live / one take recordings

[Zach Zinn]

Working on a method for playing live, this is the stuff i've come up with so far:


https://soundcloud.com/zach-zinn/sets/live-one-take-recordings

Open to critiques, constructive criticism etc. from people who are into the experimental edges of ambient music, lofi stuff, etc. i'd love to hear other people's methods etc. that do something maybe similar, and have done live shows.

[S1gnsOfL1fe]

I'm right there with you buddy...working out those live techniques. That said, this is some cool stuff! Nice start for sure.

So you've shared your track, how about the method you used? Would be good to keep a running list of performance/arrangement techniques for future reference.

Thanks for posting the thread!

Cheers,
-S1gns

[Zach Zinn]

I'm right there with you buddy...working out those live techniques. That said, this is some cool stuff! Nice start for sure.

So you've shared your track, how about the method you used? Would be good to keep a running list of performance/arrangement techniques for future reference.

Thanks for posting the thread!

Cheers,
-S1gns

Thanks S1gns, i'll describe the basic setup:

I'm super lofi, I basically record with junk from Garage sales and thrift stores right now, field recordings etc.

Into the mixer are a Casio sk5, a mic, and a dvd/cd player, the tracks playing on the cd player I created just noodling around on different instruments I own. The mixer goes into the PC, I used Ambiloop for looping and delay. That's pretty much it, improvising by jogging starting and restarting the cd/dvd tracks, playing the casio sampling keyboard, and playing a few assorted acoustic instruments.

I don't like these that much, the first one is pretty ok. I expect that I can start producing stuff I like more once I refine the technique, and improve upon these, the composition is just too..predictable right now, but I think I can make that change.

I'm planning on getting a Loop pedal, and possibly a delay pedal to replace ambiloop, as I freaking hate messing with screens and menus when doing real time stuff, and if I do shows it'd be portable anyway, I prefer tactile stuff, knobs and sliders to menus etc.

[Guest]

I'm right there with you buddy...working out those live techniques. That said, this is some cool stuff! Nice start for sure.

So you've shared your track, how about the method you used? Would be good to keep a running list of performance/arrangement techniques for future reference.

Thanks for posting the thread!

Cheers,
-S1gns

Thanks S1gns, i'll describe the basic setup:

I'm super lofi, I basically record with junk from Garage sales and thrift stores right now, field recordings etc.

Into the mixer are a Casio sk5, a mic, and a dvd/cd player, the tracks playing on the cd player I created just noodling around on different instruments I own. The mixer goes into the PC, I used Ambiloop for looping and delay. That's pretty much it, improvising by jogging starting and restarting the cd/dvd tracks, playing the casio sampling keyboard, and playing a few assorted acoustic instruments.

I don't like these that much, the first one is pretty ok. I expect that I can start producing stuff I like more once I refine the technique, and improve upon these, the composition is just too..predictable right now, but I think I can make that change.

I'm planning on getting a Loop pedal, and possibly a delay pedal to replace ambiloop, as I freaking hate messing with screens and menus when doing real time stuff, and if I do shows it'd be portable anyway, I prefer tactile stuff, knobs and sliders to menus etc.

really nice track Zach - definitely worth pursuing - hope you find a venue

[Zach Zinn]

I'm right there with you buddy...working out those live techniques. That said, this is some cool stuff! Nice start for sure.

So you've shared your track, how about the method you used? Would be good to keep a running list of performance/arrangement techniques for future reference.

Thanks for posting the thread!

Cheers,
-S1gns

Thanks S1gns, i'll describe the basic setup:

I'm super lofi, I basically record with junk from Garage sales and thrift stores right now, field recordings etc.

Into the mixer are a Casio sk5, a mic, and a dvd/cd player, the tracks playing on the cd player I created just noodling around on different instruments I own. The mixer goes into the PC, I used Ambiloop for looping and delay. That's pretty much it, improvising by jogging starting and restarting the cd/dvd tracks, playing the casio sampling keyboard, and playing a few assorted acoustic instruments.

I don't like these that much, the first one is pretty ok. I expect that I can start producing stuff I like more once I refine the technique, and improve upon these, the composition is just too..predictable right now, but I think I can make that change.

I'm planning on getting a Loop pedal, and possibly a delay pedal to replace ambiloop, as I freaking hate messing with screens and menus when doing real time stuff, and if I do shows it'd be portable anyway, I prefer tactile stuff, knobs and sliders to menus etc.

really nice track Zach - definitely worth pursuing - hope you find a venue

Thanks man, a couple people actually mentioned me possibly having the opportunity to open for them etc..so I figured it was worth learning how to do this for the future, even though it's kind of intimidating for sure. It is a really fun way to work, and i'm qnjoying the challenge of it.

[Zach Zinn]

I've added (and substracted) some tracks from here. If anyone has the time, give a listen and your opinion, I feel like my sense of composition for this type of performance is getting better, check out Mouth ad Cities - my latest one-take/improv efforts:

https://soundcloud.com/zach-zinn/mouth

https://soundcloud.com/zach-zinn/cities


Really starting to enjoy working like this...whether I ever actually play live for people or not, it's really challenging and enjoyable. I'm also thinking about (if it's doable) doing a sort of concert on Mixlr and seeing how that goes, has anyone tried something like this?

[Zach Zinn]

Did another that i'm quite happy with:

https://soundcloud.com/zach-zinn/dragging-the-river

[Xtopher]

These are great, and I can see you developing the techniques in only four tracks! Thanks for sharing.


I’ve been missing the live aspect as well, having started as a guitar player years ago and ended up as a seated Ableton Live clicker. Recently I gave myself a challenge to build the cheapest, easiest to use portable rig possible, with the intention to do ambient, drone and minimal techno type stuff with it. There are so many cool new little gizmos out recently that seem like they could be great for this. The Korg Volcas, the Arturia MicroBrute, etc. I’m thinking maybe pair a couple of those with something to play back samples, like the awesome little Akai mpx8, and then maybe an Arturia Beatstep for some more knobs and a bit of sequencing. I also recently picked up an Avid Eleven Rack, which are super cheap these days and have tons of inputs and onboard effects.


But I love how lowfi and piecemeal your rig is!

[Zach Zinn]

These are great, and I can see you developing the techniques in only four tracks! Thanks for sharing.


I’ve been missing the live aspect as well, having started as a guitar player years ago and ended up as a seated Ableton Live clicker. Recently I gave myself a challenge to build the cheapest, easiest to use portable rig possible, with the intention to do ambient, drone and minimal techno type stuff with it. There are so many cool new little gizmos out recently that seem like they could be great for this. The Korg Volcas, the Arturia MicroBrute, etc. I’m thinking maybe pair a couple of those with something to play back samples, like the awesome little Akai mpx8, and then maybe an Arturia Beatstep for some more knobs and a bit of sequencing. I also recently picked up an Avid Eleven Rack, which are super cheap these days and have tons of inputs and onboard effects.


But I love how lowfi and piecemeal your rig is!

Thanks..yeah, honestly at this point I actually prefer cheap stuff that requires a bit of out of the box thinking. I switched from a dvd player with ab repeat, to a sony portable voice recorder with ab repeat though, and it works great. Basically, I like stuff to sound "dirty" and the only way i've ever achieved that is by using low end gear, and lots of times stuff that's not really even made for music production..i've owned a few halfway decent things (EPS, some other stuff) but it never really clicked..I like to sit on the floor with some pedals and a heap of junk and old electronics, and go to it. Of course the result is not everyone's aesthetic, but obviously making weird ass music ain't a popularity contest anyway...lol.

here's my latest deal:

https://soundcloud.com/zach-zinn/tangle

[Toaster]

I play live/jam out all the time, and have semi regular jams with a bassist, and another semi regular jam with a fellow laptop nerd. Jams are a great way to get to know someone's take on things musically, and a way to learn at the same time while you're doing so.

Using the Ableton Push with a footswitch lets me create loops on the fly, and a tool like Liquid Rhythm lets me create and edit beats rapidly. I use a set of patches I've worked on over time. Here's a live jam with a friend-- the beat was set up seconds before I hit record.

https://soundcloud.com/toaster-1/belted

[Xtopher]

Very cool Zach Zinn. Do you sample all the various gizmos you collect and use those live? Or do you use them “live” as sound generators?


Toaster - I totally agree about playing live! It develops so many things in a musician that you don’t get any other way. I spent a large portion of my 20s playing live for several hours a night in cover bands. It could be crushing some nights, but now I’m really glad I did it! I also have an Ableton Push, and love it. Push and Live are the closest I’ve come when alone to be able to work quick and flexibly like you can when in a room with a group of musicians (but without all the ego!). But I’ve been getting the itch to have a little live rig again.


Cool stuff guys!

[GaryG]

I'm planning on getting a Loop pedal, and possibly a delay pedal to replace ambiloop, as I freaking hate messing with screens and menus when doing real time stuff, and if I do shows it'd be portable anyway, I prefer tactile stuff, knobs and sliders to menus etc.

Me too. Though I'm approaching it from another angle; like Ambiloop a lot so looking at building a controller to tame it. Seems you don't have to be an uber-nerd nowadays to get a simple/cheap microcontroller board (arduino, teensy etc) up and running with a few homemade buttons and stuff. Which is good for me.

[Zach Zinn]

Very cool Zach Zinn. Do you sample all the various gizmos you collect and use those live? Or do you use them “live” as sound generators?


Toaster - I totally agree about playing live! It develops so many things in a musician that you don’t get any other way. I spent a large portion of my 20s playing live for several hours a night in cover bands. It could be crushing some nights, but now I’m really glad I did it! I also have an Ableton Push, and love it. Push and Live are the closest I’ve come when alone to be able to work quick and flexibly like you can when in a room with a group of musicians (but without all the ego!). But I’ve been getting the itch to have a little live rig again.


Cool stuff guys!

Most of what's there is made with cheap sampling keyboards, looping software - Ambiloop btw, love it (soon to be rerplaced by a hardware looper probably), a digital recorder, and an efx pedal basically I play the keyboards, use the pedal- usually delay and kind of improvise by starting stopping, and using ab repeat on the digital recorder. So it's the same source stuff, but the loops are made on the fly and everything will be different every time I do it.

Thanks for sharing your stuff Toaster, great track. I haven't even contemplated playing with other people yet, but i'm hoping someday I can start with that.

[Zach Zinn]

Most classically "ambient" thing i've made in a while:

https://soundcloud.com/zach-zinn/bait

[Xtopher]

Cool track!