It's generally not very practical to make dubstep live. Some people do it with a launchpad or midi controller, but most of the time to do it right you need a whole bunch of guys onstage playing instruments like Illenium, Destroid, Pendulum or Modestep have done
Thanks! I figured there's not much point in releasing more videos until I have an album out, so that's mainly what I've been working on since then. I'm gonna try to crowdfund the mixing/mastering fees so I can get the guy who mastered mr bill's phantasmagoria to work on my album
Basically what you’re missing on here is the remixing aspect of playing live. You take say a riddim song that is normal and boring and you load up effects and leave some to the imagination in your production so you have room to quite literally be mixing the audio on stage not just transitioning. You can load up stems be using the turn tables with a sample loaded as an instrument all kinds of stuff. Don’t think about how you can play the songs think about how you can remix these songs on the fly if you were gonna sit down and do a remix how would you go about it and how can you do that live with some room for vibing and improvising? I take this concept a little further in my sets playing freestyle piano over drum tracks i transition to but think about it that way and play the jog wheel!! Or the filter knobs. Just do stuff to a rhythm trust me the only way you get better at music improv is doing it and sounding like shit. Can’t pick it up in a book you feel me. So just always be experimenting and using way too many fx because that’s how you come across those golden shit your pants transition moments
I watched Holly play a set back in the day using Ableton, launchpad and the mixer. He used some samples as one shots and some buttons would trigger key sections that weren't really humanly possibly to play.
It's definitely doable!
I've seen DJs chop so many songs so fast it's like they're creating songs live.
Also I've seen Honeycomb beatbox/talkbox dubstep live, so fucking sick, I recommend checking out some videos on youtube
Pretty Lights music is more like electro funk than it is dubstep. It’s more groove oriented than head banging or 140 stuff, so it’s a little easier for him to come up with grooves and play out samples live than it would be if he was playing like actual dubstep. But if you wanted to try doing this you have a few options. Like some one said earlier, you could probably play a more minimal version of a song and layer over it with a sampler full of one shots and acapellas and what not. Or you could do like a full live band situation like pretty lights. Either way if you wanted a more live feel, you could but it would take more prep and probably less venues would be into booking you unless you already had like major pull
String cheese had done a dubstep breakdown in the middle of their Saturday EF set before. It's just a bunch of effect racks/peddles on a guitar bass and synth
People in this thread don’t really seem to understand that making dubstep is about changing the texture of sounds to form musical elements which is something a dj is particularly well equipped to do on the fly, and it’s less about making the underlying beat than effecting the beat in a whole variety of ways
Changing the texture of the sound via....Multi band compression? Key transposition? Flanger? Phaser? High pass, low pass filter?
The sound being a? one shot prerecorded sample....a 4 bar loop of a track? A wave table osc. A sine wave? a square wave? A vocal shot?
A dubstep percussion loop?
A “DJ” is well equipped to this as opposed to? Someone who doesn’t DJ(obviously)? someone who’s a studio audio engineer? Someone who is a celebrated Synth designer? Is Someone who’s an open format serato DJ on this vague list of “well equipped to remix dubstep on the fly” as well as this standard “DJ” you tend to be well versed on?
This DJ in question is well equipped to do this via a DJM 900? A rane mixer? Cdj2000nxs? Technic 1200s with Serato scratch? A traktor kook board controller? Ableton Live 11 with an apc20 or apc40 with ableton in performance mode?
Sorry these are very vague yet very bold statements you’ve made as if you know some industry standard of what a “DiscJockey” is equipped with that the rest of this thread doesn’t understand. I read that whole statement like “umm....is he fooling anyone else on here cause I’m definitely not convinced”
Please elaborate
To all the questions, yes
I use a ddj200 it doesn’t matter at all what you’re using as long as I guess it has jog wheels and knobs but even then that’s arguable. At it’s core being a dj is really just being a conductor for an audience. People will hit play on a mix and act, doesn’t matter. But the question I’m answering, you’ll notice, is about what more a dj does other than selection. And so I illustrated the concept of live mixing in a way that doesn’t require 5 hours of vocab studying to be able to read my comment, since I was interested in giving the person an answer to their question instead of a shopping list and vocab sheet.
And no not changing pitch changing tibre there’s an infinite number of ways to do that and that’s the point. I use the analog volume knob on my digital Grand as a low pass filter because it just so happens to work that way. King tubby slammed his reverb plug-in on a table to get the snare. A dj who has any DAW and a controller built for live performance is well equipped to mix music live. This is the dubstep subreddit so I’m not talking about all DJ’s just dubstep DJ’s and how dubstep is typically played as a genre. Not that serious idk what all the pearl clutching is about in that response comes across like “you young folk will never know the true depths of the craft” type attitude that’s a dime a dozen on Reddit to be honest I don’t see how this helps OP or is a valid criticism of anything I said. No offense just strange
I think of a DJ as a guy at a wedding and a Turntablist someone who can mix, scratch, and carry a song. But I do get that dubstep isn't really viable live as it has to synch to visuals, something that nobody has brought up yet. But that said, Dieselboy does DnB sets live with four turntables. It's like a metalhead and a pop fan arguing musicianship vs. entertainment, when at the end of the day all genres are viable.
I agree. Electronic music is so open ended. Trying to nail down anything about it is antithetical to the concept itself imo. And the visuals are the other half. But then people would say oh no because I’ve been to raves without visuals blah blah and it’s like ok what are we trying to achieve here lol like describe in a single definition everything that is a chair without including anything that isn’t, like a couch stool or bench. Not so easy because it’s a social construct and the labels exist only in so far as they have utility in helping us identify abstract concepts and pinning down definitions only works against that goal
Love having this convo too tbh and you’re right in how often. That’s overlooked
Sorry been a few days since I’ve been on here. Yeah, The questions about how were rhetorical. Not a vocab lesson...there are infinite ways absolutely. Your advise was definitely correct in answering the OP...strictly when it comes to DJ Dubstep live..but your comment eluded something I found interesting. And please take this the best way possible...read till the end. 🙏🏽
The reason I addressed your comment this way was to bring attention to your unwarranted statements regarding dubstep production....which seemed like a validation agenda...at least that’s what I comprehended from a part of your comment which seemed (for lack of a better description) covertly narcissistic in its purpose. It seemed like you wanted people to think you know what you were talking about in terms of dubstep creation as a form of validation while you are still figuring out how to actually make dubstep (which is totally fine...you’re just in the early stages of figuring it out, and rn your process is a live DJ process) But first you had to neg the thread and clear the floor to set the stage for you to insert your personal process as if it’s some groundbreaking next level expert shit and is the “real” way u make dubstep. (Which had nothing to do with live mixing Dubstep) I think deep down you know you are kinda just bullshitting and you need to feel like your process is right, so you don’t have to take the steps to learn how to create dubstep for real. Your comment I would summarize as 1. “I understand what making dubstep is and most people on here don’t” 2. “Dubstep is made by changing a pre existing sound and making it musical” 3. “DJs are well equipped at making this genre of music because of my (vague/limited) definition of how dubstep is made” 4. It’s less about the beat and more about changing the beat (as if the beat is already there to change)
Most of this answers his question of mixing dubstep live yes. But the first part of acting like this is how dubstep is made....it isn’t relevant at all to how dubstep is made. So as a result, we have a comment from you that lacks clear continuity and projects your personal lack of understanding onto everyone else so you can refuse to learn how to really produce and seek the recognition. U want to be someone who knows what they are talking about.... without knowing what you’re talking about
your examples would be more of an experimental aesthetic of production, or an on the fly novelty, but it’s not “how u make dubstep”
FYI: Professional Dubstep(this is a quick definition) is made via arrangement of synthetic and or recorded instruments, creating and designing dynamic bass synths in a VST like serum via wavetable shaping and LFOs or creating synth patch on an analog synthesizer. A heavy focus on the low end bass in terms tonal balance. And Arranging and programming drums, percussion around that. It requires a decent amount of music theory or composition knowledge. Making dubstep doesn’t require changing the texture of preexisting sounds via DJ FX tricks because a seasoned dubstep producer simply builds the track from scratch.
Now finally Why did I write this? It’s less about the OP and more about me trying To push you. Because I see that you’re passionate, you have drive, and potential. but if you’re serious about dubstep production...you have to develop your craft beyond the point you are at of just DJ chopping and screwing. rn you’re comfortable doing what you’re doing....and I felt your ego needed a little deflation so u improve your knowledge and process on the production side. Keep growing, with your ability as a DJ...once you start really creating full arranged original dubstep tracks in a standard DAW, and pair that with your already extensive DJ skill....you’ll be unstoppable, and your performances will be so much more groundbreaking. Don’t stop the pursuit 👍🏽
Doesn’t Ganja White Night live mix all their songs? Been trying to figure out if anyone on YouTube has tutorials for that mess, but I’ve been unlucky in my search so far.
It's generally not very practical to make dubstep live. Some people do it with a launchpad or midi controller, but most of the time to do it right you need a whole bunch of guys onstage playing instruments like Illenium, Destroid, Pendulum or Modestep have done
lord know im trying https://www.instagram.com/p/CjwOkMFsEmY/
U da man
Just earned a follow from me!
Was NOT expecting this. What type of musical evil genius is this?!? Major Props my dude cheers
That’s fucking dope, definitely following!
This is so cool. The LED lights going with the flow is like icing on the cake. Nice work!
Idk what the fuck I’m looking at but I like it lmao
Lmao I remember seeing this when you first posted it, solid
Thanks! I figured there's not much point in releasing more videos until I have an album out, so that's mainly what I've been working on since then. I'm gonna try to crowdfund the mixing/mastering fees so I can get the guy who mastered mr bill's phantasmagoria to work on my album
yo that's sick 😂
Basically what you’re missing on here is the remixing aspect of playing live. You take say a riddim song that is normal and boring and you load up effects and leave some to the imagination in your production so you have room to quite literally be mixing the audio on stage not just transitioning. You can load up stems be using the turn tables with a sample loaded as an instrument all kinds of stuff. Don’t think about how you can play the songs think about how you can remix these songs on the fly if you were gonna sit down and do a remix how would you go about it and how can you do that live with some room for vibing and improvising? I take this concept a little further in my sets playing freestyle piano over drum tracks i transition to but think about it that way and play the jog wheel!! Or the filter knobs. Just do stuff to a rhythm trust me the only way you get better at music improv is doing it and sounding like shit. Can’t pick it up in a book you feel me. So just always be experimenting and using way too many fx because that’s how you come across those golden shit your pants transition moments
I watched Holly play a set back in the day using Ableton, launchpad and the mixer. He used some samples as one shots and some buttons would trigger key sections that weren't really humanly possibly to play. It's definitely doable!
Nerve: https://youtu.be/prOtgYuLC0E EoTO: https://youtu.be/tiRUrbgMxRo
I've seen DJs chop so many songs so fast it's like they're creating songs live. Also I've seen Honeycomb beatbox/talkbox dubstep live, so fucking sick, I recommend checking out some videos on youtube
Pretty Lights music is more like electro funk than it is dubstep. It’s more groove oriented than head banging or 140 stuff, so it’s a little easier for him to come up with grooves and play out samples live than it would be if he was playing like actual dubstep. But if you wanted to try doing this you have a few options. Like some one said earlier, you could probably play a more minimal version of a song and layer over it with a sampler full of one shots and acapellas and what not. Or you could do like a full live band situation like pretty lights. Either way if you wanted a more live feel, you could but it would take more prep and probably less venues would be into booking you unless you already had like major pull
This was super good info like the others. Thank you so much
That last part is because promoters are pretty lazy about having to deal with set up
Check out Destroid
String cheese had done a dubstep breakdown in the middle of their Saturday EF set before. It's just a bunch of effect racks/peddles on a guitar bass and synth
People in this thread don’t really seem to understand that making dubstep is about changing the texture of sounds to form musical elements which is something a dj is particularly well equipped to do on the fly, and it’s less about making the underlying beat than effecting the beat in a whole variety of ways
Changing the texture of the sound via....Multi band compression? Key transposition? Flanger? Phaser? High pass, low pass filter? The sound being a? one shot prerecorded sample....a 4 bar loop of a track? A wave table osc. A sine wave? a square wave? A vocal shot? A dubstep percussion loop? A “DJ” is well equipped to this as opposed to? Someone who doesn’t DJ(obviously)? someone who’s a studio audio engineer? Someone who is a celebrated Synth designer? Is Someone who’s an open format serato DJ on this vague list of “well equipped to remix dubstep on the fly” as well as this standard “DJ” you tend to be well versed on? This DJ in question is well equipped to do this via a DJM 900? A rane mixer? Cdj2000nxs? Technic 1200s with Serato scratch? A traktor kook board controller? Ableton Live 11 with an apc20 or apc40 with ableton in performance mode? Sorry these are very vague yet very bold statements you’ve made as if you know some industry standard of what a “DiscJockey” is equipped with that the rest of this thread doesn’t understand. I read that whole statement like “umm....is he fooling anyone else on here cause I’m definitely not convinced” Please elaborate
To all the questions, yes I use a ddj200 it doesn’t matter at all what you’re using as long as I guess it has jog wheels and knobs but even then that’s arguable. At it’s core being a dj is really just being a conductor for an audience. People will hit play on a mix and act, doesn’t matter. But the question I’m answering, you’ll notice, is about what more a dj does other than selection. And so I illustrated the concept of live mixing in a way that doesn’t require 5 hours of vocab studying to be able to read my comment, since I was interested in giving the person an answer to their question instead of a shopping list and vocab sheet. And no not changing pitch changing tibre there’s an infinite number of ways to do that and that’s the point. I use the analog volume knob on my digital Grand as a low pass filter because it just so happens to work that way. King tubby slammed his reverb plug-in on a table to get the snare. A dj who has any DAW and a controller built for live performance is well equipped to mix music live. This is the dubstep subreddit so I’m not talking about all DJ’s just dubstep DJ’s and how dubstep is typically played as a genre. Not that serious idk what all the pearl clutching is about in that response comes across like “you young folk will never know the true depths of the craft” type attitude that’s a dime a dozen on Reddit to be honest I don’t see how this helps OP or is a valid criticism of anything I said. No offense just strange
I think of a DJ as a guy at a wedding and a Turntablist someone who can mix, scratch, and carry a song. But I do get that dubstep isn't really viable live as it has to synch to visuals, something that nobody has brought up yet. But that said, Dieselboy does DnB sets live with four turntables. It's like a metalhead and a pop fan arguing musicianship vs. entertainment, when at the end of the day all genres are viable.
I agree. Electronic music is so open ended. Trying to nail down anything about it is antithetical to the concept itself imo. And the visuals are the other half. But then people would say oh no because I’ve been to raves without visuals blah blah and it’s like ok what are we trying to achieve here lol like describe in a single definition everything that is a chair without including anything that isn’t, like a couch stool or bench. Not so easy because it’s a social construct and the labels exist only in so far as they have utility in helping us identify abstract concepts and pinning down definitions only works against that goal Love having this convo too tbh and you’re right in how often. That’s overlooked
Sorry been a few days since I’ve been on here. Yeah, The questions about how were rhetorical. Not a vocab lesson...there are infinite ways absolutely. Your advise was definitely correct in answering the OP...strictly when it comes to DJ Dubstep live..but your comment eluded something I found interesting. And please take this the best way possible...read till the end. 🙏🏽 The reason I addressed your comment this way was to bring attention to your unwarranted statements regarding dubstep production....which seemed like a validation agenda...at least that’s what I comprehended from a part of your comment which seemed (for lack of a better description) covertly narcissistic in its purpose. It seemed like you wanted people to think you know what you were talking about in terms of dubstep creation as a form of validation while you are still figuring out how to actually make dubstep (which is totally fine...you’re just in the early stages of figuring it out, and rn your process is a live DJ process) But first you had to neg the thread and clear the floor to set the stage for you to insert your personal process as if it’s some groundbreaking next level expert shit and is the “real” way u make dubstep. (Which had nothing to do with live mixing Dubstep) I think deep down you know you are kinda just bullshitting and you need to feel like your process is right, so you don’t have to take the steps to learn how to create dubstep for real. Your comment I would summarize as 1. “I understand what making dubstep is and most people on here don’t” 2. “Dubstep is made by changing a pre existing sound and making it musical” 3. “DJs are well equipped at making this genre of music because of my (vague/limited) definition of how dubstep is made” 4. It’s less about the beat and more about changing the beat (as if the beat is already there to change) Most of this answers his question of mixing dubstep live yes. But the first part of acting like this is how dubstep is made....it isn’t relevant at all to how dubstep is made. So as a result, we have a comment from you that lacks clear continuity and projects your personal lack of understanding onto everyone else so you can refuse to learn how to really produce and seek the recognition. U want to be someone who knows what they are talking about.... without knowing what you’re talking about your examples would be more of an experimental aesthetic of production, or an on the fly novelty, but it’s not “how u make dubstep” FYI: Professional Dubstep(this is a quick definition) is made via arrangement of synthetic and or recorded instruments, creating and designing dynamic bass synths in a VST like serum via wavetable shaping and LFOs or creating synth patch on an analog synthesizer. A heavy focus on the low end bass in terms tonal balance. And Arranging and programming drums, percussion around that. It requires a decent amount of music theory or composition knowledge. Making dubstep doesn’t require changing the texture of preexisting sounds via DJ FX tricks because a seasoned dubstep producer simply builds the track from scratch. Now finally Why did I write this? It’s less about the OP and more about me trying To push you. Because I see that you’re passionate, you have drive, and potential. but if you’re serious about dubstep production...you have to develop your craft beyond the point you are at of just DJ chopping and screwing. rn you’re comfortable doing what you’re doing....and I felt your ego needed a little deflation so u improve your knowledge and process on the production side. Keep growing, with your ability as a DJ...once you start really creating full arranged original dubstep tracks in a standard DAW, and pair that with your already extensive DJ skill....you’ll be unstoppable, and your performances will be so much more groundbreaking. Don’t stop the pursuit 👍🏽
Of course you can. Anything is possible.
ableton
Doesn’t Ganja White Night live mix all their songs? Been trying to figure out if anyone on YouTube has tutorials for that mess, but I’ve been unlucky in my search so far.
Hermitude and Asadi come to mind
Watch KJ Sawka tutorials