We are Ostkreuz Playback. We support artists in all things live performance.
Creative Solutions
Ableton Live Programming // Ableton Live Operating // Playback Rig Building
Ableton Live Programming
We design live shows in Ableton Live. Whatever your project is - from solo artist to touring band, from club gig to arena show, from comedy club to theatre - we program customized Ableton Live Sets.
- Implementation of backing tracks and or individual stems.
- Individual click tracks for performers on stage
- Individual cues & guide tracks for performers on stage
- Automated program- / preset-changes for live performing MIDI instruments
- Latency free vocal processing & preset automation
- Distribution and management of live-performing MIDI instruments over network
- Implementation of timecode to sync set to production’s light & video departments
- Controlling the show with a few buttons on a dedicated controller
- Scripted looping scenarios
- Performer-controlled individual monitoring handled in Ableton Live
- Easily editable setlist-variations for most flexible and comfortable live operating
Ableton Live Operating
We playback engineer your performance.
When a show is programmed and ready to go, it needs to be decided, how it will be operated and maintained on tour.
Who is starting the songs on cue, leads through the performance on stage and takes care of the playback rig and computers? Musical edits, setlist modifications or changes on timecode or vocal processing may need to be done before the next show.
A dedicated playback engineer (Ableton Operator) is the ideal solution and therefore has become standard for live productions over the years.
The operator can be placed on stage as part of the band as well as off-stage or from the stage-side – the client decides.
Rig Building
We build custom playback systems.
Rack System
OKPB FLY-RIG: 12 channel audio // latency-free vocal processing for two performers // RTP network MIDI // modular PSU // full redundancy // 3 RU aluminum rack in Peli Air 1556 with custom foaming
Back Panels
OKPB CUSTOM OUTLETS: xlr audio ins and outs // usb // AC power in and out via powercon™ // hand-soldered wireing using stripped down Neutrik™ components and extra-thin Sommer™ cables
Power
OKPB MODULAR PSU PROTOTYPE: powercon™ AC in and out // 6x DC out: 5V, 9V, 12V, 15V // 3d-printed housing with cooling
OKPB USB-C MODULAR PSU: powercon™ AC in & out // 6x usb-c to DC out: 5V, 9V, 12V, 15V // 3d-printed housing
Mounting
OKPB iConnect combo // OKPB Radial Backtrack wings // OKPB 8 channel network switch case // 3d printed
Ostkreuz Playback was founded by Harry Bum Tschak in Berlin 2024.
Harry has been a working drummer for almost three decades, performing and recording with artists like Nena, Finkenauer, Pohlmann, JB Meijers, Errorhead, Perlen vor die Säue, Jerry Donahue, Ken Stringfellow, Right Said Fred, Der Junge mit der Gitarre and many more. He has been playing drums for major musical theatre productions, including international smash hits like Disney’s The Lion King, Abba`s Mamma Mia and Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers.
Harry has been an enthusiast about all things electronic- and hybrid-drumming from the start, with a growing interest in producing from the early 2000’s. In 2010 he was invited by Ableton to be amongst the first Ableton Certified Trainers worldwide. With his fun duo project Muttersoehnchen (Stefan Raab’s BundesvisionSongcontest 2011) Harry and his partner MK explored the innovative possibilities of a computer assisted hybrid live performance, pioneering and anticipating many of today’s technical standards and self-evidence.
During the Covid pandemic HBT created the album „Music For Smarter German“ for language learning portal ‘Smarter German’ in a one-man-production from his Berlin studio.
Supporting artists with technical- and playback-solutions utilizing Ableton Live has become a growing field of Harry’s work since 2015. In the past years, he has been a consultant to artists, programming and live-operating shows for acts like Trettmann, The Posies, Ahzumjot and many more, as well as building and refining redundant live performance rig solutions.
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