Tech Log

Gaia Synth

What is it?

A Gaia synth is musical hardware equipment that reads midi & audio data. This synth is great for synthesis because you will find the waveforms, filters, LFOs and ADSR envelope. This synth is also great for live performance & music production.

How have you been using it?

I wanted to make a deep bass sound with this synth. So the way I went about putting this synth in good is I selected the waveforms I wanted to use to create the bass sound I wanted. From there I used the ADSR envelope to manipulate the bass. I put a sharp attack, an average decay, a long sustain and a short release.

From there the bass didn't sound the way I wanted it to sound. There was a lot of harmonics that were not needed. So I used a lo pass filter to cut of some it's harmonics in the hi frequency range and the bass started to sound much deeper and fatter and it was a sound I wanted to create. Finally I didn't add an LFO because the bass I was creating didn't need an LFO. I was creating a bass that is commonly used in house music. If I were to create a dubstep bass then I would use and LFO to make the bass wobble.

What are the limitations?

This synth is not too heavy to carry around and it is not that hard to set up for live performances. This synth can save up to 64 created sounds allowing you to use them as presets in live performance. However, this synth only has 37 keys. This means you would need to change the octave using the two buttons underneath the LFO envelope and this could become a bit tricky when performing live. There is no room for error when performing live.

Another good thing about this synth is the pitch and modulation wheel, which is very useful for live performance. This wheel can be used for adding great articulation to the melodies that the performer is playing. The modulation & pitch wheel is also useful for

Can you think of any examples of it being used already by other performers?




Here is an example of how the synth is being used in live performance. By listening to the performer play the synth I can tell he is not only using the keys on the synth but he is also using the controls to create great effects and articulation. I also notice him changing the presets on the synth as he is playing. This is a great example of how useful the controls and commands can be when using the synth in live performance.

Traktor

What is it?

Traktor is piece of DJ equipment made by native instruments and comes in software and hardware equipment. The software equipment allows used for showing bpm, waveform, EQ deck, fader and cross fader, gain switches, effects, etc of any song. The hardware equipment is used for enabling a person to create DJ mixes, adding great sound effects and great for scratching.

How have you been using it?

I use traktor by loading a song onto deck one and two. From there I play the song on deck one and I take a look at the song deck two. I look at the bpm on deck two and I check if it's the same bpm on deck one. If it isn't the same I press the sync button on deck two and the song automatically matches the bpm on deck one. When I DJ I don't always use the sync button because when I bring the next track in because the track loses it's original vibe and the key of the song doesn't sound very nice. I rarely use effects while I'm DJ'ing because I don't find effects important to me unless I'm about to drop the next track. I like my DJ set (s) to have a great groove and vibe and without the effects deck my mix will sound perfected. In some DJ I try to do a bit of scratching because it's a great technique to use when doing a DJ set.

What are the limitations?

The good thing about the DJ controller is it's easy to use and you can carry it around anywhere you go. The controller has plenty of functions to make a DJ set sound perfect such as the EQ deck, faders, cross fader, looping buttons, cue points, effects deck, sync buttons & gain controls. These controls can become overwhelming when using it for the first time but practise always makes perfect and eventually you will like what traktor can do. However, the bad thing about the DJ controller doesn't display what track you are playing. The traktor controller doesn't have a small screen showing what track is being played on which deck plus it also doesn't show the bpm and this can become a bit of a problem when a DJ is about to drop the next track.

This is where traktor software comes in. The good thing about traktor software is it enables you to see what track you have loaded on which deck and it also shows the tempo and track title. Furthermore, the software also allows you to see the track's waveform, which is good for showing the song's frequencies. The lo frequencies will have a dark blue colour and the mid and hi frequencies will have white colour. By looking at the waveform carefully you will know where the main beat comes in and where all the mid and hi frequency instruments come in. Finally, another good thing about traktor software is you can see where you have placed you're cue points. It will make you're DJ set much tighter because you will know where the cue point (s) are when looking at the screen and you will be able to get the timing correct when bringing the next track in.

Can you think of any examples of it being used already by other performers?



Here is a video of Phenomena using the traktor s4. As you can see in this video he is using cue points, EQ deck, effects deck, faders, filters, scratching, sync control and looping. What this video is showing is how Phenomena is really keeping in time with the tracks he is playing and how he is adding these great effects and techniques to make his set sound good and tight. This video is great evidence of what traktor software and hardware can do.

Boss RC-50 Loop Station

What is it?

The Boss RC-50 loop station is a piece of hardware equipment that enables someone to record loops with any musical instrument, vocals and beat box sounds. With this hardware equipment you can record some loops and from there you can control the loops with you're feet and arrange into a professional track. This hardware equipment can be great for a live performer to use if he/she knows how to use it correctly and knows what he/she is doing.

How have you been using it?

When it was time for me to experiment with the RC-50 loop station, I was put into a group so that it would be easier to use and configure. The first thing we had to do is select phrase one, which is another way of saying pattern one. From there we had to put the metronome on because it was difficult to record the loops without the metronome. From there, I pressed the 'Rec/Play/Overdub' button to record, afterwards my group used phrase one to record two loops. Likewise for phrase two and three. Once the loop had been recorded I ensured that the stop button on the loop station was pressed or otherwise the loop will not have been registered.

However, if a recorded loop isn't in time with the metronome, the loop needs to be recorded again. The way my group did this is someone would select the phrase and press the 'Undo/Redo' button or press and hold the 'Stop' button. These two buttons ensure that the loop is undone or erased and will be recorded again. Before recording the loops, we had to ensure the instruments and mics had enough gain. This means that if some instruments and mics had low gain level, the gain needed to be turned up and from there everything was ready for recording. During recording, the instruments such as the synth and bass guitar needed a mic near an amp that the sound was coming from. This was to ensure that the sound can be picked up more; if the mic was too far away from the amp, hardly anything can be heard.

What are the limitations?

This hardware equipment is easily transportable and not difficult to set up. It is also great for showing a musician's great skills and techniques. However, when a musician is using this in live performance for a long period of time, his/her feet will start to get tired and will start to ache. Another thing that could go wrong is the loop not being in time with the metronome and this is can be a major error. A musician who isn't familiar with how to use the loop station will need to have a lot of practise before using the actual thing in live performance. The RC-50 only has three phrases, which is good for recording unlimited loops but can be a bit difficult when recording too many on one phrase. If too many loops are recorded in one phrase the loops will sound over compressed and probably distorted. This is would be a major error to encounter in live performance.

Can you think of any examples of it being used already by other performers?




In this video, we see Gundy Keller demonstrate the RC-50 loop station to an audience. As you can see, he is selecting which phrase to record on and he is keeping in time with the metronome without having to listen to it. As well as using his guitar to make the loops, he is also making beat box loops too. Also, he has used a vocoder along with his guitar to make his voice sound electronic. This video shows that using the loop station isn't easy as it looks and it probably took Gundy lots of practise to make sure he got everything correct before demonstrating it to a full audience.