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DJing with Ableton Part 2:
In the last segment of DJ Corner I explained the basics
of getting tracks ready inside of Ableton Live. This week
we will talk about actually mixing tracks together, creating
a performance or entire DJ mix, as well as some of the finer
points of Live and its time stretching capabilities.
Go ahead and open up your session from last time and we’ll
get down to it. Since our goal is to create a performance
set with Live and I imagine that most of you out there don’t
wanna use only two songs, now would be a good time to pick
out a few more songs to use during our performance. On the
left hand side of Live’s arrange view, is the browser
window. I like to use the search function to find songs.
The search function is the magnifying glass button on the
left hand side above the file browser window. It is fairly
quick and as long as you know one of the words in the name
of the file you are looking for. As you pick songs and search
for them, just drag them over to the two tracks we created
last time. Take the songs you have picked out and put them
equally on each of the two tracks we have created. When
your all set you should have an equal number of songs on
each track. This is mostly so that we can figure out which
tracks we want to mix together. Of course we can move them
around later on if we need or want. For the purpose of this
weeks article we will keep the performance limited to two
tracks, similar to a two turntable or dual CD setup. Once
you have picked out your tracks it should look something
like the picture below. You can also see on the left the
search engine built in to Live.
We will also be mixing everything in the box, meaning we
won’t yet be using any external controllers, mixers
or FX, and all of the mixing will be handled internally
by Ableton Live. In future articles I will be talking about
all of the different ways Live can be used on stage, and
all of the crazy new hardware that is available to make
controlling Live more like turntables and CD decks.
Once you have a picked a few songs we can begin preparing
them to be used in our set. I have picked a total of 18
songs, 9 on each side. At this point it helps to organize
things a bit and decide what you want to play first., and
what you would like to mix with it. I usually don’t
plan my sets, I really think it takes away from being a
DJ. The whole point is to connect with your audience and
go somewhere with them. I also like to add my favorite FX,
as well as the standard types of things you might find on
a DJ mixer. This way they are all ready to go and you’re
not trying to load an effect during your set. For the purposes
of this article I will keep it simple and only add three
fx per channel.
First I add the Autofilter, which I often use instead of
EQ, as I can use high pass or low pass filters to isoloate
the high frequencies or the low frequencies quickly and
easily. This is very similar to some of the high end DJ
mixers out there which have built in filters. Second I will
add a 4 band EQ. I prefer four band EQ to 3 as it allows
me to be more accurate with my settings and really blend
things together. You can of course use 3 band if you prefer.
Third I like to add the Simple Delay. Add these FX to each
track in Live, so that you have identical FX on each track.
On the master channel I like to add an EQ and a Limiter.
This lets me tweak the overall sound and make sure my levels
stay consistent throughout the mix. You can of course setup
your session anyway you like, and in later articles I will
talk about advanced techniques, the variety of Live’s
included FX, using your own material, and the arrange view
as well. Here is what my track setup actually looks like:
Keep in mind that you can move the order of these FX around
to suit your needs or to create different sounds. I often
move the delay and the filter back and fourth. Experimentation
is the spice of life!
Here is what my master channel setup looks like as well:
As you can see, I have a four band EQ, and the compressor
II, in which I have set to the limiter preset. I will often
make adjustments to the EQ during my sets, to adjust for
differences in output when I mix. I sometimes use it to
adjust for the room/sound system I am playing in as well.
With anything, the style of music you play, where you play
it, and the sound system you are using will create large
differences in how you setup this section, so it helps to
do a sound check, or at least listen to the room before
you perform. It is always good to experiment with these
settings to get the best output you can.
Now it is time to actually get down to the performance
aspect of Live. Personally I like to assign hot keys to
Ableton, so that I can trigger each song by hitting a key.
You can create key assignments very easily in Live by changing
to the assignment mode. This can be achieved by hitting
Apple + K (CTRL+K on PC), or going to the options menu
and clicking the key assignment function. When you’re
in this mode the screen should look something like this:
Click on any highlighted item to assign a key to it. Then
press the key you want to use for that function. I usually
will assign each track a number, and when all done it will
look something like this.
Of course this only works up until 0 or 9, depending
on where you started. So I will create new assignments
as I move through the set.
There are several ways to have Live respond to input as
far as triggering loops and any sounds you have loaded.
You can set Live to only respond at the end of a bar, or
4 bars, or only on beat, as well as many other intervals,
or if your really brave on demand. This is set by changing
the quantization menu. It is near the transport menu at
the top, and looks like this:
I generally set mine to one bar. You can easily switch
settings during your set though, using the pre assigned
hot keys. Apple + 0 (CTRL+0 on PC) for none, and so on.
Now lets perform our first actual mix with Live. Go ahead
and hit the key you assigned to track one. Personally I
mix from left to right, but there isn’t any reason
to start on one side or the other. Once the track starts
playing, you can move to the waveform view of the second
track and pick a beginning or cue point to begin the second
track. Look for the little flag, this little guy marks where
Live will be begin playing the track or loop. Now here in
lies the beauty of Live, you can start mixing in the second
track at the same time as you began the first one, or right
after. If you want to begin both tracks simultaneously you
can use the scene cue button. It is the play or the arrow
button on the far right, which looks like this:
Each cue on the right, represents that entire horizontal
line. So you can cue by scenes, or by individual tracks
or both! This is of course possible on turntables, but keeping
the wheels of steel in sync continuously can be difficult
especially when you are using recordings of live musicians.
Of course mixing seven or eight decks at the same time is
near impossible, until now! So when your ready hit the #2
key and listen to your first mix in Live. Experiment with
the FX, and filters, while the two tracks are playing and
get used to how Live works. Mess around with the limiter
and the EQ in the master section see how it affects your
overall mix and sound.
One of the main reasons for using Live is to enhance the
capabilities of a DJ not to take away the skill required
to be one. I personally use Ableton Live and Serato Scratch
Live in my sets, sometimes only one or the other, and sometimes
both at the same time. I find Live has some advantages over
Serato Scratch and regular turntables or CD players and
vice versa. I still perform the majority of my radio show
with Serato, and will use Ableton as added flavor, depending
on what sorta tricks I have lined up that week.
If you have DJ-related questions for Dave
he can be reached by his private hotline at david@audiomidi.com.
Or call him at (818) 993-0772, or toll-free at (866) 283-4601.
As always, stay tuned to the audioMIDI.com eNews for the latest reviews and new product info.
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