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I currently use an arpeggiator (and gates to other synths to control their LFOs and modulation busses) in a live band situation. Currently - I have to 'force' my drummer to run my equipments clock/metronome through his EIMs during performances. He has to follow me - I'm controlling the tempo - not the drummer of the band.
Can I utilize the analog to digital input to control the arpeggiator tempo? I saw it in the menu while playing with the Montage at the store (have not yet purchased).
If so - how exactly would this best be set-up? A mic on his base drum going into the a/d input of the Montage? Running directly out of the console? (maybe off of the drum tracks on the monitor mix - give a separate aux send?)
Has anyone here done this?
Also - any suggestions of a better way to achieve what I'm trying to accomplish here would be appreciated.
Mike
Posted : 16/10/2016 4:40 am
Hi Michael,
Yes, I am doing this. I have a dedicated microphone into the kick-base-drum. It goes (almost) directly into the L/MONO A/D INPUT. The envelope follower will automatically (by default) analyze the BPM.
I use a Morley ABY switch box, because I have another microphone for vocoder effects. The envelope follower only tracks the left channel; So I switch voice/drum microphones during live performances by pressing the foot switch.
The result?
In the perfect song it works perfectly, so for demo purposes it seems a great feature.
But in real life? It highly varies. We have experimented with real-time and measure changes. I prefer real-time. If the base is playing steady it goes well. But when it is making variations within a performance, the BPM might suddenly drop, e.g. to half the tempo. So it still requires some adjustment from the drummer. Also when changing the tempo gradually, there is some time-lagging before picking up the new speed, Even when playing along with an audio-file midi-sync shows some undesired swing. To be honest, I am disappointed in the live use of this overrated feature.
Posted : 16/10/2016 8:48 pm
I've seen these threads with some interest as I can see the same general application as others have been using. They usually end up with some form of "your mileage may vary" and that some other method is better, at least for reliability. And that other method offered is a central clock that everyone follows - which is not always practical because the drummer doesn't have a great way to manage this central clock if he or she is indeed delegated that role.
I am wondering if there is another product out there on the market which does the same thing (generates a clock from an audio input) but does so in a more reliable way (less noticeable "lag" between tempo fluctuation and the clock's response = better tracking, less/no false interpretations of the pulse even if the input audio does something to vary the pattern - but still within tempo, etc). It would be interesting to learn of a better solution out there. Even better if the form-factor is something like a direct box vs. a rack-sized unit.
Redsound Soundbite (seems to have limitations as well)
Pioneer EFX or DJM
Korg Kaoss
The above list is just a quick search - I have no experience with them. What I think is likely a conclusion is that all hardware beat detection has limitations. What I do not know is where Montage fits within the spectrum of what's available.
Posted : 16/10/2016 11:02 pm
I've heard they "fixed" this feature (i.e., improved response) on the new firmware update for 2017. Can anyone verify this?
Posted : 12/04/2017 10:53 pm
