87PM Concert 2013

[Marc JX8P]

Hi everyone! Recently, 15th of June 2013, Percy and I played a live gig again. It was lots of fun (if a little stressful getting everything organised) and I'll be publishing some of the recordings soon online (video as well as audio). In the mean time, here's a pic. I'll also go into the changes in gear we had for this one compared to the last and how we organised the performances so they'd be easier to access and play.

Cheers,

Marc

[Oren]

Nice going, Marc and Percy!

[folderol]

Great to hear from you again. Glad you had a good time. That's what it's all about isn't it?

[Marc JX8P]

Some more pics while I'm working on the videos! ) I've gotten myself Final Cut Pro X to work with which is incredibly flexible and a real step up from the video editing software that I'm used to. It also has a bit of a learning curve to it though, but thanks to some great tutorial videos I'm slowly getting into it.

So - getting back to the gear. I wanted to simplify the setup a bit this time so there are just three sound sources: the Korg M3 (which handled most of the real-time played sounds) the DSI Mopho keyboard (most of the leads) and a laptop with Ableton Live (most of the backing). I used the M3 and a Novation Remote 61 to control Live while Percy played the Mopho and an Axiom 61 which was connected to the M3 via MIDI. Occasionally, I had the Remote 61 routed via Live to the Mopho synth as well so the setup allowed us a lot of freedom to play whatever we wanted. The audio of the Mopho was also routed to the audio ins of the M3 which meant that the correct fx for the Mopho could be programmed in the M3 as external effects and switched correctly when the setup for the M3 was changed.

The Ableton Live setups were all named with a specific code in the name which allowed me to return only these in the Ableton Live browser and the name also included a leading number which had their place in the set. This allowed me to very quickly find the correct setup to load next, which has been an issue in the past.

The setups themselves were also changed a bit: in the past, they consisted of several 'scenes' which were loopable parts of the arrangement. This is very flexible and powerful and allows you to improvise with the song while playing as you can vary the sequence and length of these parts. However, some tracks are just so strict in their arrangement that switching from scene to scene was more of a chore and a worry to get right. So for these tracks, I actually pre-recorded those scene changes in Live making it more like a backing track. In the end, we had a mix of both forms which allowed us to be flexible where that worked for the song (like Dreaming of Waves) or fixed so we could concentrate on playing for tracks like Gulf Stream or Mountain Ranges.

We also programmed program changes for the Mopho in in Live so that the correct sound was selected when a Live setup ran. There was an issue with that which caused the program change not always being sent at the start of the Live setup so Percy had to check this and change it manually after all sometimes. It was very useful though in the tracks where program changes happened between sections and there it seemed to always function correctly.

Well, that was enough for now I think!

Cheers,

Marc

[MarioD]

Super!

I will be waiting for the audio and videos

[Moon]

Looking forward to those video's ! 

[Marc JX8P]

Well - after a steep learning curve learning on how to work with Final Cut Pro X here's the first video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73r2mcBCA1A

[folderol]

  great work 

I just don't know how you guys manage to keep track of all this stuff on a live performance. Even working in my 'studio' with no pressure I sometimes lose track of what is going on!

[Marc JX8P]

Thanks!

Heh - we try to keep it manageable by having notes on our iPads directly in front of us. This was the first time and it worked really well. Even so, there is no substitute for loads of rehearsals which we had. And sometimes there just are mistakes but mostly only you yourself notice!

[Moon]

Great ! Thumbs of for bringing this live. The setup you have is really working very well!

Moon

[elwoodblues1969]

Nice digs...a visual feast for the eyes...wish the vid was in 720p though.Impressive set up...but one of which(for myself),I would not want to partake in,only because I've moved in & out of so many apartments and erecting an arrangement such as this,would be history repeating itself!
As for that Fanta drink..well...I'd be a little nervous about having it rest on the M3...gotta watch out for that condensation!

If I were to do anything live again,I'd do something low key(such as a coffee house)...but the one in my town closed down,which is sad,not only because it's in walking distance...but also as there is no music scene at all here.
There is a venue now at my local library and if I were to do that,I'd love to have the new Korg Pa900..as it seems ideal for live use.

[Marc JX8P]

Thanks Moon! Yes, your old M3 is working fine!

I wish the resolution was higher as well, Thom, but most of our 3 cams weren't HD and on top of that I did have to zoom in a bit wish doesn't help. Add to that the fact that these cameras all were designed to produce the best results with a lot of light and what I had to work with wasn't optimal. If we'd do it again, we'd change around some stuff and probably add a camera with good low-lighting specs. Still, I think they do capture the atmosphere well and I did some colour correction to bring some of the details out of the darkness.

Fortunately there was no hot weather/cold drink combination to form a condensation hazard! ) Even so, the metal bits to the side of the M3 module are just that: metal bits with nothing beneath them so it's not that dangerous.

I'd love to simplify the setup... As described, I've already simplified it a bit. But to recreate the sound sources of our music live there is really no alternative and I do think that you get a better sound by combining different products - preferably even from different manufacturers.

If need be I think I would go software only since that offers the most flexibility and I could sample some of the hardware instruments into a NI Kontakt instrument.

Still - the most effort was building the rig on which the projection canvas hung, together with two of the lights. That was quite complex and while not that heavy, big and difficult to transport.

[Moon]

As for that Fanta drink..well...I'd be a little nervous about having it rest on the M3...gotta watch out for that condensation!

Sorry Marc, I have to agree with Thom. An M3 is not the place to leave a Fanta on

...unless you were sponsored ? 

Moon

[Azell]

Bravo les gars, ça me rappelle de bons souvenirs du 1er concert live  Vous y prenez goût au live, c'est bien, de vrais pros. Bisous les gars 
Azell

[Marc JX8P]

Second one is online now! It's Coral Plains. I remember Rony liking this song when we played it on our last gig so I'm really happy to have this new version online now and show it to you all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyPxyXyQ6Sk.