So far we’ve talked about digital audio workstations, basic components of a home studio, MIDI controllers, and even mobile apps and how they can fit into your creative process for making music. With Ultra Music Festival wrapping up this month, I figured it would be appropriate to talk about how some of the most technology-heavy music producers in the world utilize these technologies to create their sounds during a live performance.

Here are a few names you might recognize and which devices they use during their live shows:

Skrillex

Electro House, Dubstep

Skrillex, a former post-hardcore singer/songwriter, began creating digital productions and has been a major contributor to bringing electronic music back into the mainstream. Having been nominated for a total of eight Grammy awards and leaving with six, Skrillex is showing no visible signs of slowing down. Here’s what his live rig looks like:

• Computer: Apple MacBook Pro
• Software: Ableton Live or Native Instruments Traktor
• Controllers: M-Audio Trigger Finger Drum Pad, Pioneer DJM-800 Mixer/MIDI Controller
• Other: Native Instruments Traktor Audio 2 DJ Interface

Where you can hear Skrillex: Skrillex’s Official YouTube Channel

Flying Lotus

Experimental Electronic, Hip Hop

Flying Lotus comes from Los Angeles, California and proves how enormous sounds can be made on a small laptop. You might have heard his beats in-between cartoons on Adult Swim or you might not have heard of him at all – either way I suggest you check out Flylo. If you are fortunate enough to see him play live, here is what you’ll most likely see lying in front of him:

• Computer: Apple MacBook Pro
• Software: Ableton Live, Max For Live
• Controllers: M-Audio Trigger Finger Drum Pad or Akai MPD32 Drum Pad, monome 40h grid controller (8×8), Novation ReMote 25SL MIDI Keyboard

Where you can hear Flylo: Flying Lotus’ Official Website

Bassnectar

Breakbeat, Drum & Bass, Dubstep

Bassnectar aka DJ Lorin hails from Santa Cruz, CA and has been playing his electronic music in huge live settings for over a decade. In the last few years he has become known for putting on insane live shows and playing his loud, bass-heavy music to the masses. If you’ve seen Bassnectar live and had a second to stop dancing and look his way, then you would’ve seen him headbanging in front of these:

• Computer: 2 Apple MacBook Pros
• Software: Ableton Live
• Controllers: 2 M-Audio Trigger Finger Drum Pads
• Other: Allen & Heath Xone:92 Mixer, 2 PreSonus Audio Box USB Interfaces

Where you can hear Bassnectar: BassnectarLabs YouTube Channel

Pretty Lights

Electronic Funk, Hip Hop, Dubstep

Pretty Lights comes from Colorado and brings some incredible funkiness into the broad genre that is electronic dance music. If you’re ever able to look away from the light show that accompanies his live performances (and gives him his name), then you’re going to see Pretty Lights jamming on a variety of controllers:

• Computer: 2 Apple MacBook Pros
• Software: Ableton Live, Max For Live
• Controllers: 2 Akai MPD32 Drum Pads, monome grid controller (8×16)

Where you can hear Pretty Lights: Pretty Lights Music

deadmau5

Progressive House, Electro House, Trance

deadmau5 is a Canadian producer of the electronic music genres of House and Trance, and has become a household name because of his extravagant live shows and signature mouse-head. An innovator (and cynic) of live electronic performances, deadmau5 is not afraid to take advantage of any and all technologies available to him:

• Computer: Apple MacBook Pro
• Software: Ableton Live, Max For Live
• Controllers: Native Instruments Maschine, monome grid controller (16×16), JazzMutant Lemur Touchscreen Controller, Pioneer EFX-1000 Controller
• Other: Allen & Heath Xone:4D Mixer, Apogee Ensemble Audio Interface

Where you can hear deadmau5: deadmau5’s Official YouTube Channel

Daft Punk

French House, Electro House

Daft Punk is a mysterious duo of robotic Frenchmen that have been pushing the limits of electronic music since their formation in the early 90s. In 2007, they went on tour with a new, and very complex, live set-up that used an impressive amount of technology. If you were somehow able to get inside the Daft Punk “pyramid” on their Alive tour, then you would have seen them working in a futuristic cockpit consisting of these devices:

• Computer: “custom super-computers” – this is how Daft Punk describes it, although they have been seen performing with 4 MacBook Pros in front of them (presumably a main computer and a backup for each person). However, it wouldn’t seem too farfetched for a large electronic act to invest in custom hardware and software.
• Software: Ableton Live
• Controllers: 2 Behringer BCR2000 MIDI Controllers, 2 JazzMutant Lemur Touchscreen Controllers
• Other: 4 Minimoog Voyagers

Where you can hear Daft Punk: Daft Punk YouTube Artist Page

That’s a lot of buttons and knobs.

Now you have an idea of how a few of the best producers in the world have decided to use the available technologies to create and play their music. If you’re overwhelmed by these diagrams or eager to buy all the devices you see in them; don’t be. These artists have built their live setups as their music has matured and required it – remember that getting a rig like Pretty Lights will not make you sound like a professional unless you truly know what you’re doing. On the other hand, putting on a giant mouse-head like deadmau5 or being born a french robot like Daft Punk seems to help…

Update

Since I wrote this article, I’ve been fortunate enough to talk to many people about the different live set-ups these artists utilize and learned a lot about how they’ve played their most recent shows. Technology moves very quickly, and the top acts evolve with it and change as well. Here are some updates:

• Skrillex ditched the Trigger Finger + Ableton Live combo and now plays 4 Pioneer CDJs.
  
• Bassnectar replaced the twin Trigger Fingers with a pair of Custom 60Works Controllers…so cool.
• Pretty Lights is still using two MacBook Pros, but he has simplified his live rig to a single Akai MPD-32.
• deadmau5 has changed his live set up entirely, and now has a veritable studio in his cube, decked out with multiple synthesizers, a 24-track mixer, 2 Native Instruments Kontrol X1 Controllers, various hardware effects, and a few more bits that I need to research further.
• Daft Punk has a new album on the way, so we all must wait very impatiently to see how they choose to play their new sounds in a live setting.

Thanks to everyone who discussed these topics with me, I appreciate your help!

Past Articles:

Get Mobile! – How mobile apps can become an active part in your studio and your creative process.

Take Control! – What MIDI controllers are, what they do, and why you should consider using them.

Give Your Studio Some Life – The different components of a simple, but very powerful home recording studio.

Choose Your Music’s Workplace – What digital audio workstations do and a bit on the popular options for DAW’s that exist.