Live Performance Gear - Recommendations

[Arceace]

I'm not sure if there's already another forum that addresses this topic, so if there is, feel free to send the link.

I've been getting into music production now for a good year and a half. Lately I have been talking with some of my friends and we are starting to think about getting a group together for live performances. However, I'm not sure what all is necessary to do so. I'm certain we'll need the basics like amps, mics, and various connection cables, but I would like to know how I could incorporate my electronic styles into live performance.

I have had a lot of experience with piano, so I feel that I will be using a keyboard as my primary instrument. I'm also considering looking for something similar to the Abelton Launch Pad for better sample control (something that works with FL Studio). Do any of you use this kind of equipment? is there anything else that you can recommend?

[Esperado]

Im pretty sure there is not a true equivalent to the launchpad for FL because of the fact that its designed to work with a daw thats already optimized for live performing, and im not aware of an equivalent device for anything other than ableton. as far as i know you could:

- get away with a drum machine (like an mpc) that lets you load samples

- try to set up one of those drum pad midi controllers to launch samples in fl. i heard you could set up one to the drum rack, so maybe you can load one shot samples into the drum rack?

- worst case, if youre just using a few samples in addition to other things, ableton lite is 99$ and you shouldnt be tooo creatively limited if youre just using loops and samples, and then just hit a few youtube videos to get the hang of using it.

but im definitely no expert

[Nabeel Ansari]

Im pretty sure there is not a true equivalent to the launchpad for FL because of the fact that its designed to work with a daw thats already optimized for live performing, and im not aware of an equivalent device for anything other than ableton. as far as i know you could:

- get away with a drum machine (like an mpc) that lets you load samples

- try to set up one of those drum pad midi controllers to launch samples in fl. i heard you could set up one to the drum rack, so maybe you can load one shot samples into the drum rack?

- worst case, if youre just using a few samples in addition to other things, ableton lite is 99$ and you shouldnt be tooo creatively limited if youre just using loops and samples, and then just hit a few youtube videos to get the hang of using it.

but im definitely no expert

Your assuredness is misplaced, the FL performance mode was designed with the Launchpad in mind, and additionally, there is going to be an FL-branded Launchpad in the future.

I'm not sure if there's already another forum that addresses this topic, so if there is, feel free to send the link.

I've been getting into music production now for a good year and a half. Lately I have been talking with some of my friends and we are starting to think about getting a group together for live performances. However, I'm not sure what all is necessary to do so. I'm certain we'll need the basics like amps, mics, and various connection cables, but I would like to know how I could incorporate my electronic styles into live performance.

I have had a lot of experience with piano, so I feel that I will be using a keyboard as my primary instrument. I'm also considering looking for something similar to the Abelton Launch Pad for better sample control (something that works with FL Studio). Do any of you use this kind of equipment? is there anything else that you can recommend?

The Launchpad is not a very good device for controlling parameters. It's more suited to launching MIDI patterns and audio clips. If that is what you meant by sample controller, then go for it.

You'll want a MIDI Piano Keyboard controller that has some decent knobs and faders at the top. Look into the M-Audio or Korg offerings, you might find something you like.

Additionally, the BCR2000 and BCF2000 are pretty sweet standalone knob and fader MIDI controllers.

If you DO want to do what the Launchpad does, and you also want to control parameters via knobs and faders, shoot for an Akai APC40. It's basically a Launchpad + knobs and faders, and was tested pretty well in the FL performance mode.

[Kanthos]

I don't use FL Studio, but I'm a keyboard player and I've done pretty much everything you want to do. I use Ableton Live rewired with Reason, with a few sampled instruments loaded in Kontakt and Omnisphere within Live, and most of my pads and leads done in Reason. I also launch clips or backing tracks in Live. I can't recommend Live enough as a host for the pre-recorded stuff. It's not the best host ever for the sampled instruments, but there are some tricks you can use to compensate. Plus, if you're trying to do a one-man show kind of thing, versus playing keys in a band with a massive setlist (I play at my church; we've got over 100 songs we play, with new ones added all the time), things will be simpler for you than for me.

Before you get any hardware, I recommend you think about how you want your software set up, and then get the hardware to match. Also think about your audio interface, specifically how many outputs you have. Here's what I use.

Audio interface: Roland Octa-Capture. It's absolutely fantastic. It has 8 1/4" or XLR inputs and 8 1/4" outputs. I use three inputs: two for my keyboard (I use it for MIDI control and for its organ sounds), and one for the monitor feed I get from the house mixer (I get them to send everything BUT the keyboards and loops). It gives me 10 outputs to use in Ableton, so I use 2 for my piano sounds, 2 for other keyboard sounds, 2 for key loops (loops with harmonic content), 2 for beat loops, and 1 for a click track for the band. It also lets you mix the inputs directly along with the output from the DAW and route that to different output pairs, so I make a stereo monitor mix for myself and send the loops, keyboard parts, and click out to separate outputs depending on what the sound tech wants. The best part is that all that mixing is done on the Octa-Capture itself, which reduces the processing load in Ableton.

Other controllers: I use a Novation Launchpad for launching and stopping clips. I've also got a Korg nanoKontrol where I use the buttons to toggle individual keyboard sounds, the faders to adjust section volumes (eg. a master volume for piano sounds, another for EPs, another for pads, etc.), and the knobs for things like filter and cutoff. And lastly, a Line6 FBV Shortboard Mk II that I use for tap tempo and to control the effects for my electric pianos: I have a track for EP sounds in Live that behaves like a guitarist's pedal rig, and I control it from the Shortboard.

I highly recommend any of the gear I have. For other options, do you have a keyboard? You could get a keyboard with most of the knobs and faders built in (there's also the Novation Launchkey that just got announced at the NAMM conference going on now; it probably won't be on the market for a while, but it might do most of what you want). I've heard great things about the APC40 and its little brother, the APC20; the APC40 has all the controls I get on my Launchpad and nanoKontrol rolled into one. I prefer my setup though, because if I don't need loops for a given gig, I can leave the Launchpad at home, plus the nanoKontrol sits on top of my keyboard where it's easier to reach when I'm playing.

Anyway, my main recommendation is that you figure out the software side of things first, especially making sure you can load all the sounds you need to have loaded at once without maxing out your RAM or CPU. Get used to what you need to do with the software, and then spend the money on the hardware to match it. I do recommend, if you have the money or if you already have a hardware keyboard, that you at least consider doing some of your keyboard-controlled sounds (eg. anything that you're playing live, stuff that's not a loop) from a hardware keyboard just to reduce the load on your computer.

Anyway, playing back loops is the easy part; what kind of sounds do you want to play live? What are you hoping to have for a set (how many sounds? How many live parts per song, roughly?)

[Melodious Punk]

Anyway, my main recommendation is that you figure out the software side of things first

that is the crux of the biscuit.

I have always preferred live instrumentation over pure software solutions, but naturally there's a tradeoff since many of us are using technology that is no more than 10 years old. Bjork was a very inspiring concert to me in this regard as she uses some extremely novel (but extremely expensive) technology to allow musicianship to shine through.

For example, if these ever become cheaper, I would love to use one

but in general, if you can find a software setup that involves triggering synced loops or samples, having some kind of visual feedback for the audience makes a HUGE difference. FL has come packed with visualizer software which can be linked to performance data off a MIDI track, but it uses lots of RAM and just using the lights on your pads so the audience can see them can do a world of difference.

because the previous post has so much great information on the technical issues, I just want to assert that no matter how tight your tech is, it doesn't matter a single tick if you're not comfortable with the idea of sharing your sensations, emotions, and thoughts with a group of people in a sympathetic way. giving them something interesting to look at for the 30-odd minutes you're playing noises can be a meticulously synced projection or just a very clever t-shirt.