Deadmau5 Studio Tour – ‘I Wanted To One-Up Daft Punk!’
Deadmau5 walks viewers through an array of rare and vintage synthesizers that would make even the most seasoned collector drool
The latest video features Deadmau5 (Joel Zimmerman) sharing a tour of his studio, and sharing his thoughts on his career through gear.
Inviting Reverb into a gear-stuffed home studio that he says took “a solid three years” to build, the mouse-headed Canadian artist shows off a jaw-dropping collection of synthesizers that surely must be one of the most extensive on the planet outside of a museum.
In the video, Zimmerman walks through the synths, modular systems, and rare vintage pieces that power his sound—from ARPs and Oberheims to his custom modular synthesizers.
Another rarity is Deadmau5’s Minimoog Voyager, a synth was a mainstay in his workflow, a gift from none other than Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes. This isn’t just any Voyager, though, but the last one ever made. “That’s the last unicorn, the last one,” Deadmau5 says of the synth, a 10th-anniversary edition of the Voyager of which only 31 were manufactured. Along the way, he discusses how his gear has followed the evolution of his music.
Zimmerman admits to being a G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) addict, and, at one point, even says he built out his Modcan modular synth to ‘one-up Daft Punk’. This – combined with the fact that he’s successful enough to be able to be able to buy what he wants – has resulted in him building one of the most amazing electronic music studios ever.
