Live Sampling Improvisation, Raw & Uncut

Sunday Synth Jam: The following video captures a raw and uncut live improvisation, via Tyler of Perplex On, with an iPad running Samplr, a toy music box, Ableton Push, NI Maschine and a Leap Motion Sensor.

Here’s what he has to say about the improvisation:

I wanted to leave it as unfinished as it is to show the process on developing some small musical ideas. For those who want to skip forward the key facts and steps:

00:08: Recording the toy music box on the iPad, using an Zoom H2 as an USB-Audio-Interface on the iPad with the Apple Camera Connection Kit

00:50: Playing around with Samplr, creating some drones mit the recorded samples

07:30: Beats with NI Maschine

10:00: Some piano on Ableton Push (with custom color scheme)

14:10: Leap Motion sensor + Geco Midi App controls the Max4Live Plugin Grainfreeze to do some granular things on the piano

19 thoughts on “Live Sampling Improvisation, Raw & Uncut

    1. I can understand your perspective, one of the cool points I got from this vid is that everything, and anything is game for making music… I love my synths, but sometimes, a tin cup with water and a metal fork will work just as well… especially when you can sample it, tweak it, and geek it up!

  1. Lovely… I especially liked your work with the sampler, and music box… and also the percussive little box… Which of the gang up there was doing the clocking?
    Thanks alot, some great ideas, very musical…

    1. Dear Logeek, it’s Tyler from Preplex On. Thanks a lot for your kind words! The clocking was made with Ableton Live as the master. From there Midi Clock went to the iPad. And Maschine was integrated as a vst in Live. And btw the “percussive little box” was also the music box, just shaking 🙂

  2. Very nice indeed! How is the stuff connected? And how can you sync the iPad, while recording audio into it?
    Thank you for a Very Cool impro!

    Alex

    1. Hi Alex! Really glad you like it!
      The iPad is connected to a powered USB-Hub, where 2 devices are plugged in:
      – a Zoom H2 mobile recorder in USB-mode as audio-interface for recording AND playback, the output is connected to my main Audio-Interface and recorded live into the DAW (Live)
      – a cheap USB-Midi-Interface, which receives midi clock sync from Live.

      Hope that helps!
      Kind regards,
      Tyler

  3. One more Q: I see you’ve got an Arturia Minilab; do you use it much, how do you find it? Thinking about getting one and interested to hear from a user. Cheers, Bruce.

    1. Hey Bruce! Yeah, it’s a launchpad mini. To set it up as a levelmeter, there’s a download link in the youtube description with a sample Live-Set and a how-to. You’ll need Live8/) + Max4Live!
      Regarding the Minilab: Honestly, i’ve sold it because i didn’t like the feel o its knobs and pads. It does look quite good but it feels cheap (Compared to my Akai LPD8 and LPK25). Cheers, Tyler

  4. Tyler, thanks for the reply. Ref the minilab, what did you think of the sounds, many useful or just a few. Also if you sold the controller can you still use the sounds as a vst? Thanks again, Bruce.

    1. Many of the included Analog Lab software sounds are good, without question, although you can only access a handful of paremeters of each synth, which are automatically mapped to the controller. It’s like sitting behind glass and you are only able to press some few of all the knobs. If you’re a beginner this might be good but if you want the full control the software is a bit too limited. Since you have to register the software online i had to de-register the serial when reselling. Regards, Tyler

  5. Cool stuff. So if I understand right, your Zoom acts as your interface and your ipad is hooked up to it. Your Zoom’s out feeds into your actual interface that connects to your DAW.

    Does that make sense?

    Jayanth

    1. Hi Jayanth! Exactly! The Zoom is connected to the ipad as an interface in order to use the good stereo mics in the zoom. Since i wanted to record this live into my DAW the Zoom’s output is connected to my main interface. Cheers, Tyler

  6. Thanks. I have a question though. Say I really love Loopy(I do) and I want to use that as my looper, this would complicate my setup quite a bit wouldn’t it? I’d have to have my DAW(which is Reason in this case) go out into the ipad along with the mic and then have Loopy come back into Reason…Damnit. That’s as Spaghetti as it gets.

    Jayanth

    1. Just another hint: Personally i now have an Akai EIE connected to my iPad and therefore all Audio and Midi Inputs/Outputs you normally need for your desired setup.

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