I've got a gig tomorrow night for which I am using AM2 (2.0.2 has performed lovely this week - cheers, Ross!)
I'm just wondering; would you start your performance from scratch and build it in one layout, or would you use a few pre-set layout and use the document switcher? I really want to record my show, but by switching layouts after each 'track', I'm going to have a pretty broken up kinda show.
Thoughts?
well it depends on what youre going for. theres times where i have a file with my Go-to Plugins already laid out. this way all the knobs and sliders and already mapped to my X-session and Korg Kontrol. I just have all the loop players full of samples and maybe bring new sounds in once i go through them. Other times if im doing a more improv styled type of show i'll have some files that have a few things set up but can go in any direction i need it to.
You figure how much sound manipulation you will want to be doing. Some files i play with live are sometimes just 4 loopPlayers with delay and a filter maybe a liveCut thrown in. Since most of the sounds and loops im using were already sent through AM,i dont really need to be doing alot of manipulation with them. \
soundunit
That's wicked, man. I kinda went half-and-half! I'd mapped out three 'pieces' on three separate layouts, with the MIDI controls pre-set so I could just get in there an' manipulate!
I ended up running my iPod along side so I could fade in some samples while I switched docs. I think I need to get me a KP3 or something to sample the output of the layout while I switch to a new document.
The gig was pretty good (although I didn't record it - boo!)
yeah i forgot to mention that i usually have a CD player running through effects for transitional purposes. Getting a KP3 is NEVER a bad thing either. haha. those are the shit. Too bad you didnt record it.
Yeah it's a shame you can't crossfade separate documents as I posted in a wishlist before. Maybe one day Ross???
Blugaruda
Yeah, man - I hear that! I used to have a KP3, but before I got any kind of serious about doing live/improvisational stuff, I sold it. Dumbass. Really need to save up the £300 to get a new one... might have to sell some other gear!
And yeah, crossfading between documents (and having a 'master' file recorder!) would be insanely good.
yeah I used to use separate docs for each track and the audience would feel compelled to applaud each time I had to load a new one, which really broke up the flow. Sometimes I'd use a cd or mp3 player to mix in some ambient sounds while they were loading which was better, but still awkward.
I just use one now and try and get as many plugs and routing options in as I can.
"crossfading between documents (and having a 'master' file recorder!) would be insanely good."
+1 on that.
I agree, a fading through documents would be a fantastic idea.
I think this need comes from the ones who use it as a live host, and I have the feeling this is a growing number...
It would be amazing to fade through different "scenes" made using the same set of contraptions, vsts and general element organization.
It would be awesome to have the chance to take a shot of a specific scenario in which specific values, presets and volumes are loaded, save it as a scene and recall it through a specific midi message, like a superpreset.
The idea is exactly the one behind the metasurface, so I think this should be a very familiar concept.
The only limit behind the metasurface is that you need to move your "scenes" through a x/y axis, when a scene recall like the one I am talking about is moving just through a single axis as there is no need to have multiple crossings but just a fade between the a and b, b and c, a and f and so on...
i would think it would be best to build the whole thing in one layout and just use a mixer contraption to fadein and out different "songs"
Sorry,
I am afraid I don't understand how you manage to achieve this result with a mixer contraption.
What i was thinking was having each set of contraptions that comprise of a "song" going into a stereo input in a mixer contraption. then you could have everything running essentially, but all you would hear is the mixer channel volume that's up (all others would be down or muted). So 8 mixer channels would give you 8 "songs" then when you're ready to switch "songs" up goes the next volume fader and down goes the ending one for blending. just real simple mixer basics. All the automation could be running, and again all you would hear would be the mixer channel that's up. when you change songs, you can just hit the start from beginning button to reset the automation.
Ok,
thanks for clearing.
The thing is that, being mostly improvising, I don't want to be restricted to automation.
I want to be free to call each "scene" independently.
The other issue is that doing like you say wouldn't allow me to change Vsts ( effects) presets unless I keep many instances open, which would be too heavy for cpu.
It's not a problem about getting the result, as it is clearly possible to set a string of midi commands telling each Vst which preset to load and controlling each mixing setting the same way.
The only thing I am investigating is to get the same result I can get from using the metasurface, which is able to" take a picture" of any parameter and preset condition and replicate it on a specific x/y value you jump on your pad, which is just perfect.
The only limitations are that:
-you are limited to specific positions on the metasurface and there is no chance to convert specific positions is precise x/y values ( I managed to get 9 easy to set spots);
-when you jump from one to another which are not directly close to each other, all the parameters go "through" the spots which are in between and all their crossing points.
This is wonderful when you control parameters, not to control presets in Vsts.
So, it looks like AM is perfectly capable to memorize "scenes" as it is doing it for the metasurface.
It is just a matter to have these scenes available to be recalled in a different way.
I love AM and would love to be able to do this inside of it !
a few thoughts (I play live with mulch a fair bit)
You guys seem to have it locked! I think that document switching is the way to go; I totally see your point about CPU spikes, fluk!
I can see how you'd use the automation in a live setting, but would love to find out your ideas. Maybe if you were creating textures 'on the fly' that required looping controller movements...?
Yes, I'm doing the same thing flukazoid. It's a bit of a drag having to create a non-mulch filler while documents are being switched but I can't load every piece up in one go in a sort of mega patch - 2 at a time though could be done. This seems to be a common problem here. It's more usual to keep an atmosphere going live rather than finish a piece/song with complete silence.
I do live gigs from a laptop without a controller, and for my purposes, have had very few problems with running multiple instances of Mulch. I can see this wouldn't be an option if you're trying to control the document switcher via MIDI.
I flick in some kind of delays / reverbs / granular fx towards the end of one track, kill the clock if it's running, switch to the other Mulch session running... get on with it.
I do beat-based kinda "downtempo" stuff, so the negative feedback I get is more about it all sounding so seamless people had no idea I was playing original material, rather than just DJing other people's tracks...
*shrug* The times running multiple instances of Mulch caused glitches I got positive comments that I "really know how to work with silence". Hahaha...