Like most guitarists, my rig is in a steady state of development. My aims are twofold –  to have powerful control over the sound and the loops while simultaneously keeping the amount of gear (and weight!) to a minimum. The inclusion of guitar rig 5 means that I no longer need the HX effects pedal, although it was a handy fullback solution if the laptop died! My APCkey25 has made way for a Launchpad mini mark 3, which can display pad colours that match those on Ableton, allowing me to shave a few milliseconds off my thinking time. It also allows me to add keyboard sounds should I wish. Deciding on which features should be controlled respectively by the launchpad and the launchkey has been an interesting process and hopefully streamlined my overall control.

I’ve recently added a Midiblaster to my rig!

The FCB 1010 MIDI controller, whilst incredibly powerful and rugged, is really far too big so I finally developed an Arduino-based homebrew pedal to replace it. The inclusion of 7 switches (I didn’t have the right size enclosure for more – they are hard to find!) has meant a rethink over what I control with my feet and with my fingers. This was another opportunity to streamline the way I work and I think it’s been a positive step.

My sets generally have themes / concepts / motifs but develop organically, so it’s important that as I hear the music, I can control the way it progresses without having to stop and think too often!