02 / Programming
Session programming
From simple backing tracks to complex multimedia sessions, we bring playback, instruments and show control together around your performance.
Explore the process
Make the session part of the performance
Your live session needs to follow the arrangements, put the right sounds under your hands, send each signal to the right place and respond clearly when you move through the show.
We turn your musical material and performance plan into that working session. Backing tracks, playable instruments, processing, controller assignments and cues are built together, so you can rehearse the show as a whole and make changes without losing track of how it works.
Discuss your live sessionFrom source material to a playable show
How we program your live session
The song structure, the sounds and the control behaviour are developed together, then checked on the system you will perform with.
-
Prepare the musical material
We work through your recordings, stems and existing sessions against the intended live arrangements. Song versions, file names, timing and missing media are checked. Together, we establish which parts belong in playback, which will be played live and which need to be available as samples or instruments.
The source material Organised musical assets with a defined role in each song.
-
Build the songs and transitions
We lay out songs, sections, tempos and meter changes, with clear navigation and useful rehearsal points. Count-ins, clicks and guide cues are prepared where needed. Loops, extended sections, stops and transitions are designed around how the musicians want to move through the set.
The structure A session you can navigate, rehearse in sections and perform as a complete set.
-
Prepare the sounds you play
Samples, software instruments and live processing are set up around the musical parts. We organise patches, playable ranges, effect controls and sound changes, and work through levels between songs. Changes are checked for their effect on held notes, overlapping parts and effect tails.
The instruments Sounds and processing prepared for the way they will be played, with their changes accounted for.
-
Give every signal a destination
We organise playback stems, instruments and live inputs into a clear routing plan. Front-of-house feeds, monitor feeds and private click or guide tracks are assigned to the intended outputs. Track names and groups make those paths readable, and we establish where levels and processing are controlled.
The routing Defined audio paths that the performers and sound crew can understand and check.
-
Connect controls and show cues
Buttons, pedals, knobs and other controls are mapped to their intended actions. We program song selection, instrument changes, effects and other required behaviours, including feedback where supported. MIDI commands and synchronisation for other show systems are integrated where the production calls for them.
The control A defined relationship between each performance action, the session response and any connected system.
-
Run the set, refine and hand over
We run the session on the intended rig, checking sound changes, routing, cue timing, transitions and computer load. Rehearsal changes feed back into the programming. Stops, restarts and reconnection behaviour are checked too, and the handover covers the current session, its media, mappings and backup copies.
The show session A rehearsed version with its dependencies, operation and remaining checks clearly identified.
One song, several connected jobs
A song might need a count-in heard only by the band, playback stems sent to front of house, a synth sound ready on the keyboard and an effect change at the chorus. An extended outro may need to wait for a musician’s cue.
We work out how those events relate, which should happen automatically and which remain under your control. The programming follows those decisions, and the sequence is checked in rehearsal.
Your live session
Let’s build your live session
Send us a reference mix, stems or an existing session, along with the set list and a description of what the musicians will play. Tell us about the computer, audio interface, software and controllers you intend to use, plus your rehearsal or tour dates.
We can develop an existing session or build a new one from your material. If the live arrangements and wider system still need defining, start with technical pre-production; we’ll agree the programming scope around your show.
Plan your live session