What is live techno?

Romann · 2022-08-02T13:14:03.133Z

Finally, all the same for me a live performance, it is live. And the fact that my friend you and others, plays from an ableton, starting play samples, track after track, clip after clip in turn, sometimes distorting his polished parts, this is a semi-live)) I would say that this is a DJ with a laptop and his tracks. I don’t want to offend anyone, I hope all is well. but I can load my tracks on a flash drive, play them through the pioneer in turn and think that this is a live performance)

these are just thoughts, i really try understand everything, I know different approaches and I don’t want to offend anyone here. but I hope you get the gist of my thoughts)

Lauli · 2022-08-02T13:26:08.544Z

I think you underestimate a little how small the sample as a “building block” of a track can actually be.

10 ms of noise processed and bent into some psychedelic metallic clang can also be done by samplers – just as well as a 1 minute prerecorded loop can just be cued and played.

It’s more a matter of how lazy you are with your samplers. The machines are just the tools.

One could also say that all these fully “live” analog drum machines and 303 style synths are just cheap preset surfing.

DaveMech · 2022-08-02T13:37:12.647Z

Romann:

And the fact that my friend you and others, plays from an ableton, starting play samples, track after track, clip after clip in turn, sometimes distorting his polished parts, this is a semi-live

This is not how I perform at all nor most of the live acts i know that use a sampler. I use a combination of synths and samplers live and have control over the full arrangement and every individual sound as much as I want. You have a vague idea of what a sampler is and how people are using them. That view is completely incorrect though

You’re talking about using full stems, not samples. A sample can be a single drum hit that you can manipulate just like a kick on a drum machine and actually in many more ways than most drum machines. A sample can be a cat’s meow, a door slam, a lawnmower starting up, a single hihat. And all this can be sequenced just as you would on a drum machine and manipulated live with just as many or more parameters, live.

A sampler is not just a backing track player or stem player. A sampler can even contain a single cycle waveform that you loop to create an oscillator that you then can influence with the same tools you’d find on a subtractive synth.

dtr · 2022-08-02T13:38:49.217Z

I had a lot of distractions in those 20 years Also performed live a lot in those 20 years, with very diverging projects: trip-hop-ish, IDM, techno but also audiovisual media art.

The takeaway: don’t wait to go out to perform until you think everything is perfect, ‘cause it will never be. And that’s one of the beauties of real live performance.

If you really want to challenge yourself
to do something else than the shiny cool ableton dudes, do it all with devices that don’t have pattern memory like DFAM. Not the easy route though!
(I use devices with and without pattern memory combined)

Romann · 2022-08-02T13:59:38.807Z

it turns out that there are no restrictions. everything are is live performance or everything are is sampling in live performance to one degree or another.

and it’s just a different approach to performance, with or without a samplers.

and i just wants to understand if I definitely need a sampler and if there are artists who don’t use a sampler?

DaveMech · 2022-08-02T14:04:52.784Z

What do you want to know besides the answers already given?
Do you want to know more about what a sampler is?

Romann · 2022-08-02T14:05:24.430Z

Sorry) I didn’t mean specifically you and how you use sampler or daw. and definitely yes, I have vague ideas about the sampler)

and I’m slowly understanding it might not be necessary)

DaveMech · 2022-08-02T14:07:14.932Z

Is there something you miss in your current live workflow?

Romann · 2022-08-02T14:08:27.300Z

I’ll try to figure it out on my own. everything has its time) thnx!

Romann · 2022-08-02T14:10:20.335Z

DaveMech:

Is there something you miss in your current live workflow?

possibly a glitch eqip

sacguy71 · 2022-08-02T14:34:02.633Z

same here with a small eurorack case, can do lot of fun stuff as well. Queen of Pentacles plus Eloquencer and mixer and fun times.

Native_Layer · 2022-08-02T15:22:55.558Z

Lauli:

303 style synths are just cheap preset surfing.

But what a preset!

Octagonist · 2022-08-02T17:21:21.315Z

Romann:

I hope all is well. but I can load my tracks on a flash drive, play them through the pioneer in turn and think that this is a live performance)

I think this is also a valid way to perform. Make stems of submixes of your tracks; use live loops; use fx; use four decks; play the bass from track A beside the drums of track C and the pads from track B; scratch in some vocal samples. Turntablism is just as powerful, difficult and musical as other modes of playing.

Octagonist · 2022-08-02T17:22:25.919Z

Romann:

possibly a glitch eqip

Did you say “Octatrack”? ( )

Romann · 2022-08-02T17:23:24.603Z

Romann · 2022-08-02T17:32:09.855Z

Octagonist:

Turntablism

exactly true)

Romann · 2022-08-02T17:35:01.124Z

topicstart “What is live techno?” so deep)
i totally agree!

gekkonier · 2022-08-02T17:37:32.005Z

What is love?
Baby, don’t hurt mi!
No moa!

moredat · 2022-08-02T18:00:13.043Z

Improv and live are two separate things. Most likely when it’s live, it’s just pre-prepared sequences and knob twisting with a setlist.
Where it gets interesting is when you program the parts on the fly and even improvise unquantized on top of that.

ccr · 2022-08-02T18:21:49.462Z

moredat:

Improv and live are two separate things

Yes, I also think of this as involving two separate (and fairly independent) dimensions: ‘live’ as involving something happening in the moment and with the possibility of interacting with a space, its audience, vibe, etc. (including DJ transitions, track choice, fx, etc.), and ‘improvised’ as not predefined and created-in-the-moment (even though it might be building on well-rehearsed performance practices).