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Who uses laptops in their signal chain?
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:11 pm
by archlilim
I really need to be schooled on this type of stuff, I have a guitar interface and I'm thinking of getting Abelton live for a couple different things, but mostly I'm looking for something that can get really intricate with programmable glitchy loop type stuff, that might be impossible with pedals. How do you guys set your stuff up, what software to you use? User friendly? Thanks.
Will
Re: Who uses laptops in their signal chain?
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 7:30 am
by basti moon
I have my laptop in my signal chain.
Getting Ableton Live is a really good idea, most people who does laptop guitars uses it. I'm the only one I've ever met who doesn't.
I use an environment in Max/MSP, if you don't know the basics of it you should stay away. Not very user friendly. I don't have a midi controller yet either, so double hard to do. But like you said, there's tons of cool stuff pedals can't do, mainly in the post-digital department.
My setup needs more ins and outs so I am getting one of the Alesis io things, don't know what size yet. I have been experimenting with digital feedback loops, you know, through the audio interface. Crazy stuff, most software won't let you do it tho, hehe.
Good luck friend
Re: Who uses laptops in their signal chain?
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 7:51 am
by Drohnwerks
I use Reaktor and Spektral Delay in the loop, if you are careful you can get great feedback drones that settle down at a certain level (arather than getting louder and cutting out)
I can't recommend Spektral Delay enough for evolving delays
Re: Who uses laptops in their signal chain?
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:55 am
by cosmonaut
basti moon wrote:I have my laptop in my signal chain.
Getting Ableton Live is a really good idea, most people who does laptop guitars uses it. I'm the only one I've ever met who doesn't.
I use an environment in Max/MSP, if you don't know the basics of it you should stay away. Not very user friendly.
Max/MSP is actually as user-friendly as you can get. If you don't know the basics, just go through a few tutorials... then you can experiment.
Max is basically all about "control"/interfacing/MIDI/environment stuff while MSP is all to do with signal processing/DSP/Audio signals....
Basti is right about knowing some basics.. Essentially you need to know how to read. 
by the by, i tend to argue with people i respect.. (& i respect y'all!) i just want to emphasize that there is no one way to use Max/MSP. You don't need to know every feature to get down baby.
You can learn enough Max well enough to get by within 45 minutes of following the well-designed tutorial. This is all you need in order to start with MSP.
In each of the 5 minute tutorials, you'll go through how to turn stuff on/off, oscillators, routing, basic synthesis, tremolo, vibrato, delays, chorus, flanging, panning, sampling, looping, playback,real-time signal processing, yada yada yada.... in fact, after another 45 minutes you are set! If you ever run into trouble, just get info or use help to open up an example of how to do something.
{Some useless trivia: Max is named after Max Matthews & the letters M S P are the initials of Miller Puckette, the creator of Max/MSP. I studied under him as an undergrad while at UCSD}.
Anyways, the only downside to Max/MSP is that it costs money..
Don't have the money?
Download Pd. http://crca.ucsd.edu/~msp/software.html
There's also a cool community for Pd users at http://puredata.info
Then use something called Pd ("Pure Data"). This is written by the original creator of Max/MSP who wanted to make it available to many different platforms. In many ways Pd is superior to Max/MSP.. It's free & last i remember, it's better suited for performance situation... (at least this is before Max 5..)..
The only downside to Pd is that it isn't exactly user-friendly.. Pd is more for the DIY type of guy/gal...
Max/MSP is more for people who like cute interfaces.. pretty GUIs n stuff...
Pd is more for the person who is always in experimentation mode.
Max/MSP makes things pretty and less daunting... Pd will scare you most people away.
Max/MSP will practically anticipate any problem you are likely to encounter....
Pd is perpetually a work-in-progress but there's a thriving Pd scene so you'll never really be alone.
I've used both... but i use Max/MSP now because v5 has a really nice environment. I don't want to spend a lot of time fine-tuning stuff.
They're both revolutionary...
Wow!
I need to go back to sleep.. sorry about rambling boys & girls.
i'm just so fucking tired@
cheers!
cosmonaut
Re: Who uses laptops in their signal chain?
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:10 am
by the raytownian
I've only used Audio Mulch to varied degrees of success... At least some part of my problem is with audio latency issues in my cheap soundcard, though.
I really only used it in in feedback loops as a way of working VST effects into the loop, though... but not w/ guitar.
Re: Who uses laptops in their signal chain?
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:27 am
by basti moon
Aw, cosmo, way to make me feel like a Max noob, hehe. (which I am)
You need that first "push", then everything makes sense and you can build funky stuff. That was what I meant.
Checking out Pd now, why haven't we learned about this stuff yet? I don't like using moneys!
Should we go into SuperCollider now too?
Try
Ixi Quarks, there's a few good SuperCollider tutorials in there as well, me thinks.
The drummer in
this video uses it on his drums.
Re: Who uses laptops in their signal chain?
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:00 pm
by cosmonaut
basti moon wrote:Aw, cosmo, way to make me feel like a Max noob, hehe. (which I am)
You need that first "push", then everything makes sense and you can build funky stuff. That was what I meant.
Checking out Pd now, why haven't we learned about this stuff yet? I don't like using moneys!
Should we go into SuperCollider now too?
Try
Ixi Quarks, there's a few good SuperCollider tutorials in there as well, me thinks.
The drummer in
this video uses it on his drums.
disclaimer: look at my signature.. can't get any more noob than that..
i'm the perpetual beginner. i'm just really good with abstract stuff.. when it comes to getting down to biz, well... i'm a work-in-progress...
btw, i downloaded that environment addon thingy you mentioned... i haven't installed it yet.. but i will soon.
from the user's perspective, Pd & Max operate similarly..i never used any of the different GUI add-ons for Pd tho... it wouldn't take you long to pick it up.
SuperCollider? noooooooooo! i'm allergic
now i really need a couple more hours of sleep..
poof!
Re: Who uses laptops in their signal chain?
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:03 am
by cosmonaut
archlilim wrote:I really need to be schooled on this type of stuff, I have a guitar interface and I'm thinking of getting Abelton live for a couple different things, but mostly I'm looking for something that can get really intricate with programmable glitchy loop type stuff, that might be impossible with pedals. How do you guys set your stuff up, what software to you use? User friendly? Thanks.
Will
What's the status of your search/mission?
Do you have any samples of stuff that achieves aspects of the ultimate sound(s) you want?
Re: Who uses laptops in their signal chain?
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 6:03 pm
by basti moon
Aw, Pd requires a lot of reading to get really into. Poor distractable me.
One more reason to buy Max peoples; video tutorials are everywhere!
Here's an easy irregular looping with guitar on top I improvised not too long ago. I don't like it very much, but maybe it can help define what you are after?