Sentinel Music Studios

The "Solo" Live Performance Environment: Outline by Dell Krauchi

Introduction
In the original text, "The 'Solo' Live Performance Environment", I went into considerable detail on how I have developed and configured what will be referred to as "a live performance environment". This live performance environment permits the artist to implement an entire performance with minimal intervention on the part of the artist. The sole purpose of this present text then, is to explain exactly what this "…with minimal intervention on the part of the artist" is referring to.

The Front Section
This front section consists of three guitars, one microphone, an eight channel audio interface, a 32-channel PCI sound card, a pair of active speakers and a 1U rack-mount computer.

The audio interface – an HDSP9632, is an internal PCI audio device, and which is developed and manufactured by RME Technologies & Software. RME is known for both their stability and ease-of-employment...

The Middle Section
This "middle section" is comprised of three separate and distinct sections...

Section A
This middle section is where most of the real work takes place. SAC is acting as the FOH Mixer, the plug-in host for S-GEAR, and the Scenes Manager for controlling the four input devices as well as the triggering of the S-GEAR presets.

SAW is hosting the backing tracks, the Control Track for automated Scene control, and with Show Control managing all of the show session "Set" files.

Section B

As noted, this middle section is also where SAC is acting as the FOH Mixer and the plug-in host for S-GEAR…

Via the audio interface, the computer is sending the four input channels to SAC.

1.      Input 1 is sent to the Electric Guitar channel which has S-GEAR as an insert effect.
2.      Input 2 is sent to the Steel-Strung Guitar channel, employing the FabFilter Pro-R 2 reverb and the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 EQ as insert effects.
3.      Input 3 is sent to the Nylon-Strung Guitar channel, employing the FabFilter Pro-R 2 reverb and the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 EQ as insert effects.
4.      Input 4 is sent to the Emcee channel which is also employing the FabFilter Pro-R 2 reverb and the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 EQ as insert effects.
5.      Input 5 is receiving the output of Track 1 from SAW which hosts the backing track for the Electric Guitar performances.
6.      And finally, Channel 6 is the Output Channel which is being sent to a pair of active speakers.

Section C
SAC is also managing all of the various "Scene" changes – some twenty-one of them. For our purposes here, the focus is on the Scenes that are being employed to trigger the preset changes within S-GEAR:

The Back Section
This back section is where most – if not all, of the automation processes are occurring. SAW is not only hosting the backing tracks, but SAW is also controlling the Scene changes in SAC...

This back section is also "controlling", via the Control Track, all of the various Scene changes – all of which are accessible from a listing entitled, "Custom Cmds"…

Lastly, via Show Control, SAW is managing all of the various session "Set" files – all of which are employed in all of the various performances – sixteen session files in total...

In closing…
In the original text, my main objective was to be able to perform an entire evening's solo performance with minimal involvement on my part. This objective has been clearly met – and only, as a direct result of the ingenious efforts on behalf of Bob Lentini, the developer of SAC and SAW, as well as to the  developer's of S-GEAR – Mike Scuffham and the FabFilter plug-ins! Their untiring efforts on our behalf is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I hope that some will find this information of some practicable benefit and employment.

Sincerely,


Date: February 6, 2021
Updated: March 4, 2024