Digital Audio, Hideo, and Awesomeness

In case you missed the stellar program insert from our show (or the equally fantastic posted photo from our Facebook page), I’m Stephen Escobedo, and I’m awesome. I play keyboards, digital percussion, and triggered sound effects for Hideo. I currently operate as sound editor and engineer for the Hideo team, putting together a finalized cut of the show audio from a variety of sources. When I’m not doing that, I’m checking out the latest in audio tech and video game news from the blogosphere, thinking up new ways to adapt, change, or improve upon future live performances. Chances are you’ll be seeing some of the content I come across reblogged here with notes from myself. I also produce music under the name Pushing Reality.

For my introductory blog post, I figured I’d talk a bit about the tech behind the Hideo audio I’ve used, specifically the software I’m running: Ableton Live 8. Live has been my digital audio workstation of choice for the last 5 years because of its versatility as both a recording/editing/mastering suite and a live performance tool.  Now, I’ve always known about Live’s potential as an instrument in a live performance, but I never actually got the chance to use it that way until Hideo rolled around.

Bedroom Setup

I basically ended up bringing out my entire bedroom studio setup on the stage (as shown above), which is something that typically doesn’t happen for a live performance, but something Ableton Live can make happen. I was really pleased with how smoothly it ran everything I threw at it on the software side (the user side, however, is another story… but hey, it was my first time performing live ever. I get a bit of a pass).

So now I’m using the same software to put together the official Hideo soundtrack, which meant moving the same setup from the stage back into my room. Although the direct onstage excitement is gone, I’m constantly reminded of it as I sift my way through the performance audio with the same equipment. I’m looking forward to producing a solid mix that everyone can (hopefully) soon enjoy!