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343 Labs. (2020, February 13). Ableton Live LOOPING EXPLAINED | Music Production Tutorial [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ll5LIXdRHI
Aversano, D. (2024, January 20). Steve Reich’s exploration of technology through music. The Liner Notes. https://thelinernotes.substack.com/p/steve-reichs-exploration-of-technology
BOSSchannel. (2020, October 1). BOSS RC-500 Loop Station - our new flagship Dual-Track Looper pedal [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3JY03lsebc
CEM. (2024, June 13). Angine de poitrine - Sahardnieh [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IrODUjl70U
Daphne Oram. (n.d.). Daphne Oram – a brief biography. https://www.daphneoram.org/aboutoram/
Dayan, P. (2020). The music of Dada: A Lesson in Intermediality for Our Times. Routledge.
Duarte, A. (2024). Music, the Avant-Garde, and counterculture: Invisible Republics. Palgrave Macmillan.
Effectrode. (2025, November 22). Delia Derbyshire: Recording the Future - Effectrode. https://www.effectrode.com/knowledge-base/delia-derbyshire-recording-the-future/
Gear4music Guitars. (2025, September 2). Guitar Multi Effects pedal by Gear4Music – all your tones in one box! [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coUn1p52XzE
Guy Defayette. (2025, October 8). Angine de Poitrine (Tamebsz) Live . Concert Gatineau le 11 Septembre 2025 . Filmed By Guy Defayette [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V83SiA5zskU
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Mostro, G. I. (2024, June 16). Pierre Schaeffer’s Sound Revolution: A Journey into Musique Concrète. Beautiful Monsters. https://beautifulmonsters.substack.com/p/pierre-schaeffers-sound-revolution
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Parcours de l’oeuvre - Pierre Henry. (n.d.). Ressources IRCAM. https://ressources.ircam.fr/en/composer/pierre-henry/workcourse
The GFX-10 Multi effects pedal is a surprisingly good value piece of technology considering the functionality that it offers.
The 4 foot switch controllers can be used to control the following functions individually or in conjunction with the other effects
The 4 foot switch controls trigger the following effects:-
Reverb
Delay
Modulation (Phaser / Flanger / Chorus)
Amp simulations
There are 10 presets that can be saved as a combination of these effects. In addition to this, there are another 10 presets that can be triggered that will assign individual effects to each foot switch.
There is additional functionality where the unit can be used as an audio interface via a USB computer connection.
I have really enjoyed experimenting with this piece of technology but am currently undecided as to whether i will use it as part of my live performance. The effects that I can utilise will certainly add to the sonic variation of the performance but it's another piece of equipment to control during the performance.
This looper pedal from Boss is a very versatile tool. As well as having the features of a traditional looper pedal, it also offers a number of additional features, which include:
Drum Machine
Individual loop control feature for verse/chorus structure
Individual loop length definition
Built-in effects
MIDI control feature that allows for control of looper pedal from a separate MIDI controller
Instrument and XLR Microphone inputs
Individual loop volume controls
Reassignment of switch control functions
External pedal input for additional control
(BOSSchannel, 2020)
I started to use the Boss RC-500 in February 2026 with the intention of using it in a fairly large way in my performance, but since being exposed to the other technological possibilities, it will be used in a smaller way. However, it will still be used in the live performance.
One of the things that I wanted to be able to gain a greater understanding of was the MIDI control feature of the Boss RC-500. I have a small AKAI LPD8 MIDI controller, which would be ideal in a live environment due to its compact size.
I programmed the LPD8 so that it would send MIDI control messages to the Boss RC-500 as follows:-
The Boss RC-500 has 8 assignable midi control slots per memory. It's important to remenber to save the memory settings once they have been programmed and copy them to another memory location.
I wanted to use the MIDI controller to control the following functiuons:-
Rhythm start / stop
Reverse Track 1
FX Track 1
Reverse Track 2
FX Track 2
Volume Track 1
Volume Track 2
The values for each "Assign" location on the Boss RC-500 are as follows:-
ASSIGN STATUS SOURCE MODE TARGET T MIN T-MAX
ASSIGN1 ON CC#1 MOMENT RHYTHM PLAY --- ---
ASSIGN2 ON CC#2 MOMENT T1 REVERSE OFF ON
ASSIGN3 ON CC#3 MOMENT T1 FX OFF ON
ASSIGN4 ON CC#4 MOMENT T1 LEVEL 0 200
ASSIGN5 ON CC#5 MOMENT RHYTHM STOP --- ---
ASSIGN6 ON CC#6 MOMENT T2 REVERSE OFF ON
ASSIGN7 ON CC#7 MOMENT T2 FX OFF ON
ASSIGN8 ON CC#8 MOMENT T2 LEVEL 0 200
After a great deal of trial and error, I have managed to get the MIDI controller to run the functionality that I need. However, I am having to route the USB from the MIDI controller to a MIDI host and then use a MIDI out cable from the MIDI host to the MIDI input of the Boss RC-500.
I am aiming to use the Boss RC-500 as part of my live Open Mic performances and now have a fairly good understanding of the functionality. It's a very versatile tool but as with any new piece of equipment, requires a lot of practice and the majority of my time has been spent on acquainting myself with the functionality within Ableton Live.
My first steps on planning the performance were to ascertain exactly what parts I would play. I was able to practice the parts and evaluate how they gelled together via my Boss RC-500 Looper pedal.
Once I had a fairly set idea of the parts that I would play in my performance, I moved on to replicating the performance in Ableton Live.
There were a number of mistakes as I worked to become more familiar with Ableton Live but my ethos has been that the more practice sessions that I undertake, the more I will be sure of my performance on performance day and I will have a well formulated plan to work to. I can also factor in contingencies for performance day.
I started to film my practice sessions as well as recording them so I had a visual record to refer to which would help me to iron out any errors.
Live Practice session on 9th March 2026
Practice session 2 - 10th March
I'm working on my timing with regard to getting good synchronisation between clips, and building up follow actions on a number of clip groups.
After running through a number of live performance practice sessions, I have ascertained that time is going to be tight. Although the performance is 10 minutes, time gets eaten up very quickly, especially if takes have to be re-recorded, so I am working on honing that aspect. The quicker that I get the samples recorded, the more time I will have to manipulate the samples and provide a greater variety of sonic textures.
Practice Session - 16th March
Here is a practice session where I'm trying to address some of these issues.
Practice session in University Studios, 19th March 2026
Project Template
I have created an Ableton Project Template with the following functionality:-
A cue track with input set to "In". The output of this track will be sent to the headphones via an aggregate device.
Audio tracks for the following:
Drums
Bass
Chords
Lead
Licks
Funky Guitar
Vocals
There will be audio effects set up on each track, but they will all be initially switched off. By switching them on during the performance, this will lead to sonic variety.
For tracks with more than one clip, follow actions will be set up to route playback from one clip to another.
I have also set up a "Dummy Clips" track. This track will contain the following effects: -
Beat Repeater
Delay
Chorus
Phaser / Flanger
Grain Delay
Each clip also has a follow action set up on it to route audio to the next effect.
In addition to this, I have set up a number of envelopes on each dummy clip which allows for further variety. By sending the output of each audio track to toggle between "Main" and "Dummy Clips" I will be able to create a wide range of different sounds which will constantly be changing while I concentrate on other aspects of the performance.
Studio Practice Session - March 26th
At the studio practice session on 26th March, I've had the first opportunity to test my setup in the studio as it will be during the performance.
I recorded the performance in the order that I will be doing it on performance day. I'm paying special attention to ensure that I've got the loop brace commands firmly planted in my mind.
I was struggling to understand why when I practice at home with my Windows setup, I have no issues with recording an exact 4 bar take, but when I work on my Mac, I am invariably having to adjust the loop brace to ensure that each clip starts on bar 1.
A quick A/B comparison revealed that my quantization settings on Windows were set to "1 Bar" whereas on the Mac they were set to "None". By changing the settings on my Mac I am now able to get every clip recorded to start on beat 1 of bar 1.
More Planning
After further experimentation and much deliberation, I have decided to apply Amp sims to each guitar track to reflect what is being played. This will give me greater tonal variety, and also, I will be able to control the Amp settings during the performance via my MIDI controller.
(Amp Sim)
(Track Effects)
One of the other things that I have been looking at to add variety to the performance is to make copies of the clips, then chop up the copies to different lengths and offset some of them. By also incorporating follow actions to these clips I can achieve a number of different variations of the original clip.
Record the performance in this order
I will be recording the clips in Ableton Live in the following order:-
Drums
Bass
Chords (2 variations)
Lead (3 variations)
Licks (2 to 3 variations)
Funky Riff (2 Variations)
Vocals in looper if time
Live Performance Practice - 2nd April
I'm trying to tighten things up and achieve a balanced performance in 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the audio packed in during the performance, but I managed to do a quick reload and recover.
I’m concentrating now on the actual mix. I’ve got all of the parts, but I need to concentrate on balancing the volume of the tracks. Dropping stuff out and bringing other sounds in. It’s quite a daunting task to consider all of that and actually do it in under 10 minutes.
Live Performance Practice - 8th April
Here I'm trying out my existing techniques and adding copied clips that have been chopped up to create further variation.
Live Performance Practice - 9th April
In this rather extreme example, I'm playing with vocal "chops" I've recorded one line of vocals and then copied it multiple times. Each copy I have manipulated in a different way, by changing length, start position, pitch, or a combination of all of these. By then assigning follow actions to all of the clips, I can control their sequence and also get them to play multiple times if required.
Studio Practice Session - April 15th
Practice session in the University Studios to validate my setup.
Running Order
I think that it's really important to have a recording plan for when I perform live, as some of my earlier practice sessions have taken around 20 minutes. I will be using a 10 minute counter to ensure that my performance meets the 10 minute guideline.
0:00 - 2:59 - Record Samples
3:00 - 5:59 - Set follow actions and start to apply FX
6:00 - 7:59 - Solo / Mute etc
8:00 - 10:00 - Vocals and pitch madness
I will be setting a timer on my performance so that I can keep a close eye on where I have got to in the performance and try to adhere to it as closely as possible.
Overall, I think that this module has been the most enjoyable module of my whole degree course so far.
I love to be creative and look at methods of creating music from different angles and this module certainly afford me the opportunity to do this.
The listening sessions introduced me to a wide variety of new music and music making techniques, the majority of which I had no knowledge of.
Using Ableton as a clip recording and processing tool has been an absolute inspiration with regard to the creative process. Even the basic versions of Ableton are incredibly Rich and more than adequate for producing a diverse and interesting performance.
There was a fairly steep learning curve but I always find that challenging and interesting and find that this process opens up different ways of thinking and working.
Playing anything live requires a lot of practice, and with the addition of learning new technological aspects, there is a lot to take in, but again practice is the key.
The diagram above illustrates my initial ideas for signal flow for my live performance.
My guitar and microphone will be routed to GFX10 effects pedal. The output of the GFX10 is routed to the input of the Boss RC500. The output of the looper is sent to an input port on a Scarlett Focusrite interface which has outputs to speakers. My laptop is also routed to the Scarlett interface and Ableton Live is configured to route to the Scarlett. The AKAI APC Key 25 is connected via USB to my laptop and as it is an AKAI product, maps automatically to Ableton Live.
After a number of performance rehearsals, I have decided to not use the GFX-10 guitar effects pedal as I want to record clean, non-processed input signals. I will set up AMP sims on the various tracks beforehand and I can then also manipulate them during the performance rather than start with a processed signal. This will allow me to demonstrate more clearly how I am manipulating the input signals.
Refined Signal Flow will be as follows :-
In addition to this, I may well use the AKAI APC-40 as a controller for volume and pan rather than the KEY 25. I will be undertaking compatibility tests during the next scheduled rehearsal session.
I have tried the APC-40 in addition to the APC Key 25, but I am able to control all of the required functionality via the APC Key 25 so will be using that as my sole MIDI controller.
The AKAI APC Key 25 automatically maps into Ableton so this makes things much easier. I will have full control on clip recording, volume, pan and device parameter manipulation via the controller. i have found that the APC Key 25 is a perfect piece of kit for this kind of performance and as with everything, requires practice to get acquainted with all of the functions.
I'm also able to record "tight" well organised clips.
Via the AKAI APC Key 25, I am able to control the following functionality of each clip
Volume
Pan
Record Arm
Solo
Stop
Mute
Select
Send
Octave Adjust (+ or -)
Device - This allows me to control the parameters of the selected device (effect) associated to the clip that I am working on. The 8 control knobs allow manipulation of 8 associated parameters. One thing that is slightly confusing however, is that the sequence of the control knobs does not follow the sequence of the parameters of the selected device.
During the studio lecture sessions prior to Easter, we covered a lot of the functionality regarding clip recording and manipulation in Ableton Live.
The lectures, together with tutorials have been an invaluable resource to refer back to when working on the planning of my performance.
Ableton Live is packed with functionality, but for my performance, I will be focusing on the components that we have studied in our lectures plus a few additional features such as Amp Sims.
The following video explains the process of recording clips in Ableton Live
(343 Labs, 2020)
Clip Recording
The concept of clip recording in Ableton live is different to anything that I have worked with in other DAW's. I would liken the process more to a looper pedal than a DAW, almost using Ableton as a sophisticated looper pedal.
This of course opens up endless possibilities, as a looper pedal is generally restricted to 3 loops at most and Ableton allows the user to expand this.
Quantizing
Once the loop is recored it is possible to quantize it by selecting the clip and running the quantize function. This will split the clip based on the transients. This enables the clip to be manipulated so that it is in time.
Clip Manipulation
Clips can be manipulated in a number of ways
Chopping
Offsetting
Applying audio effects
Split to new MIDI
Pitch manipulation
Follow Actions
Follow actions allow the user to control process flow from one clip to another. For each clip, the follow action allows the user to configure what clip it will play next based on a number of parameters:
Stop
Play Again
Previous
Next
First
Last
Any
Other
Jump
The user can also configure the probability percentage of each action. This means, that with a number of clips the performance will constantly vary providing more listener interest.
Audio FX
A wide range of audio effects can be applied to each clip, for example
Delay
Reverb
Beat Repeater
The audio effect parameters can be controlled by the MIDI controller during a performance.
There are also Amp Sims that can be applied to each track which I have preset prior to my performance.
Dummy Clips
Clips on a scene can be routed to a "Dummy clips" scene that can contain a number of clips which each have their own audio effects applied. Follow actions can be used on these dummy clips as well to control the musical signal flow.
In addition to this, it is possible to apply automation envelopes to each dummy clip so that the effect applied to each clip can be modified automatically during the time it is playing.
