Q&A with Dizz1

[Ableton_David]

We recently profiled producer Dave Norris aka Dizz1 on ableton.com - head to the link to learn more about him and download a free Live Set of one of his tracks.

Dave now joins us here for an open Q&A thread. Got questions about the Live Set? About production? Performance? Ask them here and Dave will be around for discussion. In addition to his production and performance, Dave is a Certifed Trainer, so don't hesitate to get technical!

[Winterpark]

Hey Dave/Dizz,

Caught you a couple of years ago (maybe Live 8 launch in Melb?) talking through your set where you used a trigger finger to do some awesome manual playing/triggering of clips etc... it was pretty inspiring stuff.

Not sure if I've got a specific question, but it would be great to hear about how you put together live sets for performance these days.

cheers,
Matt

[Alex Murray]

Hey Dave

I've seen you play a few times in Sydney before and it's always great.

Do you see Melbourne as a place that fosters your creative output and performance or do you feel as though you have to keep travelling to Europe to grow? What are the positives of living in such an isolated place in the world and are there even any negatives?

Cheers

Alex

[jesuislepop]

Hey Dizz1,

Digging your beats on the new EP.

I wanted to know what methods you use for getting your drums off the grid.
Are you using midi grooves, drum machine swing, converting other rhythms to midi, moving them off the grid manually, playing them in by hand...or a combination of all these things and more?

Looking forward to finding out.

[dizz1]

Hey Winterpark, Yeah that was a great night! I use the Akai MPD these days as I really like the faders on it.
Basically I split each track into the main parts and figure out which instrument is dominant in each section of the song. I then create sampler instruments inside racks and chop up the audio and map the notes across the MPD. Usually that would be the bassline and Id split it into 3 layers, the sub in one rack, the mid bass in another and the high bass. Then Id MIDI assign the faders to either volume or filter for each layer so I can jam on the fly and recreate the parts but also completely change the riff if I feel like it. It keeps it interesting for me up on stage as no 2 performances are ever exactly alike and it also prompts new ideas that I wouldnt necessarily think of when I first write the track which can lead to new vibes etc...
I also have the rest of the faders assigned to sends and Ive created some wild effects chains that can really dub the tracks out. I make heavy use of the Min/ Max parameters in MIDI assign so that it wont ever take off and start feeding back and kill the dance. I really like that feature!
Also for some tracks Ill chop up the drums and create whole routines with them but in most cases Ill leave the skeleton of the track there and mute the parts that I feel like playing so the momentum keeps rolling. Nothing worse than selecting the wrong scene and there being dead silence!

[I_Speak_Bahana]

Hey Dave,

congrats on the new EP and thanks for sharing the Live Set!

The kicks, subs and basses in your tracks always translate so well on club systems - what tips can you give for making them come through?

[dizz1]

Hey Alex
Yeah Melbourne has a buzzing scene.
Im quite reclusive when it comes to writing so in all honesty as long as I have my lappy and some headphones it really doesnt matter where I am.
As for inspiration, I have been working with a guy named Airi Leke who is an amazing percussionist and has a crew who are all brilliant to work with.
My homie Dan from Liquid Mixes (Nubreed) has also been really inspiring as far as mixing and ideas go.
Im originally from Sydney and had a band with Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek (Africa Hitech) back a few years ago and used to spend a lot of time annoying Mark with questions about how to do this or that. He is a true don, not only really helpful but a funny fucker to boot!
Yeah I learnt a lot from him for sure

[dizz1]

Hey jesuislepop,
Cheers!
It really all depends on what Im after.
Im a drummer so Im pretty confident with my timing so Ill usually play most of my stuff in using my MIDI keyboard along to a metronome.
Usually Ill just jam with an open ended MIDI clip and then listen back to it and grab the strongest loop of 1 or 2 bars.
For more quantised stuff Ill usually add some MPC or SP1200 swing from the groove pool and then adjust the amount so that it still has a feel but kinda brings it all together.
I really dig that function with groove. It can have some wild effects!
TBH though there are no hard and fast rules, its just how I approach it and it differs every time.

[dizz1]

Hey I_Speak_Bahana
Yeah I have a few drums in my library that I know really work for certain things.
Usually a nice round 909 kick layered with an old crusty character kick on top is a good start.
I use the impulse and use the filters on that to get rid of the high on the 909 weighty kick and a HPF on the top kick so they dont compete for space.
Really its just a bit of trial and error to get it sounding coherent.
Im also really into tuning the kicks to the cent so there is no phasing between them when you layer them up.
I usually use the old akai sine from the 950 sampler which Ive created a sampler instrument for.
That has a real meaty weight to it and can shake the place up. (Operator can make a huge sub too so have a crack with it!)
Ive also recently been experimenting with 808 subs (Ive included a heavily processed one in the arrangement). I ran that through all sorts of stuff to get the tone right and then resampled it so you guys get the goodness right thurrrrr!
As for bass tops, I have an access Virus TI and heaps of 3rd party synths so I usually just grab the MIDI file and a pitch MIDI plug and set it up an octave or 2 and stuff about until it sounds cool.
Its a taste thing really and those tops can really make or break the track so Im always trying new ways to get interesting bass top sounds that dont sound too dated!
Then its just low passing the sub to tuck under the kick and high passing the bass mid/ top to about 100Hz to sit on top of the sub

[Citizen]

Its a taste thing really and those tops can really make or break the track so Im always trying new ways to get interesting bass top sounds that dont sound too dated!
Then its just low passing the sub to tuck under the kick and high passing the bass mid/ top to about 100Hz to sit on top of the sub

So you just sit those layered in a drum rack, right? (and then process each layer individually, and as a whole?)

I don't really have any specific questions, but if you could share any general drum/drum bus processing advice or tips, that would be super.

Do you have set methods that you tend to rely on, or are you always experimenting with new ways of processing individual hits and the drum bus to create different tone and feels?

[Citizen]

Also, I had a little look in the 'We Go Ridin' project file, and I wanted to ask you about the 'white breath' group, which consisted of various white noise sounds.

Is this something you do to simulate a noise floor and just add a little low-level texture to your tracks? Its funny, its not something you consciously hear in the track, but when you mute that group, you really notice it missing.