Ableton Live DJ thread

[Masuka]

thread dedicated to discuss & share your Ableton Live DJ workflow.
(if you feel like bashing laptop DJ's or bringing up the eternal discussion of vinyl VS cd VS laptop, please do it in another thread ... there have been enough of these)

i'm really interested in learning about other dj's using ableton live and their workflow, so i'll start off:
first, after having warped my tracks, i chop them up in different loops: intro / verse / drop / breakdown etc. then i extract some key samples that make the track recognizable to use them as stand-alone loops to juggle with in the entire set.
usually 2 audio channels per track ... one with the actual track loops & one with the short juggle samples

also ... what audio effects do you use on the channels to play around with?

[Masuka]

on a sidenote:
i use 320 mp3 from my itunes library and chop those up into loops. any thoughts on this? (because i recently discovered itunes automatically adjusts the volume level of each imported track, which worries me ...)

[chewie]

I'm currently using an app for the apc40 called monomulator and run mlr via rewire into live with 7 audio tracks so each channel is assigned a fader on the apc. There's 4 pages/modes so you can have the usual automap mode for clips , monome mode, fader mode for changing synced stuff on the fly such as lfo rate and delay rates etc. You can also add extra fx such as artillery and effectrix onto the individual rewire channels and have the rotary nobs controlling those. Absolutely mental shit i'l have to post up some vids.

[chewie]

Double post

[Masuka]

for the moment, i don't have an ableton controller yet ... do you recommend the APC40 ?
& have you had any experience with the faderfox controllers?

[chewie]

Initially i thought the apc 40 was a bit of a 1 trick pony with just launching clips but recently some people like track team audio have been really pushing the boundaries with what this thing can do thanks to max msp. Now there's max for live which will eventually remove the need to use max runtime externally. I've not tried the firefox faders so can't comment on those sorry. The other option is the cheaper launchpad by novation , it's more portable and novation has clearly documented all the parameters allowing easier modification (there's already a sick max for live patch available for it) but no faders or knobs so you'd probably need a 2nd controller depending on what you'd want to do. Also which soundcard are you using for playing out with? I'm using the RME fireface 400 which pretty much nails it so you can set up a monitor and cue. You can also put serato into live through this if your feeling ridiculously ambidextrous (can't wait for the bridge to touch down)

[Masuka]

currently using an apogee duet as my main soundcard for mixing at home ... i have not yet reached the stage where i actually go out and perform in front of a crowd :p

[wayoftheworld]

before the lappy died, i had a pretty extensive collection of warped tracks organized into folders by key. I followed a similar approach to chopping the tunes into loops (intro, drop, drop 2, etc) and then also little samples here or there that i could snatch, but most of these 1 hits and sounds were in a different folder. It does take some time warping and organizing your tracks but it's definetly worth it being able to drag in and drop stuff on the fly.

as far as effects, try searching for the Tarekith dj effects. there's loads and loads of live effects racks suited for djing - just have a search.

also, if you haven't already, check out glitch hop forum - http://glitchhopforum.com/glitchhop-production/ - lots of great ableton dj discussion going on over there, wayyyy more informative than dsf for this type of thing

and of course the ableton live dj forum is a great resource if you haven't been over there yet - http://www.abletonlivedj.com/forum/

hope this helps!

[jsills]

Ive just started fucking with ableton as a dj tool. im no dj, i strictly produce at the moment so this is all sort of a new experiment to be able to play my collection of tunes. i set up 4 channels (so i can trigger more than 1 tune at a time and such) and i just trigger tracks with the MPD26. set up a LPF on each channel so i can cut out the bassline from the next tune. i also plan to use the 4th channel for samples and efx to accent the original tracks. set the faders for track volume. honestly the way im doing it id probably be better off using traktor or something. i feel like breaking the tracks down and reworking them live is the true art behind ableton for a producer.

[Sharmaji]

we're using it in a acouple of ways. in this vid i've got here, it's a container for other people's tunes, an FX rack for my wavedrum, a sampler holding our separate drumpad banks, etc. also use the apc as a live mixer for my elements; dhruva's is controlled by a trigger finger. benefits and detractions to both.

other people's tunes we don't chop into loops etc, just use various instances of beat repeat to create 1-bar, 1/2 bar,1/4 note, 18th, 16th, 32nd, etc loops. Our own stuff is about 1/2 stems, 1/2 full tunes (for the ones that we mix in and out of really quickly). I do keep a ton of drum loops (triggerable by the pads), synth samples, etc in there-- really use it for it's live capabilities.

beginning of the set from 2 weeks ago @ wakarusa:



chewie how do you like the monomulator? the vids i've seen of it look amazing but i don't have the downtime to totally re-construct my set. maybe in the fall; would love that functionality.

[chewie]

The monomulator is awesome man you can run any of the monome apps and it acts just like a 40h/64 but with all those extra knobs and faders at your disposal. I'll get onto some demo vids this week and a basic setup guide , all the software used for it is free.

[green plan]

The monomulator is awesome man you can run any of the monome apps and it acts just like a 40h/64 but with all those extra knobs and faders at your disposal. I'll get onto some demo vids this week and a basic setup guide , all the software used for it is free.

Would really appreciate that!

[mks]

Right now I'm rockin' an APC20 with a Nocturn for crossfader and eq's. It's been loads of fun. I've only really done live PA's in clubs on Ableton, but have been messing around with it's DJ capabilities. The possibilities are quite endless if you put your mind to it. Can def see some hybrid live pa / dj sets with it, for myself.

[upstateface]

In b4 BasicA.

[chewie]

@ greenplan
First download monomulator from http://www.trackteamaudio.com/
You will need to download the lastest max 5.1 from here http://cycling74.com/downloads/
Don't worry about the 30 day trial as you'll be using the free runtime version in it.

Mike from TTA has put up these 2 vids on how to set it up :



I'll do a vid later tonight going over the set up again especially the iac drivers in mac ( for windows users you'll need to use midi yoke)

You will also need to get familiar with the various monome apps out there. For a basic start ( i say basic but there's a fair curve involved with all of this) try mlrv 27.11.9 from here http://docs.monome.org/doku.php?id=mlr:mlrv
have a good read of that page and watch the tutorial vids at the bottom.

[chewie]

Here's a quick vid messing around with some random samples:

[green plan]

That looks amazing. Man there is so much out there for me to learn. Middle of exams at the moment, but will dive in after next week!

[green plan]

Would be awesome to get a video on setting up the IAC drivers too man!

[Point Blank]

Hi there,

Nice to see that there's alot of interest in this thread. I can see that the popularity of using Ableton as a Dj tool is slowly on the rise!

As I'm sure you'll agree, in this everchanging industry where the DJ scene is slowly moving away from CDJs/Vinyls it is vital to gain knowledge in the latest developments/trends in the Industry.

As alot of you seem to be beginners to using Ableton as a Djing tool, i feel that you might find this of significant interest.

At Point Blank we offer an online course in DJing using Ableton. You'll cover issues such as Warping acaepllas, FX and creating your own Compliation mixes and Mash ups. Take a look at our course brouchre for in-depth information: http://www.pointblankonline.net/ableton ... rse-dj.php

We give students the opportunity to have their mixes listened to by one of our industry professional tutors who will provide video feedback and advice using our state of the art Direct Video Response (DVR).

I wish you all happy mixing!!!