Whether you are a beatboxer who wants to layer sounds on the fly, a multi-instrumentalist who wants to build songs from scratch on stage, or a singer who wants to create terrifying walls of sound with only your voice, this workshop will provide you with the tools and knowledge to get you started with seamless live looping and design a performance rig that best suits your style of music, instrumentation and creative flow.

[Apr 13] Sound Orbit: Maximizing Creative Flow in Loop-Based Performance

Scott Hampton / Exaltron

Sat, April 13, 1 – 5pm

Cost: $150 (regular), $125 (student/member)

Pay with PayPal or Credit Card on our Payment Page here

Location:

Harvestworks – www.harvestworks.org

596 Broadway, #602 | New York, NY 10012 | Phone: 212-431-1130

Subway: F/M/D/B Broadway/Lafayette, R Prince, 6 Bleeker

Live looping is a powerful performance tool for both the solo artist as well as those performing in ensembles. Artists like Imogen Heap and Reggie Watts have proven that live looping can transcend gimmickry, providing a the artist a means to create sublime musical experiences . While the technology available offers many options for looping, artists are often on their own when it comes to choosing the right tools and figuring out how to use them in a way that enhances, rather than distracts from the creative and artistic flow.

This workshop will provide an overview of the digital technologies, including software and hardware, and their relative advantages and disadvantages. We’ll demo software suites like Ableton Live, with its native various looping tools, as well as user-designed looping devices created in Max for Live. We’ll take a look at standalone dedicated software loopers (including some very powerful freeware versions) as well as surprisingly versatile hardware loopers. We’ll take a look at some unorthodox and innovative approaches to looping, such as using effects like delay and reverb to create ambient loops. You will have the opportunity to get some hands-on experience with live looping either on your own laptop or via the instructor’s rig, and all participants will receive links to download software and plugins covered in the class, most of which are freeware.

Who should take this class:

Musicians and sound artists of all skill levels. Vocalists, acoustic and electric instrumentalists, beatboxers, and sound sculptors will benefit from this overview of looping technology. By the end of this workshop, you will have a detailed sketch of hardware and software configuration that will best suit your needs and flow as an artist.

Requirements

Optional- laptop (PC or Mac) with Ableton Lite or Full version (free 30-day trial available here)

Optional- midi or acoustic instrument for looping (voice or beatboxing is great too).

Exaltron

Scott Hampton has been performing loop-based music as exaltron for over ten years, as a core member of the innovative monthly Warper Party, an NYC-based electronic music collective, as well as touring nationally with artists like digital iconoclast Moldover. Performing at clubs like Nublu, the Delancey, The Knitting Factory and at events like Figment Festival, he has developed advanced live-looping techniques that enable him to seamlessly blend compositions, improvisations and live remix into an expressive flow. He is also a featured performer at Dubspot Electronic Music Production School in New York City, where he regularly demos his elaborate live looping rig and instruments for Dubspot’s advanced Ableton students.

Videos:

exaltron performs at Dubspot for Make Music New York (sidewalk festival)



Check out Reggie Watts- NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, and Imogen Heap – “Just For Now”!