Tour of My Live Setup

Hello, I'm Mike Burnett, an Ableton certified trainer here at Music Gurus. In this lesson, I'll give you a tour of my live setup, explaining the various components, their connections, and how they work within the Ableton Live software for my performances.

Overview of the Setup

Laptop

• Laptop: The essential piece of equipment for running Ableton Live.
  • It's dedicated solely to the software.
  • All effects and devices used during the performance are hosted within this software.

Controllers

Ableton Push

• Ableton Push:
  • This is Ableton's live instrument, used primarily for launching clips.
  • Clips are pieces of information (audio or MIDI) that I've created. They are visualized in a colored matrix, representing various elements to play during the performance.

Vestax VCM 600

• Mixing Console:
  • This is the Vestax VCM 600, a controller, not an audio mixer.
  • Chosen for its strong build quality and a good selection of controls (faders, knobs, buttons).
  • Allows me to control many aspects of my setup from one device.

Drum Machines

Roland TR505

• Roland TR505:
  • An older drum machine known for its distinctive sound.
  • Features:
    • 12-bit PCM-based, resulting in crispy sounds.
    • Ideal for cutting through a layered mix.

Korg Volca Beats

• Korg Volca Beats:
  • An economical, hybrid drum machine (part analog, part digital).
  • Key Feature:
    • Analog kick drum circuit great for generating bass tones and driving low end in my set.

Electron Analog Rytm

• Electron Analog Rytm:
  • A modern drum machine that integrates analog and digital sounds.
  • Advantages:
    • More versatile than the other two, but can complicate live performance.
    • Typically handles simple auxiliary parts (high hats, snares) during the performance.

Synthesizer

Nord Rack

• Nord Rack:
  • A digital synthesizer with analog modeling.
  • Choice Reason:
    • Distinctive sounds that add texture and clarity to the performance, especially when layering different sounds.

Supporting Equipment

• Sound Card:
  • Facilitates audio and signal input/output to and from the computer.
• USB Hub:
  • Provides additional USB ports beyond those available on the laptop.
• eMagic MT4:
  • A MIDI breakout box, offering more channels of MIDI to send to external devices.

This summarizes the main components of my live setup. I have two controllers managing the software and four sound modules generating the actual audio. The supporting equipment ensures seamless performance and connectivity. Thank you for joining me on this tour!