hey all,
what hardware mnml artists use for a live show (not laptops n abelton)?
im wondering if theres somthing that combines a drum machine wt a sampler n is easy n simple to use
hardware for live gigs
I like using a mix of technology... here's essentially what the Tractile hardware combo/software combo is:
-Allen & Heath Xone 32 (there's more economical mixers out there, but Joel bought this for DJing and it works great... especially since we're a little rough when we're playing live and getting into things physically a bit
)
-Alesis Midiverb 4 - A very versatile FX unit... economical too. I'm sure there is better out there, but I got a real good deal on it and have grown to love it. It's got some great features like syncing to midi and controlling various parameters via midi.
-Roland SP-808: I've been a bit rough with her (one of my knobs are quite worn out, it's extra touchy because I get pretty violent and technical at the same time for some reason and pull real hard when I'm eqing to every half-beat ) but this unit's been a blast. It's supposed to be some kind of sampleing workstation.. I basically record dozens of samples and loops to this unit (uses zip disks for storage) and more or less reconstruct tracks by triggering and assembleing the parts to tracks live. (sort of like what you might do with ableton I suppose... not as versatile though... definately fun though). I've got the older model and the newer one is WAY uglier looking but has larger capacity zip disc support (250mb) and probably can handle alot more. The unit has some very useful effects on-board (completely controllable via the knobs, nice tape delays and so forth.. better quality than simple built in effects that are found on alot of dj mixers and things these days). The gimicky "d-beam" allows you to control parameters of an effect or trigger samples using laser technology and your hands... stupid gimick, but it has definately helped me before... I can't tell you how many times I've had my two feet on pedals and my arms and hands tied up... being able to control multiple fx parameters with the position of a free limb is definately useful.
-microKontrol - my partner in crime uses this (joel) as his midi contol interface for reason... I'm not sure how he feels about it these days, I haven't asked him lately, but I wasn't a fan of velocity sensitive knobs... seemed like you had to be way to precise to adjust certain things accurately. It's a great unit otherwise from what I can tell.
-usual laptop and software - we're different than alot of artists in the sense that we use reason predominately when we're playing live. We really like to get gritty with the devices and things and ableton live is great but didn't allow us the freedom we wanted in the sense that we really wanted to do alot of eleborate things "off the cuff" with some of our existing pieces. We do use ableton as well these days, but it's not used as much as reason.
Couple things to think about..
if you're going to use all hardware, you'll probably want something to run your ryhthms (unless you are running SEVERAL, I don't think a drum machine is the answer... maybe in combination with other items, and some sort of rythm-sequencing sampler unit)
You'll of course probably your synths, samplers or whatever you're intending on playing the "rest" of your tracks with. If I had an infinite supply of money, I'd have a 32 channel console and an army of samplers and sampler rythm machines.
Mixer is very important... avoid DJ mixers if you're looking to save money and get alot of features for your money.. DJ mixers however, tend to be more rugid and usually have at least the basic items you would want for a small to medium live set up.
FX - I can't stress enough how useful an fx unit is. If you're creative, you can do so much with one (or a stack of them) and it can really take your live set up a notch if you know what you're doing.
It all depends on what you are trying to do I guess... Something about seeing everyone using the same software and all that makes me roll my eyes a little, but it's kinda irresponsible and even immature of me... I am an advocate of technolgical advancement and it would be hypocrtical of me to comment on it's use... furthermore, denying a useful tool is a bad idea. The need for individuality should come from original technique and presentation vs the tools used - no matter what you use, someone will have used what you've used before.
-Allen & Heath Xone 32 (there's more economical mixers out there, but Joel bought this for DJing and it works great... especially since we're a little rough when we're playing live and getting into things physically a bit
)-Alesis Midiverb 4 - A very versatile FX unit... economical too. I'm sure there is better out there, but I got a real good deal on it and have grown to love it. It's got some great features like syncing to midi and controlling various parameters via midi.
-Roland SP-808: I've been a bit rough with her (one of my knobs are quite worn out, it's extra touchy because I get pretty violent and technical at the same time for some reason and pull real hard when I'm eqing to every half-beat
) but this unit's been a blast. It's supposed to be some kind of sampleing workstation.. I basically record dozens of samples and loops to this unit (uses zip disks for storage) and more or less reconstruct tracks by triggering and assembleing the parts to tracks live. (sort of like what you might do with ableton I suppose... not as versatile though... definately fun though). I've got the older model and the newer one is WAY uglier looking but has larger capacity zip disc support (250mb) and probably can handle alot more. The unit has some very useful effects on-board (completely controllable via the knobs, nice tape delays and so forth.. better quality than simple built in effects that are found on alot of dj mixers and things these days). The gimicky "d-beam" allows you to control parameters of an effect or trigger samples using laser technology and your hands... stupid gimick, but it has definately helped me before... I can't tell you how many times I've had my two feet on pedals and my arms and hands tied up... being able to control multiple fx parameters with the position of a free limb is definately useful.-microKontrol - my partner in crime uses this (joel) as his midi contol interface for reason... I'm not sure how he feels about it these days, I haven't asked him lately, but I wasn't a fan of velocity sensitive knobs... seemed like you had to be way to precise to adjust certain things accurately. It's a great unit otherwise from what I can tell.
-usual laptop and software - we're different than alot of artists in the sense that we use reason predominately when we're playing live. We really like to get gritty with the devices and things and ableton live is great but didn't allow us the freedom we wanted in the sense that we really wanted to do alot of eleborate things "off the cuff" with some of our existing pieces. We do use ableton as well these days, but it's not used as much as reason.
Couple things to think about..
if you're going to use all hardware, you'll probably want something to run your ryhthms (unless you are running SEVERAL, I don't think a drum machine is the answer... maybe in combination with other items, and some sort of rythm-sequencing sampler unit)
You'll of course probably your synths, samplers or whatever you're intending on playing the "rest" of your tracks with. If I had an infinite supply of money, I'd have a 32 channel console and an army of samplers and sampler rythm machines.
Mixer is very important... avoid DJ mixers if you're looking to save money and get alot of features for your money.. DJ mixers however, tend to be more rugid and usually have at least the basic items you would want for a small to medium live set up.
FX - I can't stress enough how useful an fx unit is. If you're creative, you can do so much with one (or a stack of them) and it can really take your live set up a notch if you know what you're doing.
It all depends on what you are trying to do I guess... Something about seeing everyone using the same software and all that makes me roll my eyes a little, but it's kinda irresponsible and even immature of me... I am an advocate of technolgical advancement and it would be hypocrtical of me to comment on it's use... furthermore, denying a useful tool is a bad idea. The need for individuality should come from original technique and presentation vs the tools used - no matter what you use, someone will have used what you've used before.
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i didnt even finish reading (yet) but it sounds like a post from here http://www.pornolize.com/pornolize4?lan ... Findex.php
How it works:dunkel wrote:well,
im not dissing the abelton, its just that i cant afford a good laptop, n im wondering what else can i use instead of turntables.
the sp-808 sounds cool n looks nice too, how exactly does it work? how do i load my loops there (if ever)?
Samples, loops, etc are stored on a zip... you can use the sequencer to arrange sections which can be played back later or you can do what I do and manually trigger your parts using the large bank of buttons.
How to load your loops and things:
Two ways:
-Manually record via the line inputs, and edit using the machines editing capabilities
-Grab a zip drive and Roland's editing program that lets you set up zip disks for the SP-808
There are similar machines that are probably better for doing this with these days... I'd basically check out any kind of similar tool and compare costs and features.. the 808 can be pretty limiting, I have to be very smart in how I lay things out to make it work for me.