Today we introduce a new series called “Behind the Scenes”, which takes a inside look at the technology top DJs rely on during their sold out shows around the world. In this episode, we have a nexclusive video from Joachim Garraud, the French producer and DJ who works with top names like David Guetta, David Bowie and many more. Joachim has been embarking on a killer “Invasion” tour and really pumping up audiences with a totally unique Serato video set that includes custom animation sequences timed to his live keytar performance. Continue reading for a full video on the technology behind his sets and a look at the tour itself.
THE TOUR
THE TECHNOLOGY
In conclusion, the key components to the show are:
- custom animation sequences timed to custom music edits for a totally unique show
- sequenced musical notes with associated video midi-mapped to a keytar through Serato
- Custom Quartz composer compositions loaded directly into Scratch live as a video source
- QC allows use of the I-sight cam in Serato scratch live
- QC also allows use of more advanced midi-connections in Serato scratch live
- The Keytar used is a vintage Roland from Ebay (no longer in production)
WRAP UP
Many thanks to Joachim for opening up his studio and providing everyone with a detailed look into the technology that goes into his show. We also want to thank Serato, who were very helpful in setting all of this up! If you have additional questions, please ask them in the comments, and we will try to get the answers.
Get more information on Joachim and his tour here
cool I learnt something new today, thx for that. So does that mean deadr@t is the thief? btw was? looking through my collection last night and noticed I had a Garraud Toolroom album… 🙂
that lung
o Deadmau5 isn’t a thief,? he got the tattoo of the original Invader graphic. Garraud just edited it and made his own version Great insight but? is Garraud going to own the Invader graphic now, even though the Mau5 has had it tattooed on his neck for a few years now?
I really like these series about vjing, would love to see some more about the vjing, what other companies are on the vjing scene?
I really like these series about vjing, would love to see some more about the vjing, what other companies are on the vjing scene?
I just wanted to take the time to post that I really appreciate the behind the scenes look. I always wonder how some of these huge shows are pulled off, and sometimes think “He’s gotta just be pressing play somewhere and making it look good, right?”
Very awesome article. Thank you for this treat.
I’ve seen Joachim play live many times now both here in Australia and in France. This guy rocks the festival like no one else can, when we first saw him at Summadayze in Melbourne a few years ago, we were blown away by the audio visual and keytar experience…. it was insane. If you have a chance to see him live – do it! You wont regret it. Its up there with Daft Punks live act.
Hey, not to be that guy, but DJ Tech Tools had nothing to do with this story. I saw this stuff on the official Serato site a while ago. Don’t have people thinking DJTT produced these videos…
I really would love to see the set up belgian duo 2manydjs (soulwax) have. Their stage show is amazing, and they make extensive use of video – they animate the album covers of the tracks they play.
I myself am live lighting engineer, and i’m really starting to get into using AV in new more interesting ways. The venue I work at hired in some LED video wall for a recent BBC Radio One show, and it looked beautiful just playing clips from Arkaos Grand VJ, I’d love to see some more innovative things done with it. Personally, I want to be able to use video in the same way that I run lights from my lighting desk.
After seeing this video on DJTT again I took some time to finally get to know Quartz. Had looked into it prior to this once when I was searching around for a stand-anlone visualizer for the mac. Now I’ve gotten the hang of it, but I seriously cut short on the abilities of Quartz, mainly because I use X1s in HID-Mode.
At this point I could build a sample-routine to work for example with the Oxygen-Mapping for Traktor, perhaps using a little less Vids than Monsieur Garraud.
UGH!!! what is the tracklist for the first video?
the track that says zombie nation isn’t zombie nation. or its a weird remix i haven’t heard hahaha i need it!!!! help!! haha
http://soundcloud.com/djinstinkt/sounds-of-tech-wmc-miami-2011
http://snd.sc/f0RLzN
whose** lol
Who’s Zombie Nation mix was that?
Thanks in advance.
Nvm it is Autoerotique’s Bubonic haha
I’ve seen his show live – it is well done! Not over the top like other shows where you can hardly see the DJ on stage because of all the displays and masks they are hiding behind (at least Deadmau5 balances the time of wearing/not wearing his Mau5head during a set…)
That beeing said, I love articles like these 🙂 Keep em coming!
It’s hard to see where video djing is going to go, I think the best sets use video minimally because video detracts from the music a lot. great video though, really delves into the technological aspects of mixing
Another Great Post! Looking forward to the next in the series.
I know some are gonna hit me for that ;-)… but whats the first track in the very first video called? plz!!!
I was trying to figure out how to get output from Traktor, into another program on the same computer. I’ve been dabbling with PD ( http://puredata.info/ ) and it’s graphic/video capabilities. Any recommendations on virtual midi interfaces for windows? Also if you REALLY want a keytar, go to Best Buy or GameStop. The RockBand 3 keyboard controller has a midi out and is only about $80!
Any suggestions for an S4 soft padded case? Be nice if MONO made a soft case for S4!!
Little birdie tells me there may be one on the way from NI themselves
Nice!! Troll sent me a link as well….I will wait and see for a bit. If this does come from NI, I hope they don’t plaster TRAKTOR all over the damn thing. I’m just saying does the brand name have to be that large. I feel like a deer in the headlights with that flight case. ” Look out, here come the T R A K T O R guy’!! lol!
Troll, thanks for the hook-up on the link!!!
3d Studio Max user here. Don’t call me…still learning my dj dancing moves!! Great article!! Love this stuff…now we’re talking!!!
were can you download quartz composer from? legit one
http://www.apple.com – comes with every xcode-package. XCode3 is still free, the new one costs 5$.
This was excellent. Would love to see, in the future, some big clubs in the states, for example: Pacha, NYC, and what they are doing in these big venues. What the booths are like, lighting, and other affects. Keep up the great djtt. Can’t wait for the Behind the Scenes!
This is brilliant! Yes, he is using out-of-the-box features of Serato, but he’s doing with a team of creative people in such a way that it fucking blows people away. The fact he is wiling to share his creative process with everyone shows his commitment to the future of digital DJing. All around great post!
just a thought after watching the video… but has anyone tried to sample timecode and map it across a keyboard or any other midi instrument? Not sure if theres an advantage to this but maybe this gives someone more creative than me an idea 🙂
Hmm…I might have to try that. Use a tone at middle C, and play it like a synth. Probably have to keep it in relative mode. Also you could map the midi of the keyboard you’re using to play the samples to various cue points in Traktor, giving you different samples AND pitches.
dj woody shows how it’s done from a turntablist point of view
That rocks so much more than a keytar imho.
Now if we can just do that with control joggs & cues. hmmm…
Off the chain as usual guys! Keep us updated and in the labs and the booth rock on! Those visuals were spectacular!
Correction
Autoerotique – bubonic
drop the lime-bubonic(autoerotique)
New traktor 2 should have been ready with this video plug in option. But i know and it has been said before that NI is focussing on music making products and i can appriciate their standpoint. Now like said by others it is sad that Joachiem after all these years still has a hard time playing on the grids. I have seen him doing live synth stuff with David Guetta years ago. Just by coincidence, last week i tried to play One-SHM on my Novation MKII and had a nice synth from NI masieve VST. I looked up the videos on YouTube and found the notes to play. I am not a musician but in 10 min could play the tunes. Also i run out of sync, then I ran the metronome in Ableton on the headphone and had the recording grid running. it makes it dam easy to stay in sync.Made the claps and drum loop on other tracks and launched from the PAD. Hot swap the synth and use looper to continue the midi synth loop. Run ableton master out in traktor deck 3 audio trough and mix over to mp3 in traktor deck 2 . Wish i had a video cam to post this. Done that many times with other songs like benassi’s satisfaction and other simple tunes to play, because i can’t really play. Anyhow still my thumps up for Garraud because he is Re-invading and doing much better than i or many of us do. Cool is the midi notes that control the video playback. So i have a new trick to learn and work on. Maybe ableton video can do that… will see, anybody that has tried that already????
Thanks DJTT for this new item on your site. Who is next , SHM, Laid Back Luke or Guetta????? keep it coming there is lots to learn from each other, Thanks Joachiem for your inside video.
ps SHM clip on YouTube shows a nice demo…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkQ5rEJaTmk
Why would you want to try achieving that in Ableton? You can run Quartz alongside Ableton (or any other program) and share the MIDI-Signals. Even OSC…
Amazing post. Great insight into some fresh uses of technology.
Now this is exactly what I was talking about in my post responding to the Bridge first impressions. There’s no denying that the show this guy has taken on the road is outstanding and his parties rock. That he’s willing to share so much detail on how he puts it together and how he uses technology should be an inspiration to us all. I hope Serato take their time and get Video Itch right before releasing it. I still have quite a lot of work to do before I have all my animations and visuals ready. But I hope I can better this with some festival gigs this summer. Absolutely brilliant. Googling quartz control right away. I need that!!
you guys need to interview 2manydjs like this! that would be awesome
BUMP !
in my opinion what sucks about this is that he has to kind of prepare the set he’s playing… he says he has some little details that are diferent… but the main set is going to be the same over over again… and i think the best way to be prepared is just come to the club or venue and just do your thing… and go from there you know??? he the crowd is not feeling it… from him to change the songs he cant use the visuals…
Wow I really loved this! DJTT you guys should keep letting us into the studios of these awesome performers!
P.s. Please bring “What’s in your DJ bag?” back! That was also great!
Wow I really loved this! DJTT you guys should keep letting us into the studios of these awesome performers!
P.s. Please bring “What’s in your DJ bag?” back! That was also great!
Start coding.
http://mansteri.com/2009/07/serato-video-sl-quartz-composer/
Start coding.
http://mansteri.com/2009/07/serato-video-sl-quartz-composer/
http://www.djtechtools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26540 <– Done
Found this picture of Richie Hawtin performing with a Midifighter: http://www.residentadvisor.net/photos/2011/au110311onenig/img_4316.jpg
Found this picture of Richie Hawtin performing with a Midifighter: http://www.residentadvisor.net/photos/2011/au110311onenig/img_4316.jpg
Great article and great series idea.
Great article and great series idea.
Not my cup of tea but inspirational stuff anyway. Would love to see something similar with a Traktor set-up.
Maybe NI is working on video for maschine…
Maybe NI is working on video for maschine…
Not my cup of tea but inspirational stuff anyway. Would love to see something similar with a Traktor set-up.
this is great! not really my style of music, but if i were there i’d love it.
great new series of articles!
this is great! not really my style of music, but if i were there i’d love it.
great new series of articles!
that’s wicked. i wish they’d create a bridge/rewire type deal for traktor to work with a vj software like resolume.
that’s wicked. i wish they’d create a bridge/rewire type deal for traktor to work with a vj software like resolume.
I’ve been following Joachim for a long time, and I’m glad he’s starting to get more recognition here in the UK. He’s an unashamed party rocker, big tunes all the way, and I respect that.
His video show is clearly one of the best uses of Video SL so far.
I would say, though, that if I had a team of 6 people working on graphics for me, my video sets would probably be that good too… Yep, I’m jealous…
I’ve been following Joachim for a long time, and I’m glad he’s starting to get more recognition here in the UK. He’s an unashamed party rocker, big tunes all the way, and I respect that.
His video show is clearly one of the best uses of Video SL so far.
I would say, though, that if I had a team of 6 people working on graphics for me, my video sets would probably be that good too… Yep, I’m jealous…
That’s not very technical at all, especially with all the stuff we’ve seen on this site, it’s just very well executed. I’ve seen Serato SL many times in use and it’s pretty easy to get spectacular results, with the right material of course.
I really like the idea of having Traktor and route the midi clock out to another computer controlling the visual stuff. Of course you’ll need more people on it but hey, it’s probably impossible to create a full audiovisual show with only one person controlling the whole set.
That’s not very technical at all, especially with all the stuff we’ve seen on this site, it’s just very well executed. I’ve seen Serato SL many times in use and it’s pretty easy to get spectacular results, with the right material of course.
I really like the idea of having Traktor and route the midi clock out to another computer controlling the visual stuff. Of course you’ll need more people on it but hey, it’s probably impossible to create a full audiovisual show with only one person controlling the whole set.
He is a great dj/producer. And he takes it to another level with the key-tar, not to mention the videos. Saw him live on new years eve in nyc and he blow the roof off the building, and he was just opening!!! Much respect and love joachim. From misha
He is a great dj/producer. And he takes it to another level with the key-tar, not to mention the videos. Saw him live on new years eve in nyc and he blow the roof off the building, and he was just opening!!! Much respect and love joachim. From misha
I think its a good example of using the features straight out of the box, to do great things. The less fancy gear you have to use to make it happen, the better.
I think its a good example of using the features straight out of the box, to do great things. The less fancy gear you have to use to make it happen, the better.
Same for the No Good remix (bootleg).. is it official?
Same for the No Good remix (bootleg).. is it official?
a question I was expecting: what are your mac specs?
a question I was expecting: what are your mac specs?
If handled correct you don’t need a powerhouse of a mac- I developed the whole visualizer on a Macbook Air (and it ran at 60FPS on a secondary Screen). It’s amazing how fast Quartz runs, but you you could simply try it out yourself.
i’m not quite sure if i like this or not. somwhow he’s simply using official features of a software (serato) in conjunction with a midi device. that’s just what you can find in the manual. the somehow advanced issue is to use quartz composer.
don’t get me wrong: it surely IS a killershow he’s putting up and background videos of such a production are always interesting. but exchange mr. garraud with some bloke from youtube presenting his setup with a crappy webcam and no one would recognise since there is nothing really special (from a technical point of view).
furthermore his ‘precision play’ with the keytar is so unbelievably bad … thing is: he’s doing it for quite a long time (with the same samples) and hasn’t improved at all (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_pzy_0AXDs minute 6:12)
i’m not quite sure if i like this or not. somwhow he’s simply using official features of a software (serato) in conjunction with a midi device. that’s just what you can find in the manual. the somehow advanced issue is to use quartz composer.
don’t get me wrong: it surely IS a killershow he’s putting up and background videos of such a production are always interesting. but exchange mr. garraud with some bloke from youtube presenting his setup with a crappy webcam and no one would recognise since there is nothing really special (from a technical point of view).
furthermore his ‘precision play’ with the keytar is so unbelievably bad … thing is: he’s doing it for quite a long time (with the same samples) and hasn’t improved at all (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_pzy_0AXDs minute 6:12)
as Jacob mentioned bellow, this is a great example of using a little bit of technology in a simple way for great effect. Although we do often focus on more technically challenging performances, this proves that a little effort in the right place can go a long way on stage.
as Jacob mentioned bellow, this is a great example of using a little bit of technology in a simple way for great effect. Although we do often focus on more technically challenging performances, this proves that a little effort in the right place can go a long way on stage.
You have to understand that the “the tour” video was not made for djtechtools it was made for YouTube, so for us DJs putting cues points on notes to replay them is not very impressive but for his normal public, who are not DJs it is advanced
You have to understand that the “the tour” video was not made for djtechtools it was made for YouTube, so for us DJs putting cues points on notes to replay them is not very impressive but for his normal public, who are not DJs it is advanced
that was awesome, some great idea’s for making video’s
does anyone know the name of the tune he drops 2.38 into the tour video need to get a hold of that.
that was awesome, some great idea’s for making video’s
does anyone know the name of the tune he drops 2.38 into the tour video need to get a hold of that.
Joachim Garraud & Cocto – Moi Y’aime Bien Moa (2008 Remix).2496
Joachim Garraud & Cocto – Moi Y’aime Bien Moa (2008 Remix).2496
hopefully this series lasts longer than ‘whats in your dj bag’
hopefully this series lasts longer than ‘whats in your dj bag’
more “what’s in your bag” shows are coming soon- I swear!
more “what’s in your bag” shows are coming soon- I swear!
That’s good, those were some of my favorite post on here.
Mstrkrfts was bomb. Speaking of… heard the new single? Its bomb! xD
Team of six, huh? If you know me, expect some calls people.
Team of six, huh? If you know me, expect some calls people.