Ableton Forum

I need to determine if Live can be used for scene playback for praise & worship.

We have a 3-piece band (keys, bass and drums), but want to use sequences/audio clips to enhance our sound.

Currently, we can use an Ensoniq SD-1 synth/sequencer very well because we can control which song section (scene)
we want to go to next based on the direction from the worship leader (she indicates with her fingers: 1, 2, 3, etc.)

The key here is that at any time, she may decide that she wants to go to part 2 when we're done with the part we are
currently on, or she may decide to stay on the current part.

Now, with Live I'm seeing where I can pre-define how the scenes behave (Next, Previous, Stop, Last, etc.).

I also notice that I can manually select a scene out of sequence and get it to play, but it quits and plays the one I
selected prematurely.

This is what I need:

a. Create scenes that represent sections of the songs (Verse, Chorus, etc.)
b. Once started, be able to select ANY scene I decide to go to next, but have the CURRENT scene finish out
it's normal duration BEFORE switching.
c. If I don't select a new scene, the CURRENT scene continues to loop.

This is an important factor in deciding to buy Live. Praise & Worship music sets need to have the flexibility to go here & there,
and not follow a pre-determined arrangement. If we did pre-arranged sets, we could just sing with CD's and not have to have
a band in the first place!

Please advise, or perhaps if someone from Ableton reads this, they can suggest this feature enahancement?

Thanks,
Bruce Rothwell

your scenes will play next depending on the global quantization setting. so if your new scenes are playing before the old one finishes just adjust this setting to the length of your scenes...

It's totally doable.

Hit the MIDI learn button, open the Help box in the lower left corner and read what the little buttons do just below the listing of the scene names. There's scroll scene, scene up, scene down and launch scene.

So... Set global quantisation to something like 8 measures and make your verses/choruses 8 measures.

Use the scene select controls to control a scene, when you launch a scene it will wait until the end of 8 measures to launch the next scene.


Your description of "Next, Previous, Stop, Last, etc." is for follow mode, which is for completely automated stuff, you don't want that.


I hope that helps, it does sounds like Live is what you want.

This is good news. Thanks for the quick reply.
However, being a total Live newbie, what is the MIDI Learn Button?

upper right [the other left] hand corner, the "MIDI" button. Everything will be 'overlaid' with a blue color, click on the control you want to automate, hit the button/key you want to use to automate it and there you go.

used Live in the last xmas pageant, works great in the ecclesiastical setting

I need to determine if Live can be used for scene playback for praise & worship.

Don't forget to go HERE to have a chat with god.

I recently starting using Live via a FCB 1010 midi footcontroller (I play guitar) in worship, works great, you get to use electronic elements but can still go where the worship flow requires. I don't have much to add to the advice already given, but it's great to see someone else on the boards using Live for this purpose. Best of luck to you as you encorporate it into your band! If you need extra advice beyond the manual, check out the "Live 5 Power!" book from Thompson Course Technology, it's good stuff.

-Kevin

Read the Blessed Manual. . I promise you that between the tutorials and the manual your questions will be answered very quickly. . I would actually reccomend printing out the pdf manual and reading it. It is a very lite read, but the things you should look into are specifically the midi chapter and the list of key commands.

Make sure that you select your tracks are not on legato. I feel that the best choice you can make is to set global quantisation to every bar. This means that upon the next bar (after clicking an arrow) the next clip or scene will start.

I would advise you to only use follow actions if you understand tem well and are prepared for them.

command/control(PC) m will get you on midi select screen. command/control(PC) k will get you on k select screen. you can assign either a key or midi control to arm any clip or scene by first clicking on the target, followed by activating a key, slider, etc.

I never would have thought about using live in the way that you are but it should work better than anything else.

Welcome aboard.

Live is a mainstay in theater production, where music, sounds and effects are cued from the actions of the actors rather then the other way around.

It should be the perfect tool for what you want to achieve.

LOFA wrote:Read the Blessed Manual.

yeah RTBM !

So cool to find you all... I'm currently playing guitar in our P&W ministry I'd love to hear how you guys are doing what your doing... I'm still getting my set up together the next piece will be the fcb1010 EEkevin is using...