Trigger, Gate and Follow Actions – Inside the Track with BMaul
We recently enlisted finger-drummer extraordinaire Brian Mauleon aka BMaul to demonstrate the new Beat Tools Pack. In his performance video, Brian busts out a few different real-time beat making and finger drumming techniques within a very short space of time – so quickly, in fact, that it’s easy to miss the details. Fortunately, in the explanation video below, he takes the time to walk you through the steps and settings that let him create such a fleshed out beat track on the fly.
Brian demonstrates the different uses of gate and trigger modes for sample playback as well as how to control sample pitch with Push’s touch strip – good to know whether or not you’re a finger drummer. One slightly under-the-radar, but highly useful technique needs an extra mention; using follow actions and empty clips to step through the different parts of a track is a simple but powerful way to leave room for improvisation in a performance or to come up with variations when composing. Download the Live Set below to explore the track in detail.
You’ll need the Beat Tools Pack to open this Live Set. Beat Tools is free for Live 9 Suite and Push owners, or you can buy separately from the Packs page.
Keep up with BMaul on Soundcloud, YouTube and Instagram.