A rarely tapped resource for me are clips found in the sound file folders of Ableton Live sets I use for performances. My group Keston and Westdal use two laptops running Live synchronized using a MIDI network. We usually play instruments during our performances and use the laptops for live looping and triggering loops and “scenes” as we construct the arrangements during the show. Our drummer gets a click so we can we can leave out or bring in sound from the laptops as we like. This way we can have purely live instrumentation intermingled with sequenced and live looped audio. It’s a bit of a learning curve to perform this way, but very liberating once you get it down.
This short sample of a guitar chord was played by my good friend Jason Cameron based in Seattle. While jamming together last June, 2008 I captured a few of his phrases in one of my Live sets, and came across it today while browsing through the sound file folders, looking for something to post. I dumped it back in Live, resisted the urge to reverse it, and added distortion, delay and reverb for a little texture.
Guitar Chord
Once again I have opted to feature a mini-mix of an unfinished idea, rather than an individual sound or example of processing. I am finding that creating these 1 to 2 minute snapshots of the idea is giving me a new perspective on unfinished compositions that I might have otherwise left by the wayside. Perhaps rendering simplified versions of these pieces will serve as an interim step to producing completed versions. I’m also appreciative of the feedback I’m getting on these rough mixes from friends, family and even a handful of very nice reader comments. Thanks!
Those of you with a discerning ear might recognize this phrase of reversed Rhodes electric piano from a recent 
I added some delay to spread the stereo spectrum on this synthesizer drone of a low frequency fifith interval. During the recording you can hear the cutoff frequency changing as I turned the knob for it. On my most often used synth, the Korg MS2000 that was used for this recording, the surface around the cutoff frequency knob has been polished smooth from wear. I use it much more frequently than the modulation wheel or pitch wheel. I love knobs. 
Here’s a snippet from a piece I started composing on March 28, 2007. I don’t remember exactly how I created the sounds other than the instruments that I used (Rhodes and Korg MS2000) and some of the processing applied (too many to name), therefore I don’t have a lot to say about this piece, other than: