Behind the Space Bar

Why can some people persevere through learning something hard while others give up?

This video is a look back at a podcast episode I did in January 2022. In the episode, I talked about how I noticed a difference in people who would stay subscribed and get the most out of my course subscription at From Studio to Stage vs. those who would cancel and not get that much benefit.

10 months later, I feel that being humbly confident and humbly curious is even more important than I did then. And I share a little bit about how this philosophy is still shaping me today in how I approach life, work, and Ableton.

Bands make these 5 mistakes all the time when running tracks, and it kinda ruins everything. Here’s what they are and how to avoid them.

If you’re running tracks on stage or you plan to soon, make sure to avoid these 5 mistakes that way too many people make.

Mistake #1: Faking It

Don’t have your lead vocal or a blazing guitar solo in your tracks with someone trying to mime it. Unless you’re a famous pop artist putting on a multi-million dollar show, it’s just not going to come across well.

Mistake #2: Not making tracks part of the band

The band and the tracks need to fit together musically.

Mistake #3: You don’t treat tracks like an instrument

If you’re not preparing tracks like a keys player would prepare for a set, you’re doing it wrong.

Mistake #4: You allow tracks to lock you into an arrangement

Playing live music should be flexible and have room for spontaneity. Run tracks in a way that allows you to do that.

Mistake #5: Not editing tracks to fit your context

If you try to just do everything exactly like it is on the record, it’s not going to translate very well. Transitions will be weird and you miss out on opportunities to edit the tracks to fit the live setting.

Bonus mistake: Not subscribing to the From Studio to Stage YouTube channel

Learn something new about Ableton every day by hitting subscribe and hitting the bell icon to get notified as soon as I publish a new video every single day.

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Have you made any of these or other mistakes when running tracks? I have. If that’s you, too, drop a comment and let me know!

0:00 5 Mistakes You Need to Avoid Using Tracks on Stage
0:08 Introduction to Behind the Space Bar and This Episode
0:58 Mistake 1: Faking It (Why People Might & My Example)
3:36 Mistake 2: Not Making Tracks a Part of the Band
5:13 Mistake 3: You Don't Treat Tracks Like an Instrument
7:16 Bonus Mistake: Not Subscribing to From Studio to Stage
7:50 Mistake 4: Being Locked into the Arrangement (Have Flexibility)
9:58 Mistake 5: They Don't Edit to Fit Their Context
12:06 Mistake to Avoid: Not Subscribing to From Studio to Stage
12:26 Look forward to December Episodes! 
12:50 Get This Episode Early on Apple Podcast / Spotify
13:03 Bonus episode for 2022; Thank you for your support!

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What’s more important for your musicians, playback techs, and engineers: knowledge or experience? Well, you need both. Here’s why and how to get there.

Each of us leans towards one or the other. Maybe you love learning but have some fear or hesitancy when it comes to applying your knowledge.

Maybe you love diving into the performance without really thinking everything through. Just let the music flow, baby.

Both types of people have had successful careers in music. But to really get to the next level, you need both.

Here’s what you’ll learn in today’s episode:

-Why I think both knowledge and experience are important
-Why knowledge definitely doesn’t = experience
-Blind spots for people with more knowledge
-How to get more experience in your music career
-Why experience definitely doesn’t = knowledge
-Blind spots for people with more experience
-How to grow your knowledge
-Why you should never stop asking questions

Do you feel like you have more experience or knowledge? Leave a comment and let me know!

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0:00 Knowledge vs Experience: Which is most important?
0:12 Welcome Back to the Behind the Space Bar Podcast
0:49 Would you rather have knowledge or experience?
1:46 Why I Think Both Knowledge and Experience is Important
2:54 Knowledge Doesn't Equal Experience (My Example Story)
4:18 Flaws for People with More Knowledge
5:57 3 Tips for Knowledgeable People: Apply, Practice, Expose Yourself
9:48 Subscribe if you're interested in growing your knowledge!
10:28 Experience Doesn't Equal Knowledge (Example)
12:28 Flaws for People with More Experience
13:56 3 Tips for Experienced People: Understand/Focus on Why, Stop & Think
17:41 4th Tip & Mike McKnight's Example: Continue Asking Questions
20:08 Summary of Tutorial and My Advice: Continue to Learn
21:14 Subscribe to my channel if you're looking to learn about Ableton Live!

Click and tracks shouldn’t be universally used by anyone performing on stage. Here are 4 reasons you shouldn’t use them.

Every once in awhile, I get someone commenting about how “real musicians” don’t use click and tracks. I’ve spent plenty of time debunking that myth, but I will concede there are times when you shouldn’t use click and tracks live.

When is running click and tracks a bad idea?

1. You’re performing by yourself
2. The context isn’t right
3. You don’t want to
4. You’re not ready

Ready to start playing with click in Ableton? Get my clicks here 👇

fromstudiotostage.com/clicks

PS. What do you think? When should musicians not use click & tracks? When should they? Leave a comment to let me know what you think!

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0:00 Behind the Space Bar: Why You Shouldn't Use Click & Tracks Live!
0:35 Why I Created Behind the Space Bar
1:05 I Don't Think You Should Use Click and Tracks: Importance of Context
2:53 Reason #1: If You're Performing by Yourself
6:02 Reason #2: The Context Doesn't Fit (Scenario Example)
7:38 Another Example Where the Context Doesn't Fit
9:29 Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcast!
10:05 Reason #3: Don't Use Click & Tracks if You Don't Want To
12:01 Don't Use Click & Tracks Just Because Others Do
13:01 Reason #4: If You Are Not Ready Yet
14:59 I Highly Encourage You to Play with Click
16:41 Go to fromstudiotostage.com/click to Practice with Clicks
17:10 Subscribe and thank you for watching!

These 5 tips will help you get out of your creative rut and start churning out work.

Everyone gets stuck when they’re trying to create something. Even the best artists deal with it. But they also know how to get out of it. Here are 5 tips that I regularly use to get myself out of a rut and start creating.

1. Say it out loud
2. Schedule a pity party
3. Keep going!
4. The perfection myth and focusing on what’s attainable
5. Read the War of Art (link 👇)
Buy the War of Art: https://fs2s.link/war-of-art

0:00 What to Do When You’re in A Creative Rut – Practical Tips
0:19 Today's Episode Will be a Little Different
0:53 My Experience When I Was in a Creative Rut
2:36 I'd Love to Hear About Your Experiences in the Comments
2:54 Tip 1: Say it Out Loud – Disarm Your Creative Rut 
4:15 Tip 2: Schedule a Pity Party – Get All Your Frustrations Out 
5:55 Tip 3: Keep Going – Find A Way to Keep Creating 
8:11 Subscribe and Leave a Rating or Review on Apple Podcast
8:55 Tip 4: Fear & Insecurity - Perfection is a myth, but completion is attainable
11:09 Tip 5: Read "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield
12:02 Remember to read "The War of Art" and have a good day!

Ableton doesn’t have to break the bank. Here are 3 simple tips for saving money when purchasing or upgrading Ableton.

Tip 1: Ableton for free? Yep. You can get a starter version of Ableton for free.
Tip 2: Already have Ableton? Save when you upgrade.
Tip 3: Discounts for qualified users: students, churches, etc.
Bonus Tip: Discount for From Studio to Stage paid subscribers! Go to fromstudiotostage.com/subscribe, sign up, get a discount, and start mastering Ableton.

0:00 Did you know that you can get Ableton Live for free? 
0:12 Welcome to Behind the Space Bar Podcast: Opportunity to Save Money
0:49 Ableton Live Lite: Get Ableton Live for Free 
1:01 Add-On Software Example: PreSonus FirePod Interface – FireWire
2:02 How I Found Ableton Live Lite and What It Is 
2:23 Tip 1: Get Ableton Live Lite - It's Enough to Get Started
2:55 Tip 2: You Can Upgrade Your Version of Ableton Live 
4:26 The Final Upcoming Tip That Applies to Students, Churches, etc. to Save Money 
4:42 Subscribe and Leave a Review on iTunes
5:25 Tip 3: Amazing Discount for Students, Teachers and More (Ableton Live EDU)
6:26 Become a From Studio to Stage Student – Free and Discount Opportunities
8:32 Follow These Three Tips to Upgrade and Save Some Money
9:00 Thank you for watching!

I've been running tracks for over 18 years, and I believe these are some of the best free tools out there to add to your Ableton Live setup.

S Some will save you time. Others will grant you access to the power of automation.

And all of it will cost you $0.

Links to resources and tools 👇

MIDI Monitor
https://www.snoize.com/midimonitor

From Studio to Stage's Free Ableton Tracks Template
fromstudiotostage.com/template

Lockstep from Figure 53 Studio Projects
https://figure53.github.io/studio

LiveMTC from Showsync
https://www.showsync.com/tools

From Studio to Stage's Free LTC Timecode Template
https://fromstudiotostage.com/timecode

BONUS: subscribe to this YouTube channel to learn something new about Ableton every day. Hit that bell icon to get notified when new videos go live!

https://fs2s.link/youtube-subscribe

If you’re going to use a click, don’t do it like this.

Playing with a click track can be a game changer for your band. It can make you sound tighter and also open the door to playing with tracks that can fill out your sound.

But there are 5 common mistakes I see bands regularly make. Listen to find out what those mistakes are and why you should avoid them.

Why do bands do this to themselves?! These are mistakes that are EASY to avoid and ensure you don’t embarrass yourself in front of or distract your audience.

1. Change things right before getting on stage

Trust your preparation! If you have a moment of inspiration, write it down as something to try later that you can iron out in a rehearsal.   

2. Update software

Don’t update your software after sound check. If you do, you’ll increase your chance for stuff not working.   

3. Hope something works (without ironing out details in rehearsal)

Your goal should be for you to be confident you’re going to nail it when you step on stage. And if something goes wrong, you know exactly what to do to avoid disaster. 

4. No back up plan 

Things won’t always go as planned, but that’s not a reason to not plan. Because when things go wrong, if you have a back up plan, you’ll be ready to roll with the punches.  

5. Trying something on stage you’ve never rehearsed

I guess some bands get a thrill from doing this? But it’s a surefire way to make sure you’re gonna screw up on stage. 

I made a pretty big mistake 15 years ago when running tracks for a new gig.

What I learned still guides the way I run and teach running tracks with Ableton today. It even inspired the unofficial motto for From Studio to Stage: Humbly Confident. Humbly Curious.

In this podcast, I talk about the mistake I made and how you can avoid it.

PODCAST: Humbly Confident. Humbly Curious: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-space-bar/id1457883170?i=1000547426800