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I have an mpd26 and I have been trying to figure out how to use it to its full potential. So far I have been just using the pads for playing drums and the sliders for the mixer, but that's pretty obvious. How do you guys map your controllers? I'm specifically interested I'm ableton because that is what I'm using.

Also, how would you rig it for live performance? I'm nowhere near that level yet but I'm interested in how people do it. Do you trigger clips, program the midi live? I have seem videos of artists like flying lotus and baths and nosaj thing and I'm amazed that they do performances with just a lap top and a pad control or something.

Thanks

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

Watch that video

I convert midi clips to audio and set them as loops and assign to pads. It's really up to you how you want to set everything.

I know, I was just looking for ideas. I have seen people route some of the endless knobs to things like cutoff/inverse resolution and bit crushers, but I am wondering if anyone has any particularly clever or useful shortcuts they use.

Especially, how do you segue between songs? Do you sit there, open a new project file and wait for it to load or do you crossfade between the two somehow?

I'm just interested in how people do live electronic performances I guess. Just to be clear, I know HOW to, I'm just wondering about the different ways that people do.

Im not at that point yet either, but the way i plan to do my live set is such.

APC 40 for total Ableton control using the effects on each track.
Then Launchpad for playing beats which i will record myself doing live. Then loop what i do.
Then Midi Keyboards to play synths which i will do the same record and loop process.

This is a very unnecessary method but i believe for it to be more of an actual performance than most artists do. Most artists like Rusko (i actually have seen a video of Rusko doing more than just Djing tho) and Datsik just DJ their own music and dance around on stage, which i find to be incredibly lame. If you want some examples of artists who actually do things on stage id say Bassnectar and Deadmau5 are some good examples. Both of them use a Allen and Heath Xone 40 which is legit as fuck. I know deadmau5 has his synths and other shit just mapped to different parts of that.

I spent a large amount of time in the same stage your in now. Wondering wtf these guys do on stage. Really its your decision on how much you do. I feel that Rusko and Datsiks method is not a real live performance. The best method overall i think is EOTO. They play real live music. They are two people who go up on stage and improv dubstep for 3 hours. One of them plays drums and has a lemur which has beat repeat and other various things on it. Then the other improvs basslines and synths then records them. He has a few analog synths and a few midi keyboards. He also plays the guitar and bass. Check those guys out.

I have an MPK25 and Cubase, and i literally had to edit an excel spreadsheet of cc definitions to create a preset xml for my transport and advanced functions to do what i wanted.

shaneynclan wrote:I have an MPK25 and Cubase, and i literally had to edit an excel spreadsheet of cc definitions to create a preset xml for my transport and advanced functions to do what i wanted.

pure sex. u program on a daily basis or can the average chump do such thing???

disco.infiltrator wrote:I have an mpd26 and I have been trying to figure out how to use it to its full potential. So far I have been just using the pads for playing drums and the sliders for the mixer, but that's pretty obvious. How do you guys map your controllers? I'm specifically interested I'm ableton because that is what I'm using.

Also, how would you rig it for live performance? I'm nowhere near that level yet but I'm interested in how people do it. Do you trigger clips, program the midi live? I have seem videos of artists like flying lotus and baths and nosaj thing and I'm amazed that they do performances with just a lap top and a pad control or something.

Thanks

I would love to see Fly Lo and Nosaj's settings. Here's Baths':

no i don't program, it was just based on a series of logical assumptions.

varies project to project, i generally have my nanokontol mapped to 9 channels for the faders and the pots for synth parameters or filter settings/dry wet when messing about, use my wacom bamboo to draw in automations time to time, far as the keyboard i just use that and a sustain pedal pedal to jam out. really want a full 88 weighted and some drum pads though.

good thread.

one of the few times i'll recommend behringer is the bcf2000, wish i had that over my nanokontrol since lets be honest the non motorized faders/pots on the nano make it useless beyond one scene are useless besides the 18 mappable buttons, though the transport control buttons are great for when i'm recording myself doing vox or anything involving a microphone