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What's your best advice for someone who wants to learn how to perform live?
I would assume you've watched other people play live, so study what they do in terms of presentation, organization, etc. You can set up a table in your space away from your usual spot, and practice your performance that way.
Beyond that, you just have to throw yourself into it and be forgiving to yourself of the mistakes you will inevitably make. Don't worry too much about the audience. There are lots of resources online for helping you think about this.
I really like the MATTHS videos on YouTube where he goes over his live cases and the rationale for each. For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
What's the biggest mistake when performing?
Not pacing yourself can cause you to rush through your set too quickly. Set a stopwatch in front of you. Put out some patch notes for yourself if you are moving through a bunch of patches. It is too easy to forget everything in the moment if you aren't used to performing what you are doing. If you are cognizant of what you have planned, it is easier to be deliberate in dropping or adding things to your performance. Having that comfort level lets you focus more on the performance aspects.
How do you prepare for a live performance?
I think about what I want to do musically, then assemble the modular instrument by moving modules into one of my live cases after some planning on the Modular Grid site. I can't overstate how good Modular Grid is for planning like that. I usually end up buying some new modules, and playing live always seems like a good excuse for it.
I set the live case up on a table away from my larger modular setup, usually facing the other direction in the room. Then I'll start to compose and practice the set, change things, rearrange modules and maybe swap some things out. I always like to have more than I need in the case, should I decide to do something different or replace or add a patch over the course of a few shows.
I like to be efficient in patching so there is always some knob tweaking/actual physical part of the performance. I don't want to just be pushing buttons. I also usually bring a small extra synth to add something to the modular that's easy but not in the case. For my last run of shows I brought that little CCTV Shadowbox optical theremin-type synth.
Sometimes I'll record some practice runs of the set and go back to it a bit later to make decisions about what to change. I've gotten better over the years about being prepared. But I've also done tours where I ripped the cables out after every show and rebuilt a new set from scratch in the morning. That's a little scary but fun.
I'm a newcomer: tell me how you built your live system
When I first started playing I was using everything I had, which was a smaller modular system. Now it is a bit of a challenge to figure out what to bring. It starts more with a musical idea, and how to accomplish it efficiently.
These days, I try to figure out how many unique patches I can summon from the same set of modules, and how to smoothly transition between those changes. Personally I like to have 4-6 different patches in a set over 20-30 minutes, so it's about constructing a versatile system that will give me the balance of experimental and more melodic songs.
If I were just doing some kind of minimal techno thing I could get by with much less. But I do always end up with modules in the case that I thought that I would use and ended up not touching.
What is the difference between your home/studio system and your live one?
The home system is very big and is just an organ donor for the live case. Everything goes back after the shows.
How do you make seamless music when performing for a long time? In other words, how do you make smooth transitions between voices and musical segments?
I try to hold some element of a patch into another for a few seconds at least. But I tend to move between more structured "songs" and have more noisy/experimental/organic interludes that provide the necessary time to switch things around for the next more structured piece. The challenge is making those interesting.
I think for a modular performance that isn't a very long set, then keeping some sound going at all times will keep the audience with you. If you are the opening act, you don't want to give people that break of silence to walk away.
How do you make sure your live mix is always great?
I use in-ear monitors (not expensive ones) and for me that has been the best way to maintain control over the mix as far as I can. I am giving the venue a stereo signal and hoping for the best. I have found that onstage monitors are really confusing/hard to hear and don't really represent what's going out to the floor well.
During soundcheck I will start with the in-ears and then go down on the floor and see how it sounds. While I'm playing, I use the in-ears, because otherwise in a loud club you can lose the detail. It's impossible to hear what is coming out of a giant speaker array pointed away from you.
Generally, the sound people at most shows have been cool and into trying to make it sound good. A fair amount of them are also into modular, so it's nice to have someone there that gets what is happening. I have had situations where the sound guys were incompetent, dismissive or antagonistic, and you can't really do anything about it when you're at their mercy. That has only happened a couple of times, thankfully.
I should point out that mixing live became a lot easier/better for me when I put the mixer in the case instead of using a desktop mixer. The WMD performance mixer is what I've been using for years, and I'm eagerly anticipating the new version. There have been a lot of cool mixers coming out lately, so that's something to consider.
Is there anything you haven't said that you would like to tell people who want to learn live performance?
Let things breathe!
You may find simplifying what you are playing live works better. Stay with your gear at all times if you can, and put an airtag hidden inside the case.
Don't be too critical of yourself. I've had what I thought were off shows where someone came up at the end and said they were "blown away."
Tell the sound person what you are trying to accomplish with your set beforehand. Introduce yourself to everyone working at the venue when you get there and be polite and friendly. Say please and thank you as much as possible before and after the show. It's always better to have as many people on your side as possible.
Be gracious to anyone that shows interest in what you played.
Make sure you account for all of your belongings before you leave.
What's your best live video?
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