Live buildups using 'tribes and KP3

[hseiken]

I've been working on DnB style build ups using resampling on the KP3...it takes a lot of skill and patience enough to practice a lot to get it right so you an do it just whenever...(i'm totally not there yet!!!) but I thought I'd share what I've come up with so far....


The build up is usually about 16 measures or so before the drop...you can make longer or shorter, but shorter is definitely HARDER... anyway, here's the method I used...

First the clip..

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I goofed up a bit in there cause my pinky tapped the hold button when i switched to the synth... and it's still not fast enough anyway...but it's for demo'ing purposes...

1.) You have your breakdown going on...
2.) Sample into the KP3 a 1 bar loop then stop the electribe so only that one bar is repeating...shouldn't have any bass to it...STOP THE ELTRIBE IS IMPORTANT!
3.) use a filter (i used high pass) and slide it up
4.) resample that filter point on your loop
5.) on esx and kp3 simultaneously do the following
a.) use arpaggiator on the tribe on your kick drum, starting with 4/4 moving up...
b.) use one of the non pitched synths and slowly pitch it up...
c.) optional here is to have a 4 bar pattern specifically for the esx to play...
6.) when you get to the top of 4 bars, stop everything for 1 or 2 measures...
a.) optional one shot adds to coolness.
7.) hit start on electribe with new pattern or everything unmuted.

I'm working on getting the looper involved before the end too...with the rolling kick and synth then use the looper to glitch it up at last measure...but it's hard enough to stretch my hands as it is to the shift button then record then a sample slot! I think i can do it with practice and will update when I get it down...

Anyway...thought I'd share this technique and would like to hear some other methods for buildups using the kp3 and tribes together...I think for being a non-sequenced, completely live method for buildup, it don't sound too bad....i like to do stuff live as much as possible on my tracks, so this is fun for me!

[StellarJay[aka Ruso]]

This kind of stuff would be very difficult to do well in a live performance situation man.

It's hard enough trying to mangle up ableton's clips live at half the launch resolution.

[SNFool]

Keep with it man. I practice like a nutball on my tribes... Once I book a show I usually rehearse for 25+ hours just to get it right. Each show is different and therefore requires different rehearsals.

I use my KP3 at a particular moment in one of my songs. I was driving in my car one day listening to one of my fav bands and the CD skipped. It was rhythmic and glitchy so I emulated the best I could when I got home. The result is a sample on my kp3 going "suh suh suh suh selectahhhhhh" for one of the transitions. Similar but definitely not as hard as what your doing.

On a funnier note, at my 1st warehouse gig I accidently resampled one of my samples with a recording of the beggining of the show... woops! When it came time for the "suh suh suh selectah" part the beggining of the show played through the PA. It sounded horrendous.

Anyways, I say go for it. It will make you a better performer. Just be prepared for when things don't go to plan. Thats where practice and rehearsing comes into play, because at that point you've probably crossed that hurdle. Good luck!

[dubathonic]

Keep with it man. I practice like a nutball on my tribes... Once I book a show I usually rehearse for 25+ hours just to get it right. Each show is different and therefore requires different rehearsals. ... Anyways, I say go for it. It will make you a better performer. Just be prepared for when things don't go to plan. Thats where practice and rehearsing comes into play, because at that point you've probably crossed that hurdle. Good luck!

Couldn't agree more. I go on stage with only four pieces of hardware -- still a very simple rig compared to some -- and it takes me far, far longer to rehearse performing my tracks live and with drama than it does to compose them in the first place. I played a festival last weekend and this DJ paid me a real compliment when he said I made it look easy. His facial expression told me he knew it wasn't.

What I find amusing and ironic is that I originally got into EM so I could concentrate more on composing, practicing & performing live, and less on dealing with flaky bandmates...but looking back on the past few years, I'm sure I've spent at least twice as much time on prep as I did when I just wrote songs and plucked strings. Expanding my palette with electronics may be more edifying but it's not a time or energy saver by any means.

Regardless of your medium, mounting a good stage performance takes 100% of your concentration and effort. It's just a question of where you direct them. I dig where you're trying to go with the buildups -- keep reaching for it, man!

[Giomakyo]

>Couldn't agree more. I go on stage with only four pieces of hardware -- still a very simple rig compared to some -- and it takes me far, far longer to rehearse performing my tracks live and with drama than it does to compose them in the first place.

Same here. And one has to be fairly sober too So many parts and patterns to keep track of, which points to apply effects or filters, when to fade parts in or out, which sounds are saved on your muted channels, etc. Rehearsals are definitely necessary in order to feel comfortable and to know how to maximise the "live" aspect of performance. It's funny, people always ask me what I play and when they find out it's not a traditional instrument they always have this vague look of disappointment, but I can honestly say, as someone who played guitar in bands for 8 years, it takes just as much skill and practice to adequately play a couple of Electribes live .

[TheBeatfarmer805]

Here's a super simple build-up trick:

(I run my tribes into their own channels on a 4 channel dj mixer)

I'll drop the fader down to 0 on ch 2 (the drums from outputs 3/4) while the pattern is still going,
then I start a 16 bassdrum roll on the arp ribbon.

Then I slowly bring the fader up and when it gets to full volume I hit roll on the bassdrum part to make it 32s. It's a little tricky because I have to turn the roll off at the perfect time but it sounds pretty legit.

[Gistovit]

Nice technique TheBeatfarmer805, I had always considered doing some sort of live setep with two electribes each running drums and synths out of separate channels into a 4 ch. mixer. Doing a sort of 2 track minimal build, almost definitely with 2 people.
But another setup I just switched to using the 3/4 outputs is..
Running my baseline and possible another part out of the 3/4 and back into the audio in and fading it in with the audio in level or muting with the "thru" button.
The same could be done for drums,although you loose the fx capabilities. But I am running everything through a kp3 and into my dj mixer so i have lots of fx on hand.
By the way, timed "breaker" effect is king. So simple and so effective. I may need to find another piece of hardware that can do that.