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Egadz Dives Into His DIY Approach to Music Equipment Design

The Southern California beat producer and video game maker also wants to design a hoverboard and furniture.

Southern California-based beat producer Egadz, aka Erik Nava, likes furniture and geometry. In fact, if he had this druthers, he'd be getting into furniture design in the near future--which is an interesting counterpoint for an artist who spends a great deal of time dealing with analog circuitry and 1s and 0s.

Nava brings this DIY approach to music equipment and video game design. Whenever possible, he strives to create a fusion of the two media. For instance, Nava recently premiered his “Ghost” music video, which he created by constructing a giant, green screen MPC (controller), on top of which animators layered visuals from his 8-bit-inspired mobile game Space Beats. “Ghost's" beat-heavy, kaleidoscopic notes then synchronize with Egadz's hand movements and the digital bursts of light, making for a trippy, lo-fi experience.

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On July 30, Egadz will drop his album Satellites. In keeping with his resourceful approach to artistic creation, he's self-releasing the record. In anticipation of its release, Nava is premiering “Music Made With Buttons: Egadz” here on The Creators Project (above), in which he takes viewers behind the scenes of his DIY music equipment design process. As an intro to that footage, Egadz treats viewers to the frenetic triggering of his homemade MPC controller. As you will see, Willy Wonka's utterance, “We are the music makers,” seems particularly apt in his case.

Nava and I also spoke about the beginnings of his DIY music equipment design, the Space Beats video game, his 3D-printed USB drives, and how his controllers influence the music he creates. Visit Egadz' website to snag a copy of his album.

The Creators Project: What is your background in designing and building things, music equipment or otherwise?
Egadz: I have been building things since I was a little kid. It seems to be what my career path is now. I’m a musician, artist, and game developer, all of which really just came from “noodling” with things I like.

Egadz

What sort of art and video games do you make?
I recently made a game for touch devices called Space Beats. It's a music rhythm game based on what I do with controllers, but simplified a bit so it's easier to play. I designed and programmed every aspect of it: the music, gameplay, and visual art. The art, in particular, mostly involves my love for geometric design. Again, mid-century modern design has been a big influence. So, for the game, I used past artwork I created to make some of the shapes. Most of what I do visually is in the digital realm, like my album artwork or the 3D design I made into a 3D-printed USB drive. It's all art made from computers. I am also currently working on a project involving animation, and how it relates to music.

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I enjoy being able to put various mediums together to create an overall aesthetic. It becomes not just the feeling I'm trying to express with music, but also a visual component, and how those relate. These days you don't have much time to convey your ideas, so images often work best. Sometimes I can pull a music listener in with the artwork, and sometimes the music can bring them to my art. Either way, I want to give them an overall experience.

How did you get into the DIY making of music equipment?
It was one part necessity, one part personal preference.

How so?
I became really tired of wearing out the pads on the Akai equipment [MPC controllers]. I think they make the most durable equipment out there, but their designs are flawed when it comes to using them as instruments. When performing I get really into it, because it seems to make for a better show. The more I would get into it, the harder I’d hit the pads. The game buttons rely on mechanical switches so I don’t have to be gentle. Even if one of the buttons breaks, it takes about 30 seconds to replace the switch, which means I can do it in the middle of a show if need be.

The green screen wall used in "Ghosts"

And what was your first attempt at homemade music equipment?
I made a giant green screen into a wall of buttons, then some professional video game animators used it to create an awesome “space beat machine.” This was for the new “Ghosts” music video. The controller wall used the same kind of arcade game buttons, and UHID device. I took what I learned from that experiment and scaled it down. That being said, this was my first attempt at a performance grade, durable controller. Most of the knowledge came from installing car stereo systems when I was 13, so I think that experience helped with the wiring process. Speaking of the giant, custom-built MPC controller in “Ghosts,” how was that designed, built, and implemented for the video?
The giant beat machine wall was created with video game buttons and drywall. The buttons were wired to a UHID device. All of this is typical of an arcade game's setup. The UHID signals were then sent to my computer and routed through Junxion, a program that turns the UHID signals into MIDI signals. Ableton takes over from there and makes each different sound play when I press a button. I played the segments of the video live, and was mostly improvisational. This was pretty difficult because the buttons were further apart than I was used to with my normal controllers. I wanted to randomly place the buttons, so I decided to map some constellations. These constellations were not supposed to be seen in the video. The animators figured it out I guess. I thought maybe it was just meant to be, so I didn't tell them to take it out. What other things have you made?
I recently built the inside of a space ship for my new music video. I never experimented with set design before, but it looked like one big controller or a giant car stereo. Besides that, I’ve only made lamps and other household items. But, if time permitted, I’d really like to get into furniture design.

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"Ghost"

What might you like to design in the future as far as music equipment?
I think if I had the resources, a cool experiment would involve wiring a collection of real instruments to my controller using MIDI signals that trigger mechanisms. A button could trigger a real guitar to play a note or chord, and also play a physical kick drum at the same time. You could imagine the possibilities. This is the real world example of how I program the sounds to play from my computer.

Does how you build things alter both your approach to making music and the resultant sound?
For me, anything that involves aesthetic can serve as a catalyst for all my other ideas. In this case, I made the controller in a way that would make the most sense to my brain while playing it. Taking from what's already proven to be the most refined configuration of buttons, I used an even button amount because it’s easier to divide into sections so my brain can always find the correct button to press. Using the same idea of grouping, it’s easier to find sounds that go well together.

Any equipment you'd like to build in the future?
I’ve always wanted a hoverboard.

That would be fantastic. Any final thoughts on DIY equipment construction or “controllerism”?
There are many future possibilities for controllers including motion sensors. There is something important about having an actual physical machine in front of you, and one that represents who you are. I believe it is a more profound experience when a person connects the senses. The controller I built connects the touch of that machine to sight and sound. For me there’s nothing like touching a button on a controller, watching it light up, and feeling the sound rumble beneath my feet when I perform on stage. I’m sure anyone standing close enough feels the same.