Re: Laptop Soundcards Query for loopbased music

["Brian Mulvey" <bdmulvey@earthlink.net>]

> I've seen
> the likes of Jim O'Rourke and Richard D. James sitting or laying down by
the
> dancing bears, respectively, with trusty laptops in hand,  but was kind 
>of
> hoping for some (at least a little) more detailed kind of info, on the
> logistics and the experience in general, if possible.

I've used a PC live before, a desktop unit rather than a laptop, and can
tell you it's
great for the performer, the capability of working with what you have and
not buying
new hardware, etc., but for the audience it kinda sucks. Unless you're 
doing
a dance-party
rave kinda thing, or background ambience thing, where people aren't going 
to
be neccessarily
concentrating on the performer, people are going to be watching you, and
it's just not
visually stimulating to watch the back end of a computer. Believe me-I'm 
one
of those guys
who check out the effects pedals before the gig starts- there is no direct
association between
a computer and music for most people, (you know, as opposed to a guitar), 
so
visually it's
rather  lacking. At the last transmission fest, after laptop act after
laptop act, really amazing
laptop acts even, I really got sick of the whole thing. Some had video
projections, which adds
alot, but hardly solves the problem. If you're going to go the video route,
I'd suggest making
something highly organic to offset the laptop-effect a little bit. My
project made a tape to
play in the background consisting mainly of tv interference shot through
colored glass.. it
worked rather well.

brian.