Sessin Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Hey guys, I have a little question to this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BwidDU-sgM. Ben talked about the computer which controls the "effects" from Brad's guitar sound, like distortion, echo, clean or what ever. I can't understand the name of the program and how this stuff works. So, is there a timer for every song and Brad starts the timer by playing the first note of a song or how is this all working so fine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPMaskMan Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 it's all automated in Ableton Live. Ableton sends midi signals to the devices to change their presets when a song starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sessin Posted December 25, 2014 Author Share Posted December 25, 2014 Thanks for the information, especially for the name that I couldn't understand! So, this also a reason why the band cannot change their setlist "randomly" during a show, isn't it? Ableton only knows the correct order for a selist which is programmed before a show starts and live changes during the set would be "difficult" right? But how is Ableton able to know, when the presets have to be change, for example during a song from clean to tremolo or whatever? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astat Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 There's a lot to explain here...The Ableton Live setup isn't just limited to the guitar rigs. The entire audio portion of Linkin Park's live show runs off of an Ableton Live "brain." All of the changes in audio information that take place before the PA system (Mike and Brad's Axe FX patches, Mike's keyboard sounds, etc.) are done automatically in the Ableton Live program during the show. They also have various manually-operated controllers that the crew can use to control these things in the event that the computer running Ableton Live goes down (Brad's old MIDI switching board that Benjamin shows in the video, for example). There are more songs programmed into Ableton Live than what's in the setlist, so they CAN, in theory, change things on the fly, they'd just have to manually select different songs on the computer during the show instead of letting it move from song to song automatically (the same thing takes place in the event of them having to drop songs). On Brad's rig, his effects changes for each song are programmed into the Fractal Audio Axe-FX II, which is triggered in real time by Ableton Live. Brad doesn't actually have to do anything other than play the parts, with the exception of the guitar solo on Waiting for the End, where he still uses an expression pedal for the octave sweep effect.The software is always running throughout the show. The songs are actually "started" by their monitor engineer Tater from offstage. The band member who plays/cues the first "live instrument" part of the song looks off stage before the song starts and cues Tater to start the click track and/or backing track for the next song, which they hear in their in-ear monitors, so they always start the song on the same beat, which allows the things triggered by Ableton Live to happen at the same point in every song every night. The newest versions of Ableton Live also have really advanced real-time adjustability built into them, which allows them do things like extend the solo on What I've Done by different lengths, mess around with Bleed it Out, etc. without the program and the band getting "out of sync" with each other. This also allows them to do tempo changes mid-song a lot easier, which we've seen with things like the Blackout>Papercut and Runaway>Wastelands transitions, as well as the way Castle of Glass Experience speeds up during the first chorus. But yeah, each song is "mapped out" in Ableton Live, so once the click track starts in the band's ears, all of the changes that happen for the rest of the song are already in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPMaskMan Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 (edited) That's true. Ableton controls the show. That's why Mike has a big computer screen, keyboard and mouse on his synth stand. Edited December 26, 2014 by LPMaskMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sessin Posted December 26, 2014 Author Share Posted December 26, 2014 (edited) Thanks Astat for this nice description. Now things are getting clear, more and more. I also noticed the pedal of the guitar solo on Waiting for the End is the only "extra" equip for Brad on stage during a show. I will experiment some things with Ableton Live, a Line 6 POD in combination with a pedal and see if I'm able to "emulate" something similar. EDIT: So, after a long research I came up to this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHp30S7tzgs, and I think this is all the magic, which happens during the show right? Edited December 27, 2014 by Sessin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPMaskMan Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 (edited) I think not. No audio routed in Live, just MIDI to control the external devices. Edited December 27, 2014 by LPMaskMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sessin Posted December 27, 2014 Author Share Posted December 27, 2014 Hm..., I thought the video shows the "midi track" and the guy only use the different drum sets to "simulate" a real drum for different songs and by hitting the snare or whatever the midi controller sends the signal to Ableton Live and it will change the effect. BTW: I love it to experiment with those things, because when I see something like this and I don't know how it works, I will research and do trial and error till I got it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPMaskMan Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 A photo gallery posted on the forum in this summer at LPU Summit Carnivores Tour which contained pics of equipment. A photo showed a computer screen running Live. Where the automated paramaters can clearly seen. I couldn't find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyleronlplive Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Have there been any instances for as long as they have been using Ableton Live where the preset for one song was not switched because the band had dropped or suddenly played a different song? Like if they inserted APFMH into the set at the last minute when they were supposed to be set up to play WID next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wark Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 A photo gallery posted on the forum in this summer at LPU Summit Carnivores Tour which contained pics of equipment. A photo showed a computer screen running Live. Where the automated paramaters can clearly seen. I couldn't find it. Here you go. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vs0g0zh6d3avhl9/AADEf6r6uGQtEzmfizCbwNkla?dl=0#/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sessin Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) Thank you guys! I think this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEsA-CyljS8, shows the correct way, Axe FX was the "thing" I missed! Edited December 28, 2014 by Sessin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astat Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Have there been any instances for as long as they have been using Ableton Live where the preset for one song was not switched because the band had dropped or suddenly played a different song? Like if they inserted APFMH into the set at the last minute when they were supposed to be set up to play WID next. Not sure if that's ever happened, but I'm sure the Ableton Live automation is largely to blame for the increase in "false starts" with songs over the past few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPMaskMan Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Thank you guys! I think this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEsA-CyljS8, shows the correct way, Axe FX was the "thing" I missed! Program change messages do the magic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sessin Posted January 16, 2015 Author Share Posted January 16, 2015 So, finally I got it! I connect my POD 2.0 with an M-Audio USB Uno 1×1 Midi Interface to the PC and use Reaper (http://www.reaper.fm/) to send the Midi signals. Watching this video ( ) show how it goes. Now I can "rock" like Brad and don't have to watch out for the presets! Thank you guys for making this possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sessin Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Well, so far so good. Now I come the point to create a midi track for Guilty all the Same and I think you guys know what I've to check out next! Astat called it "gradual EQ sweep" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF_xEucEGyI&feature=youtu.be&t=2m4s). I know it is "not possible" to get exactly the same effect, but this effect is not possible by change a preset midi controlled only, because it's gradual. So one case would be to create tons of signals and different presets, but that doesn't make sense at all. I have to create this effect by software on pc side or get another gadget, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanekZech Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Well, so far so good. Now I come the point to create a midi track for Guilty all the Same and I think you guys know what I've to check out next! Astat called it "gradual EQ sweep" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF_xEucEGyI&feature=youtu.be&t=2m4s). I know it is "not possible" to get exactly the same effect, but this effect is not possible by change a preset midi controlled only, because it's gradual. So one case would be to create tons of signals and different presets, but that doesn't make sense at all. I have to create this effect by software on pc side or get another gadget, correct? Just use software. Does your DAW have an Auto Filter? If that's the case, put one on your guitar's audio track in your DAW. In the case of GATS, use a lowpass filter and automate the frequency so you get the sweep effect while you're playing. If you don't have an Auto Filter, use a normal equalizer in lowpass mode and automate the frequency of one of the EQ's nodes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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