> i was wondering if anyone cared
> to share how they play live, and what some of the benefits
> and downfalls are to various ways of playing live.
i have been playing live for around 5 years now, and my setup has gone
through a lot of iterations. at first i brought the whole studio out to the
gig (a-frame holding monoploy, juno 106, space echo, oberheim ob-1 + 12+
rack spaces full of gear - s-550, matrix 1000, efx processors, compressors
etc...) and used vision to select + play patterns while tweaking the
equipment live. this was alright, but one big drawback with so much
equipment and wires is that there are so many things that can go wrong.
over the years i trimmed down the setup to a nord rack2, mpc2000, 6 rack
spaces of gear + a powerbook 145 (yes a 68030) running again, vision. still
too much gear.
now i just use a g3 powerbook running cubase + (migrating to logic)
w/pluggo + a bunc of other apps in the back ground - all tweaked in real
time. i feel that having everything in one unit may be a little more risky
(type 10 errors and all) but the portability and weight more then makes up
for it.
as for actually playing - tweaking patches is just as viable as tweaking
knobs. as for the comment about actually playing and the like - some
artists aren't comfortable with actually performing live - or - their craft
is all about taking the time to actually compose songs, rather than vibe
out tracks. also some artists really get into processing sounds in
applications that aren't realtime. the fact that they are in front of an
audience and sharing their work is quite wonderful. they will often play
things at live events that are either unreleased (a treat for the patrons)
or half completed to see how the _audience_ reacts. as for reacting to the
audience, i think a performance is about sharing your self with the
audience - about opening up and letting them see what's really inside.
showing them who you are. if they don't like it, they won't come to see you
again, and that's fine. it's much more rewarding to be your self rather
then try to be what other people want you to be.