# Welcome Back, My Friends...

- Site: Analog Industries
- Author: Chris Randall
- Date: 2010-12-05
- URL: https://analogindustries.com/2010/12/welcome-back-my-friends/

A club owner I've done several shows with in the past recently contacted me, wanting to commission a single micronaut show, and (most likely due to an utter want of common sense on my part) I accepted the invitation. Long story short, I'll be performing as micronaut at Bar Sinister in Los Angeles on February 19th, pending a contract.

This is a tiny bit problematic as I haven't played a live show in several years (five, I think) and thus have no show to play. So now I need to assemble a live rig and put together a set. With that in mind, I've been pondering the issue the last couple days and I believe I have come up with a composite of gear that should do the trick.

![Welcome Back, My Friends...](https://analogindustries.com/images/blog/setup_micronaut.jpg)

This is, of course, subject to change as I actually attempt to play things. Being me, I'm tempted to do an entire performance of CP80B through H8000, with a backing band consisting entirely of CMU-800R. However, that is utterly ridiculous, on several levels that are so obvious it would be pointless to enumerate them. I believe the collection above will serve the dual purpose of providing a comprehensive sound set, yet still be anachronistic enough to be fundamentally _me_.

I'll also not mention at this juncture that I don't have either the MeeBlip or Manta yet, and I don't know if the latter is even playable, let alone able to be my sole controller when I'm used to having at the bare minimum 63 semi-weighted keys, and usually a lot more.

But anyhow, that's what I'm thinking.

## Comments (10)

**lazenbleep** (2010-12-05):

what made you choose the meeblip?

:#

**puffer** (2010-12-05):

Okay, the amount of wisdom I can offer this conversation is about nothing, as I've haven't played live since my 20s and never anything that involved electronics beyond the amps and pedals and organs. But for a while when I was thinking about putting together a live set I had what I thought was a good strategy should I ever land a gig.

I of course don't know the particulars of your municipality, but around here there are a few old industrial buildings built out for bands. These complexes have anything from small practice rooms to a performance space, PAs, equipment. Anyway, once I had the set worked out I would break down and pack up the 'rig' and rent a decent sized room and PA for 2 or 3 hours. Set it up and run through the set, really fucking loud, then break it down again. As tedious as some of it would be it seems a sensible way to gauge what was in store and potential pitfalls.

Sorry if that's a little How to Be in A Rock Band 101. Just some thoughts on how I would manage a setup that was more than plugging into an amp--without having techs and roadies to make sure that everything was working and could be loaded out quickly. So, yeah, not offering advice, just by the by thinking about playing electronic music live as someone who does music in a spare room.

Look forward to seeing this develop. Good on ya.

**Chris Randall** (2010-12-05):

@lazenbleep: no particular reason, other than it will be handy (assuming they ever ship them) and has MIDI. I'm pretty malleable that way.

@puffer: it is both far simpler and far more complex than that, but interestingly, that's a course of action I would recommend for someone that had never done it before.

-CR

**audioworld** (2010-12-05):

Well I can contribute some experience, playing "electronics" live with a 25-piece avantgarde jazz big band for some years (I have to match tuning, timing, dynamics etc on thy fly every second). I play most of my sounds from ableton live, but not DJ style, mostly Kontakt samples and Reaktor ensembles and FX plugins. I try to avoid klicking around, though, but rather control via a DIY 128 button matrix (uCapps Midibox), via a DIY Theremin (no direct sound, but pitch+volume converted to MIDI control streams). Additionally I use a Nord Modular (small keyboard), KORG Micro Keyboards+Mixers+Drumpad (MIDI only). Lately I have turned from normals audio mixers to a DJ Mixer (Ecler EVO4: great FX loops with dry/wet control!!!). And most important: Sherman filter (original) for analog sound style. NI KORE is helpful for the Reaktor Ensembles live tweaking.

http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l492/doidata/15122008224.jpg

In my experience, one can never have enough realtime knobs+footpedals for live work. Then: practice, practice, practice, and STICK to your setup and do not invent it new 2 days before the gig (but I thinky you know this only too well, chris.)

**rollmottle** (2010-12-05):

The setup looks sound. I used a similar setup when I performed as a knob twiddler. Although I didn't actually play an instrument per se, I manipulated things I had already written. Sure that might be kind of weak, but I wouldn't have been able to pull it off otherwise. Also, it looks like knob twiddling to the audience in either case. And if you're into the performance, it's a similar read.

I deconstructed my songs into loops and stems (easier said than done in my case). I would have kick, bass, other percs, pads, atmospheres, melodies, melodies 2, tick, and extra track. I used a fader and knob controller, external mixer, and external FX that I used to manipulate everything. A natural re-arrangement of the songs occurred in breaking them apart. Had to make songs faster and slow down others so transitions weren't as weird for Ableton to handle seamlessly. Also, once you had the parts, they could be mixed with the others and new shit would happen (this happens so easily and effortlessly in Ableton). I would write new pieces using elements of the tracks at hand and external synths that not only functioned as transitions between songs, but became new songs themselves.

I basically gave myself a solid framework within which I left myself pretty broad areas to improvise, extend, pull back, mute, repeat, effect, etc. What I would do differently today is to get a controller specifically to navigate Ableton's grid so I could have done away with the mouse. And get somebody to play all my guitar parts live.

**wgparham** (2010-12-05):

My only question is: Why the Korg 770?

To me it seems to be a weak choice, unless you were looking for a bit of the MS-20 sound in a piece of kit that was cheaper in case some idiot spilled beer on your rig. Either that or you choose it for the ring mod, maybe? The ring mod on the 770 is definitely one of my favorites.

Also, I notice that the setup here is completely different that the RT60 setup you talked about a while back. I like that the two projects require two distinct setups. Its interesting to see how you approach the two differently.

-William

**Chris Randall** (2010-12-05):

I'll just be using it for noises, which the 770 excels at. (In fact, it's really all it's good at.) I'm not going to be playing any blistering solos like in micronaut shows past. Those times are long gone.

-CR

**Hainbach** (2010-12-05):

This is very interesting, as I am working on a new liveact myself. I wanted to fit all gear into a single pedal flightcase (except for Macbook and Launchpad) so I can easily travel by train and be setup in 10min. After two shows my setup looks like this:

x0xb0x - Mopho - EH Memory Boy - Fireface 400

SM58 Beta - power & cables

Alesis 49 Keyboard

problems I ran into:

I incorporated the full size keyboard because I thought I might want to drop an intimate piano only number sometime. It did not fit so I sawed 1 cm off. I decided against any piano numbers after my first gig, so now I could settle for a small Akai keyboard and add more pedals, especially delays.

The Memory Boy is a bad choice for synths, because some frequencies are not delayed. If you are doing sweeps it simple drops out. I'd love to exchange that for something with more depth.

The Macbook runs Ableton with stems and some synths for tweaking, while the Launchpad user presets are programmed for track FX. The midi clock that fed the x0xb0x and the Mopho was terribly out of sync as soon I hit 30% CPU. After much gnashing of teeth and fruitless talking to Ableton support I exchanged the Echo Audiofire 4 with a Fireface. Problem solved!

For VocFX I bought NIs "The Mouth" and after much trying to love it I do not use it anymore. Its found it useful for creating synth FX with your voice when searching for sounds, but the whole vocoder and choir stuff sounds uninspiring to me. Plus it takes 20% processing power on an Intel Macbook.

I got the x0xb0x prebuilt form x0xsource and during travel 5 screws dropped out. Trying to get Phillips screws in Germany is impossible, so I used gaffer tape and some cut up wood to prevent it from falling to pieces.

Have fun perfecting your setup, Chris!

**inteliko** (2010-12-06):

Automap..dont knock it till ya tried it..simplifies to the umpteenth power..

**Chris Randall** (2010-12-06):

I've tried it, never mind having to do support for that layer of craptastic bullshit for years. Can I knock it now?

-CR