Members see: sickness Posted July 25, 2009 Members Share Posted July 25, 2009 I've been working for a few months on a new musical project. Entirely electronic, entirely solo, it's nothing but software synthesizers, FL Studio, vocals, and a {censored}load of effects and mastering, without the slightest foray into a recorded instrument. As the project has developed, I've begun considering the question of live performances, and after shopping aimlessly and trying to sort out what I need, I've decided to turn to an admittedly probably better informed set of people. So I suppose I'll just list my wants and needs and see if anyone can offer me some direction. -Ideally, I'd like to use my computer onstage in place of a hardware synth. This is because I use many complex voices that would be extremely difficult to repatch for a piece of hardware.-I'd also prefer this because it would be nigh impossible to attain the necessary range of effects otherwise, and I do trust my computer to a real-time performance.-I'd like to use my computer for nothing other than synthesizers. That is to say, I'd prefer to play and record all my patterns using a physical keyboard, not MIDI files, and arrange them externally.-This also means whatever MIDI device is controlling my software synths needs the capability to control multiple MIDI channels over a single connection. I don't know much about MIDI, so this may always be the case, or it may never be the case. I'd also like to note that budget is a definite issue. However it's not a particularly huge issue, thanks to eBay and other resources. Thanks in advance for any help, no matter how small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madjack Posted July 25, 2009 Members Share Posted July 25, 2009 A standard midi connection carries 16 channels. There are a number of controller keyboards currently available, from 88 key weighted boards down to 25 key or less mini controllers. Some of them allow for 32 channels of midi. I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for, but you might try reasking your question on the keyboard/synth forum. Some there may be more knowledgable about such things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members see: sickness Posted July 25, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 25, 2009 I have a MIDI keyboard that I use and I've been shopping around for arrangers, so I am acquainted with the different features available. My major question, I suppose, was the issue of multiple channels, which you cleared up for me. Thanks a lot, and I'll definitely repost on the synth forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted July 26, 2009 Members Share Posted July 26, 2009 If you are going to do this all live, I suggest that you carefully think through a backup plan in the event you have a "difficulty" with your complex rig. It sounds like if you have a computer or interface or hard drive or whatever problem, you would be kind of sitting up there on stage like a fish out of water. Doesn't take to long before it gets REALLY awkward. In fact, I'll bet the majority of the audience walks out within 5-7 minutes. Promoters and club owners don't especially care for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members see: sickness Posted July 26, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 26, 2009 Oh, absolutely. I have a backup laptop, in case of computer issues, and like any smart musician, I always keep an excess of cables. Because the songs are all originally designed as 100% electronic, totally through FL Studio, if a workstation or interface fails I can have FLs built-in sequencers play everything for me. And since that would look really lame as far an interesting performance, I also have my MIDI controllers. I could take a couple seconds, delete a couple choice patterns, and then just play them myself. It's a fairly safe setup if only because none of it is necessary. All I really need is a computer to play my music, and a microphone. The rest is only there to make me look more interesting on stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted July 26, 2009 Members Share Posted July 26, 2009 I hope your concept is marketable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scarecrowbob Posted July 26, 2009 Members Share Posted July 26, 2009 Have you considered burning your material to CDs or one-off acetate records and mixing them together into a high-intensity a set with other electronic music whilst putting on a light show? I've seen people buy tickets for that. It is the typical way to perform contemporary electronic music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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