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Author Topic: Question about sequencing (help please!).  (Read 1867 times)

newone11

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Question about sequencing (help please!).
« on: March 10, 2016, 02:52:32 pm »
Hi all

I'm thinking of purchasing the Spark or Sparkle but I want to just make sure that it is going to suit my needs.
I'm very new to drum machines/samplers so please forgive me if it comes across very simplistic!

I need the right piece of hardware for using live onstage.
Basically, I have tried triggering tracks from my Macbook using Logic X.
However, the sound quality of the beats I have been triggering aren't good enough.
Somebody suggested investing in a sequencer / hardware to use onstage instead.
Someone suggested looking at the Arturia Spark/Sparkle. 

My main question is can I programme a beat for a full song from start to finish (for example a 4minute song)? Can I do that within the machine itself?
I don't want it to be a continuous 2 bar loop.
I want to have stops and breakdowns and for the beat to change on choruses etc...

I don't want to manually play the hardware live because I will be singing and playing guitar. I just need to be able to press play on each track in the set and know that the beats that I have programmed from beginning to finish will play.

Can anyone give me as a newbie some information/reassurance about this?

Many thanks for you help!!

Koshdukai

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Re: Question about sequencing (help please!).
« Reply #1 on: March 10, 2016, 03:21:17 pm »
Check if this video helps to answer your question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f85XDaNRd0o

You should watch the various parts, but that video shows Spark's SONG mode and how, basically, do a "playlist" (or 16 chainable mini-playlists/songs) of the existing patterns.

Overview video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqp0toNX4-M
« Last Edit: March 10, 2016, 03:24:35 pm by Koshdukai »

newone11

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Re: Question about sequencing (help please!).
« Reply #2 on: March 10, 2016, 03:52:33 pm »
Check if this video helps to answer your question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f85XDaNRd0o

You should watch the various parts, but that video shows Spark's SONG mode and how, basically, do a "playlist" (or 16 chainable mini-playlists/songs) of the existing patterns.

Overview video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqp0toNX4-M


This is really helpful thank you!
The only thing I couldn't gather from the video is whether or not you can save multiple playlists.
So basically, could I work out a playlist for a 9 song set list and would they be easily accessible whilst I'm onstage and triggering them?
Any help or thoughts on that would be much appreciated!




Koshdukai

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Re: Question about sequencing (help please!).
« Reply #3 on: March 10, 2016, 04:32:41 pm »
Depending on your requirements, you can save each Spark "song" as a Spark Project (that saves the Drum Kit, the Patterns and the Song aka "pattern playlists").
This allows the freedom of using different Drum Kits/Sounds per Song, if you need.
The only "issue" is that you need to load each Project at the beginning of each Song you're performing.

The other option is to use those 16 sub-songs (or pattern sub-playlists) as the building blocks for all your songs, if 8 patterns per "song" is enough.
If all you need is to perform 9 songs, then there's plenty of "room" in those 16 sub-songs to fit any longer than 8 pattern songs (because each sub-song can be chained to the next).
The issue here is that you'll be using the same Drum Kit throughout the live performance but with the advantage of not needing to do any additional Project loading.

A 3rd option is a mix of the above i.e. you could store your 9 song set performance on 2 or 3 Projects, only having to find a couple of seconds rest to load the next project in-between songs.

You'll have to do some planning (some tests) and some decisions on how best to use the Spark features.
I'm convinced that Spark is flexible (and powerful) enough to suit your needs, at least from what you described :)

Keep in mind that, Spark isn't an hardware drum sequencer! It's an hybrid i.e. an USB controller + software running on a PC/Mac and now also iPad.
I'm only saying this because you mentioned using an hardware solution and I've seen some users make a bit of a confusion, thinking SparkLE is *the* drum computer, which isn't.

The closest to that is an iPad+iSpark+SparkLE combo :)
« Last Edit: March 10, 2016, 04:35:54 pm by Koshdukai »

 

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