How to cue session during live performance

[llamallover]

Hi all.

I am wondering if there is a way to do the following:

1) play live a song on electric piano
2) cue a Pro Tools session to play backing tracks that begin mid-way through the song

Obviously I wouldn't be able to physically hit play in the middle of the song because both hands will be occupied on the piano.

Maybe there is a midi controller of some sort activated via a foot pedal system?

Thanks in advance.

Matt

[Darryl Ramm]

Anything that can send a MIDI CC (CC117 for play), many guitar MIDI pedalboards should be trivial to use to do that.

[JCBigler]

What you want to do is done much, much easier with a real playback software, such as QLab by Figure 53.

It will start and stop and fade tracks based on MIDI, timecode, or other trigger devices, such as computer keyboard, MIDI keyboard, contact closers, pedals, etc...

Plus, QLab is many orders of magnitude more stable than Protools in a live environment.

[albee1952]

Hmmm, I would use Ableton Live and trigger from one of their hardware controllers. Pro Tools is a bit too finicky for me to trust live

[Ben Jenssen]

If the electric piano has midi out, I imagine you could quite easily set up some software to be triggered by say, the top octave keys… but then you'd have to find a way to mute them. Hmm.

[JCBigler]

Originally Posted by albee1952

Hmmm, I would use Ableton Live and trigger from one of their hardware controllers. Pro Tools is a bit too finicky for me to trust live

We use Abelton Live on our show. Have plenty of problems with it. Our two QLab computers are rock solid with no problems, ever.

[Darryl Ramm]

OK now I just also want to say I'd not use Pro Tools live :-O

Too many other choices that are simpler and maybe more reliable.

Does this need to be a "session" what about a stereo (or mono?) backing recording?

[tonwurm]

Apple Mainstage... works perfectly

[albee1952]

FWIW, there is a company in Nashville that builds backing track systems for major touring acts and all of them run digital Performer