the eq, i use a soft clipper to limit it. another thing - if i really like a kick but it has a long sub tail, i fade it out.

[@theprisonier]

Excellent !

[@Artersa]

I have never used a reverb on a kick… I think I shall. Great video, these always inspire me to get back in.

[@SolStateMusic]

Happy to hear the videos are inspiring you!

[@deezuschrist]

I used to love “Hey Baby” back then…I always loved those dirty distorted saw wave bass lines in like 2006. I remember I saw deadmau5 playing a club way back before he was as famous, and I asked him to play that song and he just shook his head. Now I know why lol

[@michatroschka]

love it!!

[@dzaxys4643]

Learnt this lesson the hard way 20 years ago ✌️😎

[@mariocaballero461]

great vid!!

[@mariodavidrodriguez3579]

masterclass material

[@Rhythmattica]

When a mix and production is what makes music... Genre defined.

[@Aileron90]

I have so many sample packs but always have to make my own kicks, kicks drive me up the wall in sample packs, you can always tell a kick that is made from a kick generator like Big kick, or kick 2, because there is always a gap between the hit and the sub layer, they’re always so boomy and long, I’ve always found using shorter kicks are so much cleaner for mixes, oliver is good with this too.

[@theorize999]

good job for the credit original footage👍

[@diegob6729]

I didn't know I was using the same deadmau5 method for searching right kick 😂 But years ago I was getting lost in searching or synthesizing the right one. Now if it sounds good it is the right one, and I go to the next part. 💁‍♂️😁

[@MultiGameJunkies]

love goes out

[@mikelo303]

Sol State laptop sticker... nice touch :)

[@RandiOW]

Man I discovered this 6 years ago I feel like a nerd.

[@dancehallshinobi]

Very informative 👍🏾

[@KubosDJ]

Good video 👍

[@Fluxtroid]

I didn't realise you ran this channel Dylan!

[@gabsauvage]

This channel is so fucking interesting and helpful. Thanks.

[@mauledmusic]

i'm so jealous of duda's laptop stickers

[@PEJTGAMER]

Very intersting video!

[@kevinuniversemusic]

Now I’m getting self conscience about my kick drums xD I changed my way of mixing drums for the new album

[@dissdad8744]

The company Balance Mastering has free club soundsystem impulse responses. This could help to approximate the sound of club speakers on studio monitoring / headphone systems.

[@TheOneDickey]

I like the little Fox Stevenson kick there. My mans kicks are somethin else

[@SentaAerger]

Love the fact that the video is 8:08 long

[@AntonioSS22]

"KICKS DONT MAKE BASS. KICKS MAKE KICKS BRO. BASS MAKES BASS."

[@SolStateMusic]

Someone's been paying attention 👊

[@djcheckmate1]

I like the way the video length is 808.

[@TheHorseValse]

Great info, thanks for sharing! Looks like less is more. I am guilty of using long kicks, maybe I should think about it again. :)

[@SolStateMusic]

At the same time, if it sounds good it is good

[@YOUNGSLIME999]

This video was uploaded one day ago but I swear I’ve seen this many many years ago, by this I mean this exact Sol state video

[@SolStateMusic]

The original clips are from a 3 hour Pyramind video haha

[@YOUNGSLIME999]

@@SolStateMusic ahh I see

[@quentin1o]

Steve Duda is such a genius

[@FreddieShreddieTV]

well i am happy to say that i have always used short kicks from day one

[@imicca]

this man is a genius