Deadmau5 and Steve Duda have come together to help Razer get more into the music scene. In the first video of their series the two producers walk through some of the basic-to-intermediate techniques to help put the finishing touches on a song, AKA Mastering + Routing.
If the name Razer sounds familiar, it’s likely you’re a gamer or are friends with someone that owns one of those crazy-looking computer mice with a dozen buttons. Back in Q4 of last year, Razer announced that they were diving head-first into music production. The assumption is that their powerful and portable laptops have an audience greater than hardcore gamers. Through that idea, the Razer Blade was born.
Computer brand preference aside, I have to say that Deadmau5 and Steve Duda are one of my favorite duos to watch. They have such an interesting dynamic together. It’s well-known that Steve is a technical expert and a music production guru, but it might surprise many to see the Mau5 keep up with his own level of expertise. Of course, he’s still clearly his snarky self – and does a great job trying to not come off as a total shill for Razer. While Joel is being very direct and crass throughout the entire video series, he also peppers in very direct and helpful information.
What’s covered in this 15 minute video? A few helpful tidbits like:
“Cut your Master output below 20hz to minimize washout down the chain.” What does this mean? With some basic techniques or free plugins such as Engineers Filter (free), you can save some processing and range within your songs since MOST equipment can’t even process those frequencies.
I’m interested to hear what those who don’t care about music production think about this. This particular video is pretty in-the-weeds as far as production goes and clearly isn’t meant to appeal to a wide audience. Perhaps some of the lighter topics such as melody and song structure might be a better start for those looking to test the waters.
Is it Razor’s goal to convert some gamers into EDM fans, or do they just see a natural tie between the two audiences? Completely understanding that there’s probably a huge crossover between the two groups — but is Razor really planning to dive into the music production realm? Or is this just a gaming company making moves to associate the power of their machines? Let us know your thoughts.
Anyway, the video is a quick watch and you can check it out here.