Wireless Ableton LINK undependable in live situation

BlueGreenSpiral

Good advice @RUST( i )K

My favourite electronic live acts/djs will often fall apart at times and these moments and the struggle to get back on track are often the highlights of the performance for me.

Live sets from Beardyman, Tim Exile and Jamie Liddell (15 years ago) and dj sets from Jeff Mills (20 years ago) are some examples that spring to mind.

Safety is overrated sometimes!

soundshaper

I’m starting to put a live set of new songs together with my bandmate, combining Ableton as a main sequencer, some hardware, guitars and pedals, and two iPads running a couple synths, and drum synth to be triggered by a live electronic kit. Not planning to have any sequencers running on the iPads but certainly planning to use Link and MIDI Clock to sync arpeggios, lfos, and time-based effects.

This is all good info, and although Link is working fine in the studio, I might experiment with a wired solution. So I guess there’s no way to setup a virtual/router ad-hoc network using the Mac, with it all working through the lightning connector alongside IDAM?

wim

Now I'm soooo tempted to check if I can change the link tempo at every show I go to.

Richtowns

^ Naughty naughty. @zerodayexploits

Calverhall

Ive not actually tried it but Im surprise this topic centred around a macbook and a wifi router; i was under the impression that on macbooks you could set up a wifi network which link could work on without an actual internet connection?

soundshaper

@Calverhall said:
Ive not actually tried it but Im surprise this topic centred around a macbook and a wifi router; i was under the impression that on macbooks you could set up a wifi network which link could work on without an actual internet connection?

Right. But can it work over the lightning cable?

RUST( i )K

@Calverhall said:
Ive not actually tried it but Im surprise this topic centred around a macbook and a wifi router; i was under the impression that on macbooks you could set up a wifi network which link could work on without an actual internet connection?

The thing is LINK which throws this into a unique spectrum of thought. Plus performance based aspects.

I think.....

RUST( i )K

@BlueGreenSpiral said:
Good advice @RUST( i )K

My favourite electronic live acts/djs will often fall apart at times and these moments and the struggle to get back on track are often the highlights of the performance for me.

Live sets from Beardyman, Tim Exile and Jamie Liddell (15 years ago) and dj sets from Jeff Mills (20 years ago) are some examples that spring to mind.

Safety is overrated sometimes!

Thank you friend

Samplemunch

@RUST( i )K said:

@BlueGreenSpiral said:
I had managed to miss that part about playing live @gonekrazy3000
Can imagine that would be a nightmare if it goes wrong and having a bulletproof solution would be essential!

When DJ'ing I always have a Ableton cued with matching BPM with a top/percs loop giving me a second to adjust.

That was the safety net.

I generally always have a similar thing happening these days with some non essential device having a silent synced loop of some rhythmic or percussive emergency transition loop.

That is on pioneer turn tables when no link was even in existence at the time.

Cue points be damned.....

Always takes me aback that DJing nowadays includes having stuff pre synced ready to cover any possibility, so glad i stuck to manually mixing everything by ear.

lerosa

@BlueGreenSpiral said:
Are you having problems with Link @lerosa?

I use it almost everyday and it's never once had hiccups with any app even though the wifi here is often playing up. Don't recall seeing any threads on Abletons forum with complaints either.

Looking forward to Link v2! If any developers are testing this in an app I would love to help out

Not yet but I'm working on a live set with three ipads synced with Link and a drum machine getting its sync from Link to Midi using an iphone wired to it via midi rig. It works fine at home but concerned it might all go titsup at a venue. I'm planning to get an airport express and use it to create a little hidden, password protected wifi network for these ios devices but it won't be connected to the internet...at the moment i'm mostly using gadget, xynthsizer but I might add more app as I work on it.

looks like so

https://www.facebook.com/Lerosa.ie/videos/1543786542357291/

Hmtx

Keep in mind that ethernet is an option instead of wifi. If this “live situation” is a paid gig it may be worth investing in powered USB hubs, USB to Ethernet adapters, and a network switch to host it all.

lerosa

@Hmtx said:
Keep in mind that ethernet is an option instead of wifi. If this “live situation” is a paid gig it may be worth investing in powered USB hubs, USB to Ethernet adapters, and a network switch to host it all.

so ipads into camera kits X3 into usb to ethernet X3 and then into a switch? how do i connect an external drum machine midi into to this? also this set up has all all the audio managed by iconnectaudio, i'll need a mixer if I do it this way?

Hmtx

@lerosa That’s what I’m saying! I would do the CCK3 camera to USB kits so you could keep the iPads charged. Yes, it would get pricey but even several hundred $$ for the assurance of tight midi without WiFi might be worth it.

The drum machine would have to have a MIDI to USB adapter either into a laptop or one of the iPad USB hubs.

And the USB audio interface can function on a USB hub too, presumably the iconnectaudio would work fine.

I’d like to know if anyone is doing this live, without WiFi?? (I’m writing theoretically, never tried all this).

I’m also curious how beardyman’s setup is connected. He has 4 or 5 iPads running as MIDI controllers on stage, I don’t think he runs midi clock or Link on the iPads, but I imagine he has some solution that is rock solid.