lol those 80s bands and their guitar hero envy performances comes to mind …
good one.
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…some precabled case with a fixed basic set up, is a must, once u cross a threshold of more than 50 shows a year…but even if it’s “only” one gig per month, that’s already more than 10 a year, u can call that performing/gigging on frequent bases already and everything u can do, to raise ur fun and ease and cut down ur stress is pretty welcome and hardly suggested…
if u have a daw background, a ot is still best, if u wanna avoid computers on stage…
it serves as the perfect centerpiece for live shows, always giving u the chance to have ur tracks ready in various stems and versions, that offers always the chance to decide which parts/elements u really wanna perform live for real, which ones can just fly by as playbax, to change ur setlist from time to time, which little synth or groovebox u wanna add to ur sonic cake that night, what’s going to be the solid backbone tonight and what’s gonna be ur additional lead…
keep always in mind…once u play on frequent bases, ur playing not only for ur personal fun but also for the fun of the audience…and there’s clear correlation between these two fun factors…
the more fun u have, the more ur audience will be able to enjoy…so, it’s not that much about U, twiddeling knobs as much as possible to feel certified as a truu live performer…it’s ur ease and selfconfidence, ur originality meets inner piece that translates for real…
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Ok, so I think I’ve gotten panic nr 1 out of the way… and thanks to you lovely people panic nr. 2 has also been taken care of.
The gear used will be OT, OP-1 and CM-15 (the TE mic), CXM 1978 and TX-6. The basis is that OP-1 goes into CXM 1978 which goes into OT. CM-15 goes into OT.
OP-1 plays slowed down tape of synth recordings (ambient goodness) I have three thru tracks set up on OT (from OP-1)
One which plays the recording with dark verb. One which plays the recording with a modulated chorus and filtered. And one where I set the amp really low and add percussive plucks from the OP-1 recording.
OP-1 is running unsynced.
CM-15 goes into a flex track where I record vocal ad libs on the fly, whatever pops into my head I sing.
Two tracks on OT for percussion
One track for transistions using flex track recording.
And lastly one master track with a filter and compressor.
I just sat for an hour trying out this set up and had a ton of fun…
Now I’m gonna spend the remainder of the time practicing and choosing which loops to use from the OP-1
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Sounds like an interesting setup. Would love to hear what you make with it.
I think that even though audiences do not necessarily know what is going when people play electronic instruments most people seem to enjoy seeing some sort of correlation between physical movements and the music being made. With your setup I’m guessing a lot of people will be intrigued.
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Yes i think This setup makes the most sense for myself. We’re I actually interact with the music and not just playback sequences…
I’m gonna see if I can stick a thumb drive to TX-6 and record the performance from there. Or maybe I will just record it directly to my phone…
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Spandex Mishap
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Also find an image, a style, a personality the audience can connect to.
Many performer has an alias even if they are normal or introvert in real life.
Be a little crazy, maniac on the stage.
Yeah, throw a cake or something. 
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Eat fifty hard boiled eggs while you perform. Mix it up.
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I play out with Octatrack and have this issue. Which is why I like to start off my set with something that demonstrates… in some capacity, that I’m interacting with the instrument.
I like to make an intro, use my hands in big gestures to show that I’m pressing buttons, turning knobs and crossfader. If you had a mic you could do some live looping intro, mpc drummer style hitting the trigs. People understand what live looping is. I also like brining my own stand, I keep it simple and I want people to see that I’m playing a piece of gear, I hate being hidden on a table somewhere because people just assume you’re DJing tracks.
Cause it’s electronic music, it’s very common for performers to bring some kind of flashy thing on stage to detract from the fundamental boringness of watching knob twiddling. You could do a projector with VFX, I saw one guy bring an old mini tv with built VHS tape and play tapes. I personally have a couple of rgb tube lights and set them up behind me.
Now, not speaking as a musician but a photographer. I like when artists or venues put some kind of thought into the stage visuals. Many get concerned just about the music and forget about it. But it’s important!
If it’s a shared stage you can bring some kind of portable visual element that’s easy to set up. Think cheap. Get a bundle of balloons. Periodically pop one each track or something. Get a giant novelty foam finger and point at people. Have fun with it just come up with some kinda big, dumb visual element for drunk and high people to look at.
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Haha that’s very innovative, not sure I have the stones to go so far, but I get what you’re saying. Thanks for the input!
This. Industrial strength Velcro and plywood are cheap and fun to build your own case. Pre-show energy should be devoted to getting your levels right, not fiddling around looking for cables, which you will most likely forget at home at some point
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So, go-go dancers. Got it.
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lol.
i am known in my hometown to be one who plays music (bass specifically) and when some folks see my noise sets at open mic they think i’ve lost my mind and they “don’t get it.” this bothers me not
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I’ve recently found that when I play gigs where I’m trying to give people what (I think) they want, I fall on my face and nobody has a good time watching the fat man frowning at synthesizers. Now I’ve decided just to play horrible noise music at people I’ve realised that I wasn’t giving the audience enough credit. People seem to really enjoy seeing someone enjoying their art, even if it is shit.
Or maybe people just like to feel acknowledged and artists that are having fun will probably acknowledge them more. Narcissistic twats.
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The original OP-1 has screw holes for strap holders. If you still have one, you could wear it as a keytar and play a few bits on that.
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The world’s smallest keytar!
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Fat man frowning at synthesizers is a fucking winner all day long.
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I’ve come to realize that this is probably key for artists.
Plus if everyone did what they think everyone wants to hear, there wouldn’t be any original music in the world.
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I read the title as “regularly giggling people”.
Is disappoint.
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