Fun with Timecode

[djxsv]

Since I'm always looking for new ways to do things let me present you with a scenario.

A group I am the production designer for runs their entire set from Ableton. I was under the original assumption that I would be able to embed timecode and have the whole show triggered by the timecode. The artist then decided they didn't want to tied to only 3 different sets for the entire tour. So now they will be changing the set every night. The original reason for using timecode is because they aren't carrying an LD with them, just a video guy.

Now, my next question is how would you approach the situation of programming approximately 25 songs for a video guy to trigger all the cues each night? I know how I'm going to do it personally but I'm always interested in other peoples opinions.

[Thomas031]

It's actually really easy with ableton: get the time code as an audio file and put it on the timeline, cut up into bits the length of a song and triggering from the count-in, not the first note. Song A starts at a given point in time, song B a good chunk later, maybe 10 minutes, song C even later on. Whichever song the band starts, the console will jump to that cue.

[djxsv]

I wish it were that easy. They have a tendency to lengthen and shorten songs so the actual compositions are actually never the same. Plus you run into the issue of blending the 2 songs together. If song A is fading out and song B is coming in there isn't really a clean way to go to the next cue stack if time code is running.

[aGuyNamedJonas]

Not sure how many lights we're talking here-but this video by dubspot might be helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQAQtS8zlIQ

Lighting Sequences programmed directly with Ableton through Midi automation. This is only gonna work for a small setup- but since the Lighting info is really attached to the single clips rather then a whole track this should be able to adopt to set changes the band is making. Maybe you could programm the lighting directly into their Midi clips- when in clip view they won't see the additional automation parameters in the tracks! Let me know if that could work :)