Using Live...well...live

[K9 Kai Niggemann]

You should take a look at the excellent video by Pitchblack about their use of Ableton Live.  http://vimeo.com/6281034.

The first part is Tom Cosm expaining how he sets up his tracks so that he can perform them live -- it's a simple approach that leaves tons of flexibility still, especially if you don't take it too catholic -- just leave the occasional softsynth in your songs and set up an external controller to play it, for example

They use a huge project where they put all the songs. they use Doepfer Drehbanks to control everything.The way they do this, is by submixing their pieces into Tracks 1-16 (or something, they leave space for the returns, too)

so every kickdrum in every song they play is routed to Audio track 1. Every snaredrum to Audio 2. Every bassline to number 5 etc...

the actual files for the songs are arranged in blocks, leaving space in every direction so as not to clutter the .ALS file too much. For every new song, they scroll to the right and down.

They trigger the first scene of a new track by a set note. If you label your master keyboard appropriately, for all the scenes of the different tracks, you are free to trigger them in any order you like. You can step back to other scenes or even tracks. 

YOu can always add ned songs at the end (wouth-east corner) of your current project, without defining the order of songs to be played. 

I think if you go over 256 tracks and scenes, you are done and need a second file. 

But it saves you from playing MP3s (this is what Pitchblack do, too), at *every* transition.

I have copied this approach and played some shows -- without touching the computer at all.

After one of the gigs a guy in his 40s with a kid about 12 approached me and said: "my son noticed you have a computer with Live, but there are no objects in your tracks. What do you do with Live???"

-- he could only see my first 12 tracks or so where the submix went in...;-)


Hope you find this inspiring. I certainly did...

Kai