AKAI APC 40 : Techno / House Live act - DJ Set

[TechnoLover]

Hey everybody!

I am looking for some APC 40 users to give me some tips ...

I am currently building some kind of "mix" between a DJ set and a Live Act. It'll mostly be a DJ Set but I would like to play a few tracks (live) during this set. (something like 4 or 5 tracks, nothing much).

What I planned to do is :

- Using one track as DECK 1 (with 1 EQ + 1 Filter)
- Using one track as DECK 2 (with 1 EQ + 1 Filter)
- Rendering all the kicks into 1 track
- Rendering all the hats into 1 track
- Rendering all the claps/snares into 1 track
- Rendering all the shakers into 1 track
- Rendering all the other percussive elements into 1 track
- Rendering my synths into one or two tracks (synths + stabs)
- Rendering the strings/pads into 1 track
- Rendering all the FXs "clips" (sweeps, drops, ...) into 1 last track

- Putting One Reverb and One Ping Pong Delay as returns tracks (any other FXs to be added here?)

I'll have 10 or 11 tracks into my Ableton Set, which seems to be decent (tell me if I am wrong!) ... (don't wanna get too much tracks because I am using a 13" macbook pro, my screener isn't that big and I want to make it as easy as possible)

My main questions are about the APC 40 mapping, I don't like the default template of the APC 40 because you can't use the EQs of both decks at the same time (gotta switch from track 1 to track 2 to be able to control the EQ) ... That's not an easy way to make a mix, though.

So, if anyone got some ideas/tips about how to use/map the APC 40 for this kind of act, that would be really amazing to share it with me! I am really lost about this point...

Ah yeah, I am not really used to use Ableton for my DJ Sets (using turntables for years!) so, if you got any idea of what VST (FXs) to put on the tracks, especialy the Decks & Returns, that would be great! (got a decent budget to get some more) I think the "One Kobb" série from Waves should be a good idea, but I am not sure!

Thank you so much for your help!

[willdahbe]

For dj sets I use the Pan and Send A knobs for eq's.

Pan knobs 1-4 are (Bass Gain) for my four Decks, and Pan knobs 5-8 are Beat Repeat length for each deck.
I have my clip stop buttons set up for beat repeats on each track allowing me to do one bar loops on each track. Very handy if a track is about to end.

On Send A I have knobs 1-4 set on highs, and 5-8 I have set up for mids.

This is just how I do it, but you could set it up for Pan 1-4 as Low, Mid, High, + gain or filter for deck 1. And then just set up Pan knobs 5-8 the same for deck 2.

Also I use Lss Dj eq, (free) which has inf kill and doesn't have any weird artifacts or color the sound to much. It requires pluggo runtime, which is free as well.

[willdahbe]

About track fx and whatnot, I have Native Instruments Traktor's 12 which has a nice handful of dj type effects. I think it's like $89 The cool thing about T's 12 is you can use Guitar Rig's modulation sources to modulate Tracktor's 12 parameters and make really creative setups nested in Ableton Racks.

[TechnoLover]

Thanks for your tips, man!

I was also thinking to map the EQs of my 2 decks to some knobs but I also need to be able to keep controlling the other tracks FXs (as I'll playing a set + a live act) ... How would you handle that?

[ikeaboy]

Here's a video of a set up I was using until I incorporated Darren Cowleys Isontonic max patch.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvaMRtT3 ... ata_player

I explain it more in this post

http://damoikea.wordpress.com/author/da ... perception


For the eq using the pan controls hard mapped to the eq for channels one and two seems like the best idea. Eq is way more important than pan for your type of set IMO and you'll still have your blue hand device control. Just place your hard mapped eq to the right of whatever effects rack you have in channel one and two as theres no point in having the blue hand controlling the eq as well. Look for tarekith's eq racks there around here somewhere and are miles better than eq3.

[TechnoLover]

Man, that article is great! Really interesting!

I am gonna keep this in my mind while I'll be building and finalizing the set! My point is to also make that kind of hybrid!

Do you also use an APC 40 ?

(I love your tastes btw, great selections in your playlists!)

[ikeaboy]

Thanks man. Yeah that was all APC40 standard template. I reckon a lot can be done just by building your own ultimate channel effect rack so you really get the most out of those eight device control encoders. Visit here at Tarekith's blog,
http://tarekith.com/sounds-and-patches/
Lots of devices that can do lots with just one or two knobs, just rack up all your favourites until you get a better idea of what you want and construct your own. He's also put together a nice range of EQ's. His articles are also well worth a read.

[TechnoLover]

Downloaded 'em and i'll give 'em a try as soon as possilbe! these gonna be massive! would be cool to mix 'em with the "Waves One Knobb Serie" ! That will provide a lot of controls with a small amount of controls

Can't wait to get back from work and start tryin' this!

[TechnoLover]

I checked your video on Youtube... I was wondering, how did you build this live act? I see you have a full track running, is this the complete track or did you split some of the elements? (drums, ...) ?

[Drake44444]

Here's a video of a set up I was using until I incorporated Darren Cowleys Isontonic max patch.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvaMRtT3 ... ata_player

I explain it more in this post

http://damoikea.wordpress.com/author/da ... perception


For the eq using the pan controls hard mapped to the eq for channels one and two seems like the best idea. Eq is way more important than pan for your type of set IMO and you'll still have your blue hand device control. Just place your hard mapped eq to the right of whatever effects rack you have in channel one and two as theres no point in having the blue hand controlling the eq as well. Look for tarekith's eq racks there around here somewhere and are miles better than eq3.

awesome article man thanks

[ikeaboy]

I checked your video on Youtube... I was wondering, how did you build this live act? I see you have a full track running, is this the complete track or did you split some of the elements? (drums, ...) ?

I was using 6 channels, 2 usually had full tracks and the rest have loops. Working this way your better off using effects to subtract things (like having an autopan behave like a cutter or filters and EQ of course) rather than adding something (like a big delay) because theres probably not much space there anyway with the different elements. The most important thing was making sure the elements that might be mixed together and are closest to each other in the set are harmonically compatible. I've laid out the why's and some of the hows here http://damoikea.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/97/ and it's possible to do it using freeware but it takes time. The result being you can layer tracks away and the stronger element masks the weaker (with Eq you decide whats stronger) rather than lots of different things piling on top of one another. It becomes a much more effective collage.

[TechnoLover]

Thanks! Can't wait to get on it

[gavgrant]

Rendering all the kicks into 1 track
- Rendering all the hats into 1 track
- Rendering all the claps/snares into 1 track
- Rendering all the shakers into 1 track
- Rendering all the other percussive elements into 1 track



hey, can you advise how you do this?

Thanks
g.

[ikeaboy]

Rendering all the kicks into 1 track
- Rendering all the hats into 1 track
- Rendering all the claps/snares into 1 track
- Rendering all the shakers into 1 track
- Rendering all the other percussive elements into 1 track



hey, can you advise how you do this?

Thanks
g.

What way are you currently doing it, what part has you confused? Just to save me or anyone else writing an essay needlessly.

[Drake44444]

Rendering all the kicks into 1 track
- Rendering all the hats into 1 track
- Rendering all the claps/snares into 1 track
- Rendering all the shakers into 1 track
- Rendering all the other percussive elements into 1 track



hey, can you advise how you do this?

Thanks
g.

Mix down all the hats, then put the Wav file in a track.
Mix down all the claps and snares into 1 track.

You can record through live session view or through "render to audio"