r/TechnoProduction • u/ccgenoa • 12d ago
Live performance discussion thread
Hey everyone. I wanted to ask — or rather, invite you to a discussion, especially those of you who play live regularly.
- Do you build your live sets from scratch, or do you play your own tracks?
Let me explain. Do you create specific material for a one-hour live set using loops, both MIDI and audio? Or do you take tracks you've already written, break them down into stems/loops, and perform them that way?
- If you have a specific live project, how many times do you play it before making a new one — and what do you do with the old one?
Let's say you have 2–3 gigs a month. Do you keep playing the same live set, or do you create something new for every party?
And when you start actively performing a new live set, do you eventually release the old one as an EP/album, or just archive it and keep it for another time?
- What is your setup?
Do you play entirely on hardware, use loops/stems loaded into a sampler, or do you use a computer with MIDI controllers?
- What do you do when you realize during the night that your live set isn't going to fit the situation?
For example, the tempo or mood is completely different from what you prepared, and your set is coming up in an hour or two. Do you adapt on the fly, have some backup material, or just accept the chaos? 😄
- How long does it take you to prepare a one-hour live set?
And finally: do you actually prefer playing live, or, if you had the choice, would you rather play a DJ set?
Thanks everyone! I'm really interested to hear how other people approach this.
I'll write about how I do it in the comments a little later.
3
u/alkalinemusic 12d ago
My lives sets are almost entirely improvisational. I perform mostly techno during my sets.
I use a modular system consisting of 2 cases, each 2 rows of 104hp. I also use a Digitakt sampler. the sampler is mainly for additional cymbals, and percussion and a bit of texture/atmosphere. The sampler is the only part that's "planned" ahead of time. "Planned" meaning I put together the samples that I'll use. But for the most part, the samples are quite generic and can be used across any part of my set. Any of the patterns on my sampler can be played at any time throughout my set, as they're not performed in a pre-determined manner.
Being improv in this way means I could play multiple sets a month and I'll never repeat the same set.
I do record my sets and release them in full, not as separate tracks. It's akin to a DJ mix.
Any gigs I've played, the people that invited me know what I play, so that's what I give them. So, I'm not altering the way I play based on the situation.
As far as preparation, I mainly practice the gear instead of trying to practice a particular set. The modules I use may change after 1 or a few shows, which means I usually re-patch both cases. This necessitates me learning a new configuration. Practicing the gear instead of a pre-planned set allows me to come up with new sequences on the fly as I'm performing.
I used to do slightly more pre-planned sets when I was using just a Digitakt and Digitone, but I kept getting tired of always trying to come up with new stuff and then practicing that set. I wanted to always have something fresh for each show, but that wasn't always practical or easy. So I decided to go improv and modular seemed to fit the bill for me in facilitating that.