Usine on stage

OTIV · Unread post by **OTIV** » 13 Apr 2007, 17:05

Hello Usiners!

Since I'm discovering Usine and all it's fresh features, I'm wondering if there is a "regular" way to use it and how you do that, guys.
Do you prefer sequencing patches or hit the conductor?
Do you load one Workspace for each piece or have one for the whole gig?
Do you spend huge time in preparing all those stuffs?
Can you improvise?
You know, those questions...
Sorry, I'm curious. That could help me to find out how to face Usine.

Thanks!

bsork · Unread post by **bsork** » 15 Apr 2007, 00:17

Hi OTIV, and welcome to the club!

As far as I can understand from what I've read here on the forum, people use Usine in very different ways. It's openness and flexibility makes that possible. A lot of people seem to create large and complex workspaces, probably with the intention to handle a whole or at least large parts of a gig, while others create smaller one-song workspaces. Some probably do it both ways.

Speaking for myself, I began with the big-and-complex thing, but I'm starting to create smaller workspaces now. That also has to do with the fact that the "band" I'm in (if you can call it that) is to some extent turning away from free impro where I thought I had to have all kinds of possibilities a few clicks away, to play more "prepared" stuff. Using smaller and simpler workspaces give me IMHO more time to think about the musical side of things instead of technicalilites. Friendlier on the CPU and RAM as well.

That said, I must admit I have a fairly complex setup in mind for live recording/looping, but that will (I think) mostly be used for free impro stuff. So far I've spent many hours creating that workspace, and many more will be spent - it's far from finished.

I haven't really used the sequencer so far, but I'm quite sure I will, although the new "quantize" everything option in 2.8 makes it possible to use the conductor even more like a kind of sequencer than before.

I feel that I maybe should have written some more now, but it's getting late and I want to do some more programming and my PunchInLoops1 workspace before I go to bed...

Happy NoiseMaking!

Vincent · Unread post by **Vincent** » 15 Apr 2007, 04:54

Hi OTIV,

I'm wondering if there is a "regular" way to use it and how you do that, guys.

I would says yes, there is a regular way to use Usine: it is the "feel free" way.
But it is not as simple as it looks.
If you feel free to make very big workspaces, this can become a very big yard, asking for all your energy and all your time, specially for an almost beginner like me.
Before I found Usine, six months ago, I used NI Reaktor. I made a huge Ensemble allowing me to drive all my synths - they were in standalone since Reaktor does not host. That was very very complicated and very heavy but I had there three columns of six or seven synth, I only had to click to affect it to one of the three splits of my keyboard (or change those splits). And choose among it's presets (snapshots) with a few more clicks. Well...
I first thought that I could do a similar stuff with Usine, with that very interesting difference: all synth plugged into it! All sounds here, ready to be processed...
And well, I could do it... In fact, I could start this yard and work on it a lot. That was good for learning. But i was not playing music anymore (the same with Reaktor)!
So I began to do "modular parts". I had to consider the way to play my music and find out what kind of "modular parts" would be interesting for me.
Now, I have a "Keyboard patch". No audio, only midi and data, with internal busses. And many "Synth patches", "sampler patches" or "Tracks patches". I have too a "Main Vocal patch" and few assorted patches. It's all modular. It's now very quick for me to build a sounding Workspace with 5, 6 or sometimes 20 patches. Sometimes with the conductor, sometimes with the sequencer, depending on my needs.
This is my "regular" way and I hope I will still improve it.

Sequencer vs Conductor
Really, it depends on your music and your way to play it. Basically, I used to hate sequencers. When I work with Cubase, I spend hundreds of hours in the Tempo Track to make it live. There is a big difference between groove and tempo feelings, and this stupid stuff called sequencer. In fact, I only use Usine's sequencer for automation. I have sequences of automation, sometimes very long, and when it's done, it stops, ready for the next sequence. Sort of sophisticated automated Conductor (my remote is the same for "Next" Conductor and "Play" Sync).

Do you load one Workspace for each piece or have one for the whole gig?

Basically one for each piece. There is one problem with this solution: while changing Workspace, you have no sound. You cannot improvise a small transition, neither talk with public. I have then a small mixing console near me and, when Usine is busy in loading patches, I sometimes switch some stuffs on it.

Do you spend huge time in preparing all those stuffs?

Yes I do, but not huge. Then, I just feel free to play.
Even for improvisation, it's prepared. My "modular stuff" is adapted to the way I think of music (I must know my patches!). I can load them while I'm playing.

Well, so many things to say...
Let's see what other Usiners tell us!

OTIV · Unread post by **OTIV** » 18 Apr 2007, 02:48

Thanks guys for your long answers.
so i'll use it My way. I've done some patches with my VST, it works fine. But I feel that i can do so much more. It seems limitless. not used to that, it's a bit clouding!
How do you plug guitar or bass? directly on the sound card?

bsork · Unread post by **bsork** » 18 Apr 2007, 09:34

OTIV wrote:How do you plug guitar or bass? directly on the sound card?

Hi OTIV,

I'm a guitarist, and alone at home I plug directly into an M-Audio Ozonic (combined MIDI controller and audio interface) - sometimes via a stompbox, but together with others I have a separate mono out from the pre-amp in my rack. With my rig it's practical since the pre-amp has separate volume controls for the stereo out (which goes to the power amp) and the mono out, and for the guitar I use Usine like a mix of send effect and live looper.

When not playing alone, the only audio source I've been using (except for some testing with a mic directly into the interface), has been the guitar, but as we're getting along (and maybe get a new member..?), I will try to work with sampling/treating the other(s) as well. I haven't yet decided what setup would be most poractical given the hardware available, but I reckon I end up using a small analog mixer where the Ozonic/Usine setup is connected in a send/return fashion, and that I also route my guitar through that.

Vincent · Unread post by **Vincent** » 18 Apr 2007, 18:16

btw otiv, you can also have a look to this topic. That was when I began on Usine, a few months ago... Seems to me to be prehistorical archives!

OTIV · Unread post by **OTIV** » 30 Apr 2007, 00:27

thanks bsork.
i was thinking it was not a good idea to directly plug stuffs... in fact, if it works, it's ok, right? it's quiet a new way to run plugins and automation. I like it but i don't feel at ease yet. do yo use pedal controllers with Conductor or loops, tricks like that?

bsork · Unread post by **bsork** » 30 Apr 2007, 08:18

Hi OTIV,

yes I do use pedals for the most important parameterss. In my setup I have assigned two footswitches and two pedals to control Usine. What they're controlling depends on the workspace. I have more stuff to use my feet on, but I've decided to keep the Usine controllers and guitar rack controllers separate. That might change though; with a midi pedal board, four pedals and two footswitches I sometimes mess things up...

When you've worked for a while with Usine, you could also check out ways of using one controller to determine what parameters another controller should control.

Vincent · Unread post by **Vincent** » 03 May 2007, 01:58

Hi Bjørn!
Why don't you stick a joystick on your guitar? I'm gonna buy the m-audio keystation pro. No after-touch

but a lot of controllers just there at my fingers. I'll maybe use the sustain pedal to run next > in the Conductor... Hmm, more than two pedals... like an organ foot keyboard, maybe? But since I cannot wisely sit while playing...

bsork · Unread post by **bsork** » 03 May 2007, 08:58

Hello there Vincent,

you may have caused me to spend some more money in the not too distant future. I've actually never thought of sticking a controller on my guitars. The fact that I keep on switching between two guitars (Les Paul and Telecaster) makes the idea a little more impractical (and/or expensive) though...

BTW, I thought practically every modern keyboard controller (at least the "pro" ones) had channel aftertouch. Just goes to show how well-informed I am, I guess. And here I am wondering why key aftertouch and release velocity aren't incorporated in any controllers, and therefore rarely seen in instruments... AFAIK, they're both part of the original MIDI spec from more than 20 years ago, and would enhance the expressiveness of the playing, even for a lousy keyboard player like yours truly.

Golcondio · Unread post by **Golcondio** » 01 Oct 2007, 11:30

Hi guys, I'm a new user and since I need to ask a quite detailed question I'd like to open my own topic: therefore I hope you'll pardon me for not contributing to this thread; this post is just meant to comply with forum rules, sorry...

bsork · Unread post by **bsork** » 01 Oct 2007, 13:04

Hi Golcondio, and welcome to the forum.

We'll try to help as best as we can, and there are no rules that say you have to contribute to this thread.

Golcondio · Unread post by **Golcondio** » 01 Oct 2007, 13:37

Well, I couldn't post any new topic until I had posted a reply to an existing one (common antispam policy nowadays...), so I chose one

bsork · Unread post by **bsork** » 01 Oct 2007, 13:56

Oooops, I didn't know that!

...and I'm even supposed to be an administrator. Slightly embarassing...

Vincent · Unread post by **Vincent** » 02 Oct 2007, 00:19

Well, Bjørn, let's be embarrassed together! I did not know about that rule either... It's true that there is time I did not see spam...
I like Golcondio's simplicity and frankness!

threetothethirtysixth · Unread post by **threetothethirtysixth** » 16 Nov 2009, 04:50

Hi, just chiming in on the thread topic, we use it as the only user input for sequencing electrocore and ethercore dance party type stuff. It lets us respond quickly, we mostly play to smallish crowds and they can be particular.

loveandelectrik · Unread post by **loveandelectrik** » 09 Mar 2010, 03:41

bout to try usine on stage for first time next friday... wish me luck (this is my first post) now i can ask my question

graphite412 · Unread post by **graphite412** » 18 May 2010, 17:04

Just wondering guys, is there a recording module, where it can be put on the master output to record the live session?
I've been wondering how I can record my output besides putting it through reaper or some DAW. The idea is so I can capture improv or live sets.

nay-seven · Unread post by **nay-seven** » 18 May 2010, 17:14

the classic way is to use the direct to disk feature..?
check this wiki page about record

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