Paul van Dyk's Ableton Techniques

Spaiz · Post by **Spaiz** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 5:49 pm

In his latest interview to trance.nu (http://www.trance.nu/v3/interview_show.php?id=214) PvD explained his workflow with Ableton Live and Scratch Live, he said:

" I’m not just use Ableton Live, I use a combination between Scratch Live and Ableton. I have 2 computers with me and I’m basicly using Scratch Live with time coded CD’s. That signal actually goes into the interface of Ableton Live. Within Ableton Live I have the possibility then to do the craziest things, because it’s a combination of a DJ program with a sequencer program. That obviously enables you to sort of re-arrange the whole track. It’s much more actually like playing live then rather DJ-ing in a normal way of how some people understand it. It’s crazy all the possibilities you have and the options of being creative they are just endless! Electronic music has always been about breaking the boundaries on the creative level as much as on the technological side. And by using those elements of course and these programs and computers and stuff, you can actually push the boundaries again! It makes something even more special. Because of the set up, I can never ever play a track the same way, because it’s always somehow different, it’s always a different thing. That makes it even more unique on one hand, but it also makes it more special to the actual event itself. For example, I can take elements of the track away and just play the strings, the drums or whatever."

So i wonder how did he manage to " take elements of the track away and just play the strings, the drums or whatever"....how does he isolate sounds from each other with Live? very interesting...just wonder...cause djing with live for me is opportunity playing many tracks at once and putting various fxs on them...thats all.....cant imagine how i can rearrange the track on the fly with live....any suggestions on the topic?

farv22 · Post by **farv22** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 9:05 pm

Actually, he's not doing what you think... he's using the DJ software to run pre-recorded music. Then he's using the second to improvise with live. He's got all his loops that he's prepared... then he's syncing the computers via midi or just by listening. And he plays it all back that way....with the the computer running Live into the mixer too... He's actually not on the spot remixing all his pre-recorded music.

[I'm editing this in after rereading the comment] Dude, the way that the article is describing it, there could be any one of a few ways he's doing it. As in, he could be recording pre-recorded music or he could be recording time code into live. It's possible to do both. Time code is an actually audible signal. So, I don't know how he's doing it. But, you could have some serious fun messing around with it....

mike holiday · Post by **mike holiday** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 9:27 pm

PVD wrote:It’s much more actually like playing live then rather DJ-ing in a normal way of how some people understand it.

i don't understand when people call djing with ableton playing live

DJSK · Post by **DJSK** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 6:23 am

I will say it once and I will say it again. Paul just needs to be the bigger man and let go of the beatmatching. I wonder if maybe he is afraid of eating his own words because he is quoted as giving Sasha such a hard time when he started using Live. It seems to me like he is afraid of what people will think if he just used ableton to DJ with. He's working harder than what he has to and it's not making his sets sound any better. I would really like to see Paul embrace live DJing and really get creative with his original material. It would really bring a whole new experience to his fans if he got really creative and started using live to the fullest.

Spaiz · Post by **Spaiz** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 8:45 am

farv22 wrote:Actually, he's not doing what you think... he's using the DJ software to run pre-recorded music. Then he's using the second to improvise with live. He's got all his loops that he's prepared... then he's syncing the computers via midi or just by listening. And he plays it all back that way....with the the computer running Live into the mixer too... He's actually not on the spot remixing all his pre-recorded music.

[I'm editing this in after rereading the comment] Dude, the way that the article is describing it, there could be any one of a few ways he's doing it. As in, he could be recording pre-recorded music or he could be recording time code into live. It's possible to do both. Time code is an actually audible signal. So, I don't know how he's doing it. But, you could have some serious fun messing around with it....

Yep, i think that he using pre-recorded elements too...so the conclusion is: you can be creative live with Ableton Live only with you own tracks

ryansupak · Post by **ryansupak** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 3:06 pm

I think that if you're playing tracks basically from beginning to end, mixing the end of one track into the beginning of another track, I'd say that's more like DJing.

If you're chopping up each song into lots of different parts and taking a lot of liberties with the original sound and structures, that's getting into a "live remixing" thing -- "playing live", if you will.

To me, much of the fertile ground right now is doing something that is, not entirely, the traditional definition of "DJing", or "playing live". In my book it doesn't matter as much what this "is" or "is not".

Or, am I not getting what you misunderstand, Mike?
rs

mike holiday · Post by **mike holiday** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 6:26 pm

i'm not trying to flame just point some things out.

you can shread the source material ("remix") as you say with turntables ect. as well

hip hop DJ's have been doing it for years and a lot of house/tech- jocks do it with decks as well
you could never call this a "live set"

.. but i think calling a dj set a live set discredits those who really are "live" live

ie kookie scientest, monolake, ect ect

if your jockin' with your laptop don't say you are playing live is all

(not that dj'ing isn't performance art) it is!

ryansupak · Post by **ryansupak** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 10:11 pm

I agree somewhat -- a deck (especially a CD deck) and a newer DJ mixer have so many crazy gadgets on them now, that it's functionally pretty similar to what you can do with a lappy.

Even without all the crazy gadgets, a good turntable operator can do a lot to manipulate the songs. And, some laptop operators do little more than play songs end to end. So, the technology isn't the crux, in itself (it never is, I suspect).

I have trouble, though, seeing the distinction between "live" and "DJing", especially where something like Ableton is concerned. This seems kind of like a redo of the "sampling" debates circa 1988, only with a much fancier sampler that you don't have to program beforehand.

It seems like the area is getting grayer and grayer with no end in sight.

I'm too young to have been of age during the early days of hiphop, or the glory days of rave culture, so I don't see the roles, divisions, etc... that someone from one of those eras might (though I'm sure my own set of rules is galvanized as well.)

I think that people who are just being born -- or even those who are in junior high school now, for instance, will find those distinctions even less significant than I do...

$0.02,
rs

mike holiday · Post by **mike holiday** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:41 am

http://www.telepathica.com/images/fredInterviewWeb.jpg

mike holiday · Post by **mike holiday** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:42 am

he don't dj

i see what your saying about the gray area

it's like comparing a cover band, to a band that plays all origonals, to a band that does both

but

thats the kooky scientest above
i'v seen him runing back and forth accross a table full of boxes , listening to wicked earth shaking sets..
i havn't seen him perform since he's centalized ableton into his sets but can't wait!

http://www.telepathica.com/

there should be some live sets to download and hear off of the site

infact i was at the DEMF set you can get!!

Spaiz · Post by **Spaiz** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 8:25 am

Well all in all i dont think that you can be creative 'live' with trance, with genres like techno, minimal or electro yes, but if you will experiment with trance on stage it is easy to ruin everything.

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 4:46 pm

Well all in all i dont think that you can be creative 'live' with trance, with genres like techno, minimal or electro yes, but if you will experiment with trance on stage it is easy to ruin everything.

sorry, but that's a crock of shit... you can experiment with anything, as long as you have the right timing, and it's makes sense in context... if it doesn't make sense in context, why would you do it... but there's always room for experimentation, if you know what you're doing and when to do it..

Toufas · Post by **Toufas** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 1:34 am

http://videos.digital-lifestyle-day.com ... anguage=en

around the end it shows pvd explaining his setup

Durgal · Post by **Durgal** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 12:58 pm

mike holiday wrote:i'm not trying to flame just point some things out.

you can shread the source material ("remix") as you say with turntables ect. as well

hip hop DJ's have been doing it for years and a lot of house/tech- jocks do it with decks as well
you could never call this a "live set"

.. but i think calling a dj set a live set discredits those who really are "live" live

ie kookie scientest, monolake, ect ect

if your jockin' with your laptop don't say you are playing live is all

(not that dj'ing isn't performance art) it is!

SPOT ON

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 9:06 pm

IMO DJs DJ.

Musicians play live.

Gray areas are starting to appear, though...

Paul van Dyk's Ableton Techniques

Paul van Dyk's Ableton Techniques

Re: Paul van Dyk's Ableton Techniques

Re: Paul van Dyk's Ableton Techniques

Re: Paul van Dyk's Ableton Techniques