RE: Using pre-recorded material in p

["matt davignon" <mattdavignon@hotmail.com>]

Of course, it depends on how the pre-recorded material is used. I'm going 
to 
assume you mean "playing a cd/tape of pre-recorded background music 
unaltered, and singing/playing over it." Generally that's frowned upon. 
Why? 
I can't answer for everyone, but here's my version:

Some bands make great recordings, but those recordings don't translate 
well 
into live shows. Some bands to fantastic live shows, which translate to 
fairly ho-hum recordings. Both kinds can fall under the realm of "great 
bands". The problem is that these days most people expect all bands to be 
both, and that bands should play tracks from their cd when they play. When 
I 
see someone playing along to a cd backing track, so that they can sound 
like 
their recorded work, the first thought I get is, "This person is not ready 
to do a live show."

That doesn't mean that such people should never perform live. One of the 
things that my involvement in the SF improvised music community has taught 
me is that you shouldn't feel required to play tracks from your cd. 
Improvise! Or compose something that works well as a show that might not 
be 
on a cd. Think of your show as what you can do with what you can bring.

I get much more excited at a show where someone builds the musical 
background onstage before continuing with the song, even if it takes 
longer 
and sounds completely different from the cd. (Heck, more so if it sounds 
completely different.)

I think a large part of it is witnessing the creative process on stage. 
That's what I'm there to see. It's a bummer when the everything's finished 
in advance. Don't do a show...send me a cd! Post an mp3!

Sometimes pre-recorded material works great onstage, but usually when you 
still get to see the creative process happening. For example, when someone 
presents a work where they're live mixing several recordings.

I'm sleepy, so I'm sorry if that didn't come out very coherent.

Matt Davignon

On 2004-08-08, at 01.31, Travis Hartnett wrote:

>I'm curious as to how many people are using some form of pre-recorded 
>material when they play out, and what the audience response has been.  I 
>know that some people assume that I'm playing over backing tracks from a 
>CD 
>or something similar when I play (I don't), but I've never heard anything 
>negative from them about that idea (maybe the ones who disapprove just 
>don't talk to me).  They're always a bit surprised when I explain how 
>it's 
>all Live Looping, and sometimes I'll do a tune that's a combination 
>performance and talked-through demonstration on how it works.  A friend 
>of 
>mine has been doing open mics recently, playing live guitar over a CD-R 
>of 
>backing tracks that he'd recorded (he's got a Johnson amp simulator, a 
>Tascam CD player and a little mixer all mounted on a music stand when he 
>plays, so it's just one cable out to the sound guy), and the musician's 
>union has yet to bust him (joke), and it aroused my curiousity as to how 
>widespread this sort of thing is outside karaoke bars.
>
>TravisH

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