two channels which act as typical decks for mixing basic beats and tunes. fx on these channels are a utility for controlling gain, a phut boy slim a eq four for hi pass filtering, and a eq three for hi and low adjustments. i have a third identical channel (except for an adjustable Q on the hi pass), which i use mainly for acapellas and fx. each channel has a send to a reverb, and a ping pong delay on the master i have a suppatrigga, big flanger and a limiter (but i rarely use these). the send fx are assigned to one side of the crossfader, and the mix out channel can be assigned to the other. this allows you to do really quick cuttings between fx and clean signals, or to just fade away into a washy reverb i have recently added an impulse channel, but i have yet to actually fully utilize it.
it is a fairly simple setup, and im sure that many people will not be impressed with the fact that i only use three channels (look at the constant ribbing that sasha gets), but i think it is well worth getting to know a system inside out before you start overcomplicating things.
this set up is mainly designed for very fast mixing, not for building completely new tracks on the fly
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my setup is 5 audio channels and 1 send
PLAYLIST: empty audio track muted, used to figure out what im gonna play next etc. AUDIO 1 >EQ3 set to be a HPF AUDIO 2 >EQ3 set to be a HPF AUDIO 3 >EQ3 set to be a HPF AUDIO 4 >EQ3 set to be a HPF EFX RACK (send) >Ping Pong Delay MASTER> FILTERSCAPE (On a Gating like setting) >SUPATRIGGA > VOXENGO RECORDER (I record all my sets)
I use an M Audio O2 controller which has 8 knobs 8 buttons and 25 keys..assignments are as follows: KNOB1> AUDIO1 HPF KNOB2> AUDIO2 HPF KNOB3> AUDIO3 HPF KNOB4> AUDIO4 HPF KNOB5> FILTERSCAPE FILTER KNOB6> OPEN KNOB7> OPEN KNOB8> TEMPO BUTTON1> SENDS AUDIO 1 TO EFX RACK BUTTON2> SENDS AUDIO 2 TO EFX RACK BUTTON3> SENDS AUDIO 3 TO EFX RACK BUTTON4> SENDS AUDIO 4 TO EFX RACK BUTTON5> FILTERSCAPE ON/OFF BUTTON6> OPEN BUTTON7> OPEN BUTTON8> SUPATRIGGA ON/OFF SLIDER> MASTER VOLUME KEYS> Trigger Clips
I basically have all my tracks seperated into folders with parts cut out of them, my folder for LoStep_Burma looks like this:
130_LOSTEP_BURMA- -LOSTEP_BURMA_ORIG -LOSTEP_BURMA_AMBIENT -LOSTEP_BURMA_SASHA RMX -SHAKERS_ORIG -BREAKBEAT_ORIG -BASSLINE_SASHA RMX -ETHNIC CHOIR_ORIG -STUTTERSYNTH_SASHA ETC ETC
so basically i am able to do live reedits of burma like playing the ambient mix with the sasha bassline and the original breakbeat looped to be a 4/4 and filtering in and out the sutter synth or whatever other loop from another track or the next track that is coming in. for the most part though i just do plain old djing and sample loops of other tracks over them and play with effects too much.
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ive changed my template again:
Default Settings: Repitch Mode (Beats Mode is used for generic loops however) Toggle Bar Clip Trigger Mode Monolake Custom Skins Razz
5 Audio Channels, 1 Return Track, Master Channel:
AUDIO1- EQ3 set to act as HPF and LPF AUDIO2- EQ3 set to act as HPF and LPF AUDIO3- EQ3 set to act as HPF and LPF AUDIO4- EQ3 set to act as HPF and LPF PLAYLIST- Audio Track set to Mute EFX RACK- set to Pre. Ping Pong Delay on Default Factory Setting, 70% Feedback, 100% Wet MASTER- Auto Filter set to act as LPF, Supatrigga (8 or 16 Slice, Rearrange set to 100%), Voxegno Recorder
MIDI Assignments M Audio O2 controller has 8 knobs, 8 buttons, 1 slider, and 25 piano keys assignable.
KNOB1- HPF control for AUDIO1 KNOB2- HPF control for AUDIO2 KNOB3- HPF control for AUDIO3 KNOB4- HPF control for AUDIO4 KNOB5- LPF control for AUDIO3 KNOB6- LPF control for AUDIO4 KNOB7- Controls Auto Filter Range KNOB8- Controls Tempo (which is set to range from 125-135 BPM) BUTTON1- Sends AUDIO 1 to EFX RACK BUTTON2- Sends AUDIO 2 to EFX RACK BUTTON3- Sends AUDIO 3 to EFX RACK BUTTON4- Sends AUDIO 4 to EFX RACK BUTTON5- Mutes AUDIO 3 BUTTON6- Mutes AUDIO 4 BUTTON7- Auto Filter On/Off BUTTON8- Supatrigga On/Off SLIDER- Controls Master Volume PIANO KEYS- white keys are divided evenly among the 4 audio channels to toggle clip slots in session view, black keys are open to assignment.
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I typically have 3 audio tracks with an EQ4 device to use as hi/low pass filters on each one. I've been working on using render to disk to chop my songs up into loops so i don't have to do as much work to set them up.
Each song is divided into an intro, intro loop, body, exit loop, and exit (if applicable). Intro and body feed into the next section with follow actions, just so i don't end up with a sound drop out because i get lost doing something else and miss my cue. I also have been making reversed versions of the intro and exit loops to screw around with.
I typically have 5 return tracks, all prefader.
ret 1: EQ4 for hi/low pass -> resonator ret 2: EQ4 for hi/low pass -> reverb ret 3: EQ4 for low pass -> supatrigga ret 4: EQ4 for high-pass (used in conjunction with 3 so i can use supatrigga on the drums and bass lines without affecting the melody) ret 5: Antares Filter
I typically assign the ones I want to hear (or the end of a chain) to CF-B and the raw signal to CF-A so I can use the crossfader as a wet/dry nob.
I don't have a controller yet, because a) money and b) I can't find a single controller that does everything I want, nor do i know exactly what i want...and i don't want to waste mony figuring it out.
My goal right now is to turn Live into a really good CD-deck and still use my tables. At some point (after i collect them), i'm going to start using a collection of loops i put together to build filler tracks and use my turntables for major anthems.
I also can't figure out what kind of a mixer setup to use. I like using a real mixer, partially because i can integrate it with my turntables. I've got a pcv-180 right now and after I buy an interface (most likely a maya ex), i'll have a line input on each channel for ableton and a phono on each outside channel for my turntables. I'm thinking that the rane 2016a will be the mixer for me when I get to a level to justify the expense. Turntables into phono inputs 1 and 2; Output from MixVibes DVS to Line inputs 3 and 4; and 5 matrix assignable aux inputs from ableton that i can configure on the fly with the in/out section to switch them between audio tracks and return tracks as needed. I'm also trying to figure out if I can do that with one laptop or if I'd need two...and what audio interface(s) to use.