Joedy Zapara

Loops in a live setting

There was one simple question that started my search. How can I migrate away from hardware samplers, and towards software based, laptop run sample triggering? Do I start with the software of my past like ACID, Sound Forge, or Vegas, now under the Sony umbrella? Do I look to pattern based synth and loop players like Reason and Logic plug-in Ultrabeat? Or how about the other power house Logic plug-in, the EXS24? What I found at the end of the rainbow wasn’t gold, it was jack squat.

While I have used, abused, and been productive with all the aforementioned apps, they have all fallen short for my needs in the live environment. They are necessary for content development, recording, post-production, and basic song construction. In the case of keys and synths, Logic even stands tall in the midst of a small crowd for live piano / keyboard performances. There are many features that are basic on a AKAI hardware sampler that should be simple in software. For instance, I found the simple task of latching a triggered loop in Logic to be damn near impossible, when it is a breeze on even the most simple of hardware boxes. In a recent conversation with a fellow musician on this subject, he stated that he had no problem layering multiple loops and drones that triggered in order and then all looped until he triggered them out on his AKAI hardware sampler. As we looked at how to accomplish this in Logic, we hit wall after wall of frustrating limitations. After browsing Apples forums for days on end, I read a post by someone who claims to have figured it out, but can’t explain it. Bottom line, even if it is possible, it isn’t intuitive.

I now have decided to heed the suggestion of many other formally frustrated live loop music enhanced performers and adopt Ableton Live 5.0. One cool feature that many companies have added to their web sites is the ability to download demo versions of their software, which I finally did for Live a few weeks back. Two things jumped out at me instantly. The first was the super simple and straight forward design. Adding loops and getting them zoned into a beat and measure was easy. The second item that impressed me revolved around the way that Live allows you to program midi, whether note messages, program changes, or parameter adjustments, it is literally as easy as clicking which loop or parameter you want to adjust and hitting the corresponding midi note. It is like plug-and-play, but for midi assignment.

Since I am new to the program, I won’t BS about it more than to say, it was well worth 400 odd dollars, and so far, it has been the only answer to my live performance, software / laptop based, midi pedal controlled, moron proof needs.

Feel free to throw in any thoughts on loops in a live setting and how you get it to all work smoothly.