Behind the Space Bar

If I were in charge of a music tech company, these would top my list of things to create.

These three pieces of music tech don’t exist yet, or if there’s a version of them that does, there are things I’d change. Or maybe I’m not aware that they do exist! (Drop a comment with a link if they do!)

What’s in this episode:

• 3 ideas for music gear and/or tech
• Why and how they’d be useful
• Recommended prices for each

Maybe this gear or something really close already exists, and I’m just unaware of it. If so — drop a comment with a link! I’d love to check it out.

What do you wish existed? If you were in charge of a music tech company, what would you create that you haven’t found? 

Check out my 2023 Gear Guide here 👇

http://fromstudiotostage.com/gear

PS. RTP stands for Real-time Protocol. Fun fact, it’s also known as AppleMIDI. Shoulda called it iMIDI — missed opportunity.

0:00 3 Pieces of Music Gear and Tech I Wish Existed

0:16 Behind the Space Bar: Pieces of Music Technology I Wish Could be Created

1:22 Check Out My 2023 Brand New Gear Guide

1:45 Two of My Favorite Products from iConnectivity: mioXM and mioXL

4:56 Music Gear #1: Adapters with 5-Pin Midi with Ethernet Connection to mioXM or PlayAUDIO12

8:23 Music Gear #2: PlayAUDIO12 Device with a Dante Connection

13:03 Consider subscribing, enabling notifications and leaving a review!

13:51 Music Gear #3: Configured Version of Ableton Push (Just the Top Portion)

19:13 Comment Your Music Gear Suggestions and Subscribe for More Ableton Live Videos

Wanna learn Ableton the best and fastest way? Start with these 7 tips that you can do before spending any money.

I started using Ableton on stage to run tracks 20+ years ago. I made a lot of mistakes, but also did some things well.

Book a 15-minute coaching session with me 👇
https://fs2s.link/15minute

Book a 1-hour coaching session with me 👇

https://fs2s.link/oneonone

Subscribe to this channel 👇

https://fs2s.link/youtube-subscribe

0:00 7 Tips for Beginners Just Getting Started with Ableton Live

0:15 Behind the Space Bar Intro

0:34 In This Episode: 7 Tips to Help Get Started with Ableton Live

0:59 Tip 1: Start with Ableton Live Lite or Intro

2:41 Tip 2: Start with a Specific Goal and Work Towards That

4:16 Tip 3: Learn How to Read the Map

6:36 Tip 4: Leave Info View Open for Useful Information

9:01 Subscribe to Learn More About Ableton Live and Share This Video

9:56 Tip 5: Use Ableton's Built-in Tutorials

11:43 Tip 6: Make Sure to Read Ableton Live's Manual (RTFM)

14:12 Tip 7: Book a Session with an Ableton Live Certified Trainer

16:02 Wrap Up: Leave a Review, Share and Subscribe for More!

What goes into being a musical & exec producer for a live TV special? How do you manage 40+ musicians on stage? And how do you plan and prepare for it all within just a few weeks?

Keith Everette Smith is here to break it all down for us. Keith and I have been friends for long enough to make us both feel old, and he recently invited me to run playback for a live TV special that he was producing — A Chaotic Christmas and K-Love Turns 40.

The event was a blast, but there were only a few weeks to prepare for it. From arranging all the songs, preparing for the event, running rehearsals, and actually putting on the show, you’ll hear Keith break down his process and how he managed the whole thing.

We cover things like:

His organization and planning process
How he got stems from the original records
Rehearsing and prepping with so many different artists and musicians
The challenges & stress on the day of the event
And a whole lot more
Also, I put together an entire course breaking down my playback setup for this gig. You’ll learn about my rig, how I prepped for rehearsal and quickly edited things on the spot, and even watch me build the entire set in real-time (including the frustrating, pull-my-hair-out moments). Check it out here 👇

[https://fromstudiotostage.com/courses/a-chaotic-christmas-and-k-love-event-review-watch-me-build-my-ableton-sets-from-scratch/](https://fromstudiotostage.com/courses/a-chaotic-christmas-and-k-love-event-review-watch-me-build-my-ableton-sets-from-scratch/ "smartCard-inline")

Keep up with what Keith’s up to on his website and on Instagram 👇

[http://www.keitheverettesmith.com/](http://www.keitheverettesmith.com/ "smartCard-inline")

[https://www.instagram.com/producerkeith1](https://www.instagram.com/producerkeith1 "smartCard-inline")

K-Love Turns 40 👇

[https://ondemand.klove.com/k-love-turns-40-trailer](https://ondemand.klove.com/k-love-turns-40-trailer "smartCard-inline")

A Chaotic Christmas 👇

[https://ondemand.klove.com/videos/a-chaotic-christmas](https://ondemand.klove.com/videos/a-chaotic-christmas "‌")

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0:00 How Keith Smith Put Together a Show with Over 40 Musicians in Just a Few Weeks
0:19 Behind the Space Bar: Introducing Keith Smith and What to Expect in This Episode
2:52 Welcoming Keith Smith to Behind the Space Bar
3:18 What is something that comes effortlessly to you that attributes to your success today?
5:36 Keith's Background: Song Writer, Horn Arranger, Music Director, and More
7:41 Would you be bored of being known for just one title (MD, Songwriter, etc.)?
10:39 What was the event and what were your different roles?
12:10 How far in advance was the event planned and confirmed?
14:10 How important was it to hand off tasks you are fully capable and skilled at?
18:34 When Keith Contacted Will About the Event and Began Collaborating
21:47 Preparing for the Event: Keith's Organization and Planning Process
26:39 How Keith Got Stems from the Original Records
31:40 Why Teamwork and Communication Were Critical in Every Aspect for the Event
37:14 Rehearsal Tracks: The Importance of Proper Preparation with Artists and Team
40:56 What did prepping look like the day of the event?
46:10 Keith's Most Stressful Challenge During the Event
49:49 Wrap Up: Will and Keith's Appreciative Takeaways from the Event
52:13 Where to Learn More About Keith Smith
54:00 Subscribe for more interviews and thanks for watching!

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Charge too much — no clients. Charge too little — wasting your time. These are both myths. Watch to find out why and learn how to set your rates for teaching Ableton (including a breakdown of my own rates and the reasoning behind them).

If you’ve been using Ableton for a while and think you’re ready to start teaching others what you’ve learned, you need to figure out what you’re going to charge. Easier said than done, right?

I started doing this in 2008, and my rates have changed dramatically since then (they’ve increased…did you really need to ask?). I’ve made a ton of mistakes and learned a ton since then, and I want to share those lessons with you.

What you’ll learn:

- How to get a feel for what the market is willing to pay
- Why side hustle vs. full-time gig might affect your rate
- How to not be scared to go big
- Communicating rates (and rate changes) to clients
- Should you ever work for free?

Looking for ways to make more money on the side as a musician? Watch this👇

How Musicians Can Make Extra Money in 2023 (Side Hustle Ideas + Tips for Success)

https://youtu.be/paz6B3mNNr0 

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0:00 Tips to Decide What to Charge for Ableton Live Consulting and Training
0:22 Behind the Space Bar: Leave a Rating on Spotify or Apple Podcast and Subscribe
0:51 How I Began Teaching People to Use Ableton: My Tips Based on My Experience
2:39 Tip 1: However Much You and the Market Can Bear
4:55 Tip 2: What is it worth to you?
6:50 Tip 3: What's the going rate?
8:31 Bonus Tip: Don't Sell Yourself Short
9:51 Tip 4: Clarify Price vs. Expectations
12:02 Tip 5: Communicate Changes
13:31 Subscribe, leave ratings & reviews, and share these episodes!
14:47 My Rates for 1-1 and 15-Minute Sessions, Program Sets, and In-Person
21:48 Here Are 5 Tips to Help You Be Successful
22:00 Tip 1: Start for Free (Clarify Expectations)
22:56 Tip 2: Capture Testimonials
23:57 Tip 3: Share Those Testimonials
24:25 Tip 4: Start to Take on Gigs
24:42 Tip 5: Slowly Raise Your Rates
25:29 Wrap-Up: Comment Feedback, Subscribe, and thanks for watching!

Ableton crashes suck. Take a deep breath, and let’s get you up and running ASAP.

Few things are as frustrating as software not working properly. And I get it — you’re relying on Ableton for a live performance. You’ve gotta get this fixed RIGHT NOW! But you can’t rush through troubleshooting — at least not if you want to do it successfully.

So do whatever you need to do to get a level head, and then work your way through these seven tips & best practices to identify and solve the issue.

Also — the last two tips are things you won’t see many other YouTube videos mention (I’ve actually seen zero mention them). But I promise they’re worth it, and when you’ve exhausted all other options, they’ll practically guarantee you get a solution.

—

Last week’s episode 👇

Solo and Live Looping Artists Should Steal This Concept From Traditional Performers

https://youtu.be/XjPLG7iPA4I

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0:00 7 Things You Can do When Ableton Live Keeps Crashing
0:14 Check Out Last Week's Episode (Tips for Solo Artists) and Leave a Comment
0:56 Look Out for These Two Commonly Missed Tips that are Quick Solutions
1:16 Tip 1: Open a New Live Set
2:13 Tip 2: Rebuild Your Set
3:26 Tip 3: Disable Your Plugins in Ableton Live
5:17 Tip 4: Try the Same Set on a Different Computer
6:42 Subscribe to My YouTube Channel and Apple Podcast (Upcoming Interviews)
7:24 Tip 5: Install an Older Version of Ableton Live
8:47 Tip 6: Contact Ableton Support (1 of 2 Commonly Missed)
12:46 Tip 7: Reach Out to the Creator of Your Hardware/Software (2 of 2 Commonly Missed)
14:19 Summary: Use These 7 Tips When You Have Issues with Ableton Live
14:47 Bonus Tip: Subscribe and Become a Student of From Studio to Stage for Helpful Videos
16:04 Thanks for listening and take care!

Don’t make the mistake that brings so many solo live looping shows to a screeching halt. Instead, learn this simple concept from traditional on-stage performers.

Bands and artists who play on a stage do this without even thinking. But it’s something live looping and solo artists sometimes overlook — because it’s not inherently built into the set up. If you don’t implement it, it can cause your whole show to come crashing down.

What you’ll learn:

- This important concept
- How it works in traditional, on-stage performances
- How to implement it in your solo or live looping set up
- How it will improve your show

PS. Hey live loopers & solo artists out there — what’s your set up look like? Do you currently have any redundancy built in? Drop a comment and let me know!

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0:00 What Solo and Live Looping Artists Can Learn from Traditional Performers 
0:35 In This Video: A Key Concept that Non-Traditional Performers Don't Understand
2:37 A Traditional Performance Stage Layout (Visual)
5:45 The Key Concept Applied in Traditional Performances: Division of Labor
9:26 Additional Example of Division of Labor with Tracks, Keys, and Vocal Processing (Redundancy)
12:59 Why You Shouldn’t Solely Use Your Computer and Should Split the Load
17:05 Subscribe and Become a Student of FromStudiotoStage for New Content in 2023
20:19 Ways You Can Apply Division of Labor (1): Optimize Your Setup
21:38 Ways You Can Apply Division of Labor (2): Implement an In-ear Mix
23:01 Ways You Can Apply Division of Labor (3): Travel with Your Own Mixer
24:57 Ways You Can Apply Division of Labor (4): Add Redundancy to Your Setup
25:49 If You Feel Hesitancy to these Methods, Make a Game Plan
26:47 2 Ways to Succeed in 2023: Subscribe and Become a Student at FromStudiotoStage
27:27 Wrap Up: Have an amazing 2023 and see you next time!

6 side hustle ideas for musicians and how to actually be successful with them.

Making extra money from side hustles is completely possible. My entire company started as a side hustle, and I was able to grow it into my main source of income. You can sell your time, your knowledge, or both.

In this video, I’m gonna help you get started so you can crush it in 2023.

What you’ll learn:

• 3 ways to sell your time
• 3 ways to sell your knowledge
• 5 tips for success that I used to grow From Studio to Stage

PS. Do you have a side hustle that I left off this list? Drop a comment and let me know!

Learn exactly when and how you should update your software and hardware.

The tale is as old as time (well, as old as the internet has been around, I guess). There’s an update available and you jump on it. Next thing you know, things are broken and you’re chugging coffee trying to fix the mess.

If you’ve had that happen, maybe you’ve resolved to avoid updates at all costs. But soon, you’re running old software and you’re missing out on genuinely better features.

The last Behind the Spacebar episode of 2022 is a replay from an old episode where I think I buried the lede. I promoted it as an Ableton update, but after that, I give you 3 rules and a 9-step process to know exactly when and how to go about updating any software or hardware.

Watch the old episode with me and then join me at the end as I share some brand new thoughts about updating your software and hardware.

PS. What’s your process for updating? Anything in here that you think I missed? Drop a comment and let me know!

0:00 One of the Most Important Behind the Space Bar Episodes
0:17 Final Episode of Behind the Space Bar: Recapping Episode 10 (Updating to Live 11.1)
2:49 In This Episode: Updating to 11.1 and General Process for Upgrading Software
4:46 Should you upgrade to Ableton Live 11.1? My Answer
7:05 How do you update safely? (9-Step Process)
8:36 Rule for Updating (1): Never Update in the Middle of a Gig 
10:28 Rule for Updating (2): Never Update on Main Machine Without a Safety Net
13:46 Rule for Updating (3): Stay Current on Updates
15:55 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Base Your Knowledge of When to Update on Someone
18:47 Step 1 to Update Safely: Use a Backup Computer
20:39 Step 2 to Update Safely: Keep the Previous Version of the Software
22:41 Step 3 to Update Safely: Find a Live Set You Know Works
24:20 Step 4 to Update Safely: Run the New Version with Your Gear
26:13 Step 5 to Update Safely: Create a Burn In Scenario
28:20 Step 6 to Update Safely: Try It in Rehearsal 
29:59 Step 7 to Update Safely: Try it On a Low-Pressure Gig
31:01 Step 8 to Update Safely: Compare Notes with Others
32:28 Step 9 to Update Safely: Take the Plunge
33:22 Update to Live 11.1 and Follow the 9-Step Process
33:45 Comment What Your Upgrade Process Looks Like
34:16 You Need to Update and Have a Good Plan Process To
35:45 For 2023 Episode: Step 1 Is Turn off All Auto Updates
36:24 End the Year Strong by Subscribing: Courses, Community, Templates and More
38:43 Subscribe on YouTube! My Goal for 2023 is 20,000 Subscribers

A systematic process to help you quickly troubleshoot when things go wrong in Ableton Live.

You can apply this process to anything in Ableton, and honestly anything else you’re troubleshooting.

In this episode replay, you’ll learn the four steps to troubleshooting that will help you stay calm, find the problem, and quickly fix it.

At the end, I’ll share some thoughts I have today and why I really believe rubber duckies might be the key to solving all your problems.

PS. Ever talked to a rubber ducky? Keep it to yourself cause that’s weird, but go ahead and leave a comment share a good troubleshooting story!

Pretty much anybody can learn how to do something or develop a new skill. But experts go beyond just learning how to do something.

Today’s throwback episode is from an episode I did in January of 2022 where I talked about the one thing people need to focus on to be successful.

The difference between a good guitar player and a great guitar player isn’t how well they can play a difficult part. The great guitar player understands why that part works in that part of a song and in conjunction with what the other instruments are doing.

If you want to be extremely successful at something, you need to go beyond learning how to do it and start digging to understand the why behind it.

After replaying the old episode, I share some new thoughts on this concept and why I still believe it’s the most important ingredient for success.

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0:00 Today We're Taking a Look Back at on One of My Favorite Episodes
0:14 Behind the Space Bar: Recapping Episode 5 (Stop Focusing on How, Focus on Why)
1:33 We're Used to Having the Answer to Any Question At Our Fingertips
4:17 Learn to Fish: We're Used to Searching for "How" But Not "Why"
6:02 Why We Should Ask Why and Not How: An Example with Ableton Live
11:02 3 Things to Consider to Choose "Why" and Not "How"
11:14 What to Consider #1 - Ask Why a Solution Works
13:43 What to Consider #2 - Learn the World View of a Software (Ableton Example)
15:57 What to Consider #3 - Pursue More Than Surface-Level Knowledge
17:24 Recap of Things to Consider to Choose "Why" and Not "How"
17:51 Curiosity Ties into Understanding Why - Learn More at FromStudiotoStage
19:23 How I was Reminded of This Episode: Focus on This One Skill to Succeed
20:05 The Downsides of Only Learning How and How I Learn Why
23:15 My Example Approach to Learning Why: Learning the Story of My Gear
24:23 If You Want More on "Why" Subscribe to FromStudiotoStage
25:41 Subscribe and join me next week for when things go wrong!