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What's your best advice for someone who wants to learn how to perform live?
Embrace the mistakes, usually no one notices when something doesn't go as planned.
What's the biggest mistake when performing?
My biggest mistake when performing was not recording the set! I will never hear those magical unexpected moments again.
How do you prepare for a live performance?
I make a tracklist of some of my songs. Then I decide the order I'd like to play them and arrange the MIDI in Ableton Session View by parts - sometimes I sequence with Ableton via a Mutant Brain module, or I compose sequences on a Black Sequencer. I always leave some space for improvisation - by using generative sequencers on Max for Live or writing sequences on the fly on my Black Sequencer - also using probability and logic modules to generate unexpected results. I search for effects on Ableton and map my MIDI controllers to the macros - I use an Akai APC 40 Mk2 or an Allen & Heath Xone K2. And then, I deal with the latency...
I'm a newcomer: tell me how you built your live system
I watched a lot of YouTube videos and read about sound synthesis and electronic music. Two books I can recommend are Patch and Tweak and Electronic Music by Allen Strange. I decided how many melodic voices I needed (2 or 3 are more than enough). I discovered that I like to synthesize my own percussion - except for the kick - using white noise, filter-pinging, and unstable noise generators like the Interstellar Radio module by Schlappi Engineering. I decided how I want to sequence my system (a sequencer module) plus some logic and probability modules. If I want to sequence using Ableton Live, I use a MIDI to CV converter module like Mutant Brain.
What is the difference between your home/studio system and your live one?
My studio modular system has a few modules that don't fit my live case - a sampler module, a Doepfer wasp filter, a ratcheting Doepfer module, some mults, a Black Sequencer and that's about it. I usually sell all the modules I don't use all the time because I get lost when I have too many options.
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 patch macros to make big changes - by using VCA's and modulation that I can mute and unmute. I also use a stereo filter at the end of my chain - Qu-bit Prism - so I can transition like a DJ with a reverb after the filter - currently I'm using the XAOC Devices Timiszoara as my end-of-chain-effect.
How do you make sure your live mix is always great?
I process the stereo out of my modular system with Ableton Live. My master chain has an EQ, a compressor and a limiter - all stock from Ableton.
Is there anything you haven't said that you would like to tell people who want to learn live performance?
Don't be afraid to experiment with different music genres. My favorite performances always mix a lot of styles and techniques, it keeps the listener and the performer interested and focused.
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