how to make a set in ableton

How-To's written by members of this site... Don't know how to do it? Stop crying and read.

Moderators: PEPCORE, SweetPeaPod, BreakforceOne, JohnMerrik

1337 P0ZT3r
User avatar
Posts: 633
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:00 am
Location: belgium

how to make a set in ableton

Postby verdroid » Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:32 am

producing tracks? fine

but could you guys tell me sometin' bout making a live set?
i'm using ableton for everything i do.
i searched for this question, and they say:

-loading a track into ableton (to the left side), load your second to the right, play your first track and then hit play on one layer of your second track so it mixes up with your first track. and so on.
->seems not helpfull to me cause i program almost everything at the horizontal section in ableton. i don't have a nice track just by pressing play 1,2,3,4,....to the next track

-chop everything and load it up in ableton, play them by hitting play?!
->don't understand this: if you're playing a track in channel one, and want to go to another track, it doesn't sound smooth from one to another. also, if jo play them both at the same time, you've got a temperaly high peak in your volume, cause there are playing 2 tracks

some help/tutorial/hints'n'tips please. never have done this well before.
i'm big noob at this, have no dj background and can't find it on my own...

1337 P0ZT3r
User avatar
Posts: 633
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:00 am
Location: belgium

Postby verdroid » Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:34 am

also checked for topics here:
the only thing i found was, loading everything up in winamp?!
lol, funny as hell, but not helpfull

1337 P0ZT3r
User avatar
Posts: 633
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:00 am
Location: belgium

Postby verdroid » Sat Nov 05, 2011 6:17 am

i've got a bcr2000 (its with many knobs) and a usb piano (wich can be used to turn effects on/of, launch samples. - it's the same like your type keyboard, just more notes and better over viewed (m-audio keyrig49) that's for midi control.

got a toy keyboard :) wich is big fun if runned trough the guitar pedals:
-boss metalzone mt-2
-behringer bsy600
---> soon will post a video on youtube!!

Any links, hints,....

Pwner
User avatar
Posts: 291
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:00 am
Location: STHLM

Postby Draegg » Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:36 am

go and check out tom cosms videos on youtube, i remember he had a massive video tutorial on how to make a set in ableton live. Peace.

1337 P0ZT3r
User avatar
Posts: 633
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:00 am
Location: belgium

Postby verdroid » Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:44 pm

already did that. thanx for the response anyway.
i guess i have to discover the whole live performance thing myself.

i just created my first 'somehow' working live set up:
realy fun to create each time something different LIVE

so it's acid, and simply done like this (with ableton/usb keyboard/bcr2000) :

i've got 4 channels in ableton:
-2 are loaded with an 303 emulator
-1 with kicks/bass
-1 with the impulse (for snare/clap/hihat,etc)

i made 4 different sections on my keyboard for those channels.
each note plays a different seqeunced line, so now i've got:
-20 different acid loops
-10 different kicks
-10 different loops with snares/claps/etc
these can all be played just by hittin' a note.

the bcr 2000:
-controls the 303 emulators (cutoff/res/env/decay/accent/volume)
-some filters
-eq on the master

damn! it's awesome to play something live!
like i said this is my first set-up ever, but i will get better and learn more about this.

tips and hints / tutorials / videos you know 'bout this...are still welcome

Pwner
User avatar
Posts: 291
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:00 am
Location: STHLM

Postby Draegg » Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:45 am

that sounds like a tight setup! I did a minimal techno set a while ago using similar techniques as you. One tips i can say is: USE sends, fucking awesome.

Pwner
User avatar
Posts: 252
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2007 12:00 am

Postby DISEMBOWELLED » Tue Dec 06, 2011 11:40 pm

sorry this may sound silly and i'm not implying you're an idiot or anything, but are you using ableton's crossfader?? from what you've described it sounds like you might not have discovered this feature...

you would do what you've described above, but assign the channels of "track 1, 3, 5 etc" to channel A on the crossfader and the channels of "track 2, 4, 6 etc" to channel B ... then you will be able to blend between them more smoothly

1337 P0ZT3r
User avatar
Posts: 633
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:00 am
Location: belgium

Postby verdroid » Wed Dec 07, 2011 8:26 pm

isn't that more like dj'ing between two tracks? cause if that's the way to make a live set, this hint will shure help a lot. didn't thought that sets were made like this (almost just the same as 2 decks and a xfader)

i suppose i just cut all different tracks then and load em up in ablton and use the xfader like you say. also load my send/return with some fx.

then just random mix everything together nicely/switch between parts?
i dunno, it sounds better than the thing i've done above....

Normal moderator and owner
User avatar
Posts: 2320
Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 12:00 am
Average track rating:
4.7/5 out of 6 votes

Postby PEPCORE » Thu Dec 08, 2011 8:40 pm

I must look into this also, been meaning to learn how to mix with ableton for some time now. :D

Elite!
User avatar
Posts: 407
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2008 12:00 am
Location: Lyon City, France

Postby Stazma » Fri Dec 09, 2011 5:57 am

Yop ! I have a very special technics about livet but that is very funny depending on what kind of music your doing.
So : I export drums in one track and the rest (bass, kick, samples) in an other one, and in the session view I organnise the track with different start point so I can trigger all different part of any track when I want. On some parts i'm do the same thing but only with drums so I chop off all the break so I can replay them very fast (like mpc drumming).
For transition at the end of one track the other one is on two other channel so I trigger the end of one track in the same time that the other start (and use delay and filter to make it sweetly).

I don't know if it's realy understandable in the way I writted it hehehe. But anyway it's pretty boring to set up but very fun to play with.

Video example :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7_UxVvANQk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6To6LDLcM-o

1337 P0ZT3r
User avatar
Posts: 633
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:00 am
Location: belgium

Postby verdroid » Fri Dec 09, 2011 10:35 am

sweet, first vid is in belgium/ghent 'tsteegske (translation: the alley)
if you walk down the street there, it's nothin' but 'latest pop radio hitlist music clubs', and then if you look very wel, the alley.... :)

strange thing that you use it 90° left. just got my hands on one too.
as far as i discovered it's already awesome.

this one i found (with downloadable projects):

http://www.aurexmusic.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/aurexlive/videos

Pwner
User avatar
Posts: 252
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2007 12:00 am

Postby DISEMBOWELLED » Tue Dec 13, 2011 1:45 am

Stazma wrote:So : I export drums in one track and the rest (bass, kick, samples) in an other one, and in the session view I organnise the track with different start point so I can trigger all different part of any track when I want. On some parts i'm do the same thing but only with drums so I chop off all the break so I can replay them very fast (like mpc drumming).


that's pretty much what I plan on doing (now I've got enough of my own tracks for a live set lol) but I've been wondering about one issue - if you're bouncing down elements of your tracks separately (eg beats, kicks, everything else) then each element is unmastered, so how do you make your tracks sound consistent with one another?

also - you're playing at bangface on friday right? I will be there!! gonna be a mad night!

Elite!
User avatar
Posts: 407
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2008 12:00 am
Location: Lyon City, France

Postby Stazma » Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:50 am

I always put a fat limiter on the master channel and I spend hours to set up volume of all track to fit together hehehe.

And yes mate I play at Bangface on friday, I was just about the create a topic just to know who's coming hehehe.

So see you on friday ;-)

Pwner
User avatar
Posts: 252
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2007 12:00 am

Postby DISEMBOWELLED » Tue Dec 13, 2011 7:49 pm

ah right ok. I thought there might be some technique I hadn't thought of!
I guess you could give each one a quick EQ, gain boost and limiter and then bounce them down again. yeah man fri will be awesome. what time/room is your set?

@verdroid - looks like some cool programs they've built. really can't wait to get a launchpad now!

Return to Tutorials

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests