Teaching Yourself to Make Music Software: Steve Duda in Conversation | Loop

[@els1f]

I was just thinking, "wow she's doing an incredible interview!" And when I went to look up who she is... "Marijke is a Senior User Experience Designer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. On-lab her projects include designing augmented reality tools for spacecraft engineering and Mars exploration, and designing processes and software to support spacecraft operations for the Europa Clipper mission; a spacecraft set to arrive at the Jovian moon in 2025." DAMN! 😵😲 I need to find an interview of her 😄

[@RefactoringRyan]

Wow! That's amazing

[@zpurpz]

Thanks for sharing.. Dayum

[@davetbassbos]

"What are you, a rocket scientist?" "Well actually, yes" lol!

[@DaronJones]

Hey thanks @Elsif I was going to check out who she was! She's good; Not many times I learn new stuff from the interviewer!

[@willstatmen9591]

That’s awesome! But why would ableton invite a rocket scientist to interview a music person (legend) like Steve duda?

[@champaklalgada5110]

The best part is that this guy gives credit to each and everyone who has helped him out!!

[@emmanueloluga9770]

As it should be

[@teemad]

Also he is a really nice guy to deal with. When I purchased Serum I had some issues with Paypal and I had to email for help. I didn't realise it at the time but I ended up speaking to him one late night (I'm talking late, would have been past midnight). Initially with the issues I had I almost changed my mind about going through with it, but after helped me out I ended up doing it. And boy was I glad I did. Serum is an incredible piece of software. Maxiumum respect to Steve.

[@herschoolcolors]

Maybe those preset designers deserve more than credit… Not paying your sound designers? Damn, gotta have a giant brain to come up with an idea like that.

[@musicbyAnu]

This guy is legend respect for him

[@jonathanstark5541]

no, he is an avid dickhead, THE ONLY IN THE WORLD who never discount his products, and if u ask him why, the reply is a non-sense embarrassing. Fuck him :)

[@chronon8782]

so he is a bad person because you don't have any money?

[@kristianandreasen3230]

0:41 - how did someone from a music background become a self-taught software developer? 3:39 - where do I start? 4:32 - Andrew Simper an important mentor to Duda 5:44 - reverse-engineering something that exists is a great place to begin, but how did you choose to create something new? 9:27 - how did the development of Serum start? 17:38 - collaborating with Lance 21:50 - who is on your team of collaborators? 23:45 - what tools are you using? And what is your development process like? 24:29 - do you use Jira? 25:24 - do you start with creating a general architecture when you start building something? Feature specific? 26:15 - are you using any frameworks or libraries? 28:14 - are there other lessons learned for people who are interested in starting a development project? 31:13 - before opening up for questions, are there any announcements for whats next? 32:24 - feature creep 33:10 - yes this is why Ableton is the best DAW 33:51 - question 1: how do you know when to dive deeper to educate yourself vs. outsourcing it to somebody? 37:56 - question 2: where do you see music software going in the future? 41:54 - question 3: any advice for how to find and approach people you want to collaborate with when developing technology? 45:28 - question 4: any other vsts that inspired you? 48:44 - question 5: any new plugins coming? 52:14 - question 6: how do you as a developer approach music? 55:12 - last question: what advice would you give to music makes that are interested in developing their own software? 56:42 - followup question

[@prod.byharvey2009]

YOU SIR ARE A GOD

[@BlazertronGames]

Thanks!

[@Iamclaybamamusic]

Thank you

[@akoolstik]

I appreciated the real dev questions that the host/interviewer asked.

[@cornerliston]

Indeed! If you want relevant questions and discussion go for a professional host. She if any has plenty enough of experience both technically, UX and musically.

[@JamesWilliams-ki7im]

@@cornerliston who is she?

[@cornerliston]

@@JamesWilliams-ki7im Didn't know her before myself so I just know the web search result: Senior UX Designer at Nasa and musician so she has plenty of experience in user interface, human interaction and music.

[@jarren9083]

Good host

[@plznerf3326]

"saying I love you and meaning it" lmao what a hero

[@ID1visor]

Such a wholesome interview :D

[@au5music]

Steve is awesome!

[@cantifirmi4921]

Au5 Yes indeed sound design master.

[@bendavis1825]

I love that video where you shout Steve out at the end asking for a feature you think would be helpful, and he immediately comments that it'll be in the next patch.. What a guy! (Also I love the stuff you do as well - Keep it up!)

[@au5music]

@@bendavis1825 He actually implemented my suggestion! He's on another level.

[@EvaLasta]

FUCK YOU GO MAKE SOME GOOD MUSIC FOR ONCE

[@chronon8782]

​@@EvaLasta all he did was say steve was awesome, meany pants

[@OGRfilms]

I'm about to get my degree in Computer Science with a minor in music tech, and my dream is to make Music Software for a living. In a few months I'm gonna be shooting my resume off to Ableton, Steve, and everyone else in the industry. This guy is an inspiration

[@bavingeter423]

NoahTigner good luck man

[@logiarhythm6285]

A MINOR in music tech, sounds easy ;P

[@EvaLasta]

You will soon realize that degree means nothing and all these guys didn't go to school for this. You can do this all on your own, basically anything on the computer or business.

[@OGRfilms]

@@EvaLasta I didn't go to school to learn how to make synths, and an education doesn't mean 'nothing at all'. I'm not trying to put people down who didn't go to school, but saying that it is meaningless shows you have no idea what you are talking about. It might have less importance in this specific niche, but it's still a big consideration for most jobs in tech as a whole.

[@djformalin]

NoahTigner ....good luck in the future, dude !

[@ZenWorld]

OH HELL YEAH!!!!!!! Another Steve DUDA Video. Notebook OUT

[@zpurpz]

*hits vape :)

[@rn221]

Literally me

[@Oversampled]

"Beautiful women Steve Duda has created the most amazing synth ever.. Sweet Serum" 😍

[@LxgalizeYT]

You’re still the biggest dick in my heart Richard 😘

[@Met-one]

wowzers

[@Morpheus396]

3 minutes in and his passion is SO inspiring.

[@arvinsim]

This video simultaneously reignited my love for software development and music production

[@dethswurl117]

100%

[@RefactoringRyan]

Absolutely.

[@shaunakmahapatra]

the fact that he explains the vst stuff soo easily, it makes u feel making a vst is a glass of water, but when u try it on ur own u feel the pain and the complexity of it. he is a real genius.

[@m_r__r_o_b_o_t]

This is very well moderated by Marijke Jorritsma, what a great interviewer.

[@wickeddubz]

I wish to see more interviewers like her, she looks very calm and balanced, questions to the point, and she doesn’t speak a lot, she stays more in the background as a host/moderator and listener

[@lindsaywebb1904]

Fantastically not annoying

[@jarren9083]

WAS JUST SAYING THAT SUCHHHHH GREAT QUESTIONS

[@watercolourmark]

This man has had more influence on my workflow than I have myself, legend.

[@sabansabanovic9750]

Duda is Dude...thannk you for giving us such amazing device...Ableton 4ever

[@tkexit]

I literally owe my entire sound to this guy. Living legend is right

[@Jesse-xq7jb]

This couldn't have hit me at a better time. 10 years producing and back in college for CS. Fantastic interview. Support Duda!

[@Jesse-xq7jb]

@ Oh cool, random stranger. Even though my comment had nothing to do with my production style, your unsolicited criticism was much appreciated. Actually, I just change the tempo of the tutorial tracks that came with my DAW and release those.

[@Asyouwere]

Apologies if I ask a very dumb question, but what is CS?

[@russ254]

cs=computer science

[@Asyouwere]

@@russ254 ah, thanks!

[@OperculumAudio]

Man, Steve Duda really let's it all flow out when talking about his creative process. Super cool

[@EchoSoundWorks]

Steve is a god damn legend, much respect to him!

[@rewindoffical5280]

Echo Sound Works right

[@DoctorJRx]

This was a great interview. I was under the impression he was a software engineer or learnt coding at a college level !!

[@jahzen7]

I love his honesty and humble attitude. It's amazing what you can achieve when you have a dream.

[@nskeip]

That moment when you realize that your master in mathematics can be applied to your hobby. So heart warming :))

[@glowstickyyy]

Duda seems like a rad gem of a human!!! happy for his success! Awesome talk. Brilliant mind! :)

[@Vincent-Vega24]

Steve Duda: The Man, The Myth, The Legend!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Janomix]

Are a perfect teacher, Steve. Ohm, will be great have the Ensoniq's Transwave as wavetables on Serum. Thank you!

[@ale9507]

Mr.Duda has created the most revolutionary VSTi of all time. Serum has honestly changed the entire music production process for me. I couldn't imagine making a project without it at this point. Thank you for your hard work.

[@alexeyv1503]

Many thanks to Steve for his products, and his support for those products, with the almost instant email replies... Steve, you the man!

[@ModulerDrone]

This guy changed my life completely. The amount of passion and energy he puts out into the world and attention he gives to each and everyone of his users is off the scale. Really pushing the needle of music for the whole world. Respect🙏

[@carlosramirezfabian1256]

Hearing the words Ableton Live makes me happy

[@zpurpz]

Join the Ableton Holics group on Fb :)

[@Tazmanian_Ninja]

Steve Duda! The master of masters. Realizing there's a new video with him, was like realizing the second coming of Christ had just happened. Holy moly! I've never seen a video with Duda where I didn't feel it was densely packed with next-level tips. He is SERIOUS.

[@RadaSmada]

Super inspiring talk start to finish. A lot of good advice and life lessons here

[@frunkfrankly]

This man deserves an award for the amount of support and patience offered, by him, in his forum. His VSTs are alright too ;P Great interviewer indeed btw.

[@CleverMetaphor]

man i remember back when fruityloops 2 was out, i was 13, and the best 2 loops on there were called "DudaFunk" and "deadmau5"

[@chronon8782]

somwhere in the FL files there are a load of hidden "DUDA" Beepmap images, idk why they arent there in the presets by default

[@Luis-mq8pg]

Never realized how much I took serum for granted. I’ll never take it for granted again!

[@SiLiDNB]

I love his humor aswell :D what an amazing person!

[@ilanyg3258]

What a legend! very inspiring 🙏

[@tenpoundsterlingtn7756]

Thank you steve, your synthesizer is absolutely legendary. -Open beta user pre v1.0

[@TheNimasan]

what a classy guy. i bought his serum yestarday and i never thought im gonna so i love it. worth every penny... tremendous work!!! great interview!!

[@sossa57]

woaw Steve Duda with ableton , thanks for Serum and cthulu , amazing plug ins

[@tonywang9032]

I got so inspired by this dude. LOVE U, STEVE!

[@jacobrose9606]

This dude is my new hero... I knew it when he started describing what 'Metamusic' means at 3:08 Thank you for the countless hours of your life that you put into the development of this software, the countless musicians and producers you have empowered with said software, and the incomprehensible impact you have had on the production of sound as a whole. My ears are crying... happy tears :')

[@hearmenow909]

"Are we making a DAW?" Yes please Steve!

[@enneff]

Inspiring. After watching this I built my first plugin and it worked!

[@mconstant007]

'My Jira is the IDE'. Oh snap. VST development actually sounds like a path here. To developer happiness. Get your requirements from shows. Watch the trends and see how people produce. Have earth shaking ideas. Team with people to execute. Inspiring. One thing that is really refreshing is Steve's insights into his own potential and limits. Also his insight into how those can change and when to do it. Steve also seems smart with how he invests his time, money, creative effort, and learning and coding effort. Thanks for helping visualizing new paths to mo betta meta-music.

[@vicwillis4295]

Love how he has found his calling in life, much respect

[@pairadeau]

The interviewer is excellent. A truly underrated skill.

[@DM2Live]

Awesome interview! Thank you for letting him just do his thing and talk nerd talk to us!

[@VintiqueSound]

Hehe, this is great. He's so passionate and so willing to share his mind. Very good interview :)

[@paulisawesome10]

Any time I put a question about serum on the serum reddit. Steve replies himself within a couple hours. A legend

[@twoscoops2]

Marijke did such a great job on this interview. Steve is great as always.

[@neonvoid]

24:24 about working as a one person "team" vs. corporate is absolute wisdom. if you are driven, smart, talented, you don't need to work for a corporation.

[@HealthyBodyForLife]

"yea, progressive disclosure". 14:52 steve's polite, uncomprehending laughter and nod. "so... yeah" LOL but for reals, incredible interview, i am so happy this guy exists

[@itchydez]

Definetly listening to this on my drive home from training. Cheers for the upload, Duda is boss!

[@knarly3013]

Anyone who starts their talk with a dog meme instantly gets my attention, great talk Steve, and plugins! How about you and Joel getting together and making a BSOD album!?

[@ItsGrantM]

Inspiring stuff. Im a web developer, graphic designer, programmer, and DJ, venturing into the world of music production in the last year. If i can have even an 8th of the success of someone like Steve or Joel (Deadmau5) i'll die a happy man.

[@chaoschoir4759]

I first stumbled across Cthulhu and thought “Wow this dude is brilliant.” And then I heard and purchased Serum and my compositions are all the better for this one synth alone. Steve is a genius!

[@jimmy_jamesjams_a_lot4171]

“Meta music...”. YES! I had a few chats with software / hardware inventors and asked them how does it feel when you know that you have your hands closer to the core of creativity, since it’s by using your tools that other musicians make their music, and so there are many people who must feel somehow at their mercy and the presence of their tools, and existing under a shadow that they cast. That’s definitely an incentive to step up and claim innovating and inventing these tools as your main ambition, since there’s no better way to have such an influence. And not just that, but when you do it right, so so many other musicians will want to use what you’ve created, and maybe this creation would inspire a person to be a musician all because they like your tools of creation. That’s a huge compliment, and I’m sure there’s other rewards as well when you are making the top tier VSTs and plug-ins. THANKS FOR SHARING THIS GREAT TALK!

[@glimes6471]

Seeing Duda puts a smile on my face. 😊

[@terryhigson434]

If you're reading Steve. I just want to say, you are a fucking duda. Cthulhu has helped me so much music wise. I have no training on piano what so ever, just a good ear.. well... 2 actually xD but now i can play the chords i want to play, with a little research on youtube obviously. Just a genius plug in, and i want to thank you with my whole being, you are the fucking man.

[@djclaudecir7]

Congratulations to Steve Duda for creating the Vst Serum Plugin, one of the best sound design production plugins on the planet..Success! 😀😀✔✔✔😍😎🎶🎶🎶👏👏👏👏👏

[@mje2518]

He is a very likable person :)

[@SiMills]

very inspiring chap he is

[@RotoGluOn]

He is so nice, I'm really happy to meet the guy behind Serum =) Really fun interview, I loved it :p

[@potitwist]

He and his brother are both very passionate and inspiring people to listen to indeed.

[@axs203]

GarageBand on IOS is a good example of keeping it simple, It encourages you to make music as the interface is well thought out. I’d like to see AR in music now with AR home studios you can design.....just a desk and a keyboard n faders. It’s inspiring listening to this guy. It makes you think mmm could I do that. Collaboration is a great thing as well. He realised that.

[@rahulspoudel]

Respect to this legend! Huge thanks for Serum and other Xfer products !

[@gadeonmusic]

I'm glad I bought Serum over the other Synths, this guy is a legend

[@Noizefield]

Thank you very much for this really interesting interview. And thank you Steve for explaining everything so well without keeping things secret.

[@JulienEarle]

yessssssssssss cant wait to hear some steve duda dub techno tunes

[@techneek100]

Thank You for Great Session with very Valueable Ideas...

[@EuroDJ]

Wouuu... Amazing interview ))))) THNX!!!!!!!!!

[@melhorespod]

Loving seeing how the crowd respect Steve Duda.. you couldn't seen that a few years back.. loving that.. great guy, great plugins.. can't wait for what the future holds!

[@logicalconceptofficial]

If I wasnt already determined to make my own synths and audio processors this wouldve definitely made me want to do it! Now I wont be able to stop thinking about it lmao

[@timquadrat70]

Such an inspiring talk! Thank you 2! 🤩

[@josuearesav]

Wholesome interview indeed.

[@BarakaBlanka]

So great yet so humble! I use LFO Tool and Serum on a daily basis! Thank You!

[@alichamas63]

Steve Duda, John Carmack - Programming legends to keep you going.

[@PatrickWard4]

What a good interview. I've never even heard of him before. I feel like I learned so much in one hour than probably some months of my life. Ha ha.

[@GrenadaEntertainment]

Pp

[@h.hristov]

Legend. Thank you, Steve.

[@markdunsing4929]

Thank you Steve for the gift of Serum

[@coolscube5062]

Really Interesting Interview With Steve Dada Very Modest Man ,,

[@patpagano]

love steve's serum and style. Bravo

[@Raildealer1]

Shoutout Lance! And love you Steve.

[@Slynk]

Hey! I can see myself in the crowd :P Best talk at Ableton Loop last year. So inspiring.

[@AFRoSHEENT3ARCMICHAEL69]

I wonder if we're ever going to get a Serum 2 and in it we get more Warp knobs per oscillator and a 3rd oscillator.

[@samaBR333]

how can you not love him?!

[@sambidudek]

This is the best 57 minutes, I’ve spent on YT. Using Serum from day one. And yes, knowing and pitching things to artists (like Deadmau5) helps a lot - just imagine you have the DEADMAU5 sounds under your fingers. Thanks Steve Duda for that.

[@treemanzoneskullyajan711]

Ana 2 and Synthmaster one, fl morphine, poly six, operator, analouge all sick

[@conkerconk3]

i understood everything he said code wise... i feel so happy😊

[@nickdestruct]

I never tried Serum and havent bothered looking it up to make the connection to Steve til now. Trent said he spent way too much time in Reaktor making shit so guess thats why he got Steve later on. I also need to go back and sample Marijke's laugh and make it as my notification sound on my phone 🥰

[@Juliano_DJOL]

This makes me wanna buy serum! I used to have a crack but it quit working a couple years ago...I still have mad patches!

[@frankgeick3641]

Went to UC Berkeley. Had some Professors that where Nobel Prize winners. This is like that. Genius.

[@jarren9083]

Love how at the beginning it started out with he wasn’t good at it at all. And he was like I wasnt good at it I just didn’t even know what I was doing I just didn’t give up.

[@kylepotter5357]

"I don't use Jira, I try to be as AGILE as possible" That pun tho

[@dethswurl117]

Lol ikr I was wondering if he did that on purpose

[@zelllers]

He's a genius lol

[@davetbassbos]

Great interview, and props to him for being realistic about his skills and knowing when to delegate.

[@bluematrix5001]

She is so amazing

[@ItsTheMajorScalebro]

Thank you. This was incredible to watch/listen to :)

[@Hyphyofficial]

Honest dude man. Probably got the most info i needed just in this video. #youtubeuniversity ?

[@haroldpalmer3245]

Thanks Steve your the Duds-all..

[@Vlfkfnejisjejrjtjrie]

14:52 did she say "progressive disclosure"? The look on the guys face...😂😂😂😂