Electronic Music 411 - Suggestions for a live setup?

05/12/08 + dpmtl

Hi all.I am about to start rehearing soon for playing live so i'm putting my setup together atm.It comprises of my laptop running live an electribe emx and a korg R3 with a focusrite saffire le.The hardware will be routed into live and running audio tracks and vsts.Haven't quite figured out how i'm going to set up live yet but i work best with it when it comes to arranging and i've got a few live mixes i've already made,i just haven't played them yet.So i want to use the laptop but is it a good idea?If not is there a hardware alternative?It would need to have the audio inputs and outputs to connect my gear to the pa.This is where i think the laptop is a good solution,i have a good qualty interface with all the power of live and vsts,audio and fx.The only issue is reliability

My laptop is very stable but not the most powerful and i'll be testing i out thoroughly before actually playing live,i'll have it set up to give the best performance without overloading the processor.

What possible alternatives would you suggest?I was looking at the MC808 but i read it's got it's problems.The sampling looks really good on it though and i could transfer stuff from live and maybe run my audio tracks from that,leave the emx at home and use that instead with the R3.I like the idea of the MC-808 but i've heard bad things about roland gear so i'm on the fence about them.Is there anything else that combines synthesis fx,and sampling,has usb and can resample live(apart from an RS7000)?

I'd rather use hardware live tbh,i'd always be concerned that my laptop was going to f*ck up at any moment.Plus i find it's quicker to setup and anyway that's what it's designed for!I'll use my laptop in the meantime but i think i'm going to go all hw eventually.

Anyway,do you reckon using a laptop live is a good idea?Any advice welcome

Cheers,

-T

Recent Blog: Too many problems with software

05/12/08 + hardvoltnine

Personally I like all hardware set ups. I run all hardware and find it's boundary's very helpful for staying on track. Of course, I'm not trying to do any really glitchy experimental stuff with it, and if I was, I'd most likely incorporate a computer into it. I've just been working on electronic dance music and dnb/hip hop stuff lately, and performing a compositionally dynamic set. I also love having a real mixer pushing all of the individual sound sources together. Its so nice to just grab 3 faders at once and slap them in with out thinking.

I vote all hardware, course I never did a live show with a computer, so its a very one sided opinion I have.

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edited: May 12 2008 + cartesia

[quote]It comprises of my laptop running live an electribe emx and a korg R3 with a focusrite saffire le./quote]

Sounds pretty solid, add a midi controller and youd be good to go.
Live is pretty much the best sequencer for live use (strangely :P ...unless you want a step sequencer)
I think basically you want to avoid having to peer into your screen and using the mouse as much as possible.

If you would rather trust a hardware sequencer:

E-mu command station!
or MPC 1000
or RS7000/RM1X
or monomachine/machinedrum

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05/13/08 + dkarma

ok your setup doesnt sound too bad. No you shouldn't be worried about gigging w/ a laptop. Tons of people on em411 do it and some are rather successful.
hard volt is right that more hardware gives you better boundaries and keeps you focused. Instead of the laptop you could get a sp-1 (korg) the electribe should have a sequencer in it right? you could set that as master, slave the sampler to it and the r3 too.

my buddy and I are trying to go all hw too. here's his setup.
mc303 (for synth , drums, and sequencing) mfb lite (mono bassline synth) tr 707.
my rig is a little better IMO
I'm getting a e-mu command station from infradead and that will do nearly everything, then a korg ms2000r, electribe ea-1, four channel mixer, midi sax, midi keyboard. I'd also like one of those digitek sample loopers that keller williams and heatbox use.

05/13/08 + dpmtl

Thanks for the replies.

"Its so nice to just grab 3 faders at once and slap them in with out thinking."

That's the great thing about hw,you can know the interface inside out so you don't have to think when moving the controls.I think this enable more focus on the music as your not having to worry about what control does what.That's been my experience anyway.I want everything to be as intuitive as possible.

I have a padkontrol with the nativeKONTROL software for controlling live.It also has a mouse mode so live can be controlled fully from the pk.I have no idea how well it will work live.But that will be my setup initially.I'll have to learn the functions of the pk inside out and see if i can use it without actually looking at the screen(too much anyway).I'll keep it fairly simple at first,just triggering clips,scenes and fx from the pk.As i get more experienced i'll try more complex things.

Overall,it's as much about putting on a good performance as it is reliability issues.Do people care these days or are they pretty used to laptops now?Stability is paramount though,you obvioulsy don't want the worry of your laptop crapping out in the middle of a set...

Recent blogs: The Korg R3, Too many problems with software

05/13/08 + bla

i dont think people care that much what equipment is being used
although i somewhat rely on the novelty of not using a laptop

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05/13/08 + yghartsyrt

it'S so weird everybody is feared about laptops crashing live. i've seen far more guitarist with broken strings than laptops crashed. and nobody ever complained about guitarists needing to change a string, which obviously does at least take as long as booting up again.

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05/13/08 + mlbot

Most guitarists I've seen these days have >1 guitar for just such occasions.

I say: use what you have and know. The gear you have sounds fine. Being familiar with your gear is >>> having cooler gear.

Still, if you had a small mixer, that might be nice... a little more stable than routing audio through your soundcard.
Plus, have you ever noticed how stuff sounds better played right out of your hardware units than it does recorded? There's something nice about multiple audio sources, rather than homogenizing everything by having it come out the single soundcard.

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05/13/08 + dpmtl

bla said: "i dont think people care that much what equipment is being used
although i somewhat rely on the novelty of not using a laptop"

No they care more about the music for sure!Personally i'd like to put on a good show anyway with a good visual aspect to it.I wouldn't feel right just been stood in front of a laptop banging on a midi controller :P

Recent blogs: The Korg R3, Too many problems with software

05/13/08 + dpmtl

yghartsyrt said: "it'S so weird everybody is feared about laptops crashing live. i've seen far more guitarist with broken strings than laptops crashed. and nobody ever complained about guitarists needing to change a string, which obviously does at least take as long as booting up again."

Thats a good point.

Recent blogs: The Korg R3, Too many problems with software

05/13/08 + ejectorset

usually though if a guitarist breaks a string, the band keeps playing the song and finishes it out as best they can.

if a laptop crashes mid song the music stops abruptly before the next break in music that is expected by the audience.

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05/13/08 + dpmtl

mlbot said: "Most guitarists I've seen these days have >1 guitar for just such occasions.

I say: use what you have and know. The gear you have sounds fine. Being familiar with your gear is >>> having cooler gear.

Still, if you had a small mixer, that might be nice... a little more stable than routing audio through your soundcard.
Plus, have you ever noticed how stuff sounds better played right out of your hardware units than it does recorded? There's something nice about multiple audio sources, rather than homogenizing everything by having it come out the single soundcard."

A mixer is a great idea.I'd rather leave my interface at home anyway.I was thinking about getting an echo indigo for use with the laptop which i may just dedicate to live use anyway and get another,i'm planning to upgrade soon anyway.

So which mixer?Behringer?The only one i have used is the compact4 and it's designed for use with a daw and would give me the connectivity i need.Remember all my stuff has to go on my back so i can't take anything too big.Again with these considerations i lean towards hardware as it's simpler and quicker to setup.

Cheers,

-T

Recent blogs: The Korg R3, Too many problems with software

05/13/08 + quip

i have played shows from casios to desktops. i have to say hardware does rock it better - generally.
but theres alot of other factors - pa, room acoustics that you have to take into account.

i was chattin to a fairly well known musician the other day and he refuses to play with a computer.
using cds instead. he said laptops aren't designed for the sweat and grime of shows. i had to disagree
i have played with desktops in tents with water coming down the inside of the tent with no problem.

my last laptop did over 80 shows and is still going.

the biggest risk from playing live is getting a drink spilled on your kit - and if that happens it doesn't
matter if its a laptop or hardware. beer sticks.

i live a hybrid of computers and hardware - the computer doing fancy dsp stuff that hardware can't do.
and the hardware for tweaking bass and putting out really solid kicks and bass.

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05/13/08 + Roshi

two simple setups that would fit in a backpack:
electribe esx + peavey grabber (beat sync'd looper) + nord micro + minimixer = endless possibilities (could both sequence the micro from esx and use the micro as an FX unit - layer, loop, and repeat...)
Macbook (built in mic) + ableton + sooperlooper + DIY footpedal = endless possibilities

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05/13/08 + dpmtl

ejectorset said: "usually though if a guitarist breaks a string, the band keeps playing the song and finishes it out as best they can.

if a laptop crashes mid song the music stops abruptly before the next break in music that is expected by the audience."

For some reason i was thinking of solo guitarists lol!So yeah my point about everything going kaput midset does stand.The mixer would give me some leeway as i could continue playing with the other gear while rebooting the laptop if necessary...

So what about a mixer?Something cheap thats easily replaceable or something decent that i look after and keep my eye on!?!

Recent blogs: The Korg R3, Too many problems with software