Experimental Solutions in Ableton Live Discover New Musical Possibilities Through Theory & Examples

Experimental Solutions in Ableton Live Discover new musical possibilities through theory & examples

Estevan Carlos Benson

Preface ...... 1

What exactly is “experimental music”? ...... 2

1. Ableton Live Basics ...... 4 1.1 Prerequisites of Live music production ...... 5

2. Overview: Music theory addressed in this book ...... 7 2.1 Algorithmic Music ...... 7 2.2 Oblique Strategies ...... 8 2.3 Serialism ...... 8 2.4 Generative Music ...... 8 2.5 Aleatoric Music ...... 9 Preface

“Experimental music” can apply to any variety of musical scenarios but for the sake of this book I refer to it as that everyday approach we use when trying to break free from a set of rules. Whether you’re a musician with writer’s block, trying to change your habits, or you’re trying to break outside the confines of a strict musical genre, experimentation is a way to approach problem solving and discovery. Examples in this book may not contain the quality of musical expression you desire or that interests you, however if you should be able to hear ways in which the following techniques can be useful to you. It will hopefully inspire new ideas. If you reflect on the history and evolution of many genres of music, risk and experimentation was involved in order to move it forward and in order to discover something new. What exactly is “experimental music”?

This is not entirely a discussion on the details of programming in Max, Python, or hacking Ableton. Programming is secondary here. This is about play – a foundation of experimentation. This is a book intended to inspire, provoke, and advocate a healthy relationship with play, experimentation, and creation within the tool of Ableton Live. Originally I wanted to call the book “Abstract solutions” which suggests a problem exists that needs a solution. The “problem”, as I’m proposing, is the limitations of creativity that often reside within us. How do I avoid the blank slate? Where do I start? Some of us may find it difficult to get the gears turning after a full day of work, studies, and unrelated tasks. The problem isn’t necessarily the inability to create. It may be the inability to realize that you can create something, anything, if you just consider different options. Sometimes the solution for a lack of creativity should be abstract in its approach. Sometimes the solution should be about removing assumptions, roadblocks, and introducing experimentation. Sometimes the solution requires learning about more available options. You don’t have to be concerned with experimental music to find answers in this book (but it helps). An understanding of the history of electronic music is filled with a history of innovation. You may not find your musical voice without the risk of working differently. This book introduces small history lessons in order to offer context. I had a conversation regarding “experimental music” with a fellow artist while I was an undergraduate student studying music:

“People think they’re making ‘experimental’ music when they’re actually not. They’re misusing the term. In science you must first propose a hypothesis and then test for it. That’s an experiment. It is the hypothesis followed by the test.”

My friend was right. Although it’s quite literal it offers food for thought. Should the name “experimental music” be abandoned or is there a hypothesis we’re often testing for after all? I believe there is a hypothesis we’re testing. Simply put, the hypothesis is: This is music. Our experimentation is about testing the boundaries of what satisfies our need to categorize what we hear as “music”. In other words, we don’t know if we consider something musical until we try it. We don’t know if others consider something musical, until it’s presented to them. For some of you it’s about testing the boundaries of the audience you wish to appeal to – although admittedly, some musicians fear alienating their audiences. Some musicians fear risk. What exactly is “experimental music”? 3

Strategy Alienate your audience then stop alienating them.

This approach puts aside taste or genres. As I describe these “solutions”, remember that ultimately it goes through your filter. What’s important is that we play with our notions of “music”, reflect on the results, and reach our own personal decisions. This is the a part of the foundation of the creative process. Turn off the computer. Sit and listen. Now let’s break the silence with some noise. 1. Ableton Live Basics

Ableton Live introduced a set of compositional ideas that were ahead of it’s time. Although it may have borrowed from other sources, in my opinion it quickly perfected a new kind of compositional software that successfully dealt with live performance, thus it’s name. What I find intriguing about the software is how it introduced a few features that come off as subtle and they could’ve easily been excluded. Features such as Follow Actions, Instrument Racks with Chains (signal routing), and a unified window user experience. All these elements, and more, have allowed the process for playing around much easier and faster.

Historical Perspective: Not to get nostalgic nor am I certain about the age of anyone who may read this, but there were a long line of sequencers and DAWs before Ableton Live that were far removed from what we see today. Consider it from a market perspective. For a long time a traditional band was the primary demographic and thus the software had to appeal to their needs - multitrack recording. So the software was often only optimized for the purpose of recording multi-microphoned drums, guitarists, and singers. Early DAW software was often not concerned with the current surge of solo musicians and the needs of solo musicians are dramatically different. It’s this difference that leads me to believe that Ableton Live is fundamentally an instrument much in the same way that a keyboard workstation is an instrument or a drum set.

“What is the purpose of writing music? One is, of course, not dealing with purposes but dealing with sounds. Or the answer must take the form of a paradox: a purposeful purposeless or a purposeless play.” - John Cage, Silence: Lectures and Writings

American composer, John Cage was an early electronic music practitioner. Best known for a piece called, 4”33’, which is famously known as a silent piece. The quote above may be intentionally abstract however he challenges some assumptions. “Play” can easily be mistaken as purposeless but is it? Play Did you know you can delay the signal of a track? If you have two duplicate tracks with one delayed 200 milliseconds, it creates a phasing effect. In order to make sure you have the option available, toggle the ‘D’ button near your right hand side of your main window. 1. Ableton Live Basics 5

Phasing can create problems in your mix but provides an interesting and sometimes desirable effect.

I have created a series of side notes regarding small ideas and tips within Ableton Live. They are labelled “Play”. Throughout the book I’ve littered the chapters with quick asides and advice. My intention is to both offer detailed instruction with quick ideas.

1.1 Prerequisites of Live music production

There are basic elements you should be familiar with as we move along: the difference between MIDI and audio, MIDI clips, audio clips, scenes, session view, arrangement view, instruments, and recording automation. With that basic understanding, we can move forward.

Strategy Misunderstand your tools.

MIDI and Audio

MIDI data is a representation of music information. It contains no audio or sound. This is not to be confused with General MIDI which is standardized organization of type of sounds and instruments. In order to “hear” MIDI it must be sent to a sound source that can receive MIDI.

Clips

Clips in Live either contain audio waveforms or MIDI data. These clips can contain additional information respectively relating to MIDI or digital audio. Clips can contain additional data relating to envelopes and other features we’ll cover.

Arrangement View

The Arrangement View presents tracks based on a timeline. This is the most similar to traditional track views within multitrack recording software. You can view segments of clips within a scene. These clips are arranged horizontally representing duration of time. You can also record directly into a track/scene. You may also rearrange audio across the timeline in this view. 1. Ableton Live Basics 6

Session View

This is where you view clips as they relate to specific tracks and instruments. Session View does not represent a timeline like Arrangement View does (however a timeline is present else where within the user interface). A track within Session View can contain any number of clips. A track with an instrument assigned to it will have clips containing MIDI. You can not have clips with audio and MIDI on the same track since these are two different types of data.

Instruments

Depending on your version of Live or investment, Live can come bundled with a series of software instruments. The minimum bundled instruments with most versions of Live are the Drum Rack, Impulse, and Simpler. Each of these instruments use audio samples and function as variations of a sampler-type instrument. Other instruments often found with Live are Analog, Collision, Electric, Sampler, Tension, etc. These instruments use varying methods of synthesis in order to produce their results.

Automation

Another common feature in live is automation. If you reflect on the fact that Live is heavily optimized for solo artists, automation can become a critical feature for performance. Many parameters in Live can be automated via MIDI or computer keys. This includes parameters for Live instruments and many VSTs you may download. Automation can be recorded to individual clips (a recent feature in Live 9) or it can be recorded across an entire track. Automation is displayed as a series of lines and nodes representing points of data. 2. Overview: Music theory addressed in this book

Let’s go over a few musical concepts and their historical context. These concepts are indeterminacy, algorithms, “Oblique Strategies”, serialism, and generative processes. Some of these music concepts may be familiar to you or none at all. I will reflect on a few of these ideas, repeatedly throughout this book. Strategy Consider the easiest option.

2.1 Algorithmic Music

“Algorithms (or, at the very least, formal sets of rules) have been used to compose music for centuries;” as Wikipedia notes. I want to stress their minimum definition of a “formal sets of rules”. In many ways there is a common practice of algorithmic composition for many composers. We are often defining rules in which our music functions. Though we risk weakening the definition of algorithmic music by broadening it, I believe looking at the big picture will make algorithmic concepts easier to understand.

Sets of rules we determine can derive from non-musical sources: fractals, mathematical models, twitter feeds, and other sources of data. These rules may also be as simple as defining when the kick drum comes in and how many measures until the drum break occurs. This will be covered in more detail as we move forward. 2. Overview: Music theory addressed in this book 8

2.2 Oblique Strategies

“Try faking it!” This is advice, or specifically an aphorism, from composer and producer Brian Eno. It originates from his project, “Oblique Strategies” which entailed a deck of cards. Each card contained questions, statements, or ideas intended to improve an artist’s creative process. It was used heavily during David Bowie’s three albums, Low, Heroes, and Lodger. Although it may sound like a peculiar bit of information to introduce regarding the subject of Ableton Live, I have created a series of my own aphorisms and strategies throughout this book. Each are labelled as “Strategy”. Hopefully they celebrate the spirit of the original project. You can learn more about it here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies.

Play Did you know that you can create empty clips in Live? What do you think they can be used for?

2.3 Serialism

Without diving deep into Western musical theory, all you should know is that within an octave, there are twelve pitches, also known as tones. A technique called twelve-tone composition was developed by composer Arnold Schoenberg. It has evolved into a more complex concept known as Serialism. Schoenberg’s technique strived to think of pitches as more independent than normally imagined. It’s intention was to work outside of the musical theory of tonalism. Think of tonalism as the key of a composition (the key of C, the key of D#) or the melodic focus of a composition. What does it mean to work outside of tonalism then? It simply means there is no tonal focus but there is still structure. The technique prioritizes all twelve pitches and is meant to suggest that no tone has priority over another–thus no key. Each is intended to hold equal relevance in a composition. Serialism can expand past this definition but it’s not critical to understand for this book.

2.4 Generative Music

Generative music can be described as a logical extension of algorithmic processes except with a stronger focus on emergent qualities and removing musical input. A generative piece of music may involve a more complex system that dictates a set of musical qualities. The term is often used interchangeably with algorithmic. Throughout most of my discussion, I will use “algorithmic” to describe narrow applications of rules and “generative” to describe a focus on limited user input. 2. Overview: Music theory addressed in this book 9

2.5 Aleatoric Music

Aleotory, also known as indeterminacy concerns the matter of not determining elements of a musical element or performance. Considered an American movement deriving from Charles Ives in the early 20th century, it presents the idea of leaving room for chance. So it is also known as “chance music”. It’s often associated with composers John Cage, Stockhausen, and Henry Cowell.

Remember that we are focused on Ableton Live which by it’s nature is focused towards solo musicianship. For some of you, determining every aspect of your composition is critical. For others, it is not. Either way it’s useful to reflect on where you stand and to understand the conceptual options available to you.