Questions about dummy clips and live vocals...

[Rokko]

Hey dudes,
I've just been booked for what should be my biggest gig since I started using ableton. This time instead of doing a straight dj set i'm going to be doing it with a live mc/scratch dj. This is going to the most complex set I'll ever have done, something similar to the prodigy - dirtchamber sessions but a bit more electronic, working from hip hop, through breaks to drum and bass, loads of samples, loads of tunes, all mixed harmonically, both of us scratching using torq, a bit of keyboards, plus live vocals.

Anyway... I don't know a great deal about dummy clips, but I'm wondering if it's possible to change the effects on the vocals as we progress through the set using dummy clips. So when I move onto a new scene the live vocals could change from having a delay, to some distortion or something, so that the vocal effects are tailored for whichever tune they are going with.

I'd also be intersted to hear from anyone who has any advice or experiences to share about doing this type of set, as I'm sure there are many things that can go wrong!

We plan to use 2 macbook pro's, one for ableton and vocals, and one for scratching with torq, plus a korg microcontrol for keys and effects. I'm guessing it would probably be a good idea to have a sound engineer on the scene for something like this..?

EZ

Rokko

[Patch]

Dummy Clips and Scratching are made for each other. I use dummy clips to automate the sends - so that when I finish a 4 bar scratch, the send gets raised to full, and the last cut gets sent to to send with a delay, or a reverb effect on it. It makes the scratch end lessa abrubtly.

There are a million ways to use dummy clips with live input (such as scratching/Mc'ing/Beatboxing). I'd definitely recomend hunting down all the info you can find on Dummy Clips - for christs sake, check the Wiki - there are some amazing lessons on Dummy Clips in there!

Good luck at your gig - I'd love to hear some examples of what you do - sounds like my kind of music!!!

[Rokko]

Excellent dude,
Cheers for opening my eyes - I hadn't even considered using dummy clips with scratching. Having a delay on the last cut/word of a live input is something i've been wanting to figure out. I did hear something about a ducking(?) delay that only triggers when the sound stops, but this sounds better.
I guess I better go and check out the wiki and see what i've been missing.
One problem i'm having is that when I try to automate the sends on an individual clip it doesn't actually seem to do anything - not sure what i'm doing wrong.

Thanks again

Rokko