As always, I refrained from using ‘backing tracks’, i.e. pre-recorded material, in this performance. Everything in the song is played and looped back live, in real-time. That is to say: if I didn’t play anything, you wouldn’t hear anything.

But you might notice that I’m not using a foot-pedal or any kind of controller to start and stop loops – I’m just playing the music, and everything seems to happen automatically, as if there were a person somewhere off-camera, hitting all the buttons for me.

What’s actually happening is that I’ve pre-programmed a ‘script’ of looping commands that my computer will execute while I play. For example, I might play something for some period of time, but the computer will only loop part of it – and then later in the song, it might take that same loop and pitch it up an octave, or add some extra effects.

Filmed at Meridian Handpans, Bristol, UK
Played on Meridians: D Celtic & E Amara w/ internal pickups
// Scripted looping with ClyphX Pro and Ableton Live (no pre-recorded audio)

A digital concert for the 2021 International Handpan Day Online Festival.
Performed live using Ableton + ClyphX // automated looping.

SUPPORT HCU (Handpan Community United): https://hcu.global/

A collab project with The Base (Aachen) and Permanent Aktiv.
All sounds/loops/effects were recorded and performed in real-time using Ableton & ClyphX Pro.
Flood lights were triggered from Ableton with a Max/MSP patch. Overhead LEDs were performed live by Janusz Kendel.

Camera: Cedric Ernoult
LEDs: Janusz Kendel / Permanent Aktiv https://instagram.com/permanentaktiv​
Location: The Base (Aachen) https://instagram.com/the.base.ev​
Handpan made by Jan Tao (Taopan)

Thanks to Thomann Music for hosting this really nice online music festival! I'm very honored to have been a part of it. This is a re-upload of my set, where I premiered my new track, "Hold."

All of the sounds you're hearing are being performed live using Ableton and ClyphX Pro. There is no pre-recorded music or backing-tracks.

original song © connor shafran
live performance using ableton + bink looper
all sounds / loops / effects are occurring in real-time