Pattern sequencer for live performing

Hi guys,

I have the following question: I am looking for a pattern sequencer plugin.

Similar to current workstations (e.g. Yamaha Montage) I would like to send a click to the drummer. If then e.g. in the chorus a sample runs, I would like to start this by pressing a button time-synchronously. What I want to avoid are rigid backing tracks or having to start the sample by hand, because it is never 100% accurate.

Does anyone have a plugin or use a similar workaround?

Thank you and greetings,
Michael

Why just send the click only in the chorus?
When the band plays 110 BPM and the tempo in the chorus is 114 BPM?
I would send a click for the complete song.
You can do that with the inbuilt metronome.

Hey Pianopaul,

Thanks for your reply. It’s not about the click, it’s about the pattern. Of course the click would constantly playing. But wenn a sample (or an arpeggio etc.) comes in for e.g. the chorus, i would do this pattern and click based. It’s pretty similar to the pattern. Sequencer the Yamaha Motif or Montage has built-in.

Greetings Michael

So you want a click like a pattern?
Just build a MIDI File with your Sequencer , load that file in the builtin MIDI File Player and use a plugin to trigger a sample by the sent Note messages.
I am using for this case battery 4 but every other plugin where you can trigger samples by Note Messages is OK.

Thanks again - i think we are getting closer, but let me try to explain it again a little bit more in detail.

I would like to have a constant click-track. This is easy to do via Gig performer (for e.g. as you mentioned by using the midi player).

Now the second track comes in:

For e.g. I have a sample, which is 8 bars and only occurs while the chorus. But sometimes the singers interact with the audience or a solo is longer then initial planned. Therefore I would like to avoid a regular backing track.

So is it possible with the build-in options to play the 8 bar-sample in the chorus the following way? For e.g. I push the button which triggers the sample, but the sample should start on the next measure and not direct after pushing the button. So everything is still in time. That’s the concept of the pattern sequencers of some workstations I mentioned. I think the Fantom also provides this approach.

So in a nutshell, the click is playing constantly, but the additional tracks should appear and disappear just in time.

For my understanding, a constant click track is ok.
You want to trigger a sample by pressing a button but it should not start immediately but in sync with the next beat?

Exactly. This gives me a a lot of flexibility as I have been using this since nearly 10 years with my Motif and Montage. Also I would be great, when I would trigger the button again, that the sample starts again and not a second time (which would probably sounds awful…). This often helped me as well, when for e.g. a singer missed his spot.

Take a look at this thread

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You can also sync the midi file player to start playing on the 1 of the next bar of a particular song part. Are you more interested in using the audio file player in this fashion or the midi file player?

Im totally open to both options. I can add the sample in Kontakt and trigger It via midi player. Would that be possible as well?

Yes, that works

Take a look at this!

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Hey guys,

I now had time to try out the file mentioned by ztones with the quantized pattern mode - HUGE thanks to this great support here - I really appreciate that!

I am currently still running into the following problem:

Status Quo:

  • I now have a rackspace with my sounds selected
  • Furthermore I have divided the song into Parts: Vers & Refrain - so two variations…
  • A click track is constantly running during the song. This is integrated via midi file player and triggers Native Battery. There I have integrated my metronome sounds accordingly. This also works so far. The clicktrack is routed to a separate output so that the drummer can receive it.
  • I have also routed the buttons of the global rackspace to the keyboard, so that the click now starts by pressing the play button on my KeyLab 88 respectively I can switch between the variations “Vers” or “Refrain” with the << and >> buttons. This back & forth switching also works synchronized. For this I have syncronized the Midiplayer with the global tempo.

So far so good:

But my goal is - similar to a pattern sequencer - to integrate samples. Means that with the variation “Vers” only the click should be heard. But if I now switch to “Refrain” a sample should be heard.

I have integrated this via a second midi file player. This triggers a sample in Kontakt via C-2. This also works, but the sample does not start on 1 when I change the variation, but in the middle. This is probably because the sample is syncronized to the respective global position.

My goal is that it always retriggers the sample when I change the variation, that the next part starts on 1. This gives me the freedom to re-trigger the pattern live if a singer or instrumentalist misses their cue or similar.

What can I do here? Is this even possible with this script? I know that I have to link the variations with widgets. Can I insert/remove midi commands here so that when the variation is changed, the sample is always retriggered and does not continue?

Thank you and greetings,
Mic91

Hey all,

I have thought about it again and have an alternative way in mind.

Would it also be possible to play a Midi file synchronously? If I have a click track and would want to start e.g. to the Rafrain a Midi file which triggers a plugin - this should then start on the next 1, after I have triggered it before.

Would that be possible as an alternative way?
Greetings Mic

Did you look at the link I sent earlier? That’s exactly what that does.

2 Likes

Hey guys,

I sit the 3rd evening in a row for 2 hours at the computer and try different ways - but just do not get it to run.

If I want to start the sample with the part 2, do I have to send a midi note that triggers the object? Is that possible?

If the scenario seems as simple as your answers suggest - would you have a short hint for me? For me it really stands & falls whether I will continue to work with Gigperformer or not.

My wish is very simple. When I click on the 2nd pattern, the sample should start on the next 1 - what do I have to do?

Maybe it makes sense to shift this question to the scripting area, as it hast nothing to do anymore with a external plugin.

Thank you very much!

Greetings Mic

You’re asking for quantized song part changes and the link that was given to you is literally just that. Quantized song part changes, that changes on the 1, exactly what you are asking for. What makes it too complex? It has the scripting you need and you’ll need one panel in the global rackspace. What’s the big deal? It works great!

Hey ztones,

thanks for your answer and patience.

Changing the song parts quantized works fine - I already mentioned that above.

I think this is the communication problem - it’s not about changing the song parts, it’s about triggering a sample/midi file that goes along with it.

Again for explanation:

I have a song which consists of intro/verse & chorus. As soon as I press play, the click starts in the intro/verse (This is part 1). If I now click on part 2 the click continues and the midi file (which triggers Kontakt) should automatically start on the next 1 of part 2. And exactly here is the critical point. How do I tell the midi file “start on the next 1” when I select song part 2. I have already tried via widgets to set the midi file in bypass (Part 1 on, Part 2 off) but then the sample is not retriggered or it runs through constantly despite jumping back to Part 1.

According to my logical thinking I have to tell the midi file as soon as it has been switched to quantized part 2 (which works without any problems) that the file has to be triggered. Another idea was that the switch must be accompanied by a “send note” command. But I couldn’t get that to work either.

I hope you understood my question better now. It’s not about just switching the song parts. It never was.

Thanks and greetings,
Mic

Did you think about using Ableton Live for such things?
In Ableton Live you can launch MIDI clips at a user defined quantization.
For example on the next beat or next bar etc.

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Hey paul,

thanks for your mail. Indeed, I would like to handle it via gig performer, as I am otherwise very satisfied. My initial idea was also, whether it is possible to handle something like this via plugin (or via scripting?)

Since I use that in all my workstations and it’s actually THE feature for me live, I wouldn’t want to switch to the PC if I didn’t have a solution for it. Rigid backing tracks or manual triggering is always uncool because never in time. By the solution that a Midi file or sample is triggered automatically, I always have the second hand available.

Thanks for your feedback,
Mic