Blog - LiveKeyboardist

01Sep 2020 by Brett Pontecorvo

Gig Performer 3 Review

If you read no other part of this article, know that you must seriously consider Gig Performer as your live performance software alongside Ableton and Mainstage. It may or may not be right for you, but it would be foolish to overlook the possibility given its tremendous power and flexibility. Gig performer 3 is software designed specifically for live performance. It is not a fully functioning DAW and it comes with no built-in sounds. Despite this alarming and bold choice, this software is a serious contender on the list of the best software to use for Live Performance. You can book a private coaching to get up and running with Gig Performer, Ableton, or Mainstage here How Gig Performer Works Gig performer is set up to work in three different…

19Aug 2020 by Brett Pontecorvo

Best Live Performance Software? (Mainstage Vs. Ableton)

1Creating A Keyboard Set Up, Blog

Mainstage and Ableton have both earned their rightful place as the go-to performance software for playing live. Neither software is perfect, and although I believe Ableton is the superior piece of software for playing keyboard live, there are use cases for Mainstage, and so if you are trying to decide between the two, you must carefully consider your needs and the pros and cons of each. Today, we are going to breakdown where each piece of software really shines, and some of the pitfalls of each. Surface Level Differences Price Point: Ableton has three price tiers starting at $99 doing all the way up to $740, while Mainstage is humbly priced at $30Ableton is a fully functioning DAW, while Mainstage Is really meant more for live performance.Mainstage is a lot…

11Aug 2020 by Brett Pontecorvo

How to Map 3rd Party VSTs In Ableton Live

Blog

Although Ableton has an extensive library of synths and audio effects, there will surely come a time where you want to use some third party devices. Many times, there devices are more specialized than what Ableton provides, and while I believe Ableton's native devices are exceptional, there are occasions where it makes sense to use an outside source to acquire something either of higher quality, or with a more streamlined workflow. In the case that you are using something outside of the native tool box, you will want a way to control parameters easily without needing to open a pop out window. Accessing The "Configure" Button Once a third-party VST is loaded in, you will need to configure which parameters you want to control. You can do this by: Pressing…

29Jul 2020 by Brett Pontecorvo

Serum Vs. Massive (Which One Is Right For You?)

1Sound Design, Blog

Choosing a third party VST can be a tough decision, but the good news is, in the case of Serum VS. Massive there isn't really a wrong answer. Determining which one to purchase depends on what is important to you. Each synth excels in its own areas. Let's have a look at each one. Situation Summary Both Serum and Massive are wavetable synthesizers, but Serum allows you to load in your own wavetables or convert audio files to wavetable; a feature that Massive doesn't allow. On the other hand, Massive comes with 1300 presets while Serum comes with only 499. Luckily, both synths allow 3rd party presets to be loaded in to supplement. They have similar enough prize points, that the cost shouldn't be much of a deciding factor. Massive…

30Jun 2020 by Brett Pontecorvo

3 Ways To Transform Audio to Midi in Ableton Live

1Switching From Mainstage To Ableton, 1UsingAbleton, Blog, Transition Essentials

In today's post, I am going to show you three ways you can transform Midi into audio in Ableton live. Method 1: Resampling In Ableton, you can capture audio from any track you would like, and record it. Making use of that ability, we can record the output of a single track to a new track. Then if it is too our liking, we can delete the original. Step 1: Create A New Audio Track This can be done quickly by pressing Command-T Step 2: Set the Audio from, to receive audio from the track you wish to bounce in place ( Transform Audio to Midi). Step 3: Record the audio into your newly created track by record enabling that track, and pressing record. If the audio is to your liking,…

23Jun 2020 by Brett Pontecorvo

5 Ways To Work Faster In Ableton Live

1UsingAbleton, Blog, Uncategorized

Eliminate Distractions How many times do we sit down to start doing something only to pause to check a text, scroll facebook, or answer an e-mail. If you're like me, way too much. One easy way to speed up your workflow in Ableton live is to simply eliminate distractions. Turn off your phone, disconnect from WiFi, and get to work. There's a great article called The “Myth” of Media Multitasking: Reciprocal Dynamics of Media Multitasking, Personal Needs, and Gratifications, 2012 that gives us some science-backed evidence that distractions are one of the biggest ways we are slowed down. The increasing popularity of media multitasking is frequently reported in national surveys while laboratory research consistently confirms that multitasking impairs task performance.Zheng Wang Start From A Template You can quickly create a…

16Jun 2020 by Brett Pontecorvo

5 Best Keys Presets In Arturia Pigments

1Sound Design, Blog

Arturia Pigments comes with great preset sounds, so many in fact that it can be overwheming to find one that works for you! These are the 5 best keys presets that come with Arturia Pigments (In my opinion) It was really hard to narrow my list down to just 5, so at the bottom of the post, I will like my original list which was 25 presets long! JPP30000 This is a fantastic punchy synth stab preset. It stands out because it can be easily turned into a thick melodic lead sound. In addition, the timbre knob creates more of a pad like vibe without loosing the initial attack of the synth, creating the illusion that you are playing two separate sounds. Plucky Stab A percussive pluck sound, with just…

09Jun 2020 by Brett Pontecorvo

How To Create Multiple Default Sets In Ableton Live

1UsingAbleton, Blog, Uncategorized

There are two types of default sets in Ableton live; today's post will show you how to create both types. Template sets in Ableton allow you to start a project already having all your sounds and settings loaded in automatically, with the added benefit of displaying the name "untitled" allowing you to easily save the set as anything you want, and in any location. How to save your current set to automatically open each time Ableton is Launched Open Ableton Preferences, Choose the File/Folder tab, and then click "save current Set as Default" Creating Multiple Template Files Create a folder titled "Templates" in your user library. (This can be done quickly by right mouse clicking in your user library and choosing "new folder".) Save as many Ableton live sets to…

02Jun 2020 by Brett Pontecorvo

11 Best Ableton Keyboard Shortcuts (For Mac)

1UsingAbleton, Blog

Working efficiently in Ableton means having a handle on the best keyboard shortcuts. Using them efficiently will speed up your productivity beyond measure, and keep you focused on what its all about, making music. Tab Using this keyboard shortcut will allow you to switch between session view and arrangement view Command-Option-B This shortcut will show and hide the browser on the left hand side of the screen. Allowing you to quickly drag what you need into your Ableton set, and then, using the same shortcut, hide the browser so more of your screen is available to work with. Command - F Command F allows you to search your Ableton library to quickly pull in devices, clips, or samples, mouse free. Arrows Keys Navigate across the screen using your keyboard arrows.…

26May 2020 by Brett Pontecorvo

The 4 Steps To Midi Map Any Controller In Ableton

1Creating A Keyboard Set Up, 1UsingAbleton, Blog

In this video, I break down the four simple steps to Midi mapping any controller in Ableton live. What You Need In order to map a controller in Ableton, you will need the following things Ableton liveAll versions of Ableton Live will workA midi controller or KeyboardMy favorite keyboard is the Keylab 88My favorite controller is the Novation Launch Control XLUSB or MIDI connectionConnecting directly to your computer will work fine, but if you are like me and need to connect many devices, I highly recommend the USB hub made by Anker Step 1 (open settings) The fastest way to do this is to use the shortcut Command - ,You can also choose Live → Preferences Step 2 (set up midi preferences) In order for your controller work, we need…

Category: Blog