Recently, Elise Trouw graced Sweetwater Studios with a stunning one-take live looping performance of her original song “See Through.” Over the span of a few minutes, Elise deftly navigated two drum sets, bass, guitar, and a pair of keyboards, all while delivering a knockout vocal performance. Check it out!
Elise’s musical versatility is matched by her impeccable taste in gear. For this shoot, she opted for a white color palette, selecting instruments that sounded great while supporting her visual motif. Let’s break down Elise’s setup piece by piece.
Drums
For “See Through,” Elise used not one but two Pearl kits. The first comprised a kick drum from the Pearl Export Series in pure white and a Pearl Music City Custom Reference snare drum. Later in the performance, Elise showcased her chops on a Pearl President Series Phenolic kit in a gorgeous Pearl White Oyster wrap. She rounded out her dual drum rigs with Paiste Dark Crisp hi-hats and a Paiste Dark Energy crash, and, of course, she used her awesome signature pink drum sticks from Vater.
Guitar & Bass
When it came to guitar and bass, Elise selected a dynamic duo of Fender instruments. Her six-string of choice was a dazzling Polar White Fender Player Stratocaster. To lay down the bass groove, she turned to a Fender American Performer Mustang bass in Arctic White, a slick short-scale instrument with a surprisingly hefty low end.
Keyboards
Anyone who has watched Elise’s performances knows that she’s a big fan of both vintage and modern keys and synth sounds. On “See Through,” she paired the sizzling sound of a Waldorf Blofeld synthesizer with the smooth, vibey tones of a Korg SV-2 stage piano — both decked out in white!
Microphones
Telefunken M80s had a starring role in “See Through,” acting as Elise’s vocal mics, snare mics, and tom mics. They were accompanied by Soyuz 013 FET small-diaphragm condenser mics for drum overheads and Universal Audio SD-1 dynamic mics for capturing the kicks.
Looping Software
Elise’s looping software of choice is Ableton Live 11. Live 11’s hybrid design makes it as powerful of a performance tool as it is a production tool. With Ableton Live 11, you are capable of creating the kind of complex live looping sessions for which Elise, and other prominent live looping artists, are famous.
Keyboard & Mic Stands
In keeping with the all-white theme, Elise grabbed an assemblage of white keyboard and mic stands from K&M and On-Stage, including sturdy K&M 18820 Omega keyboard stands — a favorite of keyboard players at Sweetwater.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this rig rundown! If you have any questions about the gear Elise used in the video, then contact your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700. And make sure to watch all of Elise’s incredible live looping performances on the Elise Trouw YouTube channel.
