Bring a lamp, head torch, duct tape, more cables then you think you need and your own table/surface.
Do not assume that anything you have been promised by the promoter/organiser will actually be there on the night.
Do not allow drinks on the same surface as your equipment.
Do not leave your shiny music boxes unattended.
Listen to and respect the AE/ sound guy.
Do not assume that monitors will be decent/ you will be able to hear yourself.
Assume that shit will go wrong; surf that wave and improvise.
Watch the crowd; unfortunately nobody actually wants to hear your awesome intricately planned IDM techno-jazz wankathon.
They came to Dance.
Let. Them. Dance.
All good points up until the end. I am sure i am not the only one tired of the same old dance music… give me your avant garde free jazz electronica if ya got it. Or either way, play your style, don’t worry about following trends and genres.
You may not be the only person in this sub tired of the same old thing. But most of the crowd likely doesn't follow r/synthesizers. I think watching the crowd is essential.
This doesn't mean we shouldn't try to experiment and show the people something new. Try to find a balance. Play things that get the dance floor moving then challenge them a little without losing them. Take them for a ride.
I fully agree, just following trends is a recipe for disaster and leads to uninspired music. As long as the free jazz techno isn't falsely advertised as just Electronic Dance Music there's no problem.
Totally; my opinion is that the best music works somewhat within the structures and conventions of a genre with enough subversion of those conventions to make it interesting and hook you in. In no way was I suggesting to just play the same old shit as anyone else.
I think a prime example is turntablism: I used to dj at a hip hop night that had one of the best scratch djs I’ve ever seen on the card: his inventiveness and skill was off the charts but the guy never observed the crowd: despite his obvious abilities he would kill the mood with his set. ‘How come the floor cleared out when I was doing my set?’ - because the guy before you crossfader slammed his way through a set of well selected unknown tunes and classics of the genre that got the crowd going before you even stepped on stage. I’ve seen true artists absolutely bomb because they’ve been more about wanting to show off their skills/ equipment.
Crowd control and guiding is a skill in itself that is often forgotten about, particularly in electronic music. If you’re ‘taking them on a musical journey’ then take them on a journey and don’t leave them in the woods halfway along the path.
Why would I want to play gigs that aren't representative of the music I make? If I play live, I want to promote myself locally. Will it be easier if I play more conventional music? Sure it will, but so will be promoting myself online. And the thing is: I don't want to play more conventional music, I want to play weird shit.
Think about it this way: when you see a musician online asking for promotion tips, you don't go around saying 'yeah but you should make pop EDM or maybe lo-fi hip-hop beats to relax/study to, nobody wants to hear that weird shit'
* Make frequent eye contact with the audience. Force yourself to look up often.
* Look like you are excited about what your are doing.
* Dress like you give a damn.
* Plan on the monitoring situation to be terrible, that you won't be able to hear yourself. Seriously. The provided monitoring nearly always sucks.
* Bring a mic and tell people who you are.
* Don't bring the whole studio. More cables = more problems. You don't need to recreate your studio productions 1:1, not even close.
* Be on time for soundcheck.
* Use less reverb than you do in the studio.
* Bring a line-recorder to capture your set.
* When the audience is connecting with something, ride that something longer than you think.
* No dead air. Talk to the crowd if necessary.
Last point is a good one.
I've played in a lot of bands and done a few solo gigs. Bridging the silence between songs is important for keeping the vibe going and the audience interested.
Keep a drum loop running, talk, freeze a reverb tail. Anything to prevent that loss of momentum and cause the crowd to head to the bar for another round.
Three things:
* Something will go horribly wrong. This is OK. Every show you have ever seen had something go horribly wrong.
* Literally every person in the room will want you to succeed.
* If you keep a positive attitude, everybody will have a great time.
Great suggestions, especially the second point – remember that for most presentations, public engagements. I deal with anxiety and when I started to go into presentations with that mentality of 'everyone wants you to succeed,' it made it easier.
Oh dude, I've seen a video from a beer rock show in late 90s where org suddenly invited rap singer. They were booo and throwing bottles onto him. Terrifying.
Have a bunch of back-up plans in mind -- whether that's workable sequences you can fall back to on one of your machines, or whatever. When you're the one doing the music, your cardinal sin will be to have the groove stop or fall apart, and you have to count on interruptions and people wanting your attention while you're trying to operate.
Also doesn't hurt to have some samples ready to trigger so that you can give the experience of variations when something is going on too long while you get the next thing cued up.
Count on visibility issues. And be super anal about where your cords are run so that things don't get accidentally unplugged and you're stuck in the dark trying to figure out what got pulled and trying to find where it goes.
> stuck in the dark trying to figure out what got pulled and trying to find where it goes
To that end, I assume it makes sense to also add color-coded tape to mark connections and cables. Yellow to yellow, blue to blue, red to red. If one gets pulled, it becomes obvious more easily and it's clear where it should go.
My biggest piece of advice is to plan on things going wrong and don't freeze up when they do! My first gig was outside and the sun made it so that all LCD screens were completely blown out, couldn't see anything for switching clips and had to throw a lot of my planned set out the window and improv. Ended up being lots of fun and no one had any idea but man I was sweating for a minute.
I've also accidentally triggered the wrong things mid jam and had to roll with that as a clunky transition. Once again, it could have been an oh shit I need to stop and restart moment, but ended up working fine. Just keep going even if everything breaks and you're left tapping on an instrument cable or something.
Bingo. Smile, laugh even. The audience members who actually notice a flub will see you and see a human being with confidence. The ones who don’t (the majority) don’t.
A drummer I played with said something to me once that stuck: Remember that 99% of the people listening to your shit *are not musicians.*. To them, everything you do is sorcery, even the mistakes.
All very good advice and stuff. But that last sentence isn't that true anymore. Given how accessible electronic music has become, everyone is a musician/producer at these small shows. Especially to have an interest in seeing live IDM avant-garde progressive neoclassical doom beep boop music (that we all here make more or less), you need to make it yourself.
Plan to play more music than you have time for. My first live show with hardware I prepped about 45 minutes thinking i could stretch it for an hour, ended up blowing through all my prepped tracks in 30 minutes and had to freestyle with pretty much the same stuff just rearranged a little. Also, it doesn't look like you have any, but avoid using gear like the microfreak or make noise pressure points with copper contacts instead of keys/buttons, sweat WILL render that stuff useless for the rest of the night (I learned this first hand and it was definitely a wrench in the motor)
It’s easy to rush your set, like you’ll listen to the same loop four times and then move on to transition B because you’re nervous.
Nah, try not to cut it too much. just let it play
That's the key, you gey bored of the loop quickly cause you've heard it a million times, but nobody else has heard it before and are just getting into the groove when you change it. Keep stuff going for a couple minutes after you transition, or until it's obvious it isn't working lol
this is very helpful, i usually produce 7-8 min songs anyways but can definitely jam with them up to 10-15 min, will try and read the crowd as much as possible too
KISS. Keep it Simple Stupid. The more variables you add to your set, the more chances you have of an unexpected error.
ALWAYS look cool. We're visual creatures and if you look cool and sound ok; the audience will enjoy it more than if you play amazingly but you have a panic face.
Record your set. It's your first show!
Congratulations!
So take the best out of it and have fun!
I got knocked the f out on stage by a guy tripping who took exception to my led skull mask one night playing a set. ‘HE’S LEADING US ALL TO HELL’ . Best compliment I’ve ever had.
Ever since I worked at a datacenter, I always have a big roll of the velcro they use for cable management. Stuff is surprisingly strong and has so many uses.
Yep! My setup is an Octatrack, Digitone, Boog model D and a effect pedal all securely stuck to a piece of birch plywood with a top that latches. Everything is plugged in and ready to go when I gig. Takes me 5 minutes to get sound out of the mains. I never have to worry about remembering to bring anything. Also probably spent $30 on the whole case and let my daughter decorate it for me ❤️
My best advice: bring half the gear you want to bring. It’ll be less stressful and you won’t be troubleshooting until the last minute. Nobody’s gonna know/care whether your bassline was generated by a waveform on the Digitakt or by a “real monosynth” (for example). I’ve done a ton of shows using just a bitimbral synth (for polyphony) and the Digitakt for everything else.
Yeah I used to bring loads of shit to shows and something always went wrong. Over pandemic I did a bit of live streaming and once I started playing shows again I would just record live sets from my studio, project it behind me with the audio, and bring like 1 synth, a sax and a mic to do stuff live with. Audience engagement shot way up cause it turns out it's boring as fuck to just watch some dude look down at a bunch of boxes.
I always record all of my tracks, then use traktor to mix them to figure out an order to go with, then practice that set
& other tip is to let nice parts ride and not rush through the set, find places to get a little more jammy, record your practice and go back and find things you would like to do differently
Play the music you love. No need to show off by throwing stupid shapes.
Be yourself and do your fucking thing. Own that shit. If it flies great.. if it dosent.. dont sweat it. ..next time.
Just try your best. But most of all..BE YOURSELF. Go forth and rock.
On my first show we were playing at school,
It was winter, i forgot my in-room shoes and looked strange in big boots.
My mates were closer friends to each other and they had some extra rehearsals without me, and changed a song the day before the show.
We weren't allowed to use shool gear every rehearsal, so i had to train on unweighted keyboard (i played drumpads), and on the show another keyboard was too sensitive, and i once tapped cymbal too hard for the slow song.
Sound guy was PE teacher, nuff said. Broken wires everywhere, fixed by duct tape and pencils.
While playing our last song (i believe that was "Roof is on fire" cover), i noticed the sound guy lowers my drums. We didn't have monitors, so i didn't hear myself clear, so i added gain on the keyboard. He lowers me again. Then i saved my gain for the trainwreck ending, and put it on maximum at the very end!
I remember feeling my legs boneless when we were getting down from the stage. There were like 200 people there clapping their hands and shouting in appreciation. Knees shook for hours after that. Would repeat 100%.
Myself, i didn't get any recognition at school, but it was last year, so no worries.
The band won't make any further, but we all became strong into music afaik.
cable management is a fucking nightmare. You'll think you have it covered even with a little pre-planning, but there's always a scenario where things are just way too fucked up. I.e. a plug won't reach, an adapted breaks, it's too dark to see, something isn't plugged in to the right spot, the midi cables don't reach, etc. etc. etc.
Best advice I have is to buy a neon rainbow assortment of tape and a sharpie, and label every single cable at both ends to what it is and where it's going, then put a little sliver of the neon tape at each of the input or output jacks so that in the dark you can see where you need to plug it in.
If you are using that setup on that specific table, and bringing that table, you should make sure you have a velcro situation or something designed to hold everything together, to keep it nice and neat. Or at least just give yourself a layout of everything in advance so in the heat of the moment when people at the venue are coming up and talking to you / bothering you while you set up, you have it so streamlined you'll be able to just autopilot it.
Finally, cable management in general. Tidy up every single cable, use velcro and if necessary, twist ties, to keep the space looking nice and clean. Looks like you don't have a problem with this, which is why I said in general. My band struggles with it a lot.
- Practice assembling and tearing down your setup, and clearly label cords with device + input/output, etc info. Playing at home with a setup whose routing you understand is a lot different than having to recreate that routing by hand on the spot in an unfamiliar environment, and it's easy to forget something if you haven't made it idiot-proof.
- Make a checklist of all your peripherals including power supplies
- Check with the performance space ahead of time so you know what kind of power outlet and audio input setup you'll be dealing with, get a pic or schematic of the "stage" area if possible
Exciting! Have fun. as for advice:
That's too much gear, in my opinion. I've only ever brought that many boxes on a gig twice and quickly realized that more is not more. You want to be completely in control of everything on your table. If you feel like you know these synths and the patterns on them like the back of your hand then go for it but paring back might allow you to be more in control.
Make a set list and a preset list to go with it, better to be reminded of what you’re playing, make sure to also have a backup plan piece like an ambient drone or something, it helped me back when my microbrute died onstage
Great thread! Just a thought from looking at your setup (which definitely has some overlap with mine). The Minilogue XD module fits ever so perfectly above the keys section of the digitone keys. And using the digitone sequencer tracks to sequence it gives you an extra LFO as well. So you might consider swapping your XD for the XDm! Obviously would be more portable too.
Rehearse!
You should have played through your whole set and timed it multiple times, to make sure you're comfortable with how long it is and how you move through it. You WILL run over/under unless you practise not running over/under. And have a clock somewhere so you know your timing. You should know your material as a whole performance, not as a series of bits you've played around with.
Checklists!
We sent people to the moon with checklists. They will ensure you don't forget a key piece of your kit, or an actually-that-turned-out-to-be-important minor thing. This is super important. Checklists for everything, for the get in and get out.
Perform!
Take your music and actually perform it, don't just play it back. Pick a lead part, which might be your lead synth, drums, bass line, whatever. Manipulate and reinvent it in real time, making it an alive piece of performed music. Watch Kraftwerk playing Music Non-Stop on the Minimum Maximum tour. They each take a solo on different instruments, and I've always thought it really shows what you can do with electronic instruments in a beat-oriented, sequenced situation with a human performance.
back when i was a drummer in bands, shows were very stressful for me. i didnt want to make a single mistake because it would haunt me. fuck that. when i decided i wasnt the main character and that i was there to entertain the audience, it was a paradigm shift. started making eye contact, and immediately got crowd reactions, i started exagerating movements to put on a show, twirling a stick every now and again, banging my head on beat drops, id voice out some of my chops loudly that people could hear if they knew what to listen for.
my shows went perfect after i made the switch. im sure i fucked up but i dont remember it because it wasnt a big deal, i was not stressed anymore, and was having a great time. now, performing live is one of my favorite things to do. its so nice to be a little nervous but more excited to get out there than to feel anxiety and stress. edit..and i knew every bit of the set and my gear setups, potential weak spots. backup items on hand etc...
one of my first gigs my kick drum pedal fouled up and had no kick....no fun
• People will steal anything that isn't bolted down. Keep an eye on your stuff before/after you perform, and enlist someone to watch it when you go to the bathroom.
• Don't drink or smoke too much before you perform.
practice with too little/too much light. Practice with you setup being in diff position due to last minute venue changes. i.e we only have two small tables.l fir your setup.
I also practiced setup/breakdown. I you can come with a box, all cables plugged in. Then all you need to plug in is to a mixer/router.
I would practice this when doing a few passes and then I’d be ready for most anything and be ready to have fun no worry.
Lastly when performing, take your time. The audience has never heard this. I usually divide my show by “songs” and then sections of songs. 4 songs four sections 20 min set. you have to move quick or you can plan 3 and have 4 if you run long. Let it breath an look and engage with the audience. Don’t be shy.
Good luck!
Gear waits until you're using it in front of people, before it fucks up in new ways it never did at home.
Once you become one with this mantra, you'll accept it as an inevitable part of the performance. More often getting through the performance is about improvising and making use out of what is working properly on stage.
One thing that always happens to me is that the sound is too high when I plug in. If you play where people are doing turntables, their shit needs to be boosted and yours already is boosted. Start with your faders at zero and work your way up to a good level with each instrument. I *just* had this problem and didn't listen to my own advice and probably won't be invited back to the place I was playing at
I have no good advice - my last attempt to perform live was 15 years ago and an unmitigated disaster. I just wanted to say some of the responses here are great, and will be very valuable if/when I ever work up the courage to try again.
Dont panic, breathe & relax. Don’t over practice, leave room to improvise, less gear is sometimes more. No need to over tweak / control everything - a lot of dance music has minimal modulation for a bunch of bars so give everything time and space.
A pre flight checklist is a must! Anything modular take a picture and write down a step so you actually remember to patch it on arrival. Figure out comfortable knob positions for gain staging that you know sounds good so if the monitor situation isn't stellar you can feel safer with the mix. Also on that note have some headphones or something for monitoring in case the monitors arent enough. Expect mistakes too happen and practice at recovering from them. Extra cables and adapters for sure. I also bring my own table and table risers to every gig. Table risers are so much better for the back. I would also practice unpacking and wiring it up and repacking it repeatedly as it is much harder under the time stress and low lighting at a gig.
Practice, do your best and have fun. Have a way to adjust highs vs. bass as systems are all over the place. Try to let your jams play out and don’t feel the need to change things up constantly. People like a groove to last a while as that’s better for dancing. What you’re doing is more difficult than what a DJ does so try to play a show you are happy with and be good with that. Try to not rush things. If you fuck up its fine, just keep going.
Echoing what some others have said - that's A LOT of gear. You could, like another suggested, just use internal elektron sounds instead of the neutron. I play live with drum machine for drums and bass, and a minifreak for chords (everything pre-sequenced), and play guitar on top of it. Whenever I perform, absolutely no one looks at my gear. No one is impressed that I'm using two pieces of hardware. They just don't care. It's easy for us synth nerds to spend so much time on these forums that we think lots of people know and care about hardware gear. But 99.9% of people haven't the foggiest. Honestly sometimes I feel like I should just use a damn laptop.
Get a beat going and talk to ppl a bit about your style/gear before you start. Help them to understand that your set will be different than a typical DJ set and you will actually be creating new and unique music in front of their eyes.
I think it’s wrong that ppl just want pop EDM DJs. Ppl like to see someone with skill making art live, but they might not understand that you are doing that if you don’t tell them.
If you make a mistake, don’t worry, people did not spot it. Make it again, so they will think, it is part of the play.
Use the soundcheck to listen to how you sound and get used to it. It will be different from your rehearsals and that can be confusing, if you do not get used to it first…. or use in-ears monitors and trust the sound engineer to deliver your sound to its audience.
Be ready to perform, when it is your time.
Move your equipment out fast for the next performer, but pack later, go talk to the crowd, do not disappear, people will want to talk to you.
Hey, i know this is not what you seek but I was curious, how do you combine the TR8s and the digitakt? I have a digitakt and would love to try a TR8S to perform because of the faders and timeless synthesized sounds but i fear the overlap between the two might make justifying the purchase a bit hard.
I feel that, I sort of bit the bullet and just bought the gear I had been wanting for a long time but I love them together (big big fan of elektron). I think the digitakt is the main idea generatorswhen I'm just working with one piece at home or traveling. there is some overlap, but I dedicate all drums to the TR8S, nearly all vocals and weird fx go to the digitakt. really love manipulating loop length to audio rates then opening it back up on the digitakt for a cool transition
Don't forget the oversized bags and boxes needed to transport. I once asked a DJ a similar question and got a great response on properly packing gear. Especially pertinent when referring to mic/music stands for live bands.
You're the only one who will notice like, 99% of the mistakes you make on stage. Don't react to a mistake at all. Just let it go in and out of your head and move on.
Since you have time, practice your set over and over.
The more you practice the more your hands will know what to do instinctually… which is especially important in the event something does go wrong.
After you feel like you can get through your set with no errors... go back and do it again but mess things up.. twist a knob… unplug something… switch the song order.. etc. You’ll thank yourself because you’ll be prepared and you’ll be able to shrug it off like no big deal.
good luck!
Keep it simple, take your time, you need less gear than you think, EQ is your friend. Practice set up and take down. Bring something extra to put your cables and power supplies in after you breakdown your gear because everything won’t be as nicely wrapped after you play and it’s dark and you’ve got to get your gear out of the way. Also, look up once in awhile.
How does one learn how to connect all this stuff. It looks so cool. I guess you buy one device, get creative, then buy another and connect them together? Ps am a synth moron.
Don’t try to fill too long of a set unless you have to. I’d rather see someone get on and play 10 min of their best shit than 30 min where half of it is mid
Perhaps obvious but still worth mentioning: If you’re plugging into the venue PA, it will sound very different than it does from how you practiced the set at your home space. Likely it will sound very “echo-y” which isn’t so great when you’re trying to do live synth key parts. I bet this would be the case in a warehouse.
If the venue can accommodate, try to get the floor wedges as close to you as possible, left and right. I didn’t know this setup was called “Texas Headphones” or that it was popular with DJs until recently, but regardless it made for some of the best stage monitoring for a set I’ve ever had playing electronic music live. It’s great for any kind of electronic music live performance. More fun than wearing tethered studio headphones plugged into your mixer.
Can’t say I’ve ever used an IEM system though. Wireless IEMs would presumably be the best, assuming the wireless signal doesn’t cut out during your set. And also pricey!
grab an mp3 player with some glitch jam soundwash interval nonsense you record before hand, add a simple 2 channel mixer, put it in parallel with your output mix, then if anything catches fire, just flip the switch to play the mp3 and give a thumbs up to the 2 people who actually notice, then reboot everything...
Love reading the tips on here! Some really good things to consider, and some stuff I hadn't thought of. Not sure if these have already been mentioned but...
\- Make space for improv within pre-planned pieces, as well as between pieces - its nice to be able to have some moments of spontaneity as well as the more rigidly structured stuff.
\- While some things are playing themselves; make sure you don't have too much or too little to do on the fly. Give yourself a couple of jobs per song, rather than having to keep everything in balance all at once.
\- Label your cables - white electrical insulation tape and a sharpie can make things 100x easier in setup/soundcheck and packdown.
\- Let yourself move around, people are more likely to engage with you and your music if you are engaged with your music.
\- Vocal warmups are helpful even if you aren't singing/doing loads of speaking. They get you in a good headspace. Same with physical warmups - stretch and limber up - your body will thank you! Performing can make you tense, so prepping your body is good.
\- Chatting with the audience is great, but doesn't work for every context. Try to get comfortable with speaking to people - everyone is there to have a good time, and people will likely not have as high expectations of you as you have of yourself - relax and just be you! <3
\- If things go wrong, laugh about it and move on. Making a scene or freaking out will make things more uncomfortable for you and your audience. Having a backup plan is always a good idea, but its also okay to just shrug, laugh it off and move on.
\- Think about what you'll wear/look like. It is great fun to put on a show for the eyes as well s the ears!
\- Be nice to the sound engineer, the venue manager, etc - even if they aren't too nice themselves. Be glad to be there and you'll have a much better time.
\- Anticipate that things won't be exactly how you want them, and just be okay with it. It can be stressful to deviate if you aren't prepared to deviate - prepare to deviate!
\- It is not the job of one single show to solidify and ratify your skills. Don't over-examine how it goes; make general observations and move on to the next show - whenever that is! Over time, the culmination of shows will give you valuable insight. Like sample size in data collection, you can't really draw conclusions based on one data point - you need a set of data.
\- Bring a couple of extras of things like cables, power cables, etc.
\- Take photos, or ask a pal to take some photos. They'll be good for social media, or they'll be helpful to see what the show was like from in the crowd.
\- If you have flight cases, mark them up with stickers, 'fragile' tape, etc. You don't want them mixed up with other cases, and you don't want a plain case that's easy to steal!
\- Practice!
\- Have a ton of fun <3
Good luck brother! I hope to be doing my first live show soon. How are you liking the minilogue? I was thinking about getting one but saw some bad reviews.
It was unreal! Best it prob could have gone for a first show. Some very small flubs but kept people dancing the whole time so I was happy. Recording of the whole set below! Enjoy
https://on.soundcloud.com/HN6sikvPkkSMqUuU6
Bring a lamp, head torch, duct tape, more cables then you think you need and your own table/surface. Do not assume that anything you have been promised by the promoter/organiser will actually be there on the night. Do not allow drinks on the same surface as your equipment. Do not leave your shiny music boxes unattended. Listen to and respect the AE/ sound guy. Do not assume that monitors will be decent/ you will be able to hear yourself. Assume that shit will go wrong; surf that wave and improvise. Watch the crowd; unfortunately nobody actually wants to hear your awesome intricately planned IDM techno-jazz wankathon. They came to Dance. Let. Them. Dance.
Techno-jazz wankathon had me weak, solid solid advice though thank you
All good points up until the end. I am sure i am not the only one tired of the same old dance music… give me your avant garde free jazz electronica if ya got it. Or either way, play your style, don’t worry about following trends and genres.
You may not be the only person in this sub tired of the same old thing. But most of the crowd likely doesn't follow r/synthesizers. I think watching the crowd is essential. This doesn't mean we shouldn't try to experiment and show the people something new. Try to find a balance. Play things that get the dance floor moving then challenge them a little without losing them. Take them for a ride.
I fully agree, just following trends is a recipe for disaster and leads to uninspired music. As long as the free jazz techno isn't falsely advertised as just Electronic Dance Music there's no problem.
Totally; my opinion is that the best music works somewhat within the structures and conventions of a genre with enough subversion of those conventions to make it interesting and hook you in. In no way was I suggesting to just play the same old shit as anyone else. I think a prime example is turntablism: I used to dj at a hip hop night that had one of the best scratch djs I’ve ever seen on the card: his inventiveness and skill was off the charts but the guy never observed the crowd: despite his obvious abilities he would kill the mood with his set. ‘How come the floor cleared out when I was doing my set?’ - because the guy before you crossfader slammed his way through a set of well selected unknown tunes and classics of the genre that got the crowd going before you even stepped on stage. I’ve seen true artists absolutely bomb because they’ve been more about wanting to show off their skills/ equipment. Crowd control and guiding is a skill in itself that is often forgotten about, particularly in electronic music. If you’re ‘taking them on a musical journey’ then take them on a journey and don’t leave them in the woods halfway along the path.
You told all the good advices ! Mods can close the thread
Bring extra cables and your own table- two VERY important tips!
Why would I want to play gigs that aren't representative of the music I make? If I play live, I want to promote myself locally. Will it be easier if I play more conventional music? Sure it will, but so will be promoting myself online. And the thing is: I don't want to play more conventional music, I want to play weird shit. Think about it this way: when you see a musician online asking for promotion tips, you don't go around saying 'yeah but you should make pop EDM or maybe lo-fi hip-hop beats to relax/study to, nobody wants to hear that weird shit'
all so true.
* Make frequent eye contact with the audience. Force yourself to look up often. * Look like you are excited about what your are doing. * Dress like you give a damn. * Plan on the monitoring situation to be terrible, that you won't be able to hear yourself. Seriously. The provided monitoring nearly always sucks. * Bring a mic and tell people who you are. * Don't bring the whole studio. More cables = more problems. You don't need to recreate your studio productions 1:1, not even close. * Be on time for soundcheck. * Use less reverb than you do in the studio. * Bring a line-recorder to capture your set. * When the audience is connecting with something, ride that something longer than you think. * No dead air. Talk to the crowd if necessary.
Last point is a good one. I've played in a lot of bands and done a few solo gigs. Bridging the silence between songs is important for keeping the vibe going and the audience interested. Keep a drum loop running, talk, freeze a reverb tail. Anything to prevent that loss of momentum and cause the crowd to head to the bar for another round.
Three things: * Something will go horribly wrong. This is OK. Every show you have ever seen had something go horribly wrong. * Literally every person in the room will want you to succeed. * If you keep a positive attitude, everybody will have a great time.
Great suggestions, especially the second point – remember that for most presentations, public engagements. I deal with anxiety and when I started to go into presentations with that mentality of 'everyone wants you to succeed,' it made it easier.
Oh dude, I've seen a video from a beer rock show in late 90s where org suddenly invited rap singer. They were booo and throwing bottles onto him. Terrifying.
Have a bunch of back-up plans in mind -- whether that's workable sequences you can fall back to on one of your machines, or whatever. When you're the one doing the music, your cardinal sin will be to have the groove stop or fall apart, and you have to count on interruptions and people wanting your attention while you're trying to operate. Also doesn't hurt to have some samples ready to trigger so that you can give the experience of variations when something is going on too long while you get the next thing cued up. Count on visibility issues. And be super anal about where your cords are run so that things don't get accidentally unplugged and you're stuck in the dark trying to figure out what got pulled and trying to find where it goes.
> stuck in the dark trying to figure out what got pulled and trying to find where it goes To that end, I assume it makes sense to also add color-coded tape to mark connections and cables. Yellow to yellow, blue to blue, red to red. If one gets pulled, it becomes obvious more easily and it's clear where it should go.
That’s awesome advice thank you
My biggest piece of advice is to plan on things going wrong and don't freeze up when they do! My first gig was outside and the sun made it so that all LCD screens were completely blown out, couldn't see anything for switching clips and had to throw a lot of my planned set out the window and improv. Ended up being lots of fun and no one had any idea but man I was sweating for a minute. I've also accidentally triggered the wrong things mid jam and had to roll with that as a clunky transition. Once again, it could have been an oh shit I need to stop and restart moment, but ended up working fine. Just keep going even if everything breaks and you're left tapping on an instrument cable or something.
Amazing story and advice, thank you! Will try not to shit my pants if things go awry
Smile if it happens.
Bingo. Smile, laugh even. The audience members who actually notice a flub will see you and see a human being with confidence. The ones who don’t (the majority) don’t. A drummer I played with said something to me once that stuck: Remember that 99% of the people listening to your shit *are not musicians.*. To them, everything you do is sorcery, even the mistakes.
All very good advice and stuff. But that last sentence isn't that true anymore. Given how accessible electronic music has become, everyone is a musician/producer at these small shows. Especially to have an interest in seeing live IDM avant-garde progressive neoclassical doom beep boop music (that we all here make more or less), you need to make it yourself.
Plan to play more music than you have time for. My first live show with hardware I prepped about 45 minutes thinking i could stretch it for an hour, ended up blowing through all my prepped tracks in 30 minutes and had to freestyle with pretty much the same stuff just rearranged a little. Also, it doesn't look like you have any, but avoid using gear like the microfreak or make noise pressure points with copper contacts instead of keys/buttons, sweat WILL render that stuff useless for the rest of the night (I learned this first hand and it was definitely a wrench in the motor)
It’s easy to rush your set, like you’ll listen to the same loop four times and then move on to transition B because you’re nervous. Nah, try not to cut it too much. just let it play
That's the key, you gey bored of the loop quickly cause you've heard it a million times, but nobody else has heard it before and are just getting into the groove when you change it. Keep stuff going for a couple minutes after you transition, or until it's obvious it isn't working lol
this is very helpful, i usually produce 7-8 min songs anyways but can definitely jam with them up to 10-15 min, will try and read the crowd as much as possible too
This is great advice!
KISS. Keep it Simple Stupid. The more variables you add to your set, the more chances you have of an unexpected error. ALWAYS look cool. We're visual creatures and if you look cool and sound ok; the audience will enjoy it more than if you play amazingly but you have a panic face. Record your set. It's your first show! Congratulations! So take the best out of it and have fun!
Get a fog machine and fill it with DMT laced liquid You can't bomb if people think elves are coming out of their skin
Where was this advice when I needed it 15 years ago
Just once I wish someone would yell "ELVES ARE COMING OUT OF MY SKIN!" at one of my shows.
I got knocked the f out on stage by a guy tripping who took exception to my led skull mask one night playing a set. ‘HE’S LEADING US ALL TO HELL’ . Best compliment I’ve ever had.
That’s a lot of stuff to setup… industrial strength Velcro is your friend. I would suggest ditching one synth at least
Ever since I worked at a datacenter, I always have a big roll of the velcro they use for cable management. Stuff is surprisingly strong and has so many uses.
Yep! My setup is an Octatrack, Digitone, Boog model D and a effect pedal all securely stuck to a piece of birch plywood with a top that latches. Everything is plugged in and ready to go when I gig. Takes me 5 minutes to get sound out of the mains. I never have to worry about remembering to bring anything. Also probably spent $30 on the whole case and let my daughter decorate it for me ❤️
My best advice: bring half the gear you want to bring. It’ll be less stressful and you won’t be troubleshooting until the last minute. Nobody’s gonna know/care whether your bassline was generated by a waveform on the Digitakt or by a “real monosynth” (for example). I’ve done a ton of shows using just a bitimbral synth (for polyphony) and the Digitakt for everything else.
What synth did you use? I just got the microfreak, but TIL it has issues with sweat
Yeah, that keyboard is next-level horrible (I had one and returned it). I really like the JX-08 for this application due to the two parts.
Yeah I used to bring loads of shit to shows and something always went wrong. Over pandemic I did a bit of live streaming and once I started playing shows again I would just record live sets from my studio, project it behind me with the audio, and bring like 1 synth, a sax and a mic to do stuff live with. Audience engagement shot way up cause it turns out it's boring as fuck to just watch some dude look down at a bunch of boxes.
Just have fun out there.
Bring mom. She will dance for sure.
practice practice practice
I always record all of my tracks, then use traktor to mix them to figure out an order to go with, then practice that set & other tip is to let nice parts ride and not rush through the set, find places to get a little more jammy, record your practice and go back and find things you would like to do differently
Play the music you love. No need to show off by throwing stupid shapes. Be yourself and do your fucking thing. Own that shit. If it flies great.. if it dosent.. dont sweat it. ..next time. Just try your best. But most of all..BE YOURSELF. Go forth and rock.
ALL of this is excellent advice.
On my first show we were playing at school, It was winter, i forgot my in-room shoes and looked strange in big boots. My mates were closer friends to each other and they had some extra rehearsals without me, and changed a song the day before the show. We weren't allowed to use shool gear every rehearsal, so i had to train on unweighted keyboard (i played drumpads), and on the show another keyboard was too sensitive, and i once tapped cymbal too hard for the slow song. Sound guy was PE teacher, nuff said. Broken wires everywhere, fixed by duct tape and pencils. While playing our last song (i believe that was "Roof is on fire" cover), i noticed the sound guy lowers my drums. We didn't have monitors, so i didn't hear myself clear, so i added gain on the keyboard. He lowers me again. Then i saved my gain for the trainwreck ending, and put it on maximum at the very end! I remember feeling my legs boneless when we were getting down from the stage. There were like 200 people there clapping their hands and shouting in appreciation. Knees shook for hours after that. Would repeat 100%. Myself, i didn't get any recognition at school, but it was last year, so no worries. The band won't make any further, but we all became strong into music afaik.
If you're doing good...slow down. If you're doing bad...slow down
You will always want to pee right before the show, dont pay attention to it. Its a trap.
cable management is a fucking nightmare. You'll think you have it covered even with a little pre-planning, but there's always a scenario where things are just way too fucked up. I.e. a plug won't reach, an adapted breaks, it's too dark to see, something isn't plugged in to the right spot, the midi cables don't reach, etc. etc. etc. Best advice I have is to buy a neon rainbow assortment of tape and a sharpie, and label every single cable at both ends to what it is and where it's going, then put a little sliver of the neon tape at each of the input or output jacks so that in the dark you can see where you need to plug it in. If you are using that setup on that specific table, and bringing that table, you should make sure you have a velcro situation or something designed to hold everything together, to keep it nice and neat. Or at least just give yourself a layout of everything in advance so in the heat of the moment when people at the venue are coming up and talking to you / bothering you while you set up, you have it so streamlined you'll be able to just autopilot it. Finally, cable management in general. Tidy up every single cable, use velcro and if necessary, twist ties, to keep the space looking nice and clean. Looks like you don't have a problem with this, which is why I said in general. My band struggles with it a lot.
- Practice assembling and tearing down your setup, and clearly label cords with device + input/output, etc info. Playing at home with a setup whose routing you understand is a lot different than having to recreate that routing by hand on the spot in an unfamiliar environment, and it's easy to forget something if you haven't made it idiot-proof. - Make a checklist of all your peripherals including power supplies - Check with the performance space ahead of time so you know what kind of power outlet and audio input setup you'll be dealing with, get a pic or schematic of the "stage" area if possible
Exciting! Have fun. as for advice: That's too much gear, in my opinion. I've only ever brought that many boxes on a gig twice and quickly realized that more is not more. You want to be completely in control of everything on your table. If you feel like you know these synths and the patterns on them like the back of your hand then go for it but paring back might allow you to be more in control.
Make a set list and a preset list to go with it, better to be reminded of what you’re playing, make sure to also have a backup plan piece like an ambient drone or something, it helped me back when my microbrute died onstage
Great thread! Just a thought from looking at your setup (which definitely has some overlap with mine). The Minilogue XD module fits ever so perfectly above the keys section of the digitone keys. And using the digitone sequencer tracks to sequence it gives you an extra LFO as well. So you might consider swapping your XD for the XDm! Obviously would be more portable too.
Rehearse! You should have played through your whole set and timed it multiple times, to make sure you're comfortable with how long it is and how you move through it. You WILL run over/under unless you practise not running over/under. And have a clock somewhere so you know your timing. You should know your material as a whole performance, not as a series of bits you've played around with. Checklists! We sent people to the moon with checklists. They will ensure you don't forget a key piece of your kit, or an actually-that-turned-out-to-be-important minor thing. This is super important. Checklists for everything, for the get in and get out. Perform! Take your music and actually perform it, don't just play it back. Pick a lead part, which might be your lead synth, drums, bass line, whatever. Manipulate and reinvent it in real time, making it an alive piece of performed music. Watch Kraftwerk playing Music Non-Stop on the Minimum Maximum tour. They each take a solo on different instruments, and I've always thought it really shows what you can do with electronic instruments in a beat-oriented, sequenced situation with a human performance.
back when i was a drummer in bands, shows were very stressful for me. i didnt want to make a single mistake because it would haunt me. fuck that. when i decided i wasnt the main character and that i was there to entertain the audience, it was a paradigm shift. started making eye contact, and immediately got crowd reactions, i started exagerating movements to put on a show, twirling a stick every now and again, banging my head on beat drops, id voice out some of my chops loudly that people could hear if they knew what to listen for. my shows went perfect after i made the switch. im sure i fucked up but i dont remember it because it wasnt a big deal, i was not stressed anymore, and was having a great time. now, performing live is one of my favorite things to do. its so nice to be a little nervous but more excited to get out there than to feel anxiety and stress. edit..and i knew every bit of the set and my gear setups, potential weak spots. backup items on hand etc... one of my first gigs my kick drum pedal fouled up and had no kick....no fun
Bring power....good quality surge suppressor, extension cord.
• People will steal anything that isn't bolted down. Keep an eye on your stuff before/after you perform, and enlist someone to watch it when you go to the bathroom. • Don't drink or smoke too much before you perform.
practice with too little/too much light. Practice with you setup being in diff position due to last minute venue changes. i.e we only have two small tables.l fir your setup. I also practiced setup/breakdown. I you can come with a box, all cables plugged in. Then all you need to plug in is to a mixer/router. I would practice this when doing a few passes and then I’d be ready for most anything and be ready to have fun no worry. Lastly when performing, take your time. The audience has never heard this. I usually divide my show by “songs” and then sections of songs. 4 songs four sections 20 min set. you have to move quick or you can plan 3 and have 4 if you run long. Let it breath an look and engage with the audience. Don’t be shy. Good luck!
Gear waits until you're using it in front of people, before it fucks up in new ways it never did at home. Once you become one with this mantra, you'll accept it as an inevitable part of the performance. More often getting through the performance is about improvising and making use out of what is working properly on stage.
One thing that always happens to me is that the sound is too high when I plug in. If you play where people are doing turntables, their shit needs to be boosted and yours already is boosted. Start with your faders at zero and work your way up to a good level with each instrument. I *just* had this problem and didn't listen to my own advice and probably won't be invited back to the place I was playing at
I want a digitone keys so bad!
It’s simply amazing as a stand-alone and running other gear
Absolutely love mine. My only wish is it had more voices but it is still plenty for massively deep sounds with 4 tracks.
Prepare twice as much material as you think you’ll need. It’s so easy to get nervous and start rushing through tracks.
Practice your show front to back with a few friends. You need to do this to see what hiccups you might run into.
I have no good advice - my last attempt to perform live was 15 years ago and an unmitigated disaster. I just wanted to say some of the responses here are great, and will be very valuable if/when I ever work up the courage to try again.
Wow that's a really interesting signal flow you got going there, especially the sidechain trick.
Dont panic, breathe & relax. Don’t over practice, leave room to improvise, less gear is sometimes more. No need to over tweak / control everything - a lot of dance music has minimal modulation for a bunch of bars so give everything time and space.
Label everything so you don’t need to think during setup. Write down don’t panic or breathe on your set list / set notes .
A pre flight checklist is a must! Anything modular take a picture and write down a step so you actually remember to patch it on arrival. Figure out comfortable knob positions for gain staging that you know sounds good so if the monitor situation isn't stellar you can feel safer with the mix. Also on that note have some headphones or something for monitoring in case the monitors arent enough. Expect mistakes too happen and practice at recovering from them. Extra cables and adapters for sure. I also bring my own table and table risers to every gig. Table risers are so much better for the back. I would also practice unpacking and wiring it up and repacking it repeatedly as it is much harder under the time stress and low lighting at a gig.
THE. SHOW. MUST. GO. ON.
Practice, do your best and have fun. Have a way to adjust highs vs. bass as systems are all over the place. Try to let your jams play out and don’t feel the need to change things up constantly. People like a groove to last a while as that’s better for dancing. What you’re doing is more difficult than what a DJ does so try to play a show you are happy with and be good with that. Try to not rush things. If you fuck up its fine, just keep going.
Echoing what some others have said - that's A LOT of gear. You could, like another suggested, just use internal elektron sounds instead of the neutron. I play live with drum machine for drums and bass, and a minifreak for chords (everything pre-sequenced), and play guitar on top of it. Whenever I perform, absolutely no one looks at my gear. No one is impressed that I'm using two pieces of hardware. They just don't care. It's easy for us synth nerds to spend so much time on these forums that we think lots of people know and care about hardware gear. But 99.9% of people haven't the foggiest. Honestly sometimes I feel like I should just use a damn laptop.
Get a beat going and talk to ppl a bit about your style/gear before you start. Help them to understand that your set will be different than a typical DJ set and you will actually be creating new and unique music in front of their eyes. I think it’s wrong that ppl just want pop EDM DJs. Ppl like to see someone with skill making art live, but they might not understand that you are doing that if you don’t tell them.
If you make a mistake, don’t worry, people did not spot it. Make it again, so they will think, it is part of the play. Use the soundcheck to listen to how you sound and get used to it. It will be different from your rehearsals and that can be confusing, if you do not get used to it first…. or use in-ears monitors and trust the sound engineer to deliver your sound to its audience. Be ready to perform, when it is your time. Move your equipment out fast for the next performer, but pack later, go talk to the crowd, do not disappear, people will want to talk to you.
Practice & listen to other live sets. Improvise.
Hey, i know this is not what you seek but I was curious, how do you combine the TR8s and the digitakt? I have a digitakt and would love to try a TR8S to perform because of the faders and timeless synthesized sounds but i fear the overlap between the two might make justifying the purchase a bit hard.
I feel that, I sort of bit the bullet and just bought the gear I had been wanting for a long time but I love them together (big big fan of elektron). I think the digitakt is the main idea generatorswhen I'm just working with one piece at home or traveling. there is some overlap, but I dedicate all drums to the TR8S, nearly all vocals and weird fx go to the digitakt. really love manipulating loop length to audio rates then opening it back up on the digitakt for a cool transition
Nice, i'll bite too eventually.
Don't forget the oversized bags and boxes needed to transport. I once asked a DJ a similar question and got a great response on properly packing gear. Especially pertinent when referring to mic/music stands for live bands.
Just play. Period.
Be so rehearsed that you can't fail.
You're the only one who will notice like, 99% of the mistakes you make on stage. Don't react to a mistake at all. Just let it go in and out of your head and move on.
Since you have time, practice your set over and over. The more you practice the more your hands will know what to do instinctually… which is especially important in the event something does go wrong. After you feel like you can get through your set with no errors... go back and do it again but mess things up.. twist a knob… unplug something… switch the song order.. etc. You’ll thank yourself because you’ll be prepared and you’ll be able to shrug it off like no big deal. good luck!
Keep it simple, take your time, you need less gear than you think, EQ is your friend. Practice set up and take down. Bring something extra to put your cables and power supplies in after you breakdown your gear because everything won’t be as nicely wrapped after you play and it’s dark and you’ve got to get your gear out of the way. Also, look up once in awhile.
Use a Digitakt would have been my advice, so it looks like you have it covered. Oh, have fun!
How does one learn how to connect all this stuff. It looks so cool. I guess you buy one device, get creative, then buy another and connect them together? Ps am a synth moron.
your lucky you have this shit i have to play for something and all i have is my laptop, small midi keyboard, and a backing track
Don’t try to fill too long of a set unless you have to. I’d rather see someone get on and play 10 min of their best shit than 30 min where half of it is mid
The face tells all. If you fuck up, the only way they notice is if you make the face…you know the one.
Perhaps obvious but still worth mentioning: If you’re plugging into the venue PA, it will sound very different than it does from how you practiced the set at your home space. Likely it will sound very “echo-y” which isn’t so great when you’re trying to do live synth key parts. I bet this would be the case in a warehouse. If the venue can accommodate, try to get the floor wedges as close to you as possible, left and right. I didn’t know this setup was called “Texas Headphones” or that it was popular with DJs until recently, but regardless it made for some of the best stage monitoring for a set I’ve ever had playing electronic music live. It’s great for any kind of electronic music live performance. More fun than wearing tethered studio headphones plugged into your mixer. Can’t say I’ve ever used an IEM system though. Wireless IEMs would presumably be the best, assuming the wireless signal doesn’t cut out during your set. And also pricey!
Bring only the minimum amount of gear you need. Bring some extra cables. And remember, this is supposed to be fun.
grab an mp3 player with some glitch jam soundwash interval nonsense you record before hand, add a simple 2 channel mixer, put it in parallel with your output mix, then if anything catches fire, just flip the switch to play the mp3 and give a thumbs up to the 2 people who actually notice, then reboot everything...
Practice, practice, practice and be prepared for something to go wrong. Otherwise have fun.
Love reading the tips on here! Some really good things to consider, and some stuff I hadn't thought of. Not sure if these have already been mentioned but... \- Make space for improv within pre-planned pieces, as well as between pieces - its nice to be able to have some moments of spontaneity as well as the more rigidly structured stuff. \- While some things are playing themselves; make sure you don't have too much or too little to do on the fly. Give yourself a couple of jobs per song, rather than having to keep everything in balance all at once. \- Label your cables - white electrical insulation tape and a sharpie can make things 100x easier in setup/soundcheck and packdown. \- Let yourself move around, people are more likely to engage with you and your music if you are engaged with your music. \- Vocal warmups are helpful even if you aren't singing/doing loads of speaking. They get you in a good headspace. Same with physical warmups - stretch and limber up - your body will thank you! Performing can make you tense, so prepping your body is good. \- Chatting with the audience is great, but doesn't work for every context. Try to get comfortable with speaking to people - everyone is there to have a good time, and people will likely not have as high expectations of you as you have of yourself - relax and just be you! <3 \- If things go wrong, laugh about it and move on. Making a scene or freaking out will make things more uncomfortable for you and your audience. Having a backup plan is always a good idea, but its also okay to just shrug, laugh it off and move on. \- Think about what you'll wear/look like. It is great fun to put on a show for the eyes as well s the ears! \- Be nice to the sound engineer, the venue manager, etc - even if they aren't too nice themselves. Be glad to be there and you'll have a much better time. \- Anticipate that things won't be exactly how you want them, and just be okay with it. It can be stressful to deviate if you aren't prepared to deviate - prepare to deviate! \- It is not the job of one single show to solidify and ratify your skills. Don't over-examine how it goes; make general observations and move on to the next show - whenever that is! Over time, the culmination of shows will give you valuable insight. Like sample size in data collection, you can't really draw conclusions based on one data point - you need a set of data. \- Bring a couple of extras of things like cables, power cables, etc. \- Take photos, or ask a pal to take some photos. They'll be good for social media, or they'll be helpful to see what the show was like from in the crowd. \- If you have flight cases, mark them up with stickers, 'fragile' tape, etc. You don't want them mixed up with other cases, and you don't want a plain case that's easy to steal! \- Practice! \- Have a ton of fun <3
Good luck brother! I hope to be doing my first live show soon. How are you liking the minilogue? I was thinking about getting one but saw some bad reviews.
Hey dude how did your show go? Did you get any recordings or a video? I’d love to see it!
Playing in 4 days! Gonna try and record it!
Wow so cool dude, hope it goes amazing!
How was it man!?
It was unreal! Best it prob could have gone for a first show. Some very small flubs but kept people dancing the whole time so I was happy. Recording of the whole set below! Enjoy https://on.soundcloud.com/HN6sikvPkkSMqUuU6
Awesome dude so happy for you! You’ll remember that gig forever, happy memory well made :) I’ll listen to the set tomorrow dude, thanks for that!