How do YOU layout the session grid for live performance?

[Megageoff]

Funnily enough I can't find a great deal written about this.

I tend to write my basic ideas in the session view, recording on-the-fly from my MPD and Midi keyboard. I recently got the APC40 and am getting used to that too. I build loops that work together, and organise them into loose scenes. I like to create the building blocks of the song in the session grid, and then record live takes into the arrangement view until it feels right, whereupon I go in and get my hands dirty editing.

My central question is- how do you other users approach a session view performance (esp with the APC)? How do you colour code/name your clips, organise variations, lay out a loose linear structure in the session view?

[h0ch.grat]

Hi,

I try to keep a live setup as simple as possible and therefore use the scene view only. Normally I use an apc 20 + a Nocturne + 2 guitar effects (those foot switch things) and sometimes a hardware synth too.
My aim is being able to set up on the empty turntable while the last vinyl of the DJ is still playing: 10 minutes and 1sqm to set up.

As I play live, I don't think in terms of 'songs' or 'tracks' but cluster samples / midi clips that I use at a specific part of the live set.

First I arrange the various clusters top to bottom, to organize a rough layout of what will happen in the club (Intro, building, breaks, gain momentum, woohoo, outro...).
I try to not cluster more but 5-6 scenes, as my apc just displays 5 rows - but that's fairly enough stuff to play with for some time. And it saves me from scrolling up and down too much.

All my clips are unmodified samples / midi clips in terms of effects / pitch.
Most of the samples are long or contain different sounds/ variations of the same synth loop.
I then can set the loop area live via controller, according to what I want to play, or whereever the set takes me, which again reduces the amount of clips you need but offers better variety.

So when I start I only have a rough non effect draft, the rest happens in realtime.

For general FX modulation I send them (instead of 'to master') to a separate track called 'Spielzeug' which contains automated fx clips like a filter swipe or a beat repeat pattern. Those clips will ad the respective fx to all sounds playing. Of course you can modify them by hand or controller too (I use a Nocturne for that, enough knobs but small and handy, but forgett the automap shit).
For manual fx procession to one clip, I use the regular send channels (actually two of them, filters and delay) containing effect racks with macros of the most common modulations.

If you do perform live for 2 hours, and not just trigger prerecorded tracks, of course you'll get lost or mess things up on your way. But I like this - it's live and not DJing what we do.
As I get lost or need instant breaks from time to time redirecting the set into a certain direction, I insert 'triggers', scenes that you can see in the master track. Hitting them resets all effects (see the reset-clip in the FX track) and triggers a bunch of clips that will bring things back together.
E.g. you mess around with delays, let it all break apart, and then kick in a straight bd + sounds again just by hitting the trigger scene.
This way experimenting live becomes fun and not a thread, as you got a safety line you can pull anytime.

Keeping track of where you are is simple, as I only use one set up - so I know which row of knobs on my apc is bd, snare, layer, external synths, etc. And hitting wrong buttons launching a click noise instaed of a layer is what makes a good live set

What you see on the screenshot would equal 20 min. live performance...
You can download this draft here: http://thealphub.maxforum.org/2011/04/2 ... you/#post0
maybe seeing the set on your screen makes this more clear...

Hope this helps,
Ralph Prollè

[Megageoff]

Wow, there's certainly a lot to think about here, and I especially like your 'trigger' idea, that must come in handy when things get a bit too freaky. Dividing the FX between a 'dummy' track and the sends is an interesting approach too.

So far I've really been using session view in a very vanilla way, assembling the rough flow of the tune 'scene by scene'. This is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for as it opens up more room for experimentation without getting too chaotic. Thanks for the inspiration!