this is the hardware ableton i’ve always dream for
the game just became real
Djing with Ableton for Breakcore / Crossbreed and the darkside nation
First Warp Your track
first you need to war your tracks to make them beatmached to the master clock. There is a lot of warping tutorial on youtube. So find one and find the way you like. I prefer to have only few warp marker. Most of the time for electronic you don’t need a lots of marker because the bpm stays the same. So disable in the preference the auto warp mode
Second create a librairy
if you play your tracks or other one you want to keep in touch with the public. I know the overrated “read the crowd” but it is true. You are a dj and you want to keep the crowd on the dancefloor moshing or dancing like mad. You want them to be lost in the bass and dancing like no one is watching them. So you must play tracks that you and the crowd like. You must adapt by playing music both you and the crowd like. So build an organised librairy in ableton to find the good track for the right time. For exemple you can make a folder called dubcore track for wooble based track and a folder called deathfloor for metal kinda crossbreed
The tips here is that you create an als(track format in ableton) of one column with multiple clips each of the same track with different starting point. this way you can go to the part of the track that you want to play. then you save it in your folder as an als. When you want to play the track you just drag and drop the als in one of your column to play the track and have you cue points ready
Third the effects and crossfader
you can use multiple effects with ableton. make your own effect rack. to keep stuff nice and clean you should use a gain with -12 db so you have headroom when you boost the track with your controller. Avoid like plague the eq 3 : it colors the signal in a very bad way. you should use this rack that is great sounding from Tarekith Download his effect racks
Fourth the controller and the soundcard
You should buy a controler (to avoid the mouse) and a soundcard( to avoid latency and have a good sound quality). You don’t need expensive gear. I sugget the akai apc 40 mkII or the novation launchpad because they have built in template but if you have more money i suggest to go with livid stuff that have better build quality
Fith the transition
You want to make transition that sound good to keep the crowd dancing. there is two kind of transitions : fade or cut.
To make a fade you go slowly on the crossfader from deck A to deck B.When you stop in the middle you switch the bass from O (deck A) and -64 ( deck B) to the opposite -64 ( Deck A and O ( deck B) then you continue to push the crossfader to the deck B. You must do it in time with the rythm. Most of the track have a 2 bar construction so follow it
to make a cut you just switch the crossfader from A to B in time fastly
Most of the time with crossbreed and breakcore you have complex rythm so you can have both layers at the same time. That’s why you will want cut.
You can make cut whith three ways
- Put the clip in trigger mode gate and press two column at the same time. it will cut one track and launch the other at the quantisation time
- Cut with the crossfader by moving it fast and in time
- Use the volum fader of two running track
Sixth the video & vjing
you must deliver a full complet experience when you do a performance. it’s all about the crowd and not about the dj. Fuck all the dj hero superstar. this is what happen on the floor that is important. adding video is a great way. i will cover it in next tutorial but there is software that link with ableton it’s VDMX http://vdmx.vidvox.net/blog/ableton-link
How to begin producing
Producing is a crucial part to have booking. If you only dj you will not have booking outside of your town
so how to begin producing ?
First you need a sequencer. You better avoid all this audio engine bullshit. that is just wrong if you search the web
So the good sequencer for you is just about your workflow. so take time to try some and make your choice
For electronic music i think the better is ableton, reason,renoise, fl studio
you need also a good soundcard to have good output, realtime audio. Any 100 euros soundcard should do the trick
you need also a good monitor. Try some but for me good for yamaha or adam if you can
You need also a headphone. I like shure and audio technica but test some and see what you like
You need also a good lots of time cause it’s time consuming and hard work
but the feeling when you have made a crazy tunage is like nothing else.
How to perform live Part 3
you another way of making live music is finger drumming
for this there is 3 solutions
Hardware mpc
Native instrument maschine
Ableton live with controller
Fexomat @ End Times [Nocturne/Toronto] 2012
1. kal – i’m gypsy
2. finnian – clowns im boot (zirkuszelt version)
3. fexomat – gypsy goodies Instrumental
4. —a milli
5. finnian – mazel v2
6. —righ right now now
7. stantekk – rabbi jacob (wan bushi rave remix)
8. wan bushi – helmut lotti and the russian dubcore band
9. exilis – dans nebunie, dans!
10. sum – donkey donk order some golf shoes
11. adreim999 – jarra de cerveza congelada
12. stantekk – hava nagila e katioucha
13. fanfare vagabontu – doina
14. dj skull vomit – swamp bitch (rotator remix)
15. weyheyhey !! – i’m your daddy
16. headlez ponch – blek and elov booshis
17. klitorix – episiotomite
18. dano – welcome to the thunderdome
19. sum – basic kick suck04different settings listen or delete
20. bryan fury & hellfish – uk scumbags
21. rotator – come get some
22. numb “n” dub – dead off
23. rottencore – a weekend in italy
24. blümchen – du und ich
25. ladyscraper – the regulator
26. —right on time
27. divtech – misanthrope
28. xeroderman – ccc rioteer
29. qebrus – – /\_\ -/_/ _\_/ –
30. die fantastischen vier – krieger (aphex twin baldhu mix)
31. dj skull vomit – antigoon (meatsweeper remix)
32. annoying ringtone – fuck you
33. headlez ponch & drunk optimus – made by our grannies
34. gizmode – booty time
35. freak like me
36. budzillus – devils polka (fexomat rmx)
37. ray keith – brutal
38. fexomat – hemotoxin
39. vik44 – hellonwhells
40. schnauz – nervous rave
41. weyheyhey !! – go fuck yourself
42. ruby my dear – the dreaming tree
43. annoying ringtone – the answer
44. schnauz – dream bit
45. prototype x – invader attack 2080 (type 00)
46. industry illusion – IV
47. dj abraxas – against all
48. p.a.l. – gelöbnis
49. rotator – shock fight fist
50. divtech – construct deconstruct
51. —feel the rhythm
52. gizmode – full on non stop carnage all the time
53. sum – the fear
54. drunk optimus – i wanna be a fuckin’ gansta
55. sum – kreator
56. fexomat – moldavia moshpit
57. fexomat and sum – barfight
58. fexomat and sum – golden days remix
59. fexomat and sum – 2 much beer makes me gypsy
Satanical Bots Ritual (the webzine of the darkside nation) 