How to Optimize Cantabile for Live Performances

Cantabile
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Hey everyone, :wave:

I have been relying on Cantabile for my home studio setup over the past few months, and it’s been a game-changer. With my first live performance on the horizon, I’m eager to make sure everything runs without a hitch.

Has anyone got experience using Cantabile in a live setting? I’m looking for tips on optimizing it for peak performance.

I’m particularly interested in:

  • Hardware essentials: What kind of system specs should I aim for to prevent lag or unexpected crashes during a live show?
  • Cantabile tweaks: Are there specific settings within Cantabile that can boost performance and stability?
  • Plugin management: How can I efficiently organize and load plugins for a smooth live experience?
  • Backup plans: What’s the best way to safeguard my Cantabile setup from potential onstage mishaps?

I also check this: https://community.cantabilesoftware.com/t/cantabile-ni-komplete-kontrol-for-live-performancerails But I have not found any solution. Any advice or recommendations would be incredibly helpful!

Thanks in advance! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

2

Hi there,
If it works faultlessly in a domestic situation, it should work everywhere, notwithstanding that you need an interface and cabling which is impervious to commercial lighting dimmers , air conditioning spikes etc. My critical protocols are to disable all networking and to make sure the cantabile power button is switched off and on before commencing. Should also be switched between songs when possible.
Makes a huge difference on my setup.

You can preload your entire set if ram permits.
If your CPU can handle it, leave plugins powered on and just mute routes.
Way cleaner in terms of spikes in my experience.

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  1. Make sure your power settings are set so nothing goes to sleep. That includes USB ports.

  2. Never use your laptop on battery during a show (also related to #1 above).

  3. If your controller and interface have midi din ports, use those instead of usb. Also, always plug in your USB cables into the same port every time.

  4. I have every plugin in a rack and use rack states for changing presets. When you pre-load a set list, it only loads the plugin once.

  5. Have a good DI box. You may experience weird interference that you probably doesn’t happen at your house.

  6. Don’t use a USB hub unless it is a good quality powered one.

  7. If you play multi set shows, or shows with more than one band, I really suggest bringing a cover for your keyboard. Random people for some reason like to sit down at keyboards and try to play them.

  • Paul
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Hey Paul,

I played through the 1st set last Friday, and halfway through the 2nd when my “plug in to a power source” flashed in the middle of a song. I moved very quickly, regardless of my age, and plugged it in by the end of the song. Not the 1st time I forgot to power up! :older_man:

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Great question, timely for me. I’ve been using Cantabile in live streamed performances for a good while, but am playing at an upcoming event.

I do use the Setlist tool, so it’s just a single click to change “songs” (patches for me). Since I use the same kind of effects chains a lot, I probably should setup “racks” for that. I could probably save time remapping foot switching and expression pedal that way.

One thing I would recommend is trying to “normalize” the volume level of patches. I need to do this in a big way. It’s a distraction trying to play live music and having to keep tweaking levels to have the proper balance.

I always have my laptop setup to never sleep, never turn off the display, and never let the USB ports sleep. Probably a good idea to have a startup checklist. For example, I use Mixcraft sometimes and if you plugin controllers they’re automatically a “live” MIDI input. I have to manually disable the ones that I’m not using in the live performance.

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I’ve been running Cantabile live for several years, with good success. The only thing that I can add to the list is, turn off wifi and screen savers, so that there are no blank screens, popups, or software updates triggering at very unexpected moments!

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I’ll add one bit of advice that i learned the hard way - test out your setup with Wi-Fi turned off before you take it out for performance, to ensure you’re not going to be hit with surprises of plugins (or Cantabile) needing to be online to validate your license.

Although i’ve often played in situations where AC power wasn’t available, and Cantabile on a battery powered laptop worked just fine. (YMMV).

One thing i have on my startup / soundcheck song (always the first thing in my setlist) is a check of $(IsMainsPowered) – if it returns false then i display a big red warning in my Show Notes.

– Jimbo

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I’ve been using Cantabile live for several years, along with many others here. It would be helpful to know what’s in your rig, what PC/RAM etc, interface, Timeload.

If something is glitching or crashes, even just once, don’t use it. Also, sometimes if a song is glitching, turning off Setlist Preload can help. But I don’t do that, if there’s an issue I fix it and test, test, test.

First check the Profiler and determine your most CPU-heavy song. Note the Timeload. Then go through Brad’s Glitch Free guide start to finish. That will eliminate almost all of your potential issues. Then check Profiler again. Every PC and rig is different, but I like to run in the 30%-40% Timeload range. Some heavier songs spike on loading, but if a song is running at 75% or more consisntently I try to streamline it and get it down. Others may be fine at 80% or more, but I found that keeping my songs streamlined and having a powerful PC is one less thing to worry about.

Turn off anything in your PC you don’t need, such as Bluetooth, definitely networking/wifi, Windows Sound, etc. I turn off Windows Anti Virus, Firewall, and Wifi. Those are covered in the Guide.

I NEVER connect my gig PCs to the internet, unless I absolutely have to to load software. If I can download the software and test it on a non-gig PC, I do that first.
The plugins need to be time-tested. Most are stable, but some cause issues… I won’t gig a new plugin until I’ve tested at home for at least a month. I had one that was fine for a month, then crashed all of Cantabile during a gig. I turned off Set Preload, finished the gig, and the next day at home I deleted that plugin.

Keep your PC cool. Summer gigs can be hot. A small fan doesn’t hurt.

Most of us have a backup rig. Mine is an exact duplicate of everything I need to do a show: Every cable has a backup, PC, Interface, wireless guitar, touchscreen monitor, backup guitar, backup EWI, backup midi footpedal, backup IEM, backup wireless midi, etc. Stuff breaks or misbehaves, and in a gig you don’t have much time to troubleshoot. Eventually, it will happen!

This is just how I do it, everyone has their own preferences.
Good luck,
Tom

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