General FAQ:

1.  Is this just like an accompaniment track?

No, there are many differences, but here we’ll list two.  First, you can control where the tracks go, in real time!  So, in a live set you can decide to loop the bridge 5 times and all you have to do is press a button at the end of the bridge.  It does not have to be at a precise moment either.  You set the window of how many counts you want to be able to have to press the key or button you assign to the section.  Secondly, every track is individualized so you can turn them on or off.

2.  Does our drummer need to have headphones?

Yes, of all musicians the drummer must have headphones to hear the click track counting each song off, and to play to the click during the song.  We recommend that the click be loud in the drummers ears, and over time, you’ll never want to play without it!

3.  Can we use this without a drummer or if our drummer is gone one service?

Yes, there is a drum track and loop track on every song.

4.  Is it a good idea to put these loops and tracks in the monitors?

Yes, you can put the tracks in the monitors live, we recommend not putting the click track in the floor monitors, only in the drummer’s ears.

5.  Why do I need a separate external hard drive?

It has been a long, standing practice of the professional audio and video world to use a separate external hard drive when working with steaming audio or video. The idea is that you never want to stream audio or video on the same hard drive as your operating system. If they are not separated and something goes wrong with the streaming audio or video files, you can potentially fragment and/or corrupt your operating system and create serious operational problems.

6.  Shoud I use IWL backing tracks if I have a band?

Absolutely!  Many of the bands you know run live tracks at every show.  U2 and Coldplay are only 3 musicians and a singer live, but your hearing loops, pads, organ, strings and extra guitars in the mix and these tracks are from the original record.  The basis of this concept is everyone should play to a click.  Once everyone is locked in to a click, you can add whatever layers you like to bring the song together.  In your IWL session, you simply mute or un-mute whatever you prefer.

7.  Why do I need to set up my computer to run audio?

Programs running in the background can have a serious effect on the operational effectiveness of Ableton Live and any other computer based audio program. And, can interfere in the smooth streaming of audio from the hard drive. Basically, you need to disable background programs related to time. For example: screen saver, automatic updater, automatic spin-down of hard drive, etc. (please see the “Setting Up Your Computer For Audio” video for complete step by step walk through. http://www.interactiveworshiplive.com/training.asp)

Ableton Live 6 FAQ:

*Please watch the videos under our “Training” section and visit www.ableton.com/faq for more information.

1.  When you want to go back and forth between a section, do you have to press the button at the exact moment in the song?

No, you set a window (typically 4 bars) that you want Ableton to go at the end of that window to the next section.  A “bar” or a “measure” is 4 counts in a song that’s 4/4.  We set the tempo and time signature in the session for you, but if you’re building a Custom Sunday you can copy our settings for your new session.  Most songs will be 4/4 and thus, each measure has 4 counts.  A 4 bar phrase then has 16 counts.  So imagine every 4 bars the song is in a new window where if you signal a locator to be the next section played, Live 6 knows to finish the last part of that 4 bar phrase.

We at IWL recommend you know what sections you plan to “potentially” loop in a service, and practice the looping function to make sure it works for the section you want to loop.  Typically all 4/4 songs when you want to loop a chorus or loop a bridge will loop with no problem.  If you have a different time signature or a section has a unusual count to the change, you’ll have to play with the settings to make it work.  One option is to cut the time signature to 2/4 and increase the number of bars to 8 bars.  This has a similar timing but allows you to subdivide sections.

2.  My computer goes to sleep and then I have problems with the tracks skipping a little just after the song starts.

Head to training and watch the video entitled “Setting Up Your Computer for Audio.”

Tips & Recommendations:

1.  In general, the less sound on stage, the better it will sound in the front of house.  The more in ears and headphones, the better the sound.

2.  The more musicians that can hear and play to the click in their ears, the tighter the band will be.  If the click is a little strange at first, after time you’ll love it and never want to play without it!

3.  You can take the monitor send signal from the snake on stage and run a wired signal to a pair of headphones for your stationary musicians.

4.  If your out of monitor sends, see if multiple musicians can put one ear in to hear the click and in-ear mix, and with the other ear they can listen to their amps.

5.  Just adding a loop track (at the very least played through iTunes and running 1/8 inch out to your mixer) will do a lot for your live sound.  The percussive loop will fill out the drum sound and make the whole mix feel fuller.