Hello!
I used to lurk around the old elektron-users forum (been using the MD since 2010), nowadays I don’t have a lot of time to play music, but recently I managed to record 40 minutes out of my live set.
Would love to hear any tips on how to improve this: sound, transitions, etc!
I’m using my Machinedrum UW and an A4. MD goes into A4 inputs. Did some post for lack of a decent hardware compressor.
Thanks a lot in advance!
Andy
That’s amazing man. Listened the first 20 min and skipped through the rest. I like it a lot. Also transitions are great. Nothing is getting boring at any time. How is that warm bass sounds made? What compressor are you using? You want to share a bit more details? 
Thanks Brandx! The bass is mostly saw on the Analog4, but sometimes I use the MD as a sub (which churns out a GND-Sine with some LFO).
For the percussion I just use the builtin MD compressor. The stereo sum of the MD (sans kick) gets fed into the A4, which then goes into the soundcard. The kick is recorded seperately.
For this recording I only used the standard Ableton compressor with the Kick from the MD as sidechain input.
I am currently eyeing the FMR RLNA for live usage as I really don’t want to use a computer, but before I get more gear I want to make this playable
Cheers!
Andy
Thanks for the insights. One thing I could imagine would also fit well into the picture of your sounds is the Waldorf Blofeld with some bright evolving sounds sequenced via machinedrum for some of your future projects, but the current set, I would keep it like this. Let me know in case you’re playing in Berlin. I’ll drop by
Great beats! Are these samples in the MD, or are you using the machines?
Brandx: Thanks! I will keep that in mind! Are you suggesting something more like a bright pad or distict melodies? I still have that DSI Tetra I haven’t used in a while.
min0nim: Most of the percussive elements are MD machines, I use samples only for clap occasionially, the mangled voices and some synthy blips. The bass drum is a TRX B2 with Pitch 47, Dec 60, Ramp 37, Hold 41 (the rest of the values are 0). I use the parametric EQ to shape the sound slightly.
I hope that answered your questions, please let me know of anything I can improve!
Andy
I think it’s well done because it would be hard to tell that you used the MD. So in my opinion, you’ve found your own voice with the machine. How did you make the tones at 1:04.00 on your 2013 live set?
dude very nice. just listened to the whole set 2.5x through. first time the section around 18-24 mins dropped it took it up a level and right into the pocket for me, got me out of my chair for most of the rest of the set. constructive crit? i dunno, maybe the transition around 30 min could have happened more quickly.
will be curious to hear how you feel about the rnla … you ever try/consider a heat, maybe on the md or at the end of your chain? i sometimes jam with md->mnm->ah and though it’s not a compressor per se it warms up the output enough to move air.
StevenGrady: Thank you very much! Uh, it’s been a while, but I think that bass stab was probably a tuned synth sample… no idea where it came from.
dubathonic: Thanks!! I’m always grateful to hear your opinion, sir I’ll definitely need some more practice to navigate through the set, right now the transitions are very shaky at best as I haven’t played a continuous set in 3 years. Hopefully I’ll be able to run through it much faster and have a bit more variation in the bits inbetween.
I’ll definitely check out the AH but I haven’t considered it for this yet. Honestly I’d favour compression more than distortion/warmth, so I might even go for the RNC (or something that’s less… nice, maybe?). The A4 and MD tend to sound a bit separated, something needs to glue and squash them together more.
I hope I’m not spamming this thread, but yesterday I managed to record a bit from the beginning of the set (which sits approx. 5 tracks before the original recording above and runs at about 116 bpm):
Cheers,
Andy
Hello, i listening it’s cool but there’s something strange i have a BeyerDynamics Custom Pro and even with my Barbarian Low Boost EQ… I feel it’s really lack of Low End … is it intended ? What’s your EQ low cut value in the final master of this recording ? it’s like you cut more than 100hz to me …
Otherwise it seem pretty cool but as i feel no bass at all… i don’t feel the energy… it’s a shame. 
I think you don’t use the good slope for Low Cut and Hi Cut… you probably use the extreme ones in Ableton they Cut too much and are not super natural/musical. Also when you use a compressor you loose a lot of bass and you need to getting back. Don’t need to low cut much as 30hz… Maybe it’s your kick playing a bit too high… i don’t know… Also no need to Cut hi-Freq at 18khZ
Seems a bit strange to me as what i hear is reflected in the Spectrum analysis.
Don’t use Low Cut 4x and Hi Cut 4x you will hear it’s better the slope on normal Low cut and Hi Cut are more soft and more musical…
Of course maybe i’m wrong… just a theory, maybe it’s how you like the sound also…
Maybe it’s the soundcloud file in MP3 Low resolution …
(Same in your video the Top kick is very High Level but the fundamental of the kick is not feel / here)
I think there’s a mixing problem. Maybe you Over-Compressed your Compressor settings…
Maybe your kick is too high compared to the middle of the spectrum… and that’s why we hear too much the Top kick cut through i mean it’s nice when it’s cut through but maybe not that much.
You need to pay attention to that for your Live… Maybe Sub Woofer will get it right with the PA guys but also it can be otherwise and people can not get into your sound because at some point when the bass don’t passed through the people, the energy of the live finally don’t take place (it’s like making a mayonnaise)
Anyway just to Warn you… no criticize there. i would like to help and make your sound even better.
Wow thanks, that’s really interesting! I think part of it is the mp3 compression because I’m cutting absolutely nothing. (the soundcloud version is definitely cut at about 18k)
This is what I see on the master before mp3 conversion:
It rolls off at about 40Hz, which I think happens on the MD. I can upload a wav if you want to double check.
I’m indeed not so sure about the low end in the whole set (I also don’t have any reference as I haven’t played on a serious PA yet and I do not have a subwoofer). In the past I used to have - in my opinion - way too much low end in everything I put together, so I gradually tried to make my mix sound more transparent in both the MD and A4. Maybe I was a bit too eager.
Can anyone else confirm this? Does it need more low end?
thanks for your help!
Andy
I hear it and analysed a bit… that’s some advise but again it’s difficult without watching your settings on each part of your tracks where the lack of low end comes. Btw i would suggest you if you have a club where you know people working or a Rehearsal room for bands near where you live to locate 1 or 2 hours if they have a PA system and to try before if it sounds good. it can be reshaped between you and the PA system on the Mixing Desk
My advices are the same for practically every tracks… Live performance is good, track are good… just mixing and low end and top kick (i mean upper Freq part of your kick) (too much presence) if i can summary things like that
Erase your link people don’t have to download it in HQ 
Protect your work Man, i trash it as i give you some advise based on the proper file now
Maybe Dubathonic are right with Analog Heat instead of the FMR RLNA. You seem to use the compressor as a Transcient shaper wich is fine Btw with Clap, Snare and every percussive elements like that. BUT Compressor and Transcient shaper are tricky to use for the Kick because you loose some infra Bass and Bass (if you do not compensate the lost where the compressor is responsible) and it push the transcients in the Hi Frequency Range giving a feel of “knock knock knock knock” instead of a “Bom Bom Bom Bom”
I think the compressor is a bit too much but not so much for percussive elements if you have a small mixing desk + analog Heat i think you can get better results on your whole mixing stage.
Because you can get the Kick and the Bass on the Mixer, the compressed Part also, mixing all that fine, and final touch on the Analog Heat after the Mixer. That’s what i will do. no need of the FMR RLNA if you use the compressor as a transcient shaper the compressor on your MD is just fine.
That’s my Curves on my Studio headphones i usually testing by putting it in Heavy Bass and normally i usually have too much bass in heavy bass
shit, the SC stream sounds pretty good (great) to me… however this is only on MAC desktop speakers.
Again i don’t say it’s BAD, i just open up on the topic of Frequency spectrum-overlaping, sound design, Mixing and practices-tastes (as it’s also a matter of taste in some way)
So i would check it on Reference Monitor, Headphone Reference and PA System before to actually take the Road “as is” … One thing you can do also is to send one of your track finished to a sound ingeneer as “STEMS” tell him you to do mastering on those stems for a Live Performance where this clip will be played Live. Pay him few bucks for that and compared. See how you can directly from the hardware, how closest you can get in the Overall mixing.
But Don’t stress AT ALL on my advises that just mine and maybe i’m wrong.
Cheers @gebild 
it’s really nice work
I like some sounds and ideas.
Soundwise there is too much mids, too little bass.
Percussion on 28min - too much transients, it’s too loud and hurts my ears
38min love that hat / ride - is it MD?
This is a characteristic of the MD sound engine, very sharp and dynamic transients on most instruments. There are ways around it, but in my experience it can be like trying to turn the tide.
I like Geblid’s sound design because he uses the MD sound to his advantage.
Some tips for balancing MD transient over body:
Split the sound in to two tracks, one for transient and one for the fundamental + body. Use FM XT or GND SN for the fundamental. You can use AMF/AMD to tune in an extra harmonic if needed.
Set DEC= 127 and assign falling edge of LFO square wave to DEC. When decay is set to 127 the body of the sound is much louder than normal, you can then use the LFO to tail the sound when needed.
You can squash transients with exponential LFO routed to DST. Only seems to work on static sounds like FM and E12/ROM instruments.
Reduce FILTW to ‘lowpass’ the transient. This is probably last resort, as it makes the MD sound flat pretty quickly, but used gently can help balance a mix.
Mix sounds good enough to me. William_WilD"s comments are probably worth keeping in mind, the MD is going to sound sharp and can be fatiguing. Good bass is always hard work on the MD, so this is where the A4 should help.
Great production by the way, was a huge fan of your previous live sets.
I pretty much have the exact same audio routing as you, MD into -> A4. but still no limiter/compressor decided upon 
Keep more coming.
@gebild Any thoughts on Parallel/NewYork compression on the MD to control transients and increase loudness.
Squash the signal in to oblivion using the MD compressor removing all the transients, then use the MIX parameter to blend in with the original dynamic signal.
Experimenting with tonight it does appear to be boost the average loudness whilst allowing you to dial in the transients.
