Ableton Forum

Hey everyone --

Let me first describe what it is that I want to do precisely, and then I was curious if someone could recommend what equipment would be necessary for me to go about doing it?

Basically, I want to be able to do a crazy, live mash-up. Ultimately, I want to start off a show with so many effects on a recognizable, rhythmic sample (let's say, for example, C&C Music Factory's "Everybody Dance Now") that it degrades beyond recognition...gradually I will turn down the effects (let's say that there are three effects, with 10 individual parameters to turn up or down) until the audience understands fully what it is -- at this very moment, I launch an acapella sample (let's say a 2pac song) over the C&C so that it is directly on beat. I let this continue for, say, 4 measures, before switching the vocals to Biggie. I allow Biggie to go for 4 measures himself before cutting out everything simultaneously and just leaving (still on beat) the song "Reunited" by Peaches & Herb, which will be accompanied by a loud house beat that I want to tweak the hell out of after say 8 measures until G-Unit starts playing over it all.

To do a 20-30 minute set of this would seem to require over 100 samples, and about 30-40 separate slide-able parameters that I would like to modify (i.e. all of the particular controls that modify each element of reverb, echo, degrade, flange, phase, etc etc etc). These parameters would probably have to apply to just ONE column (so that I can JUST modify the vocals or JUST modify the instrumental), so let's say that's 15-20 parameters that will be modifiable by twisting a knob (or something like that) per column. It would also be nice if I could be certain that these parameters would go back to normal if/when I hit a certain button -- it might be hard to remember where they originally were if I'm going to be screwing around with a few dozen over the course of the set. Ahh, and the ability to cross-fade between one instrumental and another would be fantastic.

So what is out there that could trigger 100 samples individually, has the ability to change 30-50 numerically modifiable settings via knob or whatever, can cross-fade, and perhaps even has an assignable kill-switch (though this is not necessary)? Will I actually need that much stuff in order to do what I have described?

I realize that this is a long-winded post, but it's very important to me -- Thank you!
-matt

how much of this have you actually attempted so far?

when you get into the details of it you'll find you probably don't need all those individual efx parameters. you could do all this with a computer and 1 decent midi controller, like a UC33e. don't underestimate the power of the computer keyboard as a controller. the work part will be preparing the samples.

Chad Carrier/Dave Hill's book 'Ableton Live 4 Power' would help a lot if you don't have it.

you didn't just happen to have a quadruple espresso before typing that post by any chance, did you?

drush is exactly right, a UC33e will cover your effects twiddling. IF you don't like the idea of using your computer keyboard, you could consider importing a faderfox or something like this http://www.fentek-ind.com/pos.htm#KB3000

Hey guys --

Thanks for the tips. I've been looking into the UC-33e for quite a while now and this seems to have made the deal for me. I also ordered that Ableton 4 Power! book. (This will be my first time working with MIDI and my first time really working with Live, so I've got a lot to learn and the manual is good, but sometimes just slightly confusing when I have no previous knowledge.)

Drush -- When you say that I probably don't need all of those individual EFX parameters, do you mean that it is unlikely I will actually be fiddling with 30-40 different parameters in practice, or that there is some way in which I can just use a bay of 10-20 and re-assign each to different parameters if/when I need to? (Like if I were to, on the fly, change a knob that was initially changing the intensity of the reverb on one track to one that changes the gain on a phasing effect for that same track?) I just really don't know quite how this stuff works yet -- thank you so much for your help!
-matt

if you experiment and use your ears. you'll then be able to identify the effects changes you really need to make. this might be far fewer than you expect.

anonymouse wrote:...this might be far fewer than you expect.

i definitely think that will be the case

use scene up/down + TRACK launch buttons instead. That way you only need as many assignments as you've got tracks + two.

anonymouse wrote:you didn't just happen to have a quadruple espresso before typing that post by any chance, did you?

Holly sh*t, this forum has given me a couple of great laughs today!!! thankssss!!!