I was thinking about it this morning and I said to myself « What if I had to reply to hundreds/thousands of comments like the more prolific artists out there », I will have to take some days off from work.
For me, it’s just a natural give back to those who listen/care/comment/support my work. Thanks for pointing this out @Azzarole!
For this part, I will come back to explain it with as much details as I can.
Haha, yeah I also had the thought, how long you will manage to keep up with it .
Looking forward to your in-depth walkthrough of how you finish your live stuff. I am really bad at it and always interested in other people‘s approach!
Listened to the album btw and really liked it. Quite diverse, yet still cohesive. „Run Forest Run“ was my favorite on first run.
I have a hybrid setup. I compose and perform exclusively on Hardware but record in Ableton using Overbridge. All my Machines are synced with 5-pin MIDI cables. Digitakt is the Master giving Clock, Transport and Program Change to the others via a Kenton MIDI Thru.
I use OB (with the No Sync option) but I don’t record the individual Tracks. For each Machine used in a Song, I record its Stereo outputs (or Mono for Mono Synths) on a single Master Track in Ableton. I also use the inputs of my OB Elektrons for my other Synths/Machines to assure a tight sync between everything.
Now, the process. To my knowledge, I try to make the best mix possible of the Sounds in the Machine itself. I use an EQ plugin (mostly using LP or HP Filters) on each Track of the Song in Ableton to cut unnecessary frequencies. For Sounds in the Lows, I cut everything at a minimum 30 Hz to 60 Hz. For the other Sounds (Mid, Hi), I cut at 75 to 150 Hz minimum. I also cut high frequencies on bass Sounds. The minimal stuff. When the Song is performed Live and recorded on a single Stereo Track, I finish it with a slight touch of Ozone Elements (mostly to increase the Loudness of the Song). I’m no Expert in the mixing/mastering department, it’s not perfect but if it sounds good to my ears (I use them a lot), then, it’s good enough for me. I don’t let the Technique overshadowed the initial idea/feel of the moment.
The two Hardware devices that are a big part of my overall Sound are the Elektron Heat and OTO Boum (mainly on Master Bus).
I don’t know if it covers everything you wanted to know but if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate.
Edit : In general, it goes : compose a Pattern with a minimal mixing, warm it up with Heat and Boum, adjust mixing, hit record, jam, listen back, if it’s good, keep it, if not, rehearse and practice then hit record again…
Excellent as the previous one.
Love the feel and the theme nature oriented make me see images in my head while listening your tracks.
Very good job thanks for the release.
Still left me a bit confused about the live and recording parts:
Are you performing your tracks from start to finish in one take? Are you using song mode/arranger?
Are you composing everything on one machine like “Run Forest Run” on AF only? If not, are you recording several instruments via OB at the same time? Thought that’s not possible.
OR
Are you playing the track live on several machines, but only record one at a time and then combine the recorded one stereo master tracks per machine, although they were technically not played live at the same time?
Are you using Ableton clips for arranging or are you only applying EQ etc. to live tracks as performed on your machines?
Are you adding effects via Ableton? Read your list of (reverb) pedals in another thread, so I assume you added them via insert later on?
Thanks a lot! I never finish stuff because I would like to record it played live on all machines in one track without song mode/arranger, but then mess up performing too often and get frustrated. So I was thinking about recording parts and arranging in Ableton, but am afraid that it loses its live character and I spend more time on the laptop than I want to. So I am always interested how others record and finish their live synth stuff.