Live techno set - your workflow

Elektron Gear Analog Rytm
#1

Hi guys,

let’s assume we have only 1 Rytm for a standard techno set.

1 . How would you layout your sounds/ pads?
- Do you stick to the same layout (f.e. BD always on Pad 1)?
2. Song mode vs pattern mode?
- Do you think more of a song or pattern based workflow?
3. What transition tricks would you use?
- Mutes, Performans mode. etc… How exactly?
4. What do you do about variations?
- In percent: how many of your live set is pre-made and how many is improvised?

I know that this highly individual question but there must be some paradigm for live jam.

Any advice would be very helpful!!
Thanks and many greets!

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#2

In general, I like to jam live based on well-prepared drum kits/macros (not on the Rytm atm, but the tool is not so important for me anyways).

  1. Standardized basis (kick, bass, hihats), freedom in the rest, but with somewhat consistent mix/loudness, such that you can switch to a a pattern made with a different drum kit and it still sounds good.
  2. Patterns. Some patterns with associated kits as starting points.
  3. Much easier with a 2nd machine. Maybe interpolated kits with some sounds kept similar, some changed towards a new kit.
  4. I prefer a high degree of improvisation in the sequencer and arrangement with a wide variety of well-prepared kits/macros etc.
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#3

I think the main question will be what you plan it to be. do you want to build and manipulate your tracks on the fly, improvise, or do you want it to be more dj style. will you prepare the tracks (samples) or use the engines.
I am in the same boat but will be doing it on the octatrack. DJ sytle first, because easier, from there I’ll see and probably be adding my RYTM.
I would just start going and see how it fits. I learned some things from setting it up, new ideas came up and problems surfaced while “just doing”.

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#4

…if u got the rytm as ur only tool…

think in raw and minimal approach style…
think in rough cuts more than in smooth transitions…
think in hard contrasts more than in big drops and breaks…
think in trance mantric patterns that could roll “forever”…

don’t bother in arrangements…realtime approach over all…
don’t rush…ur inner clock is asking for next changes always faster than the floor…

stay consistent with our layouts…
kik is always on same pad…so is snare…so is hihats…and so is bass…
and so is triggering sequencer arp stuff…so is random add ons…and so is leads…

have double layers ready…a single kik can be super nice…but there is always another kik that could help that main kik and comfort it…that opens up new terretory once added after a while…
same with claps/snares…and bass lines…have matching clones ready for those lines…

never forget…only one thing can rule the very importand low end…keep that as clean and simple as possible…it’s the kik…or the bass line…no both at the same single peaking second/moment…

always keep an eye/ear on the mud in low mid range…
and keep in mind…ur low end is growing fast with the size of the soundsystem ur playing on…
a small kik in home preparation can mutate easily in the right/wrong venue on the right/wrong pa…so be always ready to tame elements…

don’t hide behind fx in first place…make it sound good already when ur stuff is dry…
then fx can reallly blow minds off…

have hi pass filtering always ready…

and stay calm to enjoy for real…the more u enjoy what ur doing, the more the crowd can share that vibe…

58 Likes
#5

some really nice advices here. thanks @MK7, @loopdude and @reeloy!

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#6

THIS. absolutely.

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#7

A simple yet incredibly powerful trick is leaving one pattern in your bank empty and using it as a break instead of using mutes. This will quantize your return and also give a nice bit of silence for any effect trails.

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#8

yes! I see! thanks :):boom:

1 Like
#9

I personally have done many awesome live techno sets … in my head (none in real life mind you!) - and they all go much smoother once I add some kind of looper. I agree on what you wrote about keeping pads and such the same but I’ve never really found good transition methods with a single rytm. Techno demands blends so you can really only make it work if you really plan it out in a way that has intermediate patterns. However this would limit someone what you can do as far as song order.

Add a way to loop and you can suddenly jump from any pattern to any other much more easily.

3 Likes
#10

And speaking of loopers, don’t overlook the lowly Kaoss Pad 3. As long as your set the BPM it works amazingly well as a looper. Also has four sample slots so you can record four variations to mix in and out of. You record them on the fly so basically as you are building up the track, sample it then loop those while you cue up the next pattern and strip it down to mix in to the now looping sample of the current pattern.

#11

also dont neglect the pioneer rmx 500 or 1000. has a looper function on board too.

for my liveset with the octatrack, I plan on going DJ style first to keep it simple and minimize problems. I would like to have lowcut per track easily accessible. the crossfader is for blending tracks. anybody have an idea how I can accomplish this? dont want to use the encoder for this, as twisting it takes too long. am looking for a good midi controller for this, but maybe I am missing something.

second thought is using a mixer like the xone 23 or so to outsource stuff like that

#12

On the Octatrack? Use scenes a/b with xvol min/max locked to blend between tracks. Hold the scene button while you´re on the amp page to make xvol parameter appear for scene locking.
The crossfader now controls volume (amp volume is pre fx).
Lock xvol min (turn encoder left) for tracks that should fade out and xvol max (turn encoder right) for tracks that should fade in.

You can setup different scenes for different track crossfades.

Xlv is the parameter for crossfading track levels (post fx). It appears on the track level parameter while holding a scene button.

1 Like
#13

thanks. I guess I wrote that kinda in a way it was easily misunderstood. I know how to use the crossfader to transition. what I meant ist that the crossfader is parked for that duty and I need a way to activate/deactivate the lowcuts on the tracks without having to turn the encoders. basically on/off for the lowcuts.

#14

A midi controller with buttons that has increment mode and preferably allows to set custom range and the filter on OT should work. 0 is obviously off, base parameter not affecting the track and 65 on the base parameter should work as low cut.
If the controller allows to set a custom range, you can experiment with values.

*Edit:

On/off type buttons don’t send 0-127, right? They send cc value 0-65?

So this should even work.

#15

For smooth transitions, either use transition patterns but then your setlist is set in stone, or use a looper which allows for flexible setlists and layers building.
If you’re okay with rough transitions, maybe work on something like Mr G’s live set: start with one element, build your track up, play it for a while, then break it down, and when you have only one element playing, switch to another pattern, and start the loop again. You can hear an example here, it’s rougher, but it works!

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#16

…never forget one thing…u guys perform live…ur ain’t no dj’s…!!!

so, smooth transitions, the endless chaining up track after track, the classical filtering in while filtering out, exchanging one low end to go for the new low end to come in, while keeping the rest up in the air as smooth as possible, so the flow might never take an end…

is NOT ur mission in first place!
that’s a dj’s job.
ur not dj’s…ur live acts…

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#17

Yes, smooth transitions are just one of the possible structures available!
Listen to this live from Auvrel (Ess from Elektron), the transitions are very patterny, but the live is still awesome because the tracks are good. I listen to this set a lot and never considered the transitions to be “bad” because they’re not smooth, I like them a lot actually!

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#18

Same to me :slight_smile:
Not willing to start a never ending topic here but as a trained jazz musician, I see no difference between my drums, a Digitakt or a turntable. Been using all these so far and to me they are (every single one in its own way) tools to express my art form.

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#19

hm… yes Mr. “trained jazz musician”, they are all tools. but no difference… really? :wink:

#20

@van
Don’t consider myself a Mr… Mr Van :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
And yes I don’t see any difference.
You take the same risks.
That is my view. But I also respect yours, should you be willing to share it :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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