The BIG Gig(s)

I’m refining my setup, and looking at a new approach to using Gig Performer as a do-it-all live host.

My setup is…

  • One, possibly two, vocals. (Me, future guest.)
  • One, possibly two, guitars. (Me, future guest.)
  • MIDI Bass (Typically as a backing track. Mute when I get a basist.)
  • MIDI Keys (Me, sometimes backing.)
  • MIDI Drums (Me with a Zendrum, often backing.)
  • Mix all this stuff!

With a Macbook Pro M1, I’ve generally been able to do this with one gig per song and one rackspace per song. Yeah, I could simplify things by pre-mixing backing tracks, but after years of composing to picture, this appeals. And yes, i can beat on the Zendrum, play stuff on the keys, and then go to guitar on one song.

I started worrying about hitting the CPU ceiling and I found that such highly integrated, per song, gigs were hard to manage. Creating new songs was a pain. So I’ve recently gone to multiple instances, and it’s been working great! The whole thing is more modular, as I can start with existing Performers (instances for guitar, bass, keys…) and one Producer (the mixer, effects, MIDI player, Setlist boss, etc.)

After developing my first “Producer” gig, I checked out the FoH Template and learned some new tricks. FWIW, my design wasn’t terribly different in concept:

Now I’m looking at creating V2. First, I will mainly use one Rackspace with variations for multiple Songs and Song Parts. Why? Load times. If I load the same bus strips over and over, it could get old.

This means that I will need a ton of widgets, so that the state can change from Song to Song. They would not “Ignore Variations” or “Reset on Rackspace Activation”, but I’ve found these features to not work the way I’d like, so I avoid that conflict.

But, how to deal with a zillion widgets? Here’s what I’m thinking…

  • For mixing, I’ll create usable panels for faders, balance, solo, and mute. Nothing new.
  • For plugins, I use the Open/Close Plugin Editor when I want to make an adjustment.
  • To make the state savable, I can create a bunch of Widgets that are either hidden or small and Locked. the idea is that I never adjust things with the widgets. They are only used for visual feedback about the state. They never get bumped accidentally.
  • Where the items are hidden, I can use a script to put the value on a label. In other words, I don’t need to make the knobs big, since I don’t manipulate it, and I don’t need a knob at all, since I can put numbers on labels. It’s really just for status presentation, so when the bass sounds weird, I can scan my panels for an overview. When I see the problem, I can open that Plugin Editor to fix it.

I might create a small number of Rackspaces, where one mixer is simple with gritty preamps for older songs and another has a clean pathway with a bunch of effects and surgical tools for recent stuff. But the number of mixer Rackspaces would be very small. I will mosty use variaitons for different Songs.

I’ve prototyped enough stuff to feel comfortable with next steps.

Any suggestions or words of warning?

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No words of warning.
Just fantastic way of thinking.
Can’t wait to see your gig file and setup.
I know that I will learn from it as my thinking is exactly the same concerning one single rackspace.

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That was a while ago. I ditched that version, as it became too complex and heavy. I have a new approach that is more successful.

That approach had simple child instances with basic instruments and amps, and a parent instance with all of the mixing tools, including EQ, compression, reverb, etc. The Mixer instance became unwieldy. Any change might mean a ton of mouse clicks, or duplication of Rackspaces.

My latest approach looks at each child instance as a full channel strip, including 100% of the processing for that instrument. We can think of each Rackspace/Variation as a full preset that is selected with Program Changes. These stay in the Panel View.

My main instance lives in the Setlist View. It selects the Song and Song Parts, and each Variation can select a unique set of “presets” from the child instances. This main instance does simple mixing of levels and a bit of processing that is common across Songs. I could potentially do all of it with one Rackspace, but I’ve decided to have one for a 1950s or early 60s sound (which has a lot of saturation and is wet), another for a dirty 60s/70s sound (some saturation/dry), and a third cleaner mix. This just lets me apply different plugins for the different styles. I have widgets that can adjust things to taste.

Overall, I’m able to reuse resources. I could create a new song with P-Bass, Bonham drums, Twin Reverb Wah guitar, and Wurli very quickly, given that I already have these presets. I can do these with a 70s style mix, set the levels, and boost the guitar in the bridge. If the next song uses J-Bass, Jazz drums, clean guitar, and piano with a 1950s mix, I can reuse existing Rackspaces, or build new ones that can be reused in future songs.

It’s very powerful and scalable.

I’ve just finished a big separate project, and plan to focus on refining this and building out more songs over the next weeks.

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