motherfunky Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 hi, I hope that this question belong here... and the question is: what I need to have to use loops and samples on live performances? I have a band 2 guitars, bass, drumms and two vocals (hiphop and grunge oriented one) and we sound like: and we want to add some loops...and we want to do it with laptop so...if any one have experience... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Ableton Live is probably the best software for this, it's what my band uses. Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Golly Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Far more important than the choice of software is how you're going to implement it so that the band can stay in sync with the loops. Your drummer is going to need to have a timing reference; at the "low tech" end is a system where you send the loop playback to him, either in headphones or in a blisteringly loud monitor, so that he doesn't drift from the tempo of the loops. That works about 10% of the time, given the average drummer's intake of alcohol, surging adrenaline as members of the opposite sex make eye contact, and generally shitty sense of time to begin with. Next you would send a sync signal (usually MIDI Time Clock) to the drummer's metronome, or a drum machine, to which he listens via headphones or the aforementioned ear-shattering monitor. This gives him/her a simpler, on-the-quarter-note timing reference to follow. The downside is not necessarily knowing where the "1" is, and sounding like total shite. Best bet is to create fixed arrangements (or at the very least fixed intro segments) that give him/her a count-in before the top of the tune. That will go a very long way to instilling harmony and peace amongst the man-machine paradigm that you'll be introducing. Beyond that, I leave it to others with more patience to translate into 'techno-ese'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket Man 2 Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 what I need to have to use loops and samples on live performances? Far more important than the choice of software is how you're going to implement it so that the band can stay in sync with the loops. Your drummer is going to need to have a timing reference; at the "low tech" end is a system where you send the loop playback to him, either in headphones or in a blisteringly loud monitor, so that he doesn't drift from the tempo of the loops. Next you would send a sync signal (usually MIDI Time Clock) to the drummer's metronome, or a drum machine, to which he listens via headphones or the aforementioned ear-shattering monitor. This gives him/her a simpler, on-the-quarter-note timing reference to follow. The downside is not necessarily knowing where the "1" is, and sounding like total shite. Best bet is to create fixed arrangements (or at the very least fixed intro segments) that give him/her a count-in before the top of the tune. That will go a very long way to instilling harmony and peace amongst the man-machine paradigm that you'll be introducing. Has anyone ever hooked up a "butt-kicker" drum-seat monitor as a "click-track" type monitor to help the drummer stay on top of the meter while using loops / samples during live performances? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 If Keith Moon could play with a click, your drummer should be able to. Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Golly Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 If Keith Moon could play with a click, your drummer should be able to. Ah, but Keith Moon could NOT play to a click; there are numerous (and, granted, apocryphal) tales of Baba O'Reilly going off the rails as Keith went jaunting off into rhythmic apoplexia... Has anyone ever hooked up a "butt-kicker" drum-seat monitor as a "click-track" type monitor to help the drummer stay on top of the meter while using loops / samples during live performances? They're good to assist, but I would never rely on just that to keep the drummer in sync. They're far more valuable to allow the drummer to have less of himself in the monitor, and more of everyone else (relatively speaking). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 Our drummer plays electric drums, and plays to a click about 15-20% of the songs. We all use in-ear monitors. But he also typically requests a drum wedge that he runs Kick, Snare, Toms, and Bass guitar so that he can "feel" them - in addition to his IEM's. The click only runs through the IEM's (in addition to the rest of the mix). Usually they are pretty beefy monitors - minimum 15" 2-way... sometimes 2 of them, sometimes a biamp system. No butt-kicker, but they to tend to kick butt. Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reidmc Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 That works about 10% of the time, given the average drummer's intake of alcohol, surging adrenaline as members of the opposite sex make eye contact, and generally shitty sense of time to begin with. hehehe. . .someone's been in a few bands. . . "The Doomer allows the player to do things beyond which are possible without the accessory." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Golly Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 That works about 10% of the time, given the average drummer's intake of alcohol, surging adrenaline as members of the opposite sex make eye contact, and generally shitty sense of time to begin with. hehehe. . .someone's been in a few bands. . . Sorry, was my jaded perspective showing? All I can say is Thank God I'm fortunate enough to be able to surround myself with above-average (and some phenomenal) drummers these days. It was a bumpy road getting to here, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 I've worked with otherwise excellent and professionally trained drummers who had never put this in their basket of tricks. You'd think we were trying to castrate them. I can relate to Sven. The problems are more behavioral than technical. My advice is to let the drummer have some ownership of the process of adding loops. Start small with single examples/sections. Don't let people rush to judgment. "Well we tried loops on that song, yesterday. Didn't work!" If you are doing single sections use the tap tempo features to slide up to the drummer rather than locking him down to a click at first. The good news is you (appear to) have done some lfo/sequenced based stuff with your drummer in the past. Like anything it's about building good listening habits and adjusting your playing. All the best, Jerry PS: I use ableton and a kp3 kaoss pad at times. Ableton is amazing for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 I play with 2 drummers who are totally willing to play to a click, and do so very musically. I guess I'm lucky! In my bands, the drummers bring a small mixer, and we send them custom mixes that have some combination of the loops and a click if they want it, and they make their own headphone mixes. Works great. Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherfunky Posted August 8, 2009 Author Share Posted August 8, 2009 and is there any type off controller that can be plug into laptop and be controlled by foot? so that I can record loop/sample and put it in some player and control it with foot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 and is there any type off controller that can be plug into laptop and be controlled by foot? so that I can record loop/sample and put it in some player and control it with foot? You might want to check out Kid Beyond's use of a midi foot pedal to run his live looping ... [video:youtube]V8mlSWWZ9zQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 and is there any type off controller that can be plug into laptop and be controlled by foot? so that I can record loop/sample and put it in some player and control it with foot? I use a Behringer FCB1010 to trigger loops and stuff in Live. It's cheap, but it's MIDI only, so you'd need a MIDI/USB box, or do what I do and plug it into a USB Keyboard. It's also got one of the most arcane and confusing programming schemes of any peice of gear I own. But it's cheap and sturdy, has made it through about 5 yearsof gigging so far. I normally can't stnad Behringer gear, but this is the one thing of theirs I can recommend. Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burningbusch Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 Ableton Live 8 includes a new Looper plugin. You have to watch a minute or so into the video to see it. [video:youtube] Busch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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