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10 questions with Steve Duda
The Deadmau5 collaborator and pro-audio guru shares his views on everything from mastering (don't do it), through creating melodies (do) to his penchant for C++ programming.
Widely perceived as a pioneer, and the producer du jour of the Beatport generation, man behind the mirror Steve Duda is probably best known as Deadmau5's collaborator. As one half of BSOD and a third of supergroup WTF? alongside legendary Motley Crue's Tommy Lee and DJ Aero, Duda's skills as a sound designer and programmer are equally in demand in the pro-audio scene, with credits including FXpansion's GURU and BFD. We get on the blower to Toronto to grill him on the key issues.
What is the key ingredient for a track? Breakdown? Style of production? Bassline?
For me the key ingredient is a unique identifier. I've heard a lot of tracks that are sonically great, have tons of nice fills / fx etc, but don't have anything to remember them by. I think you need to give the track some sort of chord/melody/vocal hook to give the track its own identity.
When building a track, how do you normally work? Do you start with the drums and build your way up from that?
I did this for years; built a beat and maybe a bassline until I hit a point of inspiration to make a musical statement of some sort. Nowadays I prefer to start with some sort of chord progression, phrase/riff, or melody, and make rhythm a secondary aspect. I crave substance beyond kick drum and hi-hat.
Do you mainly use analogue or digital soft synth sources? Do you think analogue really makes a difference?
I use both. It's not an issue of sound quality these days - both sound great - but of the hands-on nature of hardware; having something with knobs and switches leading you to new results. In the analogue synth world I'll be playing the keyboard with one hand and tweaking controls with the other hand. I don't work this way with soft synths.
Any arrangement secrets you wish to share with us?
I tend to make things sound as 'good' as possible on a short (1-8 bar) loop. I've watched other producers stamp out six minutes of beat and then start adding elements across these six minutes, which is a different approach, but not one I like as there might be 100 fx tricks in the track but no solid core of a tune. I'd rather have a solid core to the music and let changes over time be more subtle.
What do you believe is the secret to your success as a producer?
I consider myself more a 'tech' or 'engineer' than a successful producer, but the success I've had has been down to the fact that I know a lot about many different things, both technical and musical. Most audio engineers don't have a music degree for instance, or a solid background in computers. My CD has been varied: I worked for Digidesign, I played in jazz combos, I got a music composition degree, I played in rock bands, I played in a Prince cover band, I spent two years working on a Nine Inch Nails record, and I learned how to make my own plugins/software and DSP in C++. Having a variety of abilities has helped to keep my phone ringing for different reasons from different people (mixing / mastering / writing / engineering / session keyboards / sound design / editing / tech support etc) and kept me gainfully employed.
What's your opinion on processing the mix bus? Leave it clean or drive it to the extreme?
Drive it to the extreme! But trust your ears and compare to tracks you know that sound close. It's important to get things hitting how you want which is why I shun mastering and think it's best to simply trust your own ears and find a method that works (then find a new method for the next track or album).
Any advice on monitoring? Quiet? Loud? Do you prefer flat and boring speakers, headphones or big, phat and chunky monitors?
I like loud when writing and absurdly quiet for mixing, though both are useful for mixing. I think of it as being similar to how a painter works: get really close to the piece of art for some changes (mix quiet/more detail) and then stands back to get the big picture (listen loud/less detail).
How important do you think it is to have your music mastered commercially? Can you do it yourself as effectively and what tools would you recommend?
Mastering is a misunderstood concept. Mastering is more important for vinyl pressing than anything. Mastering has validity for vinyl and makes a lot of sense for album continuity if there is a variety of sound/levels/etc between tracks. Over time, however, mastering has became synonymous with "making the track sound better" and has become a crutch for unfinished mixes. A well mixed track (already compressed to taste) is all you should need. People frequently ask who or what we use for mastering and the answer is there is no mastering: you're hearing the render right out of the computer - exactly the same thing we heard...
Describe your typical workflow on a track.
Work on a short loop. Add additional parts that work together well. Create a rough mix. Add some more elements (like FX and fills) for specific moments. Arrange timeline and mix (more or less at the same time).
What sounds do you find are the hardest to create from scratch?
The hardest sounds to make are the ones when you are trying to imitate someone else's; they probably found a sound (on a synth, or sample CD) and said "that works" where here you are trying to analyze and recreate what was probably haphazard to begin with. I really prefer to avoid those situations of imitation, but people sometimes ask for specific things.
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More from Steve Duda: www.myspace.com/bsodmusic
(c) 2009 Sounds/To/Sample