DP live apps

TreyG · Post by **TreyG** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 7:09 pm

Does anyone use DP for live performance? I have found myself in a situation where it is neccessary to do so, just looking for some pointers.

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:02 pm

Yes. Historically, DP has been highly recommended for live performance. I used it for many years in shows that played major venues across the USA. Many well-known artists use it, most notably, perhaps, Madonna. Pat Metheny has also used it. One of its chief advantages has been its stability--something which has been a little less reassuring since OS X, but which so far has still been reliable for me in those situations.

Pointers?
#1: redundancy. You need two fully-operating systems running simultaneously to assure reliability. Though I've done this, I've never had to use system 2. Mike McKnight, Madonna's MIDI director, developed a dual-system which he can flip over in real time, enabling him to vamp when Madonna patters ad-libitum, resetting the other system to a certain time-code. He then alerts the other systems (cameras, projectors, lights, FOH) that he's about to reset the time code to hh-mm-ss-ff, at which point he switches back to the main system, which picks up at the appointed time and continues without a hitch. All this from Digital Performer.

My system is nowhere near that sophisticated, though I'd like to try it. Mine simply runs to failure, at which point I switch systems and restart the song. As I said, I've never had to use it.

Next, you will find that the "chunk chaining" buttons on the control panel will enable you to use your Chunks window as a playlist. Set the end times of your songs to Manual, and type in the endpoint (in the Chunks window mini-menu). Then put them in the order you want. Set Chunk Chaining for "auto-stop" and the song will play to its end, stop, and cue the next song. Then you press "go" when you're ready. (spacebar or Enter) Repeat until set is done. Boot next set, repeat.

Those are the main two "things to know" for live performance. Other tips, however, include stripping your system down to bare essentials, testing, testing, testing for reliability, and developing systems for trouble-free operation. For example, a set file will include NO soundbites or MIDI tracks that will not be in play. I sometimes comment the Chunks, so that I can read the verbal cues for when to start each particular song.

If I'm conducting live players, I use a click-track with visual and audible cues for tempo changes to enable me to properly set up the change for the humans--who tend not to follow those changes as quickly as DP does.

It doesn't take much; an upbeat, or for a drastic change, a deeply-sliced beat or two with a visible pickup cue... all of which can be easily added to DP.

The rest comes with experience. It would be hard for me to remember everything I've done in regard to live performance with DP, but I think I just hit the highlights.

Shooshie

TreyG · Post by **TreyG** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:25 pm

Thanks for the tips, I'll let you know how it goes. By the way I started doing live MIDI in 86 with the MIDI dj and then a MC500 but haven't done anything with it since 90.

MonkeyJacket · Post by **MonkeyJacket** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 12:24 pm

I'm interested in this as well, though possibly in a different way. I'm considering the possibility of trying to set something up where the situation would be as follows...

I play guitar and sing. I'd like to play live along with pre-programmed drums, bass, horn section, etc. Pretty much anything. I'm thinking I'd like to sequence this kind of stuff out with MIDI, and then play and sing along with it live. I am pretty new to all these kinds of programs. The program I am best at right now is Guitar Pro, and all of this stuff makes that look incredibly primitive. I'd like to make sure I would be able to do things such as automate tempo for certain parts of a song, change time signature in the middle of the song... I'm assuming Digital Performer can do this. I think I am best at programming stuff with piano roll, even drums, because I'm very picky and I like to be able to control each and every individual note of everything! Tedious, but worth it to me in the the end. SO...

I'm wondering how I should go about doing this. Would Digital Performer be a good program for something like this? Programming in everything on a computer, and then taking the computer and hooking it up to a PA to play along with at live gigs? I'm thinking it'd also be nice to be able to have some pretty realistic, if not as realistic as possible sounds to play along with for some songs, and then switch over to completely unrealistic electronic sounds for another song. Would I basically have to buy a bunch of plug-in's to run with a program like Digital Performer to do this? Or are there programs (such as Reason?) that would be better with "built in" sounds? I'm assuming alot of plug-in's might really slow down the computer, but I'm not sure how many it would take or how that all might work exactly.

Also, another idea I had, though I'm not even sure if it is possible. Say I had a song, and had some sort of MIDI foot pedal with some buttons on it I could stomp on... Any possible way of hooking something like that up to one of these programs, to say, trigger something of a tap tempo? Then one to start/stop? These are just ideas I'm getting... so I don't know if they are plausible or not!

Anyway, I hope that kind of paints a decently clear picture of what I'm trying to do, and if anyone has any advice on what programs/plug-in's/anything would be good for this kind of thing, or any info at all, that would be great. Thanks in advance!

MonkeyJacket · Post by **MonkeyJacket** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:15 pm

...*Bump*...

Even any sort of info at all... or where I might be able to find it... greatly appreciated.

Schweats · Post by **Schweats** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 11:46 pm

DP can do everything you can think of ••¦ and more

RE: MIDI pedal board

Yamaha MFC 1010
http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/Con ... riesDetail 0,,CNTID%253D1158%2526CTID%253D208500,00.html

Behringer FCB 1010
http://www.behringer.com/FCB1010/index.cfm?lang=ENG

MonkeyJacket · Post by **MonkeyJacket** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 11:56 pm

You have peaked my interest even more... That behringer board was actually the exact one I was thinking of. Cool... thank you for that.

Any more info about the whole... sounds, buying plug-in's, all that kind of stuff, would be great. Basically I'm thinking the main sort of line up, instrumentation wise, would be something like...

Realistic acoustic drums
Electronic Drums
Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone
Bass (electric, or synthesized)
And then just other sort of synthy keyboard leads/pads

Would I be looking to be buying a bunch of differnet plug-in's for something like this? If so, which ones are ones I should be interested in (or what brand... etc.). Thanks again!

fokof · Post by **fokof** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 7:10 am

I'm a bass player , and I use DP live as a bass Synth and to trig some samples.
I use Mach5 and MX4 mostly.

Dp is very very stable, no problem with that.

I change presets with different sequences with the "MIDI learn" in the Command window.

The only problem I'm having is latency with my bass to MIDI rig , but that's not DP related , that Physics......

MonkeyJacket · Post by **MonkeyJacket** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 3:28 pm

So you actually hook your bass up to the computer and use DP as some sort of effect...? That's awesome. Is there anywhere that anyone knows of, like an FAQ or something that I could look at that might dive into some of the questions I have or anything related? Thanks.

ozheri · Post by **ozheri** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 9:36 am

I use Reason for drums and keyboards then put those tracks into DP, I then use DP to record vocals and guitar..maybe this would work for your live setup..