Who here is using their laptop live?

[datavacation]

I have for years now toyed with the idea of bringing my laptop along with me to shows. But I don't do it. I'm afraid.

 

I don't want to rely on something as finicky as a computer in a live situation. I mean, I've never had a guitar "crash" on stage. And even if I did, I could always use someone else's.

 

Not that the computer would have to totally melt-down to become a problem. My computer has on occasion "skipped" before when processing a lot of information. A few skips like that could really throw off the timing of a song. I mean, if I get off-beat with the band I just have to get back on-beat. If a computer gets off-beat with the band, the entire band has to get off-beat with it.

 

I feel like there's also some stigma about bringing a computer to a rock show. I'm not particularly concerned about that, but it is just one more reason not to bother with it.

 

On the other hand, IT WOULD BE AWESOME. I mean, even if I was just using it for intros/outros, it would be SO COOL. There's SO much I can do with my laptop that I just couldn't do with my guitar/amp/pedals.

 

So, who here is brave enough to rely on their laptop live? What kind of laptop is it, and what kind of software are you running? And finally, do you have any nightmare tales about your machine totally ruining your set?

[lupene]

just use u2 rack normal pc some small lcd for setup and ups .the and

 

laptop is oki but u need to give him good cooling stand ,u must have good midi interface+ ups ,and max-out memory 8gb+

fast cpu i5 can do some normal setups but i7 is better

some ppl use apple stuff ,some ppl think and they add more in normal laptop and set win 7 x64 properly for audio tasks

that mean no games , no browsers ,no ms garbage,just os clean and fresh (u can find on net how to setup win7 x64 for audio)

 

so if u need laptop (vst's) buy any brand ,max-out memory/cpu (ignore gpu intel gpu is ok)

if u can add ssd for real time sample access

some alu cooling pad with 8'' fan for cooling ,some good ups (30min but best 1h+ )

some of these rubber clamps to better hold laptop and cooling pad on stand

 

some ppl say apple is better (bsd linux stable than win7 x64) it's all same if u set him for audio and audio only

and to test setup before (u can kill any pc/laptop just with omnisphere setup) and think to go small and low

 

my 2 cents

[DJ RAZZ]

 

just use u2 rack normal pc some small lcd for setup and ups .the and laptop is oki but u need to give him good cooling stand ,u must have good midi interface+ ups ,and max-out memory 8gb+ fast cpu i5 can do some normal setups but i7 is better some ppl use apple stuff ,some ppl think and they add more in normal laptop and set win 7 x64 properly for audio tasks that mean no games , no browsers ,no ms garbage,just os clean and fresh (u can find on net how to setup win7 x64 for audio) so if u need laptop (vst's) buy any brand ,max-out memory/cpu (ignore gpu intel gpu is ok) if u can add ssd for real time sample access some alu cooling pad with 8'' fan for cooling ,some good ups (30min but best 1h+ ) some of these rubber clamps to better hold laptop and cooling pad on stand some ppl say apple is better (bsd linux stable than win7 x64) it's all same if u set him for audio and audio only and to test setup before (u can kill any pc/laptop just with omnisphere setup) and think to go small and low my 2 cents

 

 

I was going to say the same thing.

[donaldcrunk]

i used to, but then it crashed during a show in springfield so now i don't anymore. but lots of people do!

[Minocan]

I'm using it for additional layers for the album some local rock bloke made. Macbook with only 1 gb ram did well so far without any glitches. It's for audio layers only though (trumpet solo coming from laptop lol) , no softsynths or such.

[soundwave106]

 

So, who here is brave enough to rely on their laptop live? What kind of laptop is it, and what kind of software are you running? And finally, do you have any nightmare tales about your machine totally ruining your set?

 

 

I've just started, but the setup is pretty simple... Cantabile Lite hosting some VSTi patches. With an SSD I feel a little bit better about taking it out....

[girevik]

I've gigged with an iBook several times. No crash the first time. The 2nd time, I was stupid enough to leave the Nord Modular Editor (G1) running on OSX, even though it was already known as being unstable on OSX (primarily developed for Mac OS 9), because I liked having the GUI access to my Micromodular, even though the 3 knobs on the Micromodular would have been fine. The editor crashed my iBook, and took down the MOTU audio interface with it.

 

I'd consider gigging with my Macbook Pro and Ableton Live, because I've seen so many others do it, from big name DJs to local acts. But I'd take the usual precautions - turn WIFI off and do not run any unnecessary applications, use a keyboard controller that can function as a synth on its own, be prepared to play a laptop-less set just in case, etc.

[Gus Lozada]

I've been touring and setting up professional shows for customers based on computers for more than 10 years now.

The biggest acts use a desktop Mac Pro rack-mounted.

 

All the rest use a MacBook Pro. Zero crashes. Perfect record.

Just don't think that the computer you use for MS Office and Facebook will be good enough for a live performance. You need a MUSIC Computer (or a Mac, sorry to look like a Fan boy but I am, given the results I get when using Macs).

 

 

About software: Different customers have different needs, I have mounted shows with Digital performer, Logic and Pro Tools.

Personally I used Ableton's LIVE from 2002 to 2008 and then moved into Pro Tools.

 

 

GREAT Computer + Decent Audio Interface (FireWire or USB 2.0. Forget about USB 1.1) + Good software + MIDI Controllers = Heaven.

[Strenge]

I would love to use my macbook pro. I'm far from a pro and would not be able to have any sort of backup (other than hardware synths).

The last band practice set me straight though...

 

I spent all week in Mainstage making patches; things were sounding fantastic.

 

Get to practice and it all fell apart. Part of it was my fault--I had a last minute addition of a freeware midi program that allowed me to globally transpose quickly (instead of going to each channel in my mainstage set--and it was set to my "home" controller and not the one I bring to practice.

But I had other issues out of @#$## nowhere--half my sounds refused to play at all...some of the logic built-in synths worked and some did not. Then after restarting mainstage it demanded the freaking serial number, which of course I did not have with me. Logic did not ask for it but the same synths would not play audio in Logic (for example, ESX 24 worked but EVB3 would not).

 

The guys are like "um...this won't happen during a show will it?"

 

Damn right it will not happen, I'll stick to my hardware synths for now. Over the last couple years I've tried laptops a few times--both windows and mac--and almost invariably I have some kind of issue that takes me time to sort out.

 

Again I think the main thing I did wrong: everything in the environment (hardware and software) has to be the same before you get to practice/gigs. Same interface, controllers, and no last-minute software installation to confuse things I've also made the mistake of using computers that I use for other things.

[donaldcrunk]

for the record, my laptop experiences & those of my pals who have sworn off live computing were all based around the G4 era powerbook crashing during live sets. i believe STG baked his logic board running NI's B4 with numerology, i had my firewire drivers cut out several times during backing track playback at a different show (resulting in DP freezing and not knowing what to do), and my other friend managed to cook his logic board twice somehow.

 

i now have a modern macbook pro, which from a hardware standpoint is much more reliable probably - however it still has hiccups, especially with my firewire interface. she's still staying home. never tried mainstage, it seems like that would be the way i would go if i wanted to risk it again - very powerful program.

[Metrosonus]

Here's some tips if you're thinking about in an article I wrote..

 

http://computermusicguide.com/archives/821

[JeffLearman]

I did for about 5 years, running NIB4 and my Rhodes soundfont on the laptop, driven from my Ensoniq MR76. I used the piano in the MR76, and those three were 90% of my sounds, mostly playing blues.

 

It worked great. I played roughly weekly, mostly at blues jams, where I set up my rig for anyone to play.

 

I think it failed about twice, maybe three times in the five years. Once I had to reboot; something goofed up in the middle of a set. One time I'd goofed something up, so the laptop was of no use for the jam (and it was my fault). Both times I had the piano to fall back on. Frankly, I think I'm lucky the MR76 never failed. Other than a broken Rhodes tine or three, I've never had a keyboard fail during a gig. But if I were playing in the big league, I'd want more backup than I've always had at the pro-am level.

 

I say a computer is safe as long as you have a backup of some kind that can cover the rare cases where it fails. Also, I use my laptop for everything. If I were a pro, I'd want a laptop dedicated to music and never plugged into the internet. I believe this would have avoided all of my failures. But it still wouldn't be as reliable as I suspect most keyboards are.

 

The only reason I don't use it now is that I got a Nord Electro 2 73, which I use as an upper tier. I like having two keyboards, and it's a little simpler setup than keyboard plus laptop. The laptop sounded better, but I like the convenience.

 

Finally, I was always worried the laptop would walk away. Every time I gigged with it, I watched it like a hawk, being careful about leaving it anywhere during load-in/out, etc. Fortunately I was generally in fairly safe areas. I would highly recommend carrying the laptop in something that looks uninteresting to steal, like a beat-up old book bag. Or as mentioned above, rack-mounted rather than laptop, but that causes its own hassles.