Original Message                 Date: 20-Jan-02  @  09:36 AM   -   Live techniques?

Pongoid

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I was just wondering how each of you approaches live performance. There's a lot of different ways to play to a crowd, and although I've tried a bunch of different methods myself, I'm always curious to see how others are doing it, and what we can learn from each others' methods.

Ape

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Message 21/65                 Date: 10-Mar-02  @  11:03 AM   -   RE: Live techniques?

influx

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"does anyone have any interesting/original ways of keeping the audience amused besides the wall to wall screens chemi/underworld style"

how about making the music as tight as it can be? Personally that would satisfy ME plenty

Pongoid..dammit..that armchair warrior shit just pisses me off. Partly because it hits me right in the gut..and for two reasons..ONE...I know youre right in a way. its not THAT hard to get up and do it, but ALSO because I just havent found my route to doing it yet, and...it bums me out.

its cool to hear about you guys workin this shit. Ever since I started doing this (hell, pongoid remembers ) I have wanted to go out live..and...being surrounded by folks who are always talking about "production"...it is very difficult for me to fathom being able to still sound good live. the PAs I have heard are usually WAY quieter than DJ sets...I think maybe the sound guy is worried about peaks?

SO...was wondering..is running a main buss compressor a good idea then? Maybe a limiter too? So you can say...'look...dont worry about your system...I have it covered'? is that legit? I have an RNC that I thought would work well, but thats not a full peak stop...so...

also...my plan of attack will be to have every bit sounding as good as it can comin OFF of recordings...so I take little bits and pieces and sorta just see what happens...live remix style I guess? but I figure if I get everything sounding as tight as it can individually then it will be solid when put together

one thing to learn from this. OVERTHINKING shit just doesnt get you anywhere. Without hands on experience its just spinnin tires 

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Message 22/65                 Date: 10-Mar-02  @  12:37 PM   -   RE: Live techniques?

sitar

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My friend Egrus is going to be playing live this month I think. Pongoid you met him. He was with me in that bar across the street from the Park on Mayday last year. He and I were going to do some stuff together but we just never did. We still talk about getting together, but that's as far as it goes. I'm targeting playing live someday for sure and wish I could offer something from experience doing dance sets  

Here's an idea. A break in the middle of a track...you know the power of silence at the right moment. Face to the mic and tell the one about the snail that buys a stock car, paints an "S" for snail on it, and in his first race leaves the rest of the pack in the dust. That's when the Nascar track announcer, overcome with excitement, yells "Wow! Look at that s-car-go!".

And then bring the music back in.

I'll grab my hat.

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Message 23/65                 Date: 10-Mar-02  @  08:03 PM   -   RE: Live techniques?

influx

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dont forget your coat.

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Message 24/65                 Date: 10-Mar-02  @  08:48 PM   -   RE: Live techniques?

Mindspawn

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Influx - Brother, you are oh so right about overthinking this shit. It serves no real purpose save to make you cynical, methinks....=) Thinking over stuff does let you come up with different ways of doing things, but you gotta try 'em out to see if they work, hence, it still comes down to doing it... If you ever get out to the East Coast... well, you know the offer is always there...=)

'S funny too, how the sound people generally are afraid of the live PAs driving their gear too hard... Especially since I rarely "redline" my bits the way I see so many DJs do... and no, it rarely makes a difference to tell 'em that you've got the limiting sorted on your end... least that's been my experience....

Sitar - playing live is definitely worth trying. I've tried playing DJ sets, and while I have fun, I simply do not have the same kind of energy that I do when I run a live PA set... 'S worth the trouble, even if you only do it once and decide it ain't for you... If you ever get up around the Boston area, let me know, as I'd love to hook up, talk some shop, maybe throw down and make a track or two...

Peace

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Message 25/65                 Date: 10-Mar-02  @  10:10 PM   -   RE: Live techniques?

sitar

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Yea that'd be great Mindspawn. Same for you if you be comin down to nyc. And Influx, if you ever get to the east coast, don't forget about nyc when planning your tour.

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Message 26/65                 Date: 11-Mar-02  @  02:08 PM   -   RE: Live techniques?

Pongoid

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fluxie,
I think you've run into bad soundmen. I've done it too. Yes, a good compressor on the ass end really helps. I use an RNC now, in Super-Nice for the final, and tell the guy to crank it. If he doesn't, I'll literally stop the set and say 'hey! asshole sound guy, these folks here want to hear this set. They paid to hear, not just see it.' I see the redline thing constantly. Hell, I saw a guy over here Saturday night that was so ass-headed about his mixing, every time he brought up a channel on his 1402, he'd slam it to the stop hard enough that he'd have to put his mixer back in it's place every ten seconds his he wa about to push it off the top of his rack and onto the stage. He had everything shoved into some european comp, probably a Behringer, and when his kicks came in, that was all you heard in the mix. Just squashed everythig right out. Saddest part was that the crowd loved it. Just goes to show you that most in the crowd don't understand shit about music here. That wouldn't even fly in the states. I'm afraid for what these folks might think when I play sometimes.

Sitar, please wish Egrus good luck on my behalf. Yes, you really should get out there too.

Spawn, looks like I'll be back on that side of the pond in May. Paths to cross? Who knows. Was fun just chatting last time, maybe jam this one. Any other decent gigs happening in Beantown clubwise short of Landsdowne toilets, or Mass Ave in Cambridge? Maybe it merits my attention again?

Other: Get out there!!!!


Ape

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Message 27/65                 Date: 11-Mar-02  @  11:26 PM   -   RE: Live techniques?

Mindspawn

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Pongoid - nope, not much has changed here. Landsdowne still sucks, I actually haven't been down there for something like three years now... No rush to go back either... You get the occasional good night up at Phoenix Landing, or Hibernia, or on rare occasion the Roxy... Best shows I've seen of late have been either in places like club58 in Quincy or venues like the AS220 in Providence.... So, I dunna think you been missin' much... There's some cool HipHop stuff happening here and there, an' that seems to be the latest "big thing" round here... There's a Dark Ambient/Experiemntal show down in Providence sometime this month... Outside of that it's pretty grim as usual...

If you're gonna be up this way in May, give a shout... I'm sure we could sort something devious and fun to do...

Peace

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Message 28/65                 Date: 17-Mar-02  @  03:02 PM   -   RE: Live techniques?

Pongoid

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So that's it. It's just us doing the live thing, huh? Come on kiddies, stop being wankers and armchair warriors, critics, fuckwads, idiots, shit factories, and otherwise useless locutors, and GET THE FUCK OUT THERE AND MAKE THEM ALL DANCE!!!!!!! DO IT!!! That's why this site is here. That is really the only common ground for any of us, the desire to make others dance typically through the use electronic instruments and compositions. All of this technical jargon and bullshit means absolutely fuck all nothing null zero nought if it is not presented for other people to dance to in one form or another. It's all just useless words and some electronic code. I'd like to think that K's efforts, as well as my own, and some others here amount to more than that, so get up, get on your feet. Get out there and deliver the message you have, whatever that message my be, or darken the doorstep no further with your wanna-be asses.



Ape

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Message 29/65                 Date: 17-Mar-02  @  04:33 PM   -   RE: Live techniques?

sitar

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And still somehow I don't think you and Brett would see eye to eye.   I'll be setting up right near you someday.

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Message 30/65                 Date: 17-Mar-02  @  11:21 PM   -   RE: Live techniques?

xoxos

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'someday' get up there already, you puss.

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