Live Set Advice: OT + AR + KP3 +?

Elektronauts
1

Hi everyone,

I’m building a 1-hour dawless live set for Industrial Techno (recording into Ableton, but keeping it out of the performance loop). I’m having a bit of a workflow dilemma regarding how I handle my synths.

My Current Setup & Workflow:

Elektron Analog Rytm: All drums, kicks, and percussion (these I made all beforehand in Ableton, or use mostly samples).

Elektron Octatrack: Currently playing back 32-64 bar synth loops I made beforehand in Ableton, plus handling live performance/mangling using the EZBOT template.

Korg Kaoss Pad KP3+: Used for live noise FX via its internal synth engines.

The Dilemma:

Right now, I’m essentially using the OT to launch long stems for my synths and ambient beds. It is ofcourse convenient for industrial techno, having those pre-designed loops so I can focus more on the live mangling and mostly focus more on my analog rytm. But part of me not sure about this for some reason.

I’d love some advice from the community on two fronts:

  1. How do you guys handle synths in live acts? And what ideas/advice do you guys have for my current workflow regarding this?

  2. Should I move the stems to a second machine? If I let the OT just act as the master mixer/mangler (like EZBOT does), I need a secondary sampler to run the synth loops, drones, and FX hits. Would a Digitakt II (with stereo streaming) be the ideal device for this, or should I look at something like a Roland MC-707 for a clip-launching and scatter function (which I love on the tr8s. I really love random glitches of the drums and synths during my tracks).

I also had a Digitone 2, but I didn’t like the workflow much. I like to create it in Ableton more with my keyboard and loading up Diva or Serum for making my synths. it’s a lot faster too so that made me return it.

How would you structure the hardware and track allocation here to keep a 1-hour set seamless without accidental dropouts?

Thanks in advance!

2

If you’re making everything in ableton and are using samples/stems for all your sounds, why aren’t you just using that for live performance? That’s what it was initially made for and excels at. Get yourself a couple of good midi controllers and away you go.

6 Likes
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I agree with @RCGNZR; I think a hybrid setup with Ableton is the way to go. This is what I’ve done in the past as well- had a drum machine handling all drum duties and then used Ableton for all melodic content. Some of it was flattened audio, some of it was MIDI clips triggering a few very simple soft synths that I had parameters mapped to a controller. I personally like this method way more than all hardware (which I have also done) if you’re trying to recreate previously recorded material. I find that doing that with just hardware boxes ends up being incredibly tedious and you spend a lot of time recreating things, which is the last thing I want to be doing. And the nice thing about making a Live session for gigs is that you can continue tweaking it and refining it as you do more of them, so it becomes this evolving, growing thing that keeps on working better and better for you. Having Live and one drum machine is still plenty to keep you occupied for a live set, and believe it or not, this is what most people do who are doing full scale tours.

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