This video is of a recent live jam. The current set up is based around a turntable and DJ mixer, but the audio is powered by one Mac Book Pro running Ableton Live, Reaktor 5 and Traktor Scratch Pro, using a Korg Zero4 as audio interface, mixer and Midi controller along with Novation’s Dicer for added control of Traktor.
Using this combination of software and hardware, we’ve ended up creating a two player instrument. It can be played by a solo player, but we’re more interested in seeing what we can create through collaboration and the dialogue between two players.
Ableton serves as a host for the finished tracks, which we mash up using a bespoke Reaktor patch, and the effects can be controlled via midi using a keyboard and nobs on the Korg Zero4. I’m manipulating an extra layer of samples using Traktor and can select cue point using the Dicer.
Previous set ups used only Reaktor to play and mash tracks. We did try earlier this year to sync Traktor with Reaktor via the Korg and it did work, but there we’re latency issues when we looped sounds in Reaktor, mainly because we were using two computers. It seems simple, deciding to just use one computer as its powerful enough for the task, but I think we we’re slow on the uptake as we had clear roles “im doing this on my mac, you do this on your mac” By using one computer, where taking those roles away and creating on two player instrument.
For a while I used an Akai LPD8 to trigger cue points, but the Dicer works much better as i don’t need to take my hand away from the turntable to use it. One issue when performing at raves was having room to set up two laptops, ith midi controllers, DJ mixer and turntables, I’m pleased we’ve managed to strip our set up back to using just a turntable and a DJ mixer at It’s core.
Tags: controllerism, Dubstep, James Kelly Turntablist, Pure Phase, Turntablism
November 8, 2011 at 12:05 pm
[...] I have also been experimenting with three deck mixing/scratching as part of Pure Phase, where two DJ’s perform together at the same time. I am looking to create a modular DJ mixer that has a range of analogue filters allowing me to [...]
November 8, 2011 at 4:42 pm
[...] have been using a Korg Zero 4 DJ mixer as my main DJ mixer for the last couple of years. It has come in really handy for midi control and use with Ableton Live and Traktor Scratch Pro, [...]