This project won't work out of the box, just because you have a PC. You'll need a set of certain software and hardware, to have it up and running. The list of the required preriquisites is mentioned below.
The FL Studio DAW of at least "Producer edition" or higher - https://www.image-line.com/fl-studio/compare-editions/
Why the FL Studio was chosen?
- This is the DAW, which I'm using for more than 10 years
- It provides the python-based MIDI scripting API, which perfectly fits the task
Probably, you will need to have the latest version of the FL Studio, because:
- I've bought FL Studio and do have the lifetime updates. Thus, I'll continue to support this project against the HEAD version of the FL Studio. Old versions might become not compatible.
- Some of the previous versions have bugs inside the FL MIDI scripting engine. I do not work around them, as they were already fixed in the latest releases.
The project is building the logical devices on the top of the FL Studio DAW and a bunch of the VST plugins. Here is the list of the external VST plugins, which you'll need to have on top of the FL studio in order to have the project running:
- Endless Smile by DADA LIFE - https://dadalife.com/plugins/
- Turnado 2 by sugar-bytes - https://sugar-bytes.de/turnado
- Pro-Q 3 by fabfilter - https://www.fabfilter.com/products/pro-q-3-equalizer-plug-in
- Finisher VOODOO by ujam - https://www.ujam.com/finisher/voodoo/
- Manipulator by Polyverse Music - https://polyversemusic.com/products/manipulator/
- Augustus Loop by Expert Sleepers - https://www.expert-sleepers.co.uk/augustusloop.html
- Crossfade Loop Synth by Expert Sleepers - https://www.expert-sleepers.co.uk/xfadelooper.html
- VFX Midi Strip - This one is free. Can be downloaded here.
- InstantSampler - This one is free. Can be downloaded here.
- Wavefactory Tracespacer - https://www.wavesfactory.com/audio-plugins/trackspacer/
- Kilohearts Snap Heap - https://kilohearts.com/products/snap_heap
- Waves C6 - https://www.waves.com/plugins/c6-multiband-compressor
Buy, download and install the above set of VST plugins.
Besides the external VST plugins, a bunch of the internal FL Studio's VST plugins is also used:
- Control surface
- Edison
- Fruity Limiter
- Fruity Formula Controller
- Fruity Stereo Shaper
- Fruity Balance
- Fruity Compressor
- Fruity Panomatic
- Fruity Fast Dist
- Fruity Stereo Enhancer
- Fruity Reverb 2
- Fruity Delay 2
- Fruity Filter
- Fruity Peak Controller
But all the above ones are part of the FL Studio delivery. So no additional worries about their availability.
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2-3 instances of the Korg Kaoss Pad 3+
The project consists of the 3 logical devices:
- 1 instance of the "looper mux" device. This device is in charge of the recording the tracks.
- 2 instances of the "input controller" devices. Each instance can be used to process one audio input channel. E.g. I'm using one of such devices for the mic, and the other for the crossfade synth loop synthesizer.
Each device is controlled by a separate instance of the Korg Kaoss Pad 3+ - https://www.korg.com/us/products/dj/kaoss_pad_kp3_plus/
So, to effectively use this project, you will need to have 2-3 instances of the Korg Kaoss Pad 3+.
Important note! In this project, KP3+ instances are used ONLY as MIDI controllers! No effector or sampler capabilities of the device itself are being used. So, eventually, you can replace it with any other MIDI controller, which will have enough buttons and knobs. Still, you'll need to slightly change the python code, as currently assigned MIDI signals are KP3+ specific. Also, you might need to change the workflow described in the code, as the current implementation is done considering the KP3+ form factor.
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Audio interface
To work with the LIVELOOPING project, I'm using the Zoom UAC-8 Audio converter - https://zoomcorp.com/en/jp/audio-interface/audio-interfaces/uac-8/.
Usage of it with 96000 Hz sample rate and 512 smp buffer length allows having ~6 ms latency while having nice and stable workflow.
But, in general, any USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 sound-card with at least 2 inputs and the possibility to work with a 96-192 Hz sample rate should be sufficient. E.g. Komplete Audio 6 by NI should also work fine - https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/audio-interfaces/komplete-audio-6/.
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Mic
If you would work with vocals or beatboxing ( like I do ), you'll definitely need a mike. For beatboxing I would suggest the following 3 models:
- Sure SM58 - https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/microphones/sm58
- Sennheiser e-945 - https://en-us.sennheiser.com/vocal-microphone-dynamic-super-cardioid-e-945
- DPA d:facto FA4018 - https://www.dpamicrophones.com/handheld/vocal-microphone ( used on GBB )
- Sure SM58 - https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/microphones/sm58
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Headphones
For sure you are free to use the speakers, but my experience shows, that you might want to practice not producing too much noise. So, usage of the headphones would be necessary. The headphones which I'm using are:
- Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO - https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/dt-770-pro.html
- Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO - https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/dt-770-pro.html
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Novation Bass Station 2
You will need one if you want to use the Crossfade Loop Synth and Instant Sampler VSTs. It allows you to grab input from the microphone and instantly loop it. Then, you can play your voice's timbre on a keyboard. Moreover, you can record one-shot samples ( one sample per key ) and play them on the keyboard.
I'm using Novation Bass Station 2 just as a MIDI keyboard to control:
- an instance of the Crossfade Loop Synth VST plugin
- an instance of the Instant Sampler VST plugin
- an instance of the Kilohearts Snap Heap VST plugin
So, once again, feel free to replace Novation Bass Station 2 with any suitable MIDI keyboard. But keep in mind, that you'll need to adjust the MIDI mappings and logic in the 'device_novation_bass_station_2_voice_synth' FL MIDI scripting device.