Part 2: An In-Depth Look at a Live Electronic Music Rig – Under the Hood
Today we are examining the session settings and signal routing for my Ableton live performance setup. Be sure to get to the end for a FREE DOWNLOAD of my Dub Delay Effect Rack!
Last week, we went in-depth on my live electronic music rig, “The Stack.” We examined the physical components as well as the physical wiring – USB, MIDI, and audio. We also took a brief look at the Ableton Live session template I created specifically for live performance. Let’s take a closer look at this template. Specifically, let’s examine the under-the-hood settings that make this hybrid template (a template that utilizes both hardware and software instruments) work properly.
CPU Conservation
Any type of media processing is a resource intensive operation. It is important that you use a machine capable of processing audio on the fly without crapping out. MacBook Pro is an excellent choice – I wouldn’t use any other computer.
I set my machine up for a good performance by eliminating background tasks that take up CPU; I switch off Bluetooth and WiFi, and I close all non-essential programs that may be running.
Within the session, I only use native Ableton plug-ins. The native plug-ins are engineered to use minimal CPU, specifically because Ableton Live is made to play live. Third party plug-ins, while they may be superior to Ableton’s native devices, can be resource hogs. This puts undue stress on your system and increases the likelihood of a system crash.
Speaking of crashes — never drop a device onto a track during a live performance. It’s a crap-shoot as to whether the system remains stable, hiccups, or crashes. Do you want to take that risk in a room-full of people? Didn’t think so.
Audio Settings
I set both the input and output device to the Audio 6 interface. This allows me to route my hardware into the computer and sends the stereo master channel out through the main outputs (1-2). It is good practice to use the lowest buffer settings possible without clicks, pops, or other audio dropouts. For me, this sweet spot is 128 samples. Lower buffer settings also reduce latency – a must for live performance, especially if you plan on playing live keys or drum pads.
Cue Out
I set my headphones to work like a DJ – they feed me audio from tracks that I have not yet introduced and from clips I may be previewing in Ableton’s browser. It is set up like this:
On the Audio 6, I set the headphone output to monitor output channels 3-4. On Ableton’s master channel I/O, I set Cue Out to channels 3-4, and I switch the solo function to cue. This allows me to use the solo buttons on the APC to select the tracks I wish to monitor before I introduce them to the main mix, exactly how a DJ does it.
MIDI Settings
MIDI settings are crucial to a properly functioning live performance rig. It’s important to track the inputs of each MIDI device – this tells Ableton to listen to incoming MIDI messages. For any devices to be manually mapped — in my case, MPK mini and LPD8 — it’s also important to switch on remote.
Finally, enabling sync on the Audio 6 output tells Ableton to send MIDI clock out through the Audio 6 MIDI port. Now, this is important:
There will be latency issues between any external hardware running into the system and any internally produced sounds — be it audio clips or software instruments. This disparity must be corrected in order for the system to function properly. This is done by adjusting the MIDI Clock Sync Delay setting under Output: Komplete Audio 6. I have found that a delay of -29 milliseconds corrects the problem.
Channel Inputs
I set channels 1 and 2 to receive audio from the appropriate inputs on the Audio 6. These are two of my hardware devices – TR-8 and Electribe 2. I also set these channels to Monitor In. That allows the incoming audio to be heard at all times without arming the tracks for recording.
Channel 3 is a little more complicated. The Bass Station channel is actually a MIDI channel with an External Instrument MIDI device on it. This allows me to record MIDI clips on the fly and immediately play them back on the Bass Station while processing the incoming Bass Station audio on the same channel.
Channel 4 is another MIDI channel with a special multi-instrument device on it. I have the MPK mini tethered to this channel exclusively – this means that regardless of which track I may be focusing on, the MPK will always control the active synth on this channel. The special device is one of my creation that allows me to select different synth patches with the drum pads – without constantly dropping new devices onto the track in-set. Because we all know loading new devices while the session is active is a VERY BAD IDEA. It’s a bit of a complicated device, so I’ll get into that one in part 3 of this series.
Channels 5 – 10 are set to receive audio from no input, and channel 10 sends its audio to the master channel.
Channel 11 is set to receive audio from Resampling. This just means it will record whatever the master track is putting out. Monitor on this channel is set to off (we never want to hear this channel in-set), the channel is muted and it always loads armed to record.
Signal Routing
Any drum or percussion tracks, I route directly to the master channel. That means tracks 1 (TR-8), 2 (Electribe), 5 (Perc Loops), 7 (Vocal Loops), and 8 (One Shots) go straight to the master. Tracks 3 (Bass Station), 4 (Soft Synths), and 6 (Synth Loops) get routed to channel 10, on which I run a compressor triggered by channel 9, the ghost kick track. Channel 9 is always running a 4-on-the-floor kick drum, but the channel is always muted. Its only purpose is to key the compressor on channel 10.
Send/Return
I have 3 return channels, but I really only use two of them. Return A is a room reverb that was left over from the more traditional studio template from which this live template was derived. Return B is a long decay reverb that’s nice for really drenching or washing out a sound. Return C is a device I built based on someone else’s concept of a dub style delay effect. I honestly don’t remember from where I got the root idea, but I customized it a little to suit my taste. This device’s key controls are directly mapped to the LPD8. Channel sends to A and B are post-fader, while sends to C tap the signal pre-fader.
Controller Mapping
The three controllers on my live rig are APC-40, MPK mini, and LPD8.
APC works terrifically right out of the box. Its endless rotary controls are soft-mapped to any device currently focused upon with the option to lock it to a particular device. This is what I use to control devices on each track; including the master track, but excluding track 4.
MPK is tethered specifically to channel 4. Each pad on either bank is mapped to the DEVICE ON button for each parallel soft synth in the device chain. This means I have access to a total of 16 synths during a set, since all of them are already loaded. The on/off functions mean they do not sound simultaneously, and they don’t eat up my CPU resources. Unless I want them to. Which I never do.
The 8 rotary controls are hard-mapped to the effects container in which the multi-synth instrument sits. This means they will always control those overarching effects, rather than parameters within the soft-synths themselves. If I want to control those parameters, I would manually select the synth and use the soft-mapped controls on the APC.
LPD is another hard-mapped controller that serves multiple functions. First, the pads work as on/off switches, just like the pads on the MPK. They switch on and off the master channel FX (reverb and delay) individually and together, as well as tthe compressor on channel 10. It also switches on and off the dub delay device on return channel C. Finally, another pad switches the delay mode of the dub delay between sync and free-running.
The rotary controls are assigned to the sidechain compressor and the dub delay. One rotary controls the threshold of the compressor — this allows me to dial in the intensity of the pump. The dub delay rotaries control the feedback, time, compression threshold (for the delay tail) and the high-pass filter within the effects rack device.
Conclusion
These are the more esoteric settings that allow my live rig to function properly. Hopefully, you can take what I have laid out and apply them to your own live rig. STEAL THESE IDEAS! Keep what applies and works for you; throw out what doesn’t. All that matters is that you continue to evolve your rig and create music with it.
In part 3, I will go deeper into the effects and custom rack devices that make my system go. I’ll also include another free rack device download, so stay tuned!
-Chris Lazaga
AudioMunk
To pick up the Dub Delay Rack I use in my live sets, click the link above to download the .zip file. Unzip it and drop the .adg file in the following location:
Ableton > User Library > Presets > Audio Effects > Audio Effect Rack
Happy dubbing!
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