Re: Hardware+software newbie questions: help with music setup

[Nick <ParadoxQuine@gmail.com>]

Thanks for all the advice Per, it sounds like my goals are more realistic than I thought :)

One thing I've been wondering is: I love manipulating audio with the kaoss pad, but there are two things I'd really like to do: 1) manipulate only PART of the incoming signal (ie the vocals, the bass, etc). I know a lot of the effects can target a frequency range, but would it be possible for me to send the audio to some kind of mixer, which would then send a signal to the kaoss and another to my speakers, and would also let me only send a certain frequency range to the kaoss pad at a time? 2) is there any way I can get the audio out from the kaoss into my computer and then, somehow, to my speakers (I'd assume i'd set the kaoss pad to send, resulting in the speakers playing the original track + kaoss effected track just like my current comp->pad->speaker setup). That way I could process sound via the pad but still record it via ableton live so I wouldn't have to buy a $1k+ hardware looper.

If it's not possible to do 2) up there, and I can't get audio from my kaoss back into my comp to be looped, what is a good hardware looper to look at?

Also, any recommendations on firewire audio boxes? I'd prefer inexpensive, but I'll wait until I can afford a $1k one if that's the only way to ensure insanely small lag and drift (I'm very particular about everything being perfectly on time).

Lastly (sorry if my email is too long!), are there any other devices out there for effects/sound manipulation that are similar to a kaoss pad? I would really like to stack effects (I think two would be plenty though) but the x-y touch pad is, for certain, the most natural way to manipulate sound for me. So, be it another kaoss pad (if that's actually useful) or something totally different, I'd love to hear of anything else that fits my style.

Thanks again!
Quine

On Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 1:38 AM, Per Boysen <perboysen@gmail.com> wrote:

On Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 9:05 AM, Nick <ParadoxQuine@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey everyone,
>
> I'm new to the list. I have been into music for ages but never had the money
> to get any equipment so my Evolution MK-461C and a stolen copy of Reason 3
> were my only tools until I got into college and got a job :P Anyways, now I
> use reason 4 (legally) and my same keyboard and I recently bought a Kaoss
> Pad. I'd really like to get a setup that would allow me to do the following
> (in the long term order I wish to be able to do them):
>
> - DJ with bpm syncing for smooth song transitions and do effects using my
> kaoss pad, eventually leading to mashup DJing
> - I'd like to turn the songs I DJ into new tracks on the fly using looping
> techniques and incorporate some of my own sounds via reason (possibly
> rewired to ableton Live if that's a good idea, I'm currently trialing Live).
> - Eventually, I'd like to create completely original
> drum'n'bass/breakbeat/electronica music as a live looper (and then come to
> the santa cruz live looping festival, where I first saw looping, and where
> I'm from :)
>
> I don't have a huge budget right now but I'm working so if there is
> something I definitely need to purchase, I can work towards earning it soon.
> I'd like to know what software and hardware you think I should get and plan
> to get in order to achieve those three things, with the eventual completely
> original live composing goal as by far the most important one. I prefer
> doing effects via the kaoss pad by far because I enjoy using hardware more
> than software, and so I'm also wondering if it might be a good idea just to
> get a second kaoss pad [thus giving me 8 loops and allowing me to stack
> effects]?
>
> Thanks in advance!
> - Quine

Ableton Live with Reason 4 ReWired seems to meet all your needs. You
may also expand into running looping plug-ins inside Live
(SooperLooper, Augustus Loop and the soon to come virtual EDP and
Mobius). All those looping plug-ins are different, so you should check
them out to find which of them will work best for you. As for control
surface hardware you can use anything that sends out MIDI. You also
need a good audio interface hardware and I suggest a firewire
connected box because you won't need an extra power adapter with the
Macs. Firewire has the advantage to USB2 that its streaming capability
doesn't flicker while other tasks are maintained on the computer
(might be dood when DJ-ing).

--
Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
www.looproom.com (international)
www.myspace.com/perboysen
www.stockholm-athens.com