Re: [microsound] Performing "Live"

[jonah dempcy <jdempcy@xxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joseph Siemion" <jsiemion@xxxxxxxx>

> and it seems that depending on how
> one composes
> and creates the music, it may be nearly impossible or at least
> impractical to perform live
> if one's primary mode of creation is dsp processing.

well just like its impractical for me to perform my music (not microsound)
live because most songs are 100+ tracks of audio. of course i could play a
DAT and pretend to be doing something (like most techno live PA's) but
what's the point? it would _sound_ "better" in the sense of more produced,
developed, composed songs. but it would be bullshit to me because i would
have no control over the sound. i would essentially be in the audience, and
the DAT would be the performer.

i'm not going to post a complete description unless people are interested
but basically my setup is onboard/ptn-based sequencing on midi-synced gear,
mix-n-match similar to a DJ. but really there are no songs either, because i
have complete control over tempo/key on the fly so can essentially grab any
loop from hundreds that i've written and it just keeps going and going,
constantly evolving and changing the grooves in a spontaneous and (as
someone commented) often dangerous way. i then play keyboard (or piano if
avail) and tweak effects on top.

this is just one method that works for me. in ensemble settings i don't use
sequencing at all, instead playing keyboard and looping on a line6 delay
pedal/sampler, and tweaking with any manner of "live" dsp effects. dunno why
you think these are limited to the computer, there are hundreds of cheap &
interesting machines one can buy that will accomplish some very experimental
sounds. (and give you actual control over them with knobs etc)

the only way i could see using a computer for a live application is if it
was being used essentially as a sound module/sampler to be triggered by
other gear. this is because i personally can compare playing on an
instrument like piano or guitar, wow, these are really musical! then i can
look at playing on midi-gear and sequencing, well i have less control but i
can still turn all these knobs and really make the gear sing. hands-on stuff
_can_ be made musical. but then i look at a computer, and its like,
point-click-drag-boring.... its not musical. or rather, the computer is
musical, but _you_ aren't -- you can't play it as an instrument, you can
only tell it how to play itself.

-jonah