hey y'all - gonna leave this here because i keep getting requests and keep forgetting to respond to them, here's how i'm wiring things up: audio: synth m8 audio out goes into audio in of drums m8, then i mix it internally on the drums m8 drums m8 audio out goes into whatever recording device i'm using MIDI: IMPORTANT BUT NOT PRESENT ON THE SCREEN: I'm using a retrokits RK-006, it handles basically all midi situations i run into rk-006 midi outs go into each m8 midi in intech studio po16 USB-C out goes into the special retrokits cable USB-A in, allowing me to send midi CC from the intech studio into the rk-006 drums m8 midi out goes into midi in A on the rk-006 - this is the master clock then make sure to set drums m8 to SEND transport and sync and synth m8 to RECEIVE transport and sync - afaik you don't need to change any settings to receive MIDI CC, but make sure that you're not accidentally creating a MIDI send/receive loop by having everything on the same channel. it's possible to set each M8 to receive on separate channels and the RK-006 to send on separate channels, so just make sure the RK-006 sends the CC on different channels for each output and you should be good leaving the Control Map setting on each M8 to "ALL" thanks for all your comments! means a lot
What kind of cable do you use for the output? Is it an 1/8" TRS to 2x TS splitting cable or do you just plug the M8s 1/8" jack into an 1/8" TRS to 1/4" TRS adapter? :o
Wow, this is a gold mine of information! Not just about using the m8s, but some really good stuff about preparing for a live performance in general. Amazing! Thank you!
I stumbled on this vid while looking for some kind of resource about how to beat wire the M8s headphone output for a mixer in a live performance but holy crap im so glad I stuck around gor the whole video even if you didnt go into your wiring in it. This is such a treasure trove of tips for live performing trance and techno, cheers man!!!
I've been doing this for years. That was one of the best explanations of EDM song structure I've ever heard. Hope you share more videos like this (and also keep up with the performance videos too). You are a natural teacher.
Really enjoyed listening to this. Articulates far better than my brain some of the DJing vs. electronic music performance thoughts that I've been trying to figure out in my head. Hope you'll continue to share your thoughts with us.
This is such a good video dude. I'm slowly working my way to structuring electronic music from learning synthesis and pattern building. Best video I've come across explaining a process like this... no over the top editing or in-lingo, no ego, it's just concise language and well communicated. Great job.
Glad you changed your mind about sharing your experience :) Been enjoying your performances on youtube, but getting to know a bit of howto I greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Came for a technical breakdown, stayed for a journey into the struggles of modern live electronic music and a path through it. Man i feel this so fcking hard
Great video! I started watching this out of interest in the M8. Didn't learn too much about the M8 (for it was not the focus, but still got me hyped for one), but learned a lot for my live techno sets!
one of best live set breakdowns i ever saw .. really thanks for sharing this, there is a lot of ideas i can translate to my own performance workflow and improve it .. thanks !
I came to see if I convinced myself to get an m8 and left with a fresh understanding of techno and live electronic that just might change my whole approach to everything
i can't get over how good the m8 sounds. not sure why its always so surprising, its like im expecting to sound like a gameboy or something. incredible overview!
@@SpaceTown wow thats so awesome. What else is there? Side chain? Saturation? Any automation capability? Subtractive Synthesis? If so you could basically master on the fly!
@@RobinJohnson you can fake a lot of it in the tracks themselves - i've done a lot of faking side chains by just stepping the velocity values of a synth part from low to high starting on the step that the kick drum starts on there's a lot of what you could call automation as well, it's just what trackers do - because everything is handled per-step you can have very finely-tuned details in a single track or phrase
love how cool the setup looks, and how small it is. i went with all outboard synths+sequencer, and struggled to make it portable... i've currently got a heavy, huge suitcase rig full of 3 synths+volca sample, controlled by an sq-64 and keystep that can't fit in the suitcase (magma xl dj case)
great, wish low volume examples where going along the instruction. good example of this is @44:28 even if its done in post and then added to original track.
Always keen to hear someone else's thoughts on live performance of electronic music... It's been interesting to see the gear evolve along with the art and see people's own take on it evolve too. We're really in a golden age I think where the interfaces are helping us to perform in interesting less linear ways. Particularly with live sequencing and melodic/harmonic content, which has always kind of been preprogrammed or the one-for-one reproduction by live key playing which kind of seemed like a waste of effort to me.
Thanks a lot for this breakdown! I have just a couple questions if you have time to look at it! - Regarding: audio, how are you routing everything? I see you have audio in connected on left M8, but how do you route everything? Right M8 into Left M8 and then audio via USB? - Regarding midi, how's everything hooked up? I'm assuming you have a usb to TRS A converter, then intech out > left M8 > right M8? Also as a bonus question, did you get the necessary cables shipped with the Intech module, or did you purchase their midi essentials pack as well? Thanks a ton!
Thank you so much for this! I have 2 questions. What’s the name of the controller in the middle? How do you have the cabling? And how do you take care of the mix? Do you sidechain the right m8 to the kick? Or do you have a lowcut there? How do you take care of kicks and bass mix? Thank you!
I love Ableton and I run all of my Elektron/Polyend/guitar/vocals through it with the Push 3, but I have come to realize that it is way way too buggy and crashes way too often. It’s the best DAW I’ve ever used when it comes to handling those crashes and minimizing any dataloss from them, but it’s unpredictable it seems and it can happen at any moment (seemingly). Like; I can set up a template or project to a point that I feel is reliable enough if I dont make any changes to devices/tracks etc. But I highly advise not loading any new devices or effects or swapping anything in the middle of an important jam or especially during a show.
Thank you thank you thank you! I am currently building a live setup with a Squarp Pyramid as my brain. But same approach regarding patterns of similar sound per column (/Track on pyramid). I really love that you shared so much about philosophy and organisation if the liveset instead of just a bunch of technical specs. Goes really deep into how you approach it all and you convinced me so hard on the M8 that I wanted to buy one right away, but seems like they‘re impossible to get… Maybe you wanna get rid of one? :D
This is an awesome breakdown. M8s be damned, every artist should watch this. I've never worked on a tracker, but I love the way this kit looks. I never thought I'd say this about a tracker, but it's downright inviting. I don't know if I want to throw that kind of money at one of these, or wait for the SP404mk2.
Hello Space Town, this is the best tutorial I have seen so far for Live Performance. Open and honest ;-) Thank you from the bottom of my heart. What I have experienced and learnt here, I have not got anywhere near until now. And the whole thing is not tailored to the M8. Absolutely great! I still have questions regarding the preparation for the performance. About the kick. You use two tracks, one for the belly and the other for the treble. As far as I understand, they are also connected, i.e. both tracks always run simultaneously. Does that mean that when you go to the next grid you take both tracks at the same time and then change the percussion bit by bit? What is the reason for this anyway? You could also create a kick directly? Furthermore, are the kicks completely processed in the DAW or do you compress them in the M8 first? Tracks 3-6 are percussion loops if I have understood correctly. Why so many? You yourself say that too much sounds muddy or are these certain types of loops that have very different characteristics? Thanks for your help and reply.
I could do with some help please, I don't undersand your explanation at 22:15: "when i want to switch between different patterns i can do so by changing the kick drum on the existing pattern and moving that down to the second row while keeping the rest of the percussion the same, so it makes for really smooth transitions and it allows me to kind of mix and match " It sounds like your editing during the performance but that's probably not right. Are you performing in live mode?
Hey man… really great video.. I literally listened to the whole thing happily and never got lost. You’re a great presenter. Hate to be a pain but could you explain how you wired it all together? Like audio, midi ,usb
Thanks so much very insightful! For lots of set ups too… I have an M8 and wondered how you connect to the midi controller as it is usb out - do you use a usb to midi converter thanks
thank you! and yes - I do use a USB MIDI host, I have the RK-006, it's a little expensive but has handled basically every MIDI situation I've thrown at it so it's been very good for me
Amazing! A nice way to effectively use our loops!!!! Could you please give us a quick example of the kick combination you operate (track 1&2) to make it Big? Thanks 🙏
so with track 1, I'll usually use a kick sample that will be the "body" of the kick, with a focus on the lower end and the tail, and it'll essentially be playing at max velocity track 2 will have a kick that's more focused on the high end to help the entire kick sound stand out in the mix, because if your kick is too low end focused it tends to just disappear when other things are happening; i'll usually also high pass filter it so that it isn't too muddy, but it depends and sometimes I'll just throw two kicks on top of each other with no filters at all if they sound good distortion is important for kicks to sound big! don't be afraid to turn the amp on the m8 up past the clipping point if you want a kick to stand out, distortion will give you a pretty easy way to do that the mix is also very important - the kicks are usually what I center the rest of the mix around, and if at any point I'm realizing that I can't hear my kick drums as well as I'd like, I take a moment to turn everything else down (either via the mixer view or within specific instruments) so that the kicks are always at the forefront hope this helps!
i also produce with big and small machines BUT the first time you mix with 2 good tchnics , good vinyl tracks of your choice . the illusion is broken . that bewing said there are live sets like christian loefler and infinity of live sets and yeah its a different performance
hi! there’s a retrokits rk-006 between the po16 and the two M8s! i’d love to be able to use the po16 without the rk-006 but unfortunately the po16 only has a usb-c out
This is such a great demonstration of your process, thank you for sharing! Hated to bump your likes past 69 but I figure it would just keep growing anyway 😉 You got a new sub from me!
On the EN016, are you able to configure the click button feature on each rotary encoder as reset position for an assigned parameter for example. Cannot figure out how to teach that click into the M8 midi mapping.
so I actually have the PO16! they're not encoders, they're pots, and on this particular model there's no click on them so unfortunately I have no firsthand experience using them I would take a look at the intech app/program on desktop to see if you can't map it onto the controller to send it to M8 so you don't have to rely on the M8 learn? that's my only potential advice, sorry I can't be of more help!
great technical explanation of techno live sets ! thank you for that. - As I am new with trackers I would have maybe a stupid question..... : normally in trackers it is always moving down the row. How do you manage to play just one row without moving ? May I guess that you instead of "putting notes in a grid" you just put 1 sample in 1 grid without "moving" down ? - This is the first time I see a tracker not moving. Cheers mate !
hey thank you! so the behavior of the patterns not moving down seems to be something unique to the m8 tracker (and LSDJ, which the m8 was based on) where if you have a gap between patterns in the same channel, instead of moving down to the next one it'll just loop back up to the top of the column of patterns. because i structure my set so that everything is one pattern long, this essentially gives me an ableton live view clip-launching session within the m8
that´s fantastic as I always was looking for an "ableton in a box" . And this seems to be "ableton in a really really small box". So other trackers like Reason for example are not able to behave like this ? I mean in the M8 tracker way ?
Brilliant video, great performance advice. I was wondering - exactly how is your hardware wired up there? If I just wanted to use a single M8 with the PO16, I think I would just need a single USB cable to connect them? Cheers fam.
unfortunately no - the M8 is not a USB MIDI host so it has no way to interpret the USB messages coming in from the PO16, which is why I'm using the Retrokits RK-006 as a USB MIDI host, it's just not pictured and I forgot to mention it :(
is the intech po 16 more suitable for the two M8 setup (with retrokits rk-006) over the intech en 16 , fighter twister ,or OMX 27 keyboard DIY ? Avilcadabra just posted an amazing video using the OMX 27 midi controller keyboard with one M8 using the 2.7 firmware beta 3 with more live features ! Absolutely love your deep explanation on how you use the two M8's for a pure live performance so goooood much thanks :)
honestly it just depends on what you’re using the controller for - the way I have things set up i don’t really need anything more complicated than the pots, but if you want to do more advanced production stuff you’ll probably want one of the other options you’ve mentioned
Out of curiosity, do you keep all of your chains the same length to help manage loop synchronization during the performance? When composing techno, I find that I often come up with more interesting polyrhythmic ideas if I allow my chain lengths to vary... However, that also makes it MUCH more difficult for me to track the timing of each chain so transitions can happen seamlessly while performing (i.e. - when the "1" of all playing loops are aligned again). Would really love to know if you have any thoughts / tips on this. Thanks so much for this *AMAZING* video. I'll definitely be implementing some of these strategies.
hey! so I definitely don't keep my chains the same length - a lot of the techno patterns that i've made that I really loved were using 6 steps or 3 steps and honestly I just let things ride out as they will. sure, the timing of the loops might not line up in a way where everything works out, but the way I perform doesn't necessarily require me to have all of the loops aligned on the 1 (and I pretty deliberately designed my loops to make sense even if they don't start on the 1 of the pattern) because I'm more relying on my percussion to structure my "songs" instead of my synths
Nice one @Space Town , just played my first M8 liveset two weeks ago. Like yourself I come from LSDJ and have put all the live patterns into the same project. But I hit a brick wall with the max amount of parameter mappings. So now I try something new by spreading different song ideas across different project files. Loading a new project will jump back to play mode, so I put a pad in and the rest of the row with emtpy 00 fill patterns. Any other ideas?
honestly when i get to the point where i'm running out of parameter mappings that's time for me to call it quits and move to a new project i didn't really go over the way i like to "release" music these days but generally it's just me working on a single combined synth/drum project for several months, jamming out with it, recording it, and then putting it away and moving to the next project so unfortunately i don't have much advice for you! sorry :(
hi! pad chords are mostly done using the macrosynth, via the wav paraphonic oscillator. the color setting there changes the chord, and there's a bunch of pre-set chords that you can use; then there's just a low pass filter on top with the cutoff controlled by a slow LFO
May I ask how hard it is to wrap your head around the M8? I've never worked with a tracker type of device, but I'm highly intrigued by it for my live shows.
hi! so I won't sugarcoat it - I think it might be pretty difficult if you haven't worked with a tracker before. it's not just that the visual interface is so much different than a modern DAW or even other groovebox-like hardware, it's also that the input interface is also completely different, so it creates a completely new paradigm for interaction if you haven't dealt with it before. I'd liken it to going from a modern mouse and keyboard GUI to a command line interface, where a lot of the things you'd take for granted in the more modern environment are just more difficult in the new environment, so it's difficult to learn completely from scratch THAT SAID! I think the dirtywave m8 is an absolute gamechanger not just in terms of the sound vs portability discussion but ALSO in the way it interacts with other instruments and within itself as well; i had used the software that Tim from dirtywave based the m8 off of for a very long time and a lot of the interface tweaks and changes from that make this device feel so so natural when you approach it from a tracker perspective. there are things like the way it interacts with MIDI controllers or the way it handles sampling that feel great, and the reason I'm making so many videos using this device is because I think one of the things that no one seems to be talking about on youtube is how good this is for live performance so yeah - you get back what you put in. is this a device that's difficult to learn? absolutely. but it is so rewarding once you do, and the learning curve coming from someone without a tracker background is probably no more difficult than learning something like the octatrack for the first time, and just as rewarding
@@SpaceTown Thanks. That is so helpful. I definitely want this for my live shows. I may have to pick one up and spend a few weekends just deep diving into it. I'll keep watching vids in the meantime.
When I watch these videos, I always wonder how people get gigs. What kind of places book this kind of cool niche electronic music and how do I get them to let me play?
How are you synchronizing the two m8s? I understand that they are both receiving midi in from the rk-006 but where is the clock originating? Can you adjust clock on the fly? Thanks for the video
the percussion M8 is actually sending the clock into the RK-006, so only one M8 is technically synchronized, but both M8s are receiving MIDI CC messages so that's why both of them need inputs from the RK-006. because of this though you can pretty easily adjust clock on the fly just by changing the tempo on the percussion M8!
yes - I forgot to mention it in the video, but I'm using an RK-006 to handle the messages between the M8s and the intech module. the m8 is a midi device but not a host so it can't interpret the messages from the intech without some sort of host in between, hence the retrokits
95% of those parts are using the internal synths - I think I might have like one or two patterns that are using samples but I prefer to build out synth sounds on my own when making synth parts
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
hey y'all - gonna leave this here because i keep getting requests and keep forgetting to respond to them, here's how i'm wiring things up:
audio:
synth m8 audio out goes into audio in of drums m8, then i mix it internally on the drums m8
drums m8 audio out goes into whatever recording device i'm using
MIDI:
IMPORTANT BUT NOT PRESENT ON THE SCREEN: I'm using a retrokits RK-006, it handles basically all midi situations i run into
rk-006 midi outs go into each m8 midi in
intech studio po16 USB-C out goes into the special retrokits cable USB-A in, allowing me to send midi CC from the intech studio into the rk-006
drums m8 midi out goes into midi in A on the rk-006 - this is the master clock
then make sure to set drums m8 to SEND transport and sync and synth m8 to RECEIVE transport and sync - afaik you don't need to change any settings to receive MIDI CC, but make sure that you're not accidentally creating a MIDI send/receive loop by having everything on the same channel. it's possible to set each M8 to receive on separate channels and the RK-006 to send on separate channels, so just make sure the RK-006 sends the CC on different channels for each output and you should be good leaving the Control Map setting on each M8 to "ALL"
thanks for all your comments! means a lot
What kind of cable do you use for the output? Is it an 1/8" TRS to 2x TS splitting cable or do you just plug the M8s 1/8" jack into an 1/8" TRS to 1/4" TRS adapter? :o
Wow, this is a gold mine of information! Not just about using the m8s, but some really good stuff about preparing for a live performance in general. Amazing! Thank you!
This is a great, well explained/reasoned breakdown, really valuable. Thanks for the shoutouts too! 🙌
I stumbled on this vid while looking for some kind of resource about how to beat wire the M8s headphone output for a mixer in a live performance but holy crap im so glad I stuck around gor the whole video even if you didnt go into your wiring in it. This is such a treasure trove of tips for live performing trance and techno, cheers man!!!
I've been doing this for years. That was one of the best explanations of EDM song structure I've ever heard. Hope you share more videos like this (and also keep up with the performance videos too). You are a natural teacher.
this is so so great, held me all the way through, please do more of these even if it's a general approach to performance.
could you maybe tell us what sample packs you use?
Really enjoyed listening to this. Articulates far better than my brain some of the DJing vs. electronic music performance thoughts that I've been trying to figure out in my head.
Hope you'll continue to share your thoughts with us.
This is such a good video dude. I'm slowly working my way to structuring electronic music from learning synthesis and pattern building. Best video I've come across explaining a process like this... no over the top editing or in-lingo, no ego, it's just concise language and well communicated. Great job.
This is a video I think I'll find myself coming back to over and over. So deep and well explained!
This is incredible. My M8 arrives on Saturday. have my eye on those intech controllers as well. Thank you for all this
Glad you changed your mind about sharing your experience :) Been enjoying your performances on youtube, but getting to know a bit of howto I greatly appreciated. Thank you!
😊
Came for a technical breakdown, stayed for a journey into the struggles of modern live electronic music and a path through it.
Man i feel this so fcking hard
Great video man, it was long but timestamps and clear topics per section really helped me.
Great video! I started watching this out of interest in the M8. Didn't learn too much about the M8 (for it was not the focus, but still got me hyped for one), but learned a lot for my live techno sets!
You’re so good at explaining music performance, my god. Don’t have a m8 but I got some really cool ideas from your video. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this with us. Fantastic video!
Awesome workflow with meaningful process and you nailed it
wow! thank you for sharing your insight, Space Town! Really enjoyable and relatable. Looking forward to seeing/hearing what happens next!
This is a very valuable essay on performing electronic music live, thanks so much for it! :-)
one of best live set breakdowns i ever saw .. really thanks for sharing this, there is a lot of ideas i can translate to my own performance workflow and improve it .. thanks !
Absolutely brilliant, thank you for taking the time to explain your process.
I came to see if I convinced myself to get an m8 and left with a fresh understanding of techno and live electronic that just might change my whole approach to everything
that's a master class of a minimal perfomance and priorities, hats off
i can't get over how good the m8 sounds. not sure why its always so surprising, its like im expecting to sound like a gameboy or something.
incredible overview!
There's probably internal compressors that are on default.
@@RobinJohnson it's not on by default but there are definitely internal compressors and they sound good
@@SpaceTown wow thats so awesome. What else is there? Side chain? Saturation? Any automation capability? Subtractive Synthesis? If so you could basically master on the fly!
@@RobinJohnson you can fake a lot of it in the tracks themselves - i've done a lot of faking side chains by just stepping the velocity values of a synth part from low to high starting on the step that the kick drum starts on
there's a lot of what you could call automation as well, it's just what trackers do - because everything is handled per-step you can have very finely-tuned details in a single track or phrase
@@SpaceTown that’s so interesting! Are you able to send out individual instruments as separate channels?
Gold! Thanks for making this. I want to get into doing sth live with my M8, but have never performed electronic music. This is a great starting point!
This man assembling the pieces of Exodia with two M8s.
Loved the "repeating a mistake" bit.
So interesting. Thank you! And your performances are stellar, so glad I found your channel!
That's what I was waiting for ... Thank you very much bro
Great advice here. You have a clear plan that makes good sense. Thanks for the inspo!
love how cool the setup looks, and how small it is. i went with all outboard synths+sequencer, and struggled to make it portable... i've currently got a heavy, huge suitcase rig full of 3 synths+volca sample, controlled by an sq-64 and keystep that can't fit in the suitcase (magma xl dj case)
What's the gear piece in the middle?
👏👏 Incredibly well done! Thanks for such a deep explanation of your workflow! So much appreciated! 😁👊
Thanks for sharing this, seriously great watch and information
great, wish low volume examples where going along the instruction. good example of this is @44:28
even if its done in post and then added to original track.
exellent thanks a lot. i didn't understood why you let a blank pattern line between drum patterns?
Always keen to hear someone else's thoughts on live performance of electronic music... It's been interesting to see the gear evolve along with the art and see people's own take on it evolve too. We're really in a golden age I think where the interfaces are helping us to perform in interesting less linear ways. Particularly with live sequencing and melodic/harmonic content, which has always kind of been preprogrammed or the one-for-one reproduction by live key playing which kind of seemed like a waste of effort to me.
This is a Masterclass! Thank you!
Thanks a lot for this breakdown!
I have just a couple questions if you have time to look at it!
- Regarding: audio, how are you routing everything? I see you have audio in connected on left M8, but how do you route everything? Right M8 into Left M8 and then audio via USB?
- Regarding midi, how's everything hooked up? I'm assuming you have a usb to TRS A converter, then intech out > left M8 > right M8? Also as a bonus question, did you get the necessary cables shipped with the Intech module, or did you purchase their midi essentials pack as well?
Thanks a ton!
Great video!! What is the midi cable routing? And do you need to use a midi usb interface?
That setup looks so goddddamn dope!
Thank you so much for this!
I have 2 questions.
What’s the name of the controller in the middle?
How do you have the cabling?
And how do you take care of the mix?
Do you sidechain the right m8 to the kick?
Or do you have a lowcut there?
How do you take care of kicks and bass mix?
Thank you!
Thanks for this video. Wondering what usb midi host/box you are running here to split out the po16 usb-c midi to the mini ports on the m8s.
I love Ableton and I run all of my Elektron/Polyend/guitar/vocals through it with the Push 3, but I have come to realize that it is way way too buggy and crashes way too often.
It’s the best DAW I’ve ever used when it comes to handling those crashes and minimizing any dataloss from them, but it’s unpredictable it seems and it can happen at any moment (seemingly). Like; I can set up a template or project to a point that I feel is reliable enough if I dont make any changes to devices/tracks etc. But I highly advise not loading any new devices or effects or swapping anything in the middle of an important jam or especially during a show.
very insightful, thanks for sharing!
that looks like a very fun setup. thanks for explaining
Thank you thank you thank you! I am currently building a live setup with a Squarp Pyramid as my brain. But same approach regarding patterns of similar sound per column (/Track on pyramid). I really love that you shared so much about philosophy and organisation if the liveset instead of just a bunch of technical specs. Goes really deep into how you approach it all and you convinced me so hard on the M8 that I wanted to buy one right away, but seems like they‘re impossible to get… Maybe you wanna get rid of one? :D
Is it M-8 or Mate? It’s 50/50 so far on what people call this thing.
This is an awesome breakdown. M8s be damned, every artist should watch this. I've never worked on a tracker, but I love the way this kit looks. I never thought I'd say this about a tracker, but it's downright inviting. I don't know if I want to throw that kind of money at one of these, or wait for the SP404mk2.
just get a headless setup, it's only $40, and you have the added benefit of using your pc keyboard as a 1.5 oct midi keyboard
@@G8tr1522 I literally just set it up today. XD
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this!
I just found your channel! So awesome . I am waiting on mine so thank you for the info ! And thank you for talking thru in the video
How do you have the intech controlling both devices?
thanks again for this video.
Could you explain a bit more on what you meant by a tonal to an atonal transition? What is an example of that
im not planning to get the M8 but your video ist very inspiritional!
Hello Space Town,
this is the best tutorial I have seen so far for Live Performance. Open and honest ;-)
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
What I have experienced and learnt here, I have not got anywhere near until now.
And the whole thing is not tailored to the M8.
Absolutely great!
I still have questions regarding the preparation for the performance.
About the kick. You use two tracks, one for the belly and the other for the treble. As far as I understand, they are also connected, i.e. both tracks always run simultaneously. Does that mean that when you go to the next grid you take both tracks at the same time and then change the percussion bit by bit? What is the reason for this anyway? You could also create a kick directly?
Furthermore, are the kicks completely processed in the DAW or do you compress them in the M8 first?
Tracks 3-6 are percussion loops if I have understood correctly.
Why so many? You yourself say that too much sounds muddy or are these certain types of loops that have very different characteristics?
Thanks for your help and reply.
Really thought provoking, thankyou
I could do with some help please, I don't undersand your explanation at 22:15:
"when i want to switch between different patterns i can do so by changing the kick drum on the existing pattern and moving that
down to the second row while keeping the rest of the percussion the same, so it makes for really smooth transitions and it allows me to kind of mix and match "
It sounds like your editing during the performance but that's probably not right.
Are you performing in live mode?
Hey man… really great video.. I literally listened to the whole thing happily and never got lost. You’re a great presenter. Hate to be a pain but could you explain how you wired it all together? Like audio, midi ,usb
see the pinned comment! i pinned it like 2 minutes ago lol
Thanks so much very insightful! For lots of set ups too… I have an M8 and wondered how you connect to the midi controller as it is usb out - do you use a usb to midi converter thanks
thank you! and yes - I do use a USB MIDI host, I have the RK-006, it's a little expensive but has handled basically every MIDI situation I've thrown at it so it's been very good for me
Well done, I found this video very interesting, even if I probably won't never play live 😅
Love the sound and the simplicity of this set up. How about adding a link to your Bandcamp stuff?
just put it in the description!
Thanks for sharing!
mindblown
Amazing! A nice way to effectively use our loops!!!! Could you please give us a quick example of the kick combination you operate (track 1&2) to make it Big? Thanks 🙏
so with track 1, I'll usually use a kick sample that will be the "body" of the kick, with a focus on the lower end and the tail, and it'll essentially be playing at max velocity
track 2 will have a kick that's more focused on the high end to help the entire kick sound stand out in the mix, because if your kick is too low end focused it tends to just disappear when other things are happening; i'll usually also high pass filter it so that it isn't too muddy, but it depends and sometimes I'll just throw two kicks on top of each other with no filters at all if they sound good
distortion is important for kicks to sound big! don't be afraid to turn the amp on the m8 up past the clipping point if you want a kick to stand out, distortion will give you a pretty easy way to do that
the mix is also very important - the kicks are usually what I center the rest of the mix around, and if at any point I'm realizing that I can't hear my kick drums as well as I'd like, I take a moment to turn everything else down (either via the mixer view or within specific instruments) so that the kicks are always at the forefront
hope this helps!
@@SpaceTown Many thanks for this very detailed answer! This is exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks again! Can’t wait to see your next video! Cheers!
I finally received my 2-pack m8s ! Can’t wait to start « programming » them :)
i also produce with big and small machines BUT the first time you mix with 2 good tchnics , good vinyl tracks of your choice . the illusion is broken . that bewing said there are live sets like christian loefler and infinity of live sets and yeah its a different performance
How do you go about mapping the PO16 to M8 parameters? Does it work standalone or do you go through a pc between them?
Thanks in advance
hi! there’s a retrokits rk-006 between the po16 and the two M8s! i’d love to be able to use the po16 without the rk-006 but unfortunately the po16 only has a usb-c out
@@SpaceTown Can you use one PO16 connected directly into one m8?
@@Number01 not without the RK-006- because the po16 only has a usb-c out you need a usb host to handle the messages sent and the m8 is not a host
@@SpaceTown Thank you very much for your answer.
This is such a great demonstration of your process, thank you for sharing! Hated to bump your likes past 69 but I figure it would just keep growing anyway 😉 You got a new sub from me!
333 now.
I bumped it to 420
Can you do live performance with just one M8?
New sub. I'm very late to the party. But, wow, what a great video! I'm all-in on Elektron boxes, but I learned a ton. Thanks.
How do you connect PO16 to the M8s
"surprise in a knowable way"...yes.
On the EN016, are you able to configure the click button feature on each rotary encoder as reset position for an assigned parameter for example. Cannot figure out how to teach that click into the M8 midi mapping.
so I actually have the PO16! they're not encoders, they're pots, and on this particular model there's no click on them so unfortunately I have no firsthand experience using them
I would take a look at the intech app/program on desktop to see if you can't map it onto the controller to send it to M8 so you don't have to rely on the M8 learn? that's my only potential advice, sorry I can't be of more help!
Great info, thanks!
Pre-ordered into oblivion and this dude has 2!!!!!!
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
But for real, neat setup, dig the set.
great technical explanation of techno live sets ! thank you for that. - As I am new with trackers I would have maybe a stupid question..... : normally in trackers it is always moving down the row. How do you manage to play just one row without moving ? May I guess that you instead of "putting notes in a grid" you just put 1 sample in 1 grid without "moving" down ? - This is the first time I see a tracker not moving. Cheers mate !
hey thank you! so the behavior of the patterns not moving down seems to be something unique to the m8 tracker (and LSDJ, which the m8 was based on) where if you have a gap between patterns in the same channel, instead of moving down to the next one it'll just loop back up to the top of the column of patterns. because i structure my set so that everything is one pattern long, this essentially gives me an ableton live view clip-launching session within the m8
that´s fantastic as I always was looking for an "ableton in a box" . And this seems to be "ableton in a really really small box". So other trackers like Reason for example are not able to behave like this ? I mean in the M8 tracker way ?
Brilliant video, great performance advice. I was wondering - exactly how is your hardware wired up there? If I just wanted to use a single M8 with the PO16, I think I would just need a single USB cable to connect them? Cheers fam.
unfortunately no - the M8 is not a USB MIDI host so it has no way to interpret the USB messages coming in from the PO16, which is why I'm using the Retrokits RK-006 as a USB MIDI host, it's just not pictured and I forgot to mention it :(
@@SpaceTown no worries, thanks for this! good to know. I've kind of wanted to get an RK-006 anyway.
We should compare notes :) This is a great breakdown. Would love to see more.
Hey man, I actually also got two M8s now, but I am not able to keep them in sync. The Clock via Midi just can‘t keep up the timing of the slave…
this setup, so sick
Are you mixing the audio externally?
Cool stuff man!
is the intech po 16 more suitable for the two M8 setup (with retrokits rk-006) over the intech en 16 , fighter twister ,or OMX 27 keyboard DIY ? Avilcadabra just posted an amazing video using the OMX 27 midi controller keyboard with one M8 using the 2.7 firmware beta 3 with more live features ! Absolutely love your deep explanation on how you use the two M8's for a pure live performance so goooood much thanks :)
honestly it just depends on what you’re using the controller for - the way I have things set up i don’t really need anything more complicated than the pots, but if you want to do more advanced production stuff you’ll probably want one of the other options you’ve mentioned
Sick run down on your process! Killer sound also
Do you use a template file?
Out of curiosity, do you keep all of your chains the same length to help manage loop synchronization during the performance? When composing techno, I find that I often come up with more interesting polyrhythmic ideas if I allow my chain lengths to vary... However, that also makes it MUCH more difficult for me to track the timing of each chain so transitions can happen seamlessly while performing (i.e. - when the "1" of all playing loops are aligned again). Would really love to know if you have any thoughts / tips on this. Thanks so much for this *AMAZING* video. I'll definitely be implementing some of these strategies.
hey! so I definitely don't keep my chains the same length - a lot of the techno patterns that i've made that I really loved were using 6 steps or 3 steps and honestly I just let things ride out as they will. sure, the timing of the loops might not line up in a way where everything works out, but the way I perform doesn't necessarily require me to have all of the loops aligned on the 1 (and I pretty deliberately designed my loops to make sense even if they don't start on the 1 of the pattern) because I'm more relying on my percussion to structure my "songs" instead of my synths
Nice one @Space Town , just played my first M8 liveset two weeks ago. Like yourself I come from LSDJ and have put all the live patterns into the same project. But I hit a brick wall with the max amount of parameter mappings. So now I try something new by spreading different song ideas across different project files. Loading a new project will jump back to play mode, so I put a pad in and the rest of the row with emtpy 00 fill patterns. Any other ideas?
honestly when i get to the point where i'm running out of parameter mappings that's time for me to call it quits and move to a new project
i didn't really go over the way i like to "release" music these days but generally it's just me working on a single combined synth/drum project for several months, jamming out with it, recording it, and then putting it away and moving to the next project
so unfortunately i don't have much advice for you! sorry :(
Excellent
Hi thnaks a lot. How did you do the pad chords please ?
hi! pad chords are mostly done using the macrosynth, via the wav paraphonic oscillator. the color setting there changes the chord, and there's a bunch of pre-set chords that you can use; then there's just a low pass filter on top with the cutoff controlled by a slow LFO
@@SpaceTown Many thanks for the detailed answer ! wonderful
What's up with the weird left m8?
It doesn't look standard like the right one.
it's a beta unit!
It's funny we have the same approach of live performing techno !!!! same midi mapping but I just composing with 1 M8 👍👍
May I ask how hard it is to wrap your head around the M8? I've never worked with a tracker type of device, but I'm highly intrigued by it for my live shows.
hi! so I won't sugarcoat it - I think it might be pretty difficult if you haven't worked with a tracker before. it's not just that the visual interface is so much different than a modern DAW or even other groovebox-like hardware, it's also that the input interface is also completely different, so it creates a completely new paradigm for interaction if you haven't dealt with it before. I'd liken it to going from a modern mouse and keyboard GUI to a command line interface, where a lot of the things you'd take for granted in the more modern environment are just more difficult in the new environment, so it's difficult to learn completely from scratch
THAT SAID! I think the dirtywave m8 is an absolute gamechanger not just in terms of the sound vs portability discussion but ALSO in the way it interacts with other instruments and within itself as well; i had used the software that Tim from dirtywave based the m8 off of for a very long time and a lot of the interface tweaks and changes from that make this device feel so so natural when you approach it from a tracker perspective. there are things like the way it interacts with MIDI controllers or the way it handles sampling that feel great, and the reason I'm making so many videos using this device is because I think one of the things that no one seems to be talking about on youtube is how good this is for live performance
so yeah - you get back what you put in. is this a device that's difficult to learn? absolutely. but it is so rewarding once you do, and the learning curve coming from someone without a tracker background is probably no more difficult than learning something like the octatrack for the first time, and just as rewarding
@@SpaceTown Thanks. That is so helpful. I definitely want this for my live shows. I may have to pick one up and spend a few weekends just deep diving into it. I'll keep watching vids in the meantime.
When I watch these videos, I always wonder how people get gigs. What kind of places book this kind of cool niche electronic music and how do I get them to let me play?
How are you synchronizing the two m8s? I understand that they are both receiving midi in from the rk-006 but where is the clock originating? Can you adjust clock on the fly? Thanks for the video
the percussion M8 is actually sending the clock into the RK-006, so only one M8 is technically synchronized, but both M8s are receiving MIDI CC messages so that's why both of them need inputs from the RK-006. because of this though you can pretty easily adjust clock on the fly just by changing the tempo on the percussion M8!
What’s the gear in the middle?
Thank you
Great vid
is the intech module plugged directly into the M8? I can't seem to get my to work connected to it. Are you using a hub of some sort?
yes - I forgot to mention it in the video, but I'm using an RK-006 to handle the messages between the M8s and the intech module. the m8 is a midi device but not a host so it can't interpret the messages from the intech without some sort of host in between, hence the retrokits
do you use some kind of midi host to connect grid po16?
yeah! it's the retrokits rk-006, it's pretty fantastic and I've used it for a while before landing on this particular setup
What that mixer in the middle of the m8s?
intech studio po16! it's hooked up via a retrokits RK-006 because the po16 only has a usb-c out, meaning I need a USB host to handle usb-c -> midi
Are the synth parts programmed in the M8 with the internal synths or are they samples from elsewhere?
95% of those parts are using the internal synths - I think I might have like one or two patterns that are using samples but I prefer to build out synth sounds on my own when making synth parts