Re: Recording on a Powerbook

[Per Boysen <per@boysen.se>]

On 04-03-06 08.00,  "Jeff Shirkey" <jcshirke@midway.uchicago.edu> wrote:

> I really want to get into home recording using my p-book, but I also
> may want (or need) to use this stuff in a live setting, too. So... Is
> it possible to compose, make sequences, or make samples using these
> programs, and then trigger them in a live setting via MIDI? How does
> one go about doing it?


If you by "sequences" mean midi sequences, then Logic does this. It's a
feature called Touch Tracks. You simply program all your midi parts as
usual. Then you set up a Touch Tracks Instrument on one track. This
instrument "plays" the other sequences, mapped to midi notes. You might
assign a bass line to the note C3, a pad to D3, a snare drum fill to E3...
etc, etc. 

Logic Touch Tracks is a great performance tool, but it only does midi. So
you can't trig audio files with it. If you want to trig audio you have to
create patches for the built in sampler, EXS24 (because sampler patches can
be played by midi).

Another great software for audio only is Ableton Live. Here you can not
program midi sequences but for audio loops, samples and long files there's
no other software that will let you arrange on-the-fly in the same 
intuitive
way. Midi (or computer keys) are assigned to audio clips to trig them for
playback. The software will time stretch all playing audio files right away
if you change tempo. It's called "elastic audio" ;-)

Now, elastic audio is very cool and let you play the laptop just like a DJ
to crate instant live mixes. But if you want to play midi synths you have 
to
rely on plug-ins with Live. And in august Logic will the similar elastic
audio that is already implemented into Apple Garage Band. But personally I
doubt it will ever be as intuitive as Live for an audio performance tool.

Best wishes

Per Boysen
-- 
www.boysen.se
www.looproom.com