deadmau5 Masterclass Review

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deadmau5, also know as Joel Thomas Zimmerman, is an American electronic dance music (EDM) superstar and music producer known for wearing a large mouse head while performing. He took the dance music world by storm by shunning mainstream, euphoric music that was popularized in the post-rave electro scene and embracing darker beats that were influenced by bands like Nine Inch Nails.

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Summary

  • Most people who want to enter the music production business don’t know where to start. This program solves that problem. It’s a great first (and second step).
  • deadmau5 is unique in that he handles all of his music production, from creation to performance. See how someone who is at the top of their game manages each step. It’s like sitting in his studio and having a one-on-one conversation with him.
  • Make up your own mind (for free). Click here to buy the deadmau5 Masterclass.

Pros

  • The course does a deep dive into many ‘how to’ areas of music production, including building everything from baselines, to mastering.
  • The artists also gives a list of things to avoid, things you might not needs, where to spend your time and energy.
  • deadmau5 gives you a complete list of tools you need to begin producing music, even if you are on a budget.

Cons

  • This is not intended to be a four year degree in electronic dance music production. Some people complain that it is not.
  • Most of the gear deadmau5 recommends is not free.

In his Masterclass, Joel opens the doors to his production studio and explains everything from his theory on making music to how he creates tracks. The courses offer an incredibly detailed look into the mind of a master, to the point where sometimes you can’t believe you are sitting with him for so little money…

I have to admit, I have been to some electronic music festivals in my day and often wondered what it would be like to create music on a computer. Getting coached in such detail from deadmau5 was more than I expected. For the price of admission, I was expecting some basic overview of theory and maybe something about how to get started… This is much, much more than that…

Things to consider before buying this Masterclass

EDM essentially is digital music. So it follows that in order to produce digital music a person would need software and hardware. These are some basic considerations before buying this course… Just like a course teaching you violin would be best enjoyed if you had access to a violin… You will need some computers, sound equipment, and software to get the most out of this course.

For those of you who relish the idea of being a DJ, adored by screaming hordes of undulating party-goers, all I can say is… This is a real Masterclass in making EDM, not some beat-mixing tutorial that talks about how to get a gig spinning records in Ibiza. If you are not a detailed person willing to put in some work, this is probably not the right fit for you.

Presenting The deadmau5 Masterclass

This Masterclass has 23 video lessons with over six hours of instruction and a workbook you can download. The course describes the producer’s tools, how he uses the tools to produced music, his philosophy surrounding mastering music, samples, synths, remixing, loops, how to use oscillators, and a whole host of in-depth topics. It’s a deep dive into music production, on a one-on-one basis, from one of the world’s top producers.

Learn More… The deadmau5 Masterclass…

Lesson 1: Introduction – Joel talks about the path the course will take, why he thinks EDM is important, and what you can learn. The courses allow comments and this lesson (at the time of publishing this) had over 10,000 comments.

Lesson 2: Theory – This is one of the more esoteric lessons in the course, where Joel talks about his process of creation, what he shoots for in order to get a track complete, and some of his thoughts on being influenced.

Lesson 3: Practice –  Joel talks about building chords. He admits he can’t play chords on the piano, but shows how he works around that by building his chord structures in his digital audio workstation (DAW).

Lesson 4: Building Your Home Studio –  For those of you who think that having great gear is required to make great EDM, you can relax in knowing that the most important thing you have is ideas… If you have ideas and put them to work, the gear is secondary.

Lesson 5: Developing Melodic Structures –  deadmau5 walks you through his strategies to create melodies in your DAW. He explains the cycles of music.

Lesson 6: Turning Melodies Into Arrangements –  Joel explains how he splits choruses into different stylistic arrangements using different instruments. How to anchor your chords and turn them into base notes.

Lesson 7: Introduction To Synthesized Sounds –  The goal, according to deadmau5, is to come up with something original. ‘deadmau5’ Masterclass ReviewHe walks you through the basics of managing synths, includes a funny story about an abused patch, and explains filters.

Lesson 8: Experimenting With Modular Synths –  How to use envelopes to automate and putting modular synth in your tracks.

Lesson 9: Digital Vs. Analog Synths –  deadmau5 explains his wall of knobs and flashing lights. His goal is to use modular synths to build patches.

Lesson 10: Shaping Sounds With Effects And Processing –  Joel describes a cardinal sin of dance music. How to use guitar pedals to affect your sound.

Lesson 11: Beats: Part 1 –  The rules of beats per minute for EDM. Making stuff for the common denominator. Being in sync with everyone.

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Lesson 12: Beats: Part 2 – Lessons on snare sounds and a closer look at the drums tracks in Snowcone.

‘deadmau5’ Masterclass Review

Lesson 13: Structuring Songs –  How to make your loops interesting by adding swells and dips in your main theme. He explains the Intro, the Breakdown, the Hook, and the breakdown again.

Lesson 14: Remixes –  How remixes can help you gain more experience. He wants to rework a song by taking one element outof song and rebuilding around that element.

Lesson 15: Mixing –  How to have a professional sounding track. Making sure your mix is print ready and having a great melodic sounds.

Lesson 16: Mastering –  Why he likes Mastering his own music. What needs to be in place for good basic mastering, volume gain, dynamics change, change in overall gain and EQ tweaking.

Lesson 17: Mastering Case Study: Snowcone –  Joel goes through his track Snowcone

Lesson 18: Starting Your Producing Career –  What labels are looking for. The myths behind getting signed.

‘deadmau5’ Masterclass Review

Lesson 19: Understanding the Music Business –  Navigating the system. What to ignore. How to develop some people to help you.Coo

Lesson 20: On Stage: The Music –  How to set up a show. Using your Digital Audio Workspace in a show.  What matters most during a show.

Lesson 21: On Stage: The Technical Side –  How to keep your gear up and running while touring.

Lesson 22: On Stage: The Show –  What crazy behavior to avoid. This module invites students to upload their own shows to be evaluated.

Lesson 23: Closing –  Joel gives you some action items to put to use as next steps.

Cool Feature: Members of the deadmau5 Masterclass can comment on different sections within the course. Here are some example comments:

Here are some alternatives to The deadmau5 Masterclass:

Tools Recommended by deadmau5 in the Masterclass:

Conclusion

The deadmau5 Masterclass is a great course for someone looking to enter the EDM music production realm. It would also be valuable for someone who is more advanced, just to see what another producer’s process looks like.

Masterclass has done something pretty cool with this course. They are allowing you to try it before you buy it… Take the deadmau5 Masterclass and if you love it, you might consider taking the Armin Van Burren Masterclass!

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