FROM SEQUENCER TO LIVE PERFORMANCE
Bringing The Shadowmaker to life as a live performance has been one of the most creatively demanding—and rewarding—journeys of my career. A studio album is its own beast, but transforming it into something that can be performed live is an entirely different process. It’s not just about learning the parts or getting the sounds right; it’s about reimagining the music in a way that feels alive, immediate, and real.
This blog is a deep dive into the creative problem-solving that got me to this first live rehearsal—a milestone I’m excited to share with you.
Here are just some of the challenges I’ve had to overcome to get to this point:
1. Breaking the Songs into Stems
Each track on The Shadowmaker has upwards of 100 parts. The first step was to group these into manageable stems—essentially simplifying the arrangement so it works for live performance. It sounds simple, but it’s not. Some stems didn’t sit right, so I had to go back to the original tracks, tweak, test, and rebuild them over and over.
2. Creating Sheet Music
To play the intricate keyboard parts, I needed proper sheet music. But I was using notation software I’d never touched before. The software turned my sensible MIDI parts into utter chaos—notes scattered across the stave, impossible to play. Translating these back into something usable was like solving a musical puzzle.
3. Tackling Latency for Live Vocals
My live vocals run through Ableton Live to utilize the effects chains I’d meticulously created. The problem? Latency. CPU-hungry plugins caused a frustrating delay, making real-time singing impossible. The solution was to strip out and replace the heaviest plugins—hours of testing to rebuild the sound I wanted without the lag.
4. Automating Keyboard Patches
Every keyboard patch—every sound change—is carefully programmed into instrument racks with sound changes automated in real time. This took hours (and hours) to get right. It’s not glamorous work, but it makes all the difference when playing live.
5. Collaborating Across 4,725 Miles
My drummer, Jez Noble, joins me for these tracks—virtually. Jez recorded his parts in his living room in England, 4,725 miles away from me here in the U.S. The challenge? Deciding what goes live with Jez and what stays on the sequenced stems. It’s a delicate balance that we’re still refining.
6. Tempo Mapping
Many of the songs on The Shadowmaker have complex tempo changes. Unfortunately, Ableton doesn’t export tempo maps well, which made creating synced metronomes incredibly tricky. I had to build metronome tracks manually, beat by beat, to ensure everything stays perfectly in time—especially with visuals in mind.
7. FX Chains for Live Performance
Vocal effects, keyboard reverbs, echo placements—it’s all part of the sound. However, reprogramming these FX chains to fit a live setting has been a painstaking process. A studio mix and a live mix are two entirely different animals, and every adjustment matters.
8. Playing & Singing Simultaneously
Finally, the biggest challenge: performing the keyboard parts while singing live. It’s a muscle I haven’t used for years, and it requires retraining both my brain and my body to multitask seamlessly. It’s an ongoing process, but one that’s starting to feel natural again.
The First Rehearsal: A Huge Milestone
The video I’m sharing today marks the first live practice of The Shadowmaker. It’s a huge step forward after weeks of creative problem-solving, experimentation, and grinding through the small details that no one sees.
And there’s a surprise! Jez Noble, my drummer, makes a guest appearance—from his living room in England. Thanks to some clever editing, we’ve managed to bridge 4,725 miles and bring this transatlantic collaboration to life.
This entire process has been a reminder of what it really means to be a creative:
• The ideas are just the beginning.
• The execution is where the real work begins.
• And problem-solving is at the heart of every creative journey.
When you’re trying to create something ambitious—whether it’s music, film, design, or art—there’s rarely a straight path. What works in theory doesn’t always work in practice. You’ll hit roadblocks. You’ll fail. And then you’ll figure out new ways forward.
This journey is far from over, but today marks a major milestone on the road to turning The Shadowmaker into an unforgettable live experience.