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Using DP Live Part 2 – Controlling DP
When I wrote Part 1 about using DP in live performance I realized it could not be fully covered in one installment and had enough material for a Part 2. Well, since then it has expanded significantly so now this mini-series is going to be a four parter that should not only be helpful for those wanting to use DP on stage, but just about any DP user that needs to take even greater control of DP features, minimize their home studio, or optimize their system. Here is how it will roll:
- Part 1 – DP Features for Live Performance
- Part 2 – Controlling DP
- Part 3 – Creating Your Live Rig
- Part 4 – Choosing and Optimizing Your DP System
In the first installment I covered a variety of features DP offers to make it a stellar choice in live performance for just about anyone at any level. Continuing in that vein I’ll continue to a look inside DP at the stellar MIDI control that it offers for nearly every feature. As stated in Part 1, my assumption is that your use of DP is in shows that require all of the audio, VI, and triggering features, but not necessarily the extensive syncing capabilities often used in a major concert system. So I’m focusing on users that will have to rely on controlling DP themselves on stage with a relatively simple set-up.
King of the Stage
Control of DP can be viewed in two categories, MIDI control and audio control. So let’s cover them separately.
MIDI Control
In a prior DP Corner I covered the versatility of DP shortcuts/key commands/key bindings. Well, that extensive control carries forward into the available MIDI control of nearly every DP function, with the ability to save sets of commands (helpful if you want to use DP differently at home versus on stage). I could fill another few installments on the extent of these possibilities, but for this discussion just be certain that you can use your MIDI controller for just about anything you need to do live: control volumes, cueing Sequences, triggering Chunks, patch changes for literally every external MIDI device, controlling lighting systems, and of course full reign over VI parameters. I don’t know if you’ll want to drag a Mackie HUI control or Radical Technologies SAC2 onto stage, but if you do you’re set with DP.
Please note that when I say “controller” I am referring to those that must interface with your computer via a MIDI cable and MIDI interface as well as those that interface via a USB cable. So this could be any kind of keyboard, a drum trigger system, or any type of control surface covered in any combo of knobs, sliders, buttons, and finger drum pads.
A powerful yet simple example of how to set-up a Sequence in DP is to have a single stereo mix (or multiple separated tracks if necessary) for your backing tracks, perhaps a click track (MIDI or audio) and then however many tracks you may need to automate and control your external MIDI gear. But don’t limit your programmed MIDI control to just notes. Remember that in a live situation you can concentrate on your performance and the audience if you let DP handle the patch changes on synths or guitar processors, parameter automation for VIs or external synths, trigger lighting changes (with the appropriate external gear), or any other manner of control allowed by MIDI, all of which can be made into MIDI events on their separate tracks right there in your Sequences and Chunks. Any of these types of MIDI events can easily be modified to make each performance unique, for special gigs, or simply to correct timing issues.
So by combining the features I described in Part 1 such as Chunks and Songs with just about any controller, you can hit a key or trigger, your backing track starts, hit it again for it stop or just let it stop on it’s own. Because that key or trigger is uniquely assigned to that Chunk or Song, hitting it again will start it again if so needed. It’s no secret that Ableton Live is the king of loop control and one of its unique features is that you can trigger your next loop or sequence before actually getting to the point where it would begin and of course it will be in tempo. So you have the ability to improvise a little and not have to be exact in your triggering.
While it’s not necessarily advised to use Chunks in this way, a great way to achieve similar functionality in DP is by integrating a software sampler like MachFive or Kontakt. Both have incredibly powerful sample and loop functionality and, because they use disk streaming, you only load the first few seconds of each recording. Audio is loaded into RAM as opposed to being cued and played back from the hard drive so audio triggers as soon as it receives the MIDI command.
The versatility of this type of set-up that is perfect for live use is the triggering options. You can trigger a loop at the beginning of a bar line or as soon as it gets a MIDI trigger. You can set your audio to latch and play a sample when triggered by transport playback, live MIDI controller trigger, or recorded MIDI notes from tracks in your Chunks. It also means that loops and samples can be layered and you have real time performance control over your triggered audio such as pitch bend, time stretch, vibrato, or any DSP effect. As I began my live-triggering adventure with a Yamaha A3000 hardware sampler I can attest that using a soft sampler is exponentially more powerful, flexible, and, when you combine this with the tracks that are being auto-cued by your Chunks you’ve got all you can handle.
Audio Control
Your use of some of these other ideas depends completely on your music, your band, and how simple or complex you want to get with your DP set-up, but if you need to do it DP can probably handle it. Remember that the performance of your system will depend on your CPU speed, amount of RAM, your buffer settings, the number of VIs and plug-ins that you’re running, and all of the typical system resource issues.
Multiple Outs
If you use multiple outs in your studio then you probably already understand the benefit it can have on stage. Here’s just one example of live application, but I’m sure you have your own crazy-cool idea for it as well. Say you don’t have a drummer and you use Stylus RMX for all drum tracks. RMX is one of those VIs that can output each of its channels on a different virtual output into DP. Let’s say you’re using all eight channels in RMX and therefore you’ve created eight bus tracks in DP each with its own input assignment from RMX. Perhaps you have no effects assigned inside RMX, but inside DP you’ve applied a variety of plug-ins on each of the RMX bus tracks and, because you play a variety of different size and style clubs, you don’t want to bounce all of the RMX audio and want to control the volumes and effects for each track. Because you’re using multiple outputs you can easily control each channel in one of three ways: 1) right there in DP using the Mixer window; 2) send each channel of audio out of your audio interface into an external mixer; or 3) use an audio interface that also serves as a mixer control surface. While this may add a little complexity to your rig it provides an amazing level of control over your mix.
Keep Your Band Mates Under Control
So taking the idea of multiple outs to the next step, have you considered processing your band’s signals in real-time? You don’t have to be Radiohead to have total control over every signal you send to the club’s PA. Simply using your audio interface inputs, or an external mixer, consider sending a mic’d line from your guitarist, singer, or bassist, or direct line from your keyboards, direct into DP (of course you can do it with drums and percussion but let’s not complicate the situation too much right now). And keep in mind that you can employ DP in this way regardless of whether you use it to cue live MIDI and audio.
Using vocals for this example, perhaps your singer always prefers a slight touch of delay and a little compression when recording in the studio, and then some distortion on a couple songs. The first thing to realize is that the effects you apply when recording your album may not work in a live setting. So be ready for some trial and error as you become aware of sonic differences between home and club and then between the various types of clubs.
So in DP you’ve set-up a bus track with an input for your singer. On that track you now apply the needed plug-ins and send the signal back out on its own output. This then gives you (preferably not the singer) the ability to make minor changes on the fly to accommodate the sound of the club. The key here is to not go over-board which is easily done considering the number of available plug-ins. Depending on the ambient noise of the club, the volume of your performance, and the quality of the PA, your effects could go from being completely masked to overwhelming so keeping it subtle at first might be wise. And while you feel all cool sending an effected signal to the club PA beware that sound guys aren’t always comfortable losing control of effects, especially if they’ve never heard you and have no idea what you’ll be doing to their sound system. It’s always smart to be prepared to talk this through with them before hand.
This same concept can be taken even further when applied to guitar or bass as you could set-up busses with the likes of NI GuitarRig, Line 6 Gearbox, or IK Multimedia Amplitubeor Ampeg SVX and actually do all of the signal processing inside DP rather than in an external effects chain. Depending on the number of signals you’re processing on stage, you must then decide whether you want them all pre-mixed together and simply send the sound guy a stereo line, or send separate outputs to the club PA so that the sound guy retains some mix control. Believe me, no matter your decision, you will know within the first few gigs whether it’s going to work as well as you think it should.
Of course these are only a handful of examples. If you have any super-sweet way that you’ve set-up DP for live control send it to TimR@audiomidi.com or post it at the DP Corner Forum so we can all benefit from your hard work. Stay tuned for Part 3 in the series where I will cover all that you should consider in setting up your live rig.
And if you haven’t already, be sure to click over to the DP Corner signup page so you’ll receive DP Corner as soon as it’s released.
If you have a Digital Performer related question that you would like me to take a shot at answering or have any feedback, please send it to timr@audioMIDI.com. I will do my best to select the questions that seem to stump the most people.
As always, stay tuned to the audioMIDI.com eNews for the latest reviews and new product info.
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