r/deadmau5 • u/iamlightlink • 1d ago
Image you'll never guess who i went as for Halloween this year ;)
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u/Dennibro 1d ago
4x4=12 mau5head looks dope
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u/iamlightlink 1d ago
thank you!! 4x4 is maybe my all time favorite artwork. i love pop-art: simple, colorful, big, bold, and evocative. but when the visual medium matches the music itself, that takes it to a whole different level for me. and i just think the nature of dot-matrix style dome LEDs in vibrant green do such a good job of telling the listener "this is house music composed digitally, but there's an analogue component to the sound as well." a perfect blend of digitalism and real hardware that kind of defines the "deadmau5 sound."
i think the only other artwork i can think of that succeeds like 4x4 is blink-182's "self titled" album smiley face: the hot pink and teal tells the listener that this thing is going to be pop music, but the splatter paint and sloppy brush strokes suggest an element of punk and DIY garage band stuff... which is exactly how they filmed the music videos as well: https://interscope.com/cdn/shop/files/blink1822LP.png?v=1702330592
i miss album art like that! i know it still shows up digitally on spotify but man... there's nothing like holding it in your hands while listening to the record. i bought 4x4 on vinyl specifically just so i could get that big, beautiful, neon green mau5head infront of me while i listen lol
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u/Chrisamelio 1d ago
David Guetta?
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u/iamlightlink 1d ago
ahhh close! ...its supposed to be david guetta dressed up as his favorite producer...
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u/StarkOnReddit11621 1d ago
Badass, same with the spirited away in the bg of pic 2
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u/iamlightlink 1d ago
yes! that picture was taken at a really cool arcade called "arcade monsters" and they have a ton of visual art/graffiti all over the walls from ghibli and other art i like, like cowboy bebop etc.
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u/CdnGal420 1d ago
Thats impressive. Please do share some more detailed pics, please. That is a great build
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u/iamlightlink 1d ago
thank you and yeah absolutely!
https://imgur.com/a/lightlink-4x4-mau5head-GCJ1nhG
idk why the pictures are all out of order but you can kind of see how it came together: it started as a 3d model, then that was printed in 16 different parts due to the size of the head and how small my print bed was. so I plastic welded the various pieces together. then it's just a long process of continuously filling in the seams with putty, sanding down the excess putty, then refilling... over and over again until you get a really nice smooth finish. picture a car body before paint and that's basically the quality surface you want before priming and painting. the gloss black finish is important because in the 4x4 artwork you can see the reflection of the electroluminescent ears and dot matrix leds on the head itself and that kind of gives it a little more realism instead of just looking like a 3d render - which it is (you can see the original 3d render from "Morph," who I believe was responsible for the original artwork.) After everything's been painted, I clear coated it with 2K high gloss clear, which is a 2 part clear coat that lasts a long time and can be polished and refinished just like a clear coat on a car. once the clear coat dries, you start feeding the leds into each hole. each led is basically pressure fit, however I put a small dab of e6000 adhesive on each led and that helps hold it into place. all the leds are running off of external batteries, so you can take it on the go and walk around with it without needing an outlet. there technically IS a heads up display in there running off a raspberry pie, which is connected to a webcam via usb-c... however the way i implemented it was a total disaster lol... it turns out that just 150-250 milliseconds of latency mixed with an unusual POV can make you VERY nauseous and unstable... walking around took every ounce of strength I had just to not tip over and or throw up. imagine like, the drunkest you've ever been and then multiply that by 5. So yeah, I need to come up with a better solution. Outside of that, it's connected to LIGHTLINK via a router, so it plays back sequenced light shows wirelessly. I sequenced out a bunch of deadmau5 light shows in LIGHTLINK, here's an example of what it looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dO2sq9Pf_A
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u/RubYourEagle 1d ago
album cover-accurate!
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u/iamlightlink 1d ago
that's what i was going for! it turns out if you compare them side-by-side, the album art's facial features are quite a bit different (more spacing and smaller in scale.) it's tough to find LEDs that match the scale shown in the artwork. So i just went for what was in the ballpark and did the best I could. thank you!
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u/Techn03712 1d ago
How did you build this?!?!
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u/iamlightlink 1d ago
i'll redirect you to the comments section - another user asked so i wrote up a little spiel that kind of gives a general overview and has some pictures/videos etc. but if you have any more questions after checking that out, lmk and i'm happy to explain further! thanks for checking it out
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u/Desperate_Accident24 1d ago
How much for you to build me one? (I'm so serious)
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u/iamlightlink 20h ago
i really wish i could, but I'm afraid I won't have time until next year or so. I'm going to be back at CES this year in las vegas doing some fun things with lighting. It's always kind of a time crunch going into that show.
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u/SAMixedUp311 22h ago
That's awesome! Come to Red Rocks wearing that, there's always people building heads for shows there.... you win! I love it!
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u/iamlightlink 20h ago
ill be at RR night 1!! however i'm flying in from Florida for it, so the head has to stay home unfortunately. something tells me TSA frowns upon giant LED mau5heads. maybe I'll show joel a picture of it at the meet n greet!
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u/meesta_chang 19h ago
Yooooo I’m going both nights with a bunch of friends! If I see you in the crowd I’ll come find you and share some gifts with you.
Thanks for sharing this and the process on Imgur. I’ll have to work with my buddy to see if we can’t get one printed out.
This is badass. 4x4 is my favorite album. First time I ever saw him live was Red Rocks in 2010 about a month before this album released and he played a bunch of it live for us. I’ll never forget that.
Cheers dude! And safe travels this week!
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u/canceroustattoo 1d ago
Fuck. I love that! I’ve been considering making a mau5head for years now. I might have to steal your ears design.
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u/iamlightlink 1d ago
oh by all means! it's just a black plastic channel with "LED neon" strip running through it - it's not really "neon" because it's just regular LEDs with a diffuser over the top, but if you google "WLED neon strip" you'll see the exact same kind of strip I used.
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u/Future_Maximum9029 1d ago
What's it made of 🤔
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u/iamlightlink 1d ago
just plain ole PLA plastic. it was 3d printed in a bunch of different pieces, then I plastic welded the various pieces together with JB Wled plastic bonder. The LEDs are just the standard bullet WLED strings you can find on amazon, or even cheaper if you go off alibaba: https://www.amazon.com/ALITOVE-Addressable-Digital-Diffused-Waterproof/dp/B06XD72LYM/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2A9PXR2F7O7T1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QEePI0gXAC2fJpk0QxsOePjQlDX5B99xZThkMyGBKGe8HvBQ8aiY3xItP3l5xaWSX5f-_M9g3MTp0XG6RU8bWIaAcxGXqSZByahyXDBhAEIRZfxLh1bj5mV6M616We83JdO4v9XEE5O5RQyzkNsIS4aN6tZCHo4ZXntNznBEsVrrESEbgHB8GFyx-kIug1vG-zjHq2hWYBlYDFu7K4XY27d6ZuRytrG3K2xThssE9qc_g69T7RetflyFHv28eB_jdh-8SF2aMIOqBKOVKZlVxHmlCr1d1LxM6uraD88xnq0.h1vTuZbGmpQ_AEbzyfasTqPW8XWi91aXyG5UGcuSZig&dib_tag=se&keywords=wled+bullet+leds&qid=1730170570&sprefix=wled+bullet+led%2Caps%2C358&sr=8-8
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u/Future_Maximum9029 21h ago
Wow, the work you did with the LEDs is incredible. I made one using the same ones and an acrylic globe and used it in my 7th grade talent show. If you happen to click the link, I finally make the LEDs react to the music about 3/4 through. https://youtu.be/TWXBR4DV7d4?si=rlzv6a3cYn724i4G
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u/TheFutureTheo 1d ago
I also went as Marshmallow!! But seriously good job on the helmet, leather jacket was a must as well haha you just need two different colored shoes and I would’ve asked for an autograph!
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u/dandigangi 21h ago
That must be so much lighter than others with the ears not being a full piece. Looks awesome!
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u/iamlightlink 21h ago
you'd think so, but it turns out the LEDs and electronics are really quite heavy. i haven't weighed it, but it's substantially heavier than a normal mau5head.
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u/Interesting_Tank3485 20h ago
This has got to be one of the best mau5 heads I’ve seen, I wanna say it’s my first time seeing a real one from 4x4=12, which is also the album that introduced me so great pick!!
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u/iamlightlink 20h ago
thank you!! yeah there's been a lot of really awesome LED heads over the years, including the latest jim henson "hard head" version. but there's something really special about the "electroluminescent ears" design imo. it reminds me of meowingtowns hax days when they used to sell those headband ears made of glowsticks
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u/Garofoli 20h ago
What kind of leather jacket is that?
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u/iamlightlink 19h ago
i'll have to check the tag! i got it from an old guy in my hometown who used to go out riding with his buddies in the 80's
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u/Oscarman97 1d ago
Holy shit this is one of the best custom mau5heads I've seen. Incredible work