| Author
|
blatantly faking their "live set"
|
mubali
Mubali
Started Topics :
71
Posts :
2219
Posted : Dec 23, 2008 16:11
|
speaking of midi controllers, I've been having a lot of fun using the new Korg Nano Controllers, they're dirt cheap, and really easy to incorporate... Definitely have that for my christmas wish list....
I actually had a lot of fun playing in NYC this past weekend pretty damn interactively for the most part. Here's what I am doing currently and this has been predominantly the setup since May this past year:
I have 1 channel for kick and bass which consist of a sampled kick and sampled bass on a Sampler instrument in Ableton live. I have many midi sequences on that channel including some basslines that I use in actual tracks.
2 channels for percussion. 1 is using the impulse instrument in ableton that has a simple snare, and both open and closed hi hats. The other channel contains drumloops that either I have used in other tracks or loops that I created with the Stylus Rmx to be played whenever I feel so inclined.
These 3 channels have the clips set to midi controller keys where I can just hit the key to trigger the sequence or entire scenes that I've set up.
3 synthline channels that are prerecorded synths parts, some taken from actual songs, some that never made it into the songs and some I made just for fun for the live set. one channel is made for what I call weird sounds, like pads and strange textural stuff... I have that set up to use the newer features of Ableton like the effect chain thing, and the chain selector is set to a knob on my midi controller.
1 channel that I call samples and mashups, which is exactly what is on that channel.. I have some samples that I like to use plus a few mashup ideas I hatcheted from semi popular music such as Alan Parson's project, Ramsey Lewis, and James Brown. These too are set up with the chain selector so I can do odd fx stuff with it.
1 channel called whoosh, that has my swell fx and reverses in it... not too many clips because I made it 16 bar audio loops that have the sounds where they should kinda be in that particular situation.
1 vst synth (synth 1 due to the small amount of resources needed for it) that I have set up to play from a separate midi channel on my keyboard, just for that extra spice of things. plus it has a sequence experiment that I thought up using follow actions...
Then we get to the very important part, full tracks...
I have 2 channels with full tracks in them, all completely warped and ready to play at anytime... I mix these tracks in and have the volume for both channels set to knobs on my midi controller, as well as dj style low cuts for the beat on beat mixing that I like to do.
lastly, I have 4 group channels that I route all the components into, similar to submixing... The kick/bass has his own channel, the drums their own too, the synths and sound fx their own channel too, and one full mix channel that the submixes feed to to control the overall volume of the parts of tracks that I have. The full tracks do not feed to these channels, however it is not necessary, since I play mastered material in the full tracks.
Now what I tend to like to do with this particular setup is jam out for like the first initial 5 minutes or so, playing these loops and scenes, just to feel out the crowd. I keep practicing on trying to get the feel of my normal tracks in a live triggering perspecting, but it's definitely a bit more difficult and you can hear that it's a bit different than what a normal track on mine would be like... Usually after a few minutes the initial energy I was building starts to dissipate and it's time to mix in full tracks, where I continue to do so for the remainder of the set. I do trigger extra sounds and loops and even trade basslines from the finished track and my kick bass channel. I also have master fxs to spice up transitions and whatnot.
If you look on the promotional sets, you'll find a 3 hour live set that I did back in May.... The first 7 minutes is my live jam, and the rest of the set is full tracks with some stuff played on it too...
I agree with finding a balance... you can do stuff, you just don't have to do everything... It's really the individual performer who really needs to decide how much of a performance he wants to do.... but it will take a major community outcry to get more artists to get off their ass and do something in real time to create an extra element on their music... To be honest, I'd be doing this even if nobody could watch what I was doing, cause I think it's kinda fun, and otherwise I could have been djing instead.
  An Eagle may soar, but Weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. |
|
|
|
vaxination
Started Topics :
2
Posts :
262
Posted : Dec 28, 2008 03:01
|
course now BT brings one mac, a canned ableton set, and doesnt even play an encore.
I played a show with him this year and needed decks and a mixer (which they forgot to have on the second stage but had for him even though all he used was the mixer to put his single channel into)
so I had walk the quarter mile to the main stage to fetch his gear, I caught the end of the set, I was seriously unimpressed and he walked off like a rockstar without breaking down his gear, even though he didnt have anyone there to do it for him. Since I needed the mixer, I had to do it. I even saved his ableton set for him before shutting the thing off..
All I know, is the kids were pissed that there was no encore, and about 200 kids walked that quarter mile trail to come watch some seriously squirmy suomi on the second stage. I had kids coming up to me the whole next day wanting to know why we werent on after BT on the main stage. hahah.
As far as live PAs go, I respect the artists, I dont care if they dance to the music instead of fake playing, they SHOULD cue the audience to the music, they are the conductor here. Unless its a multi piece live act, I dont really expect a ton of live improvization, mostly just effects tweaking and mixing of existing material. I'm always impressed to see something new live, and I always like to hear a set where I dont recognize a single track, it makes me get back into digging for new tunes again with new curiosity. I think a live set should contain at least some new unreleased material if possible, I think thats where the value really comes in. we know it takes days and months to craft the music, we just want to hear a good high fidelity version of it that is as clean as possible. that to me is a live set. it should be the man behind the music presenting it as he (or she) sees fit.
/end rant/
Quote:
|
On 2008-12-16 23:17, Hidroponik wrote:
Check out the old thread here for an event that was put on by Squee and the Oregon families called, Slammo!!
We did a live set with 7 of us artists and our laptops, all linked up through midi.
none of us had ever performed or written music together, but we managed to create a 10 hour improvisational psy-trance live set. Basically, each person threw 2 or 3 sounds into the mix so in essence, there was anywhere from 10-20 loops going at once over the PA-System to create brand new material.
sometimes it flowed, sometimes it didn't, but it was definitely all Live and a ton of fun to feed off the fellow musicians and create new things on the fly to drop into the next sequence.
It can be done people, but very rarely with just one person or even one computer.
Anybody remember the mainstream artist BT? He did a tour a few years ago called "The Laptop Symphony". He brought about 4 or 5 mac's with him and did his live set by himself.
This was a really close re-enactment to his studio work (never saw it first hand, but read reviews from friends).
He was able to do it himself by having one machine as a dedicated sequencer (just like the analog step sequencers of yore) and the rest were for sounds, beats, effects, etc etc.
the point being is that he did it himself, but at the cost of $12000 for laptops, maybe $1000 for flight cases, probably a few hundred for cables, then maybe a couple grand for sound cards.
I think he was getting around $10,000 a show for this. To me, he is the epitome of being a douchebag rockstar, but goddam the guy is brilliant and extremely talented to pull this type of thing off.
|
|
.:.vaxination.:.
vaxination@gmail.com
esoteric generation/beatnik productions |
|
|
|
vaxination
Started Topics :
2
Posts :
262
Posted : Jan 11, 2009 00:13
|
|
|
