How to live loop hands-free like Elise Trouw on Ableton Live

[@eday6332]

elise's videos are simultaneously inspiring and make me want to give up lol

[@olivergearing]

Completely agree. She’s one of those people that are really gifted! Do you do looping?

[@hvanmegen]

Ah yes.. The Jacob Collier effect.. very relatable..

[@treyGivens1]

I wonder how she figured this out. Crazy innovative. She's one of the only loop artists that does not create repetitive sounding loops. Low key she's underrated.

[@olivergearing]

Crazy right? The intelligence behind this artist is underrated, and lost behind a swell of misogyny and ageism (if you ask me!)

[@formxshape]

Someone showed her, she says in an interview somewhere.

[@whatmusiciwant]

@@olivergearing misogyny and ageism? Bruv she's on tour and her most popular video has 23 million views? What are you on about mate? Nobody thinks she's dumb cause she's a young female.

[@terrat3048]

@@olivergearing Nah, it's plain envy. On my part at least.

[@justplainjosh]

In my one foray so far into live looping, I did a very similar thing - but I didn't use MIDI, I just used automation in Ableton to trigger everything. MIDI is maybe a simpler and more consolidated way to do that... but automation did exactly the same thing. I like this method, but I'm not entirely sure about it, as it requires a lot of time invested into developing and programming the arrangement (albeit enabling a much more complex arrangement), whereas completely live triggering allows for a little more flexibility

[@olivergearing]

Thanks for the comment - yes, there are far simpler methods, and it sounds like you have found a great one! I enjoy this approach as I can build complex musical arrangements, but really enjoy listening to and watching other styles of looping too!

[@justplainjosh]

@@olivergearing Agreed! I'm planning to experiment with different things to try to figure out what I like best. It's so fun to see other people do their thing though!

[@buttery6228]

I used this method because it's free on Windows :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHXbgZSBi61piKcsi=yLvCidHWZuZ_twAj

[@marcschmiedermusic]

I am just starting to build my first live looping song and this video is gold. Helped me so much - thank you for putting out that information.

[@olivergearing]

Thanks for the feedback! Good luck in your looping journey!

[@marcschmiedermusic]

@@olivergearing Thank you!

[@marcschmiedermusic]

@@olivergearing actually I have a question: maybe you already have a video on this. How do you handle record arming automation in ableton when doing live looping? For me i play multiple sounds with one keyboard for example and i don't want multiple tracks armed since I then hear the monitoring then from multiple instruments. I have started by midi mapping the record arm and triggering this from the midi trigger track - is this the best way?

[@olivergearing]

@ good question. My technique was to have 1 track with an instrument chain - multiple instruments on it. I can change from (say) piano to organ using midi mapped ‘chain selector’. This way I left the channel on monitoring “in”, which meant I the keyboard was always triggering a sound, but I could select which sound using MIDI CC. Does that make sense?

[@marcschmiedermusic]

@@olivergearing this is a great way to do this. Thank you for taking the time for writing that tip. Have a great day!

[@sambuzzmusic]

OMG. This answered so many of my questions ive had for a very long time. thank you a lot !

[@olivergearing]

Thank you for your comment, this makes me happy

[@BeachJazzMusic]

Thanks, I always wondered how she did this. But even so the fact that she's doing this in front of a pack house is even more amazing.

[@olivergearing]

She is a very talented player, and her technical stuff in the background is SO clever

[@terr4c0]

Wow, looping requires a lot of preparation. She's not only an original musician, she's an excellent looper. I can't imagine all the things that a looper needs to consider at the same time. Thank you so much for share your knowledge, I have a lot to learn about Ableton and Elise and, of course, from you. You're also a great looper and multinstrumentist and afortunately your channel doesn't stop to share nice stuff. Sorry for my english again, hah.

[@olivergearing]

Thanks so much Daniel!! Is there any area of Ableton I could help with? I could make a specific video if it would help?

[@terr4c0]

@@olivergearing Haha, thank you so much but first of all, I need to download so don't worry with that. Then, I'll try it and there I'll see wich kind of help I would need. Thank you so much, again, for your offer and all your work.

[@almutlustigberlin525]

Thanks a lot Oliver! I am using Ableton since 15 years, but this ICA-Driver-Info is totally new - and game changing to me :). Greetings from Berlin! Almut

[@olivergearing]

Thank you! Glad to share something new!

[@KevinTPLim]

Amazing, thank you! It really strikes me that the midi trigger track is like a stage manager's cue book (not that I've tried my hand at working either)

[@olivergearing]

Totally is! I agree. One of the things I have started doing since I did this video is to create a 'cue track' which tells me what I need to be doing at any given moment. The options are endless! Thanks for watching

[@everblu]

I love Elise! And thank you for this💙

[@olivergearing]

You’re very welcome! She is so brilliant, right?

[@sanderschat]

If you want a bit more 'free control' over it, just hook up all your loopers to a midi-controller. and trigger it manually whenever you feel like it. I like TouchOSC as my fully custom build midi-controler, which i run on the ipad.

[@olivergearing]

I agree - it is good sometimes to have the hands-on control of your looping, and it can be a real short cut to creativeness!

[@danielo174]

Great video Oliver. Thanks for sharing. Would love to hear more of your insights into live looping and Ableton. This is exactly the kind of content I've been looking for. Thanks.

[@olivergearing]

Thank you! I’m preparing a few more Ableton videos for release soon! Really appreciate you watching and commenting

[@iLiekLemonade]

holy damn, what a gem of a video. good editing, good topic and excellent explanation

[@olivergearing]

Thank you iLiek! Really appreciate the feedback. Are you looking to set this up yourself?

[@iLiekLemonade]

@@olivergearing yup, eventually when I get proper recording equipment, will try my hand at live looping. thx for the really helpful tutorial!

[@olivergearing]

@@iLiekLemonade good luck mate

[@djstudios26]

Nice concise video. One thing, windows does have a free virtual MIDI repeater/messager, it's called LoopMIDI

[@olivergearing]

Nice one, thanks for sharing. I hope this helps viewers who are using Windows!

[@kennyzee3221]

Look all of this is easily done and anyone can do it. Regardless of which method you use the fact is that she performs live in part and sequences the rest. So all you do is you can either have pre-set mute points in your sequences which you then do live and playback the rest or you can dynamically set mute on and off with a pedal or even midi notes. You can also use Ableton and there is one other software which I can’t remember, to record your part and it automatically copies what you play into pre-set segments in your arrangements. The safest option is mute and unmute dynamically but there are a few techniques that would do the same thing. It’s all pre-produced and all very amazing too.

[@olivergearing]

Great, sounds like a sensible approach

[@GiorgiBekurashvili]

Thank you very much! Most clear explanation! Just got my Focusrite, gonna try your technique

[@olivergearing]

Nice one - I'm going to do a series of step by step videos on this pretty soon, so hopefully they will help if you get stuck!

[@seandavidsonmusic]

In Elise's video, she's looping without hitting any buttons, so she has the track to record and loop at a certain time in the song. In the one clip you found, it looks like the piano key is triggering the loop, but if you watch the whole video, you'll see it's happening automatically.

[@olivergearing]

You are correct - she uses the IAC driver and arrangement view to do it all hands free! What a legend

[@christopherdoucet4112]

Cool video! It would be great to see your setup with the 3 loopers on each track in action to get a better idea.

[@olivergearing]

Thank you for watching! I probably should have shown the full set up with all 3 loopers going in this tutorial. I am considering doing a deep dive into one of my arrangements, which will show the full set up... Perhaps as a livestream? What do you think?

[@cinemudomusic]

That’s great, but I think theres an even simpler way. The main button of the looper can be automated as any other parameter in ableton. You can tell it to record, play, overdub or stop

[@olivergearing]

This is a really good point, and it is something that I'm planning on doing a follow up video to. There are pros and cons to using the IAC or the automation method. For example, if you use the automation method, the arrangement view *could* become quite clogged up with all the lanes you need, especially if you have multiple loopers per track. The IAC method needs just one lane to house the MIDI notes, although it does have a learning curve and you need to remember which MIDI note does what. Thanks for the comment, and the idea for a follow up video...

[@Arkansya]

@@olivergearing for complex looping using clips is way more efficient than the looper plugin

[@_parthmusic]

I've tried doing this, but am unfortunately struggling with the fact that if I want to record multiple sounds on the same instrument (e.g. guitar) and still hear it while I'm actually playing, that I need to arm all the tracks to record, and have the monitor switched on for all of them. Additionally, I need to use a Utility at the beginning of each track to ensure that once I've done recording a part on that track, the input from my guitar doesn't continue to be heard over the looped parts, while the loop still continues. Does anyone have any solutions to this? Specifically, does anyone know of a way to automate the turning on and off of the "recording arm" button within an arrangement? Many thanks in advance!

[@cinemudomusic]

@@_parthmusic what works for me is that I have a separate track for my guitar or vocal and other tracks just for the loopers. I dont set them on record, but on input monitoring.

[@cinemudomusic]

@@Arkansya yeah, but that only works if you play one song. For a complete 20 songs show, I don’t see any other way than the arrangement view :)

Man excellent video, more people should see this

[@olivergearing]

Thank you very much!

[@catsandchords625]

Another way to do this is to create blank clips in session view rather than using the looper. You can set the loop length so when you trigger it to record it will automatically do it to the right length and keep repeating. With midi triggering you don’t need to worry about the timing either way so both will work but if you have preset blank clips for loooping in session view you can also program commands to switch back and forth between different clips rather than replacing or overdubbing a loop. Gives you a bit more flexibility I think.

[@olivergearing]

Nice one I’ll give this a try

[@ivandj707]

Thanks for the explanation. Excellent video.

[@olivergearing]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@lannyfuller8367]

Very nice. I just wish that this video was around years ago when I was trying to figure out what she was doing. =) I've found that for this sort of pedaless looping that Ableton's looper automation can handle most of this, but you still need a MIDI loopback to arm and disarm tracks. I can see a single piano roll controlling *all* the functions getting quite complex quickly. However, if you wanted to change the arrangement in some way, I can certainly see the advantage to having it all in front of you at once as opposed to switching tracks and getting confused.

[@olivergearing]

Thanks Lanny, really helpful comment. I think the lack of any Ableton functionality has led people like you and me to design our own approaches, and given the popularity of this video(!) it seems there are a lot of us out there. I am excited by Ableton 12 - there might be some interesting functionality coming our way which would help this, so hopefully we can turn these complex solutions into simpler workflows!

[@thisisntadonis]

You can also do this in Reason without extra software - plus its a much more superior daw than ableton. the mapping can be done with two clicks of the mouse and one key push to map. Looping is also in the software...

[@olivergearing]

Great! Hopefully this comment is helpful to the Reason users out there. I can’t agree that it is superior though!

[@rexturner8208]

I was following until your bonus tip. How the heck do you midi control cameras? Thanks for this tutorial. It explains a lot.

[@olivergearing]

I send a midi note to BOME, which I then trigger a ‘hot key’ to Streamlabs, which controls the scenes… I’m going to do a video on this shortly! Sorry it was a bit brief in this video!

[@3xAudio]

love this video was a big inspiration for some stuff i do

[@olivergearing]

Amazing, thank you! Do you have any links to your stuff? Would love to hear…

[@ranradd]

Of course it doesn't hurt to be wildly competent, have a smooth as silk totally relaxed performance vibe, and a wonderful voice. But thanks for all the advice to try out.

[@olivergearing]

Thank you!

[@DeanBurnettJr.]

MIDI mapping is my next destination. I'm going with the foot control option.

[@olivergearing]

Great option - it massively opens up Ableton in a really intuitive way! Are you going to control the Looper this way?

[@DeanBurnettJr.]

@@olivergearing thanks, yeah, I have an old multi effects floor pedal with midi in and out and it works with Ableton, expression pedal works too. I'm just settling in so idk. Sky's the limit.

[@Joaquinito]

this video is so coo!! thanks

[@olivergearing]

Thanks very much! Really appreciate you taking the time to comment

[@lillianlegendre3661]

this tutorial is wonderful, but how did you map C1 to "record" button on the looper?? I can't find the information

[@olivergearing]

This can be tricky. I normally use a MIDI keyboard, which is on MIDI channel 1, and then map using that. Once it is mapped, the IAC driver, or BOME suggestion, should work.

[@GraemeRonald-p8j]

Great video! This is exactly what I've been wanting to do in Ableton for so long. I've set up my Ableton project exactly as you describe and all seems great until I hit play.. the MIDI notes that I assign to the Looper are just not triggering the Looper, there must be something wrong with the way I set it up but I must have watched you talk through the settings (on loop! LOL) about 10 times and I can't see what I'm missing

[@olivergearing]

This is quite a common, and annoying issue. If you have a MIDI track playing the notes that should trigger, check it is on MIDI channel 1, and that the IAC driver is enabled, and you have the right MIDI output and input. Alternatively, try BOME MIDI translator, which should work

[@Kosro]

If you have Ableton Live Suite, you can acheive the same thing (a bit sleeker and easier to set up even) with free Max for Live devices ;)

[@olivergearing]

Interesting! Can you share the approach please?

[@olivergearing]

Interesting! Can you share the approach please?

[@mangrove1985]

@@olivergearing search for Bink Looper by Binkbeats

[@calebconfer4029]

Question. Why use the looper plug in instead of just recording to a clip in the session view? Sorry I'm new to Ableton.

[@olivergearing]

Great question. Both are good options, but the looper allows you to later loops on top of each other. To do the same you would need more than 1 clip. Both ways are good! I prefer looper, but try both and let me know your experience?

[@levikerteszdrums]

ok so I’m wondering how to record all of this? say you’re doing a whole looping performance. How does it get captured? Looper doesn’t seem to record ?

[@olivergearing]

It might be the monitoring settings for the channels. What I do is have an input channel - where I route my mic, or guitar into. This one I set as "In" in the monitoring settings. Then I route this to a second channel - with the looper installed on - then this is able to record the first channel

[@tysonandstormytiede]

For Windows I used software called Loop BE 1 to midi-map for free

[@olivergearing]

Nice one - I’ll check this out

[@ewencousin]

Thank you so much !

[@olivergearing]

You're welcome!

[@VinylWave11]

I think the reason that it only works in channel one BUS 1 is because in the IAC Driver in MIDI Studio it is loaded with Bus 1 only. but other Buses and I believe other midi channels can be added. I was able to add IAC buses, up to 16 can be added.Great video and information. Will I need Bome if I have IAC using a MAC?

[@olivergearing]

Thanks for the info on IAC. I started out with only IAC, which worked well. To be honest I’ve now replaced with BOME as I love that software! But you can run just IAC

[@DesignCourse]

"So that's how you do it in Simpleton" 🤣 5:47

[@olivergearing]

😂😂😂

[@DesignCourse]

@@olivergearing I'd do the same thing, I call my daughter's simpletons all the time. I'm VERY close to getting the live looping stuff setup! I'm just trying to get BOME configured correctly.

[@DesignCourse]

@@olivergearing If you're up for it, I'm willing to pay you for 30-60 minutes via zoom to help me get this setup. I'm a busy man with this youtube biz!

[@olivergearing]

@@DesignCourse nice one! Good luck for getting it set up! It is my favourite musical thing! You’re gonna love it

[@panmo2110]

Thanks for the video, but I am not sure this is correct? I've watched a few of her videos and it doesnt seem like she it triggering the loop with the midi keyboard or foot trigger. For me it looks like she has the triggers setup to redo or undo at a specific time which is pre set in advance (or potentially someone else doing this behind the scenes). I'm new to this, but interested to hear your thoughts and if that could be the case?

[@olivergearing]

Thanks for the comment. The way she triggers is via a MIDI track, not a MIDI keyboard. So the triggering is predefined in the MIDI track, and she can perform her music completely hands free. Such an innovative musician! If you want a Step be Step guide, there is a livestream that I did a few months ago on my channel which will walk you through the process in more detail!

[@panmo2110]

@@olivergearing oh amazing.. thank you for getting back to me, and sorry for any misunderstanding on my part! I'll have a look and try to find it ❤️

[@olivergearing]

@@panmo2110 No worries - shout if I can help in any way

[@Ralph2]

OK so Elise is not only younger than me, much, MUCH prettier than me, a much better musician than me and understands all this computer malarkey far better than me, but also has a massive following and writes incredible compositions and is a multi instrumentalist. But really, what else does she bring to the table eh? Eh?😂😪

[@olivergearing]

Not fair! She’s too good! Learning how she uses the IAC driver blew my mind - such a great idea!

[@ivandj707]

She is so perfect, I wonder if she is a human?

[@strumspicks2456]

monty python moment... what have the romans done for us?!?

[@Ralph2]

@@strumspicks2456 😂

[@lindsaylaw1825]

Do you really think she figured that all out? Or she has a producer or someone that helps her?

[@AleksandrPechenkin]

Great music. I like it inspires me to create my track for video clips.

[@olivergearing]

Thanks so much for the comment! What sort of music videos are you making - livestreams?

[@AleksandrPechenkin]

@@olivergearing I write music for videos and write individual tracks and albums.

[@olivergearing]

@@AleksandrPechenkin nice! I wish you success my friend

[@eisenhammerproductions8948]

Would you need Ableton Standard or Suite for this Style of looping? Also, I was lucky enough to find her videos before she blew up, and the comments were filled with people in complete denial and saying that it was all fake, despite the fact she includes her tools and hints of the process in the description. She is truly the Michelangelo of looping.

[@olivergearing]

To be honest, the IAC driver works in all the versions, and looper is available in all versions, so it should work. I chose suite because it has the Amp and Cabinet, plus a bunch of other effects

[@eisenhammerproductions8948]

@@olivergearing Thanks for the response! Well that is good to hear! if the only difference between suite and standard is their effects/tools, I will save some money and get standard.

[@phantazzor]

but how does she do it to record new loops with the same instrument , she has to track when the drum(for instance) is actually stopping and re-record right in time ?

[@olivergearing]

Yes - exactly! Performing these kind of arrangements means you need to be incredibly accurate in your loop performance; trust me it is easy to play a bad loop and then it stays in the song! Also, you need to have a good mechanism to remember what you need to play and when. I do this by having a ‘Cue Mix’ in my ears, which is on output channels 3 and 4, and contains the Click, plus an audio track which tells me what I need to play and when

[@phantazzor]

@@olivergearing she must have a cue too, at least for performances

[@olivergearing]

@@phantazzor defo

[@phantazzor]

@@olivergearing or she uses Clyphx pro

[@lanaesman]

Thx a lot! +

[@olivergearing]

You're welcome!

[@ErikHawk]

Oliver, not to be a wet blanket on your awesome tutorial, but why use Looper when you can just IAC bus control looped clips instead? With clips you can loop audio or MIDI and then solo or play these clips in any order you like. Plus, you have the distinct advantage of capturing all of your performances as clips versus an ephemeral loop in Looper. I'm not saying that Looper isn't cool, but Live was initially designed to live loop clips with simple MIDI mapping control. It's way less complicated and way more permanent than Looper, which came along much later in Live's versions as a means for live loop overdubbing audio, which you can't do on an audio clip. That's really the downside to live looping audio clips is that you can't overdub audio in an audio clip. You can overdub audio in Looper just like a guitar pedal. But when you're doing a live arrangement of your loops you need the individual track control to record different loop lengths, and build/deconstruct your loop arrangement over time. Consequently, audio overdubbing on a loop isn't necessarily a desirable feature. Try MIDI mapping your clip slots and then apply the IAC bus automated looping technique. This is a more efficient approach IMO that's been in play since about 2010. Though, again, I'm not saying that Looper isn't a cool and useful tool as well.

[@olivergearing]

Hey Erik, thank you so much for your detailed and thorough comment, it’s not a wet blanket at all! Your particular method is very interesting; you’re clearly someone who has mastered Ableton… I tried a number of options, but clips didn’t really work for me as I use the overdub function a lot. Also, the functions like undo and reverse on the loopers are nice. That being said there are certainly strong benefits in your method. I’m currently planning a video comparing the pros and cons of both - so this comment is timely!!

[@ErikHawk]

@@olivergearing Yes, the audio overdub function is the big plus with Looper. The flipside of this is that you can't play the overdubs independently when real-time arranging your loops. You'll hear Trouw doing this a lot as she's live looping, playing the loops independently in her arrangement, with breakdowns and builds, which leads me to believe that she's using clips versus Looper, though I haven't been able to confirm this. I've always thought of Looper for guitar looping heads, versus clip looping for looping and then real time arranging. Of course, there's no rule that says you can't use both methods in your live looping session either! But, if after you've recorded your loops you want to mix them down with some slick production, the recorded clip loops will be more easy to work with/play back in your session at the end of the day.

[@olivergearing]

@@ErikHawk thank you for your really helpful input!

[@mersouled]

what's that IAC stuff for?...I can just route my midi directly to the track with the looper, no??

[@olivergearing]

It’s moved on a bit with Ableton 12, however the MIDI triggers don’t work from a MIDI track in the previous version.

[@mersouled]

yeah I already understood the concept watching a few more vids on this…thx!

[@kevingranger4458]

Great stuff man! My question though, is I don't even see her using midi triggers; when she switches an instrument, etc. Any thoughts?

[@olivergearing]

It’s amazing isn’t it - controlling MIDI triggers without using physical MIDI buttons or pads. She uses the IAC driver and the MIDI notes played within Ableton to make the triggers occur at predetermined times in the arrangement. The video goes into a bit of detail on how she does this

[@jephbennett]

What helped me understand it is this: she is sequencing a pre-programmed song of midi notes whose only purpose is to arm/record/play/stop/repeat sections of recorded space (IE: record 1 measure, loop 3 times, pause 1 measure, loop 4 times, etc) . The part you're not seeing is when she hits "play" to start the sequence before the video begins. This sends a click track (possibly with audio cues) into her ear monitors. She uses that click to time what to play in each measure, and hears the song build as each loop is added. If you've ever played live along to a sequenced track (or backing track with a click), then you are 33% of the way there!

[@AutPen38]

When I saw her videos a few years ago, I presumed there was someone else in the room, sat in front of Ableton Live, pressing record and then play/loop at the right time, but I guess you can automate the software to do it right on the beat at predetermined times.

[@hextray]

Wouldn't it be feasible via all Automations ? While much more tedious, it seems like it could be at least as powerful... While not requiring the IAC driver. Do you think that's, like... A viable option ?

[@sprechstund]

I tried to set up a live set by automating the looper device itself. It's a lot less complicated since you don't need an additional track for you to do all the programming. You can do it all in the automation lane of the specific track.

[@sprechstund]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIaXkJZ_rKqWirc

[@olivergearing]

I think this is a great idea, and I’ve tried it. I found that it takes quite a bit longer to program, as in the IAC approach I can trigger a bunch of things within 1 MIDI track. However it would help to free up channel one!

[@olivergearing]

It’s a good idea, and simpler, but I prefer to have all the MIDI notes in one place as it speeds up my workflow! I’ll check out the link

[@Medium0Rare]

Why would you use midi triggers instead of Ableton's automation?

[@olivergearing]

The automation lanes are a good option, and I sometimes combine the 2 approaches. The main drawback for automation is that you can only see 1 automated parameter at once, whereas with a MIDI clip, all the notes are there

[@matthewjackson8709]

The new performance pack for Live 12 takes care of all of this for you no fuss. (Prearranger)

[@olivergearing]

Nice one! I might need to kiss goodbye to all the lovely views on this video then!

[@soma808]

Or do a new one ;)

[@olivergearing]

@@soma808 even better!!

[@kittycloudz813]

I have also heard she just automates the record on the clip slots, with a envelope, as the track plays.. a bit easier.

[@olivergearing]

This is something I’ve heard too, and I’m definitely going to release a video talking about the different options!

[@nayde5469]

There are some salty comments about how Elise Trouw pre record everything and do a playback. I've been on IAC Driver method for the last 2 days and i"ve managed to make a whole song without touching any buttons like Elise,. Of course, it sounds like shit right now but with practice I believe I can make a decent track. Although I do have question: I've set up my Midi mapping up to D#1. Now, if I want to play some keys on my MIDI keyboard below D#1, how can I do it ? I feel like it's one of the setback of that method, if your MIDI mapping goes to B5 for example, you can't really play your midi keyboard anymore...

[@olivergearing]

Great comment, agree with the salty comments point! In terms of the drawbacks of the method - the IAC driver does demand channel 1, which can be an issue, as you’ve found. I have 2 suggestions - a) change the channel of your keyboard to channel 2 (or another unused one), or b) install BOME MIDI translator - I actually use both of these techniques myself! I’m doing a livestream next week and will walk through these techniques in detail!

[@richardervins]

Yikes! 😮 That method is a lot of risk for live looping. There is no way of correcting a mistake or getting back on track if you forgot a cue. I use two alternative methods in connection with two loop stations. I play guitars, bass, keys, drums, sax, flute, blues harps, pedal steel guitar, banjo, ukulele, timble, steel drums, congas, djembe, flutes, celtic harp, and some violin and trumpet live on stage, some more instruments in the studio. I prefer to play together with another multi-instrumentalist and singer. That is why we use two RC-505 units that are synched via MIDI. The easiest way to control this setup is by using an arranger keyboard that can send the CCs (control change messages) to the mixing console, the guitar multi fx pedals, and the loopers. That way all we need to do is program the loopers once and the keyboard for each song. If we choose to play a longer solo or get lost in the song structure there are no problems. The second method is to control the loopers with a pre-programmed MIDI floor board with some additional foot controllers attached to them. That way I can trigger loops or fx from the drumset or wherever I play an instrument. This setup is more suited for solo performances, as the number of foot controllers is limited to 6. I could use a MIDI hub or switch to get more controllers, but that would be an additional risk. One loose or broken cable could ruin everything. And there are enough cables already. But the flexibility this setup gives us is well worth it. And, if everything else fails, we are always prepared to do an acoustic set. 😁

[@olivergearing]

Wow. You’ve got a serious set up there; thank you for taking the time to comment and watch the video. My setup is risky, if I make an error, there is no way back! The only way round this is to practice A LOT! I enjoy the challenge, and it definitely keeps my livestream exciting! You should do a KZbin video about your set up!

[@mangrove1985]

Could have been done with ClyphX too. To be honest, she must be very good and have precise timing (practice), cause a bad loop while play for the entire track. Seems likely the song is a bit edited in post?

[@olivergearing]

I think you have a point - there is likely some post production in there (you should see some of my live performances - absolutely shocking timing!)

[@AutPen38]

I saw one of her videos recorded in front of an audience, and the applause in the intro got picked up by the drum mics and ended up being part of a loop.

[@mangrove1985]

link? @@AutPen38

[@FluffHead]

they really need to make a simple looper software that does all the confusing programming for you. Does abletons looping alow you to start recording just by playing the instrument part.

[@olivergearing]

Since this video Ableton 12 has come out, and I need to do a video showing how to use their new looping pack!

[@Youbadouba]

Great content! thank you. But i seriously doubt she goes through all this trouble for looping. Especially when something like zenaudio's ALK software exists.

[@olivergearing]

Thanks! I think Zen Audio is awesome, and something I plan to create some videos about. I think the arrangements quickly become complex, whichever program you use, but it is a good shout!

[@droremi]

@@olivergearing but Zen Audio ALK is not an option.. the company has closed and there is no way to find this software

[@jephbennett]

yep, zen is dead, like Mobius. the good ones never last. sigh.

[@zeibeats]

rabbit lips is good ?

[@olivergearing]

Thanks for watching! Not sure I understand the comment, but I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment

[@Phadddy]

You don't need the MIDI triggers when you set the looper status in it's an automation lane.

[@olivergearing]

Yes - this is another really solid approach to hands free automation. There are pros and cons to both, and I wish you well on your looping journey my friend

[@wilkinsnl]

I guess I’m kind of a dinosaur but I was wondering how she was doing all this. I’d seen live vids of her doing it and I was blown away.

[@olivergearing]

I’d love to see her do this live! Next week I’ve got a KZbin live stream walking through the step by step process if you’re interested!

[@Nostaljikone]

You mean it’s not a switch hidden in her hair?😂

[@olivergearing]

What! I think that’s it!! Genius…😀😀😀

[@rogercabo5545]

does that mean: a) she recorded the drums first. b) she then sampled these recordings into a sampler. c) after that, she placed microphones to trigger these samples using noise. d) finally, she configured Ableton to manage these sounds. why? personally, I have no problem if someone recorded everything beforehand and made a crisp and energetic video. and she can!

[@davidlisteresq]

No not all. She just has mics set up to record the audio from the live kit.

[@olivergearing]

What he said! I think it’s just a simple mic setup into her audio interface

[@abQUINTON1]

Interesting dive into her Ableton use! Pity she seems to have vanished from the net - no new posts anywhere in a long time. Hope she's OK, not going to delve into her personal life.

[@olivergearing]

Me too - hope she’s ok. Her innovation and skill will remain…!

[@LostStylus]

While being informational, this video somehow misses couple of important points: 1. No info on how to actually enable IAC on mac (I mean, yes, I get it that you have to open Audio MIDI Setup and then what? The video cutsa to some dialog already open - how do I get it?) 2. How to actually map looper buttons to MIDI notes?.. And another question: Why not just use looper automation instead? Won't it be much easier?

[@olivergearing]

This is a really fair comment. In the year since I released this video there are a number of things I would improve in the video. I am actually working on a longer video that will walk through the steps one by one, so this should help. For now - the IAC driver on the Mac is literally as simple as going into Audio MIDI settings and ticking a box! Mapping the looper buttons to MIDI notes involves entering MIDI mapping mode (control M or Apple M), pressing the looper button you want to map, then hitting the MIDI note that you want to use.

[@olivergearing]

Also - you definitely can use track automation, this works really well. It depends on your preference. I prefer to have 1 track with everything embedded (all MIDI notes and MIDI CC channels) that controls the whole musical universe. I would worry that embedding automation in every track might get confusing and/or changes you make might get lost.

[@olivergearing]

Also, Live 12 looks like it may solve all of these issues with the Max 4 Live pack "Performance Pack"

[@yourecord1442]

I guess she does it more with dummy clips and follow ups, rather than midichanges in the arrangement section....

[@olivergearing]

Thanks for the comment, I think this is a good theory. I’m going to do a follow up which looks at the other options she could use, including this one

[@PeranMe]

I admit it, I pushed the like button despite this video having 666 likes. Sorry. Good video tho, thanks for sharing!

[@olivergearing]

Hey thanks! I can always do with more likes! Really appreciate the support and I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@dingusmoped]

Thought you were going to say: "This technique relies on really good video editing software." lol

[@olivergearing]

Lol!!

[@subbbass]

as much as i like Elise Trouw ... the video is a complete playback performance. You can clearly see her moving when she sings and the sound stayes the same as if she doesn't move. So you don't need all this. Just record the song and after that film a video with the playback.

[@olivergearing]

Thanks for watching and comment I appreciate you taking the time. I’m not convinced I agree, and in any case, the approach to musical performance through hands free looping is something that has inspired me massively, and hopefully this video is helpful to anyone that wants to perform in this way… take care

[@AutPen38]

She's not miming. The 3500 dollar microphone and the outboard compressors and reverb help to make it sound like a studio recording.

[@caca1000you]

Seems to me that you're over complicating things here : you can set all this up in the scene conditions. You show us the arrangement view while she must have used the sequencer/looper view all the way... You need to get more into it cause it's actually way easier to get it done (technically of course, she's a very good musician) than what you've figured out ;)

[@olivergearing]

Thanks for the feedback. Is this the same as ‘follow actions’? I’ve not used these with scenes, and it would be great to try and recreate this set up like that. Thanks for the tip!

[@caca1000you]

@@olivergearing that's it ! It's all about conditions, you can do plenty more things that both of us will probably never explore 😁

[@olivergearing]

@@caca1000you thanks, appreciate the knowledge!

[@shanti1765]

When did Gordan Ramsay start making music tutorials?

[@olivergearing]

I get that a lot! I’m less sweary, and not as good at cooking though…

[@Nirvanablue89]

Bro… her videos aren’t live. That stick sound is literally taken from the scratch track. But if you think those vocals are live…. 😂 check out her live performances and you’ll see what I’m talking about. She’s selling live-looping as a full-on music video. Nothing more.

[@benplaysliveonline]

Maybe. But what she's doing is fundamentally possible (give away artefacts aside). TBH I'm not sure this video is explaining how she's doing it. Can anyone confirm? I've done something similar using only Ableton, you just use automation on the loopers. It's easy but very time consuming.

[@olivergearing]

Fair enough, there are many people who think this, and you might be right. I like to believe in the magic

[@awesomematthews1238]

It's called "smoke and mirrors" ADR. She is just copying Walk off the Earth

[@olivergearing]

Not sure I understand this comment! It’s coming across like you’re either a little jealous or insecure…

[@awesomematthews1238]

@@olivergearing you are funny. You clearly have no idea what live vs. overdubbed production sounds like. These videos are all ADR and not being able to detect that discredits whatever knowledge you are trying to teach.

[@olivergearing]

@@awesomematthews1238 I’m not sure that’s true, as what this video teaches is a way to do what Elise Trouw does live, using Ableton. If you want to emulate her, follow this video. If you don’t, then don’t watch it. Her videos have their audio go through post-production, clearly, but I’m not sure that proves they are ADR.

[@Pinko_Band]

@@awesomematthews1238 Reckon I’ll go ahead and point out how much of an incredibly snarky twat you are with this attitude. It’s hard to say whether or not the vids showing her actually playing the songs are recorded live or just playing along to the track. It’s absolutely possible to do it live by how he’s explaining in this tutorial. In fact I’m more keen to believe that she does in fact do these songs in live this way.

[@mikerawd]

It's pre-recorded.

[@olivergearing]

Thanks for watching and commenting. Are you sure? Watching the Foo Fighters cover, you can clearly hear the drum sticks as she puts them down. What makes you think that it's pre-recorded?

[@mangrove1985]

@@olivergearing Leaving in such details hightens the realism, Like Nils Frams when he records Piano, you can hear the movement of the musician. Yet it can still be edited in post. But it's possible to be fully live, altho you need to be a real perfectionist and would probably take like many takes :)

[@MrAlgorytmid]

lol you dont need midi routing use just automation

[@olivergearing]

Thanks - do you mean clip automation or lane automation?

[@MrAlgorytmid]

@@olivergearing on both

[@olivergearing]

@@MrAlgorytmid Good point. Lane automation is better for me - Clip automation always seems to make my computer crash...!

[@MrAlgorytmid]

@@olivergearing ❤

[@bulkvanderhuge9006]

Are you sure she doesn't just pre-record the audio, then play back the full song, while she just pretends to sing and play along with the video? Pretty sure that's how she does it, considering that everything looks unnatural like a voiceover.

[@olivergearing]

I’m not 100% sure - it definitely is a possibility. I see a couple of moments in the Foo Fighters mashup where some drumsticks sounds come through. My theory is that she plays the parts live, but they process the sounds quite a lot to make them sound more like a studio mix. I haven’t actually spoken to Elise, but if I ever do, I’ll be sure to ask

[@davidlisteresq]

This video is very misleading to your audience as this is a WAY overcomplicated way of doing it. You can do everything here by just drawing in automation in a fraction of the time. No need for any midi notes, external programs or anything else shown here.

[@olivergearing]

Thanks for the feedback. I’ve struggled to make the automation option work, but will have another look.

[@garethde-witt6433]

Hate Ableton and not real fond of Elise Trouw

[@olivergearing]

Thanks for watching anyway!

[@AFNacapella]

all wrong, she has the trigger in her hair so obvious!

[@olivergearing]

LOL!!