Jump to content

Electronic musican using Mainstage?


coFane

Recommended Posts

Is Mainstage 2 suitable for a live electronic type show? I know a lot of people use Mainstage who are keyboardists and guitarists but my music is electronic based.

 

My goal is to be completely solo where everything is being looped/triggered/performed/sung and tweaked by myself on the fly. Is Mainstage 2 a good route to go for something like this?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is Mainstage 2 suitable for a live electronic type show? I know a lot of people use Mainstage who are keyboardists and guitarists but my music is electronic based.

 

My goal is to be completely solo where everything is being looped/triggered/performed/sung and tweaked by myself on the fly. Is Mainstage 2 a good route to go for something like this?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Ableton Live

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Ableton Live

 

Quick question: since Live is built primarily on the concept of loops (from what I've gathered) are the loops generally audio loops? And is it possible to produce my songs exclusively in Logic- then once the songs are done just cut the project into audio sections/ loops etc... and chuck them into ableton and have some potentially good ingredients for an interesting live performance/show?

 

Basically, does this sound like a decent strategy? I assume that I could manage doing my live midi looping and programming from within Live itself as long as I have some solid audio loops and samples from my original project to trigger.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Ableton Live

 

Quick question: since Live is built primarily on the concept of loops (from what I've gathered) are the loops generally audio loops? And is it possible to produce my songs exclusively in Logic- then once the songs are done just cut the project into audio sections/ loops etc... and chuck them into ableton and have some potentially good ingredients for an interesting live performance/show?

 

 

Basically, does this sound like a decent strategy? I assume that I could manage doing my live midi looping and programming from within Live itself as long as I have some solid audio loops and samples from my original project to trigger.

 

Yes, Ableton LIve accepts any kind of audio files (or the ones that has codecs) for playback. You just need to re-assemble the project inside Ableton itself from the Logic one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rock on! thanks. Judging that you are in the Logic forum you must like Logic. Do you feel like production in Logic and performance in Abelton is an ideal setup? Is it complementary? Are there specific issues with it? IYO of course.

 

From what I've heard gathered, Logic is a wonderful production tool. The one person I know who uses both Ableton and Logic seems to prefer Logic for production. Thanks in advance!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rock on! thanks. Judging that you are in the Logic forum you must like Logic. Do you feel like production in Logic and performance in Abelton is an ideal setup? Is it complementary? Are there specific issues with it? IYO of course.

 

From what I've heard gathered, Logic is a wonderful production tool. The one person I know who uses both Ableton and Logic seems to prefer Logic for production. Thanks in advance!

 

Long time ago I used Logic 40% of the time, Ableton Live 60%. Last year it was 50/50. Now it is mostly Logic and I seldom touch Ableton Live. Flex mode made a big difference. That and the instabilities of Ableton Live 8.

 

As for live usage -- I've come 360 degrees around and consider something up on stage with a Laptop noodling knobs not that interesting so live instruments rule, especially as you could improvise and play with real musicians. But yes if someone wants to do electronic music on-stage, you need a computer environment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've come 360 degrees around and consider something up on stage with a Laptop noodling knobs not that interesting so live instruments rule, especially as you could improvise and play with real musicians. But yes if someone wants to do electronic music on-stage, you need a computer environment.

 

I hear ya! I'm torn between ableton and mainstage mainly because my music has traditional song structure (verse/chorus etc..). I sing, play keys and guitar. I just want to somehow make it work and sound/look cool doing a creative one man type performance. Mainstage might be the way for me to go since I'll mainly be singing and playing along with either my midi keyboard or a guitar while triggering backing tracks in creative ways. My hangup is that my music does have an electronic flare so I will want to tweak the keyboard and knobs a bit during bridges while I loop etc.. For all I know, Mainstage 2 might work great for this and be exactly what I need. I'll just keep plugging away at it!

 

Are you pretty fond of Mainstage so far?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been looking at Mainstage for a similar setup, switching parts of a song while playing guitar/singing. I've done some gigs now and then with a Line6 JM4 looper but they are limited concerning switching parts (or even switching songs easily).

 

Mainstage with all the guitar amps/processing + various loops triggered would be good, just need time to sit down and configure it all including setting up the midi pedal for triggering parts(loops).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

just need time to sit down and configure it all including setting up the midi pedal for triggering parts(loops).

 

Ya, I'm realizing that setting up pristine concert templates in mainstage for my gigs could turn out to be somewhat of a task. Then again, once all the patches/ tracks/ mapping etc is done it could be quite workable & fun to perform live.

 

Time will tell! Keep us posted on how your future live gigs turn out and what you're doing to make them work!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

just need time to sit down and configure it all including setting up the midi pedal for triggering parts(loops).

 

Ya, I'm realizing that setting up pristine concert templates in mainstage for my gigs could turn out to be somewhat of a task. Then again, once all the patches/ tracks/ mapping etc is done it could be quite workable & fun to perform live.

 

Time will tell! Keep us posted on how your future live gigs turn out and what you're doing to make them work!

 

Sure, I should write a blog entry or something similar, it's on my ever-growing todo list for this year. But it would be fun taking a laptop, a mic, a guitar, midi pedal and a power amp and do the whole thingie with audio pieces, that's for sure. Keep us posted in case you are working on a similar setup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am in a similar situation as you: producing in Logic and cutting it all down into Live. For what you want to do (lot's of onstage tweaking), Live is certainly the best. Once you start cutting up your first project into Live, it can be quite confusing as there are many ways to get similar things done (i.e. should I set up follow actions, lay out the song in arrangement view, trigger on the fly, etc...) but once you develop a plan for how you want to trigger everything and if you want to warp things it should come together fairly easily, just a little time consuming. If I were you I would build a Live set for each song, and then when every song is done put each set into one giant set and then combine things (backing tracks, live inputs).

 

And IMO, when you cut up your backing tracks, only use the meat and potatoes of the song (not sound effects or atmospheric parts unless they are integral to the song). You are already using the same type of machine that people check their email with onstage and the last thing you want to do is make it sound like you are just playing a cd off of your macbook.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PLague1715- that is cool that you are making it work in live. I will definitely be researching Abelton seeing how it apparently is working for your needs.

 

Seeing how you produce in Logic & not in Ableton... is there a specific reason why you go this route? Do you find Logic to be the best DAW for your production needs? How do Abelton's instruments and fx pair up with Logic 9's. I only ask because I'm trying to understand Ableton a little better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I don't produce dance music, so I don't know if I'm the same page as you, but I find Logic easier for writing. I don't own Live Suite or any of the Ableton instruments (other than the ones that come in the standard version), so I can't comment there. Live definitely is not up to par with it's midi implementation as Logic is, and when dealing with audio in Live it can get really confusing with whats warped and whats not and whats playing where and whats triggering what. But all is not lost. Live can be great for arranging (but I haven't arranged a full track in live yet) because you can trigger individual sections and start and stop loops and easily build an arrangement, especially by using hardware controllers. Controllers is where Live rules. I own both the APC40 and the Launchpad and they are great for giving complete hands on control over your software. I can pick up the launchpad and take it over to my moog voyager and record a couple of loops, and then change the drum pattern and record some more, all without looking at the screen. Logic is way too deep to have some kind of dedicated controller (other than a mackie or euphonix), but with Live everything lives in only two separate screens. For someone making dance music, I can see Live being really good because you have all your sounds right in front of you and can easily fly in and out. For me, Logic is invaluable for being able to write a new melody with an included synth, come up with a basic drum beat with the EXS24, then drag all my regions around until I create a basic arrangement I like.

 

I could go more about the pro's and con's, but I think I said enough for today. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, that is the worst part of using Live with Logic/Mainstage. Mainstage can only be a Rewire host, and when running Live as a slave, Live won't run any third party plug ins or instruments, and loses support for control surfaces like the APC40 and the Launchpad. So if you want to play some of Logic's instruments in Live, you bteter get to sampling! :D So you can use Live as a slave with Mainstage as a host, but Live will have limited capabilities.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
One last question: is it possible to slave Mainstage or Logic to Ableton so that if I'm performing or recording in Abelton I can have full access to all of Logic's plug ins?

 

Hey Man,

 

I've used mainstage quite a bit for live looping.

 

If you want to switch back and forth between verse and chorus, ableton is easier, but it can be done with mainstage. You will just need to have double the number of loopers running and somehow mute and hit record on the others...if you know what I mean.

 

I have some videos of me messing in both programs up here: http://vimeo.com/user372630/videos

 

Most are improv, so they won't be approaching a polished performance you probably have in mind for yourself :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...