I've just finished revising a piece (Raven's Cry) that I created for singers, piano and "tape" for the Eckhart-Grammattée vocal competition (in Manitoba, Canada) back in 1999, which now seems like the stone ages!
Imagine: I was using an Apple PowerPC tower with Samplecell Nubus cards for samplling! Imagine! And hardware synths, and Logic 3.x I believe. The great thing about Logic is that you can take any of the very old files and still import them and they work fairly well. And so I can apply some new Logic things to the mix, etc. But when I create these LIVE pieces for musicians (such as Raven's Cry), I've always had these problems of synchronization because I tend to create long dronal passages. So I have the choice to put the musicians on stage wearing headphones, wildly and nervously trying to follow a click-track, and still play musically, or, now, with Ableton LIVE, we dump our tracks into the SESSION slots and loop the ends of the files or create other bridge material so that the musicians are free to perform, and once in a while move a hand over to the computer to touch a key to move LIVE along. (Foot switches or keyboards can also be used.)
LIVE is so so fast: drop the audio files from your LOGIC mix (actually from the FINDER) onto the LIVE SESSION slots, assign each slot to be triggered by a different computer keyboard key or MIDI note, and you're ready to go!
Imagine the possibilities when MAX for LIVE is available?!?!?
You can hear a live recording of the premiere performance in 1999 at this link:
http://www.earsay.com/johnolivermusic/audio/x/ravenscrytrioX.mp3
It sounds better in the new mix. If you'd like to learn more about the piece, just send me a message!
John
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Raven’s Cry was commissioned by the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Competition and first performed by finalists in the competition on April 30, 1999 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. The winner for best performance of the imposed work was Krista Scott. Also, the winner of the competition, mezzo-soprano Vilma Vitols, sang the work in the solo version across Canada as part of her winning tour in the fall of 1999. Text by the composer with additional text from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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