[kingskel]

Hey:

I'm thinking of doing some kind of music performance at my school next term (Fall/Winter). I have a lot of songs in mp3 format. I'll most likely edit them down to the best parts, then create an interesting mix using Ableton Live. I'm considering asking some clubs (dance, drama, etc.) to do some kind of performance during this, however, the focus is on introducing people to new/weird/interesting music.

I will edit the music on my iMac at home, and also have a G3 ibook. However, I'm considering renting a G5 Powerbook for the show.

Some questions maybe someone here might answer:

1. What kind of equipment do you suggest besides the Powerbook? I will need headphones (what kind do you recommend?), some kind of mixer or pre-amp (right?), and cables. Also, I wouldn't mind somehow modifying the sounds as they are played, using software or hardware. I read how Kid 606 uses two Powerbooks and a fader, in a sort of DJ setup, but am unsure about what options this would provide (I've never DJ'ed). I don't want to dance around, but I'd like to _do_ something rather than just press the space bar in iTunes! Can anyone suggest some kind of interesting physical input device that affects the music real-time?

2. What about quadrophonic sound or other special effects? Any suggestions? I'd like the sound to be as rich as possible.

3. What about latency? Do I need to seperate channels to an edited and unedited signal, or how does this work? Does anyone have any experience in something like this?

Any info appreciated!

kingskel

[anthonyvthc]

Originally Posted by kingskel

Hey:

I'm thinking of doing some kind of music performance at my school next term (Fall/Winter). I have a lot of songs in mp3 format. I'll most likely edit them down to the best parts, then create an interesting mix using Ableton Live. I'm considering asking some clubs (dance, drama, etc.) to do some kind of performance during this, however, the focus is on introducing people to new/weird/interesting music.

I will edit the music on my iMac at home, and also have a G3 ibook. However, I'm considering renting a G5 Powerbook for the show.

Some questions maybe someone here might answer:

1. What kind of equipment do you suggest besides the Powerbook? I will need headphones (what kind do you recommend?), some kind of mixer or pre-amp (right?), and cables. Also, I wouldn't mind somehow modifying the sounds as they are played, using software or hardware. I read how Kid 606 uses two Powerbooks and a fader, in a sort of DJ setup, but am unsure about what options this would provide (I've never DJ'ed). I don't want to dance around, but I'd like to _do_ something rather than just press the space bar in iTunes! Can anyone suggest some kind of interesting physical input device that affects the music real-time?

2. What about quadrophonic sound or other special effects? Any suggestions? I'd like the sound to be as rich as possible.

3. What about latency? Do I need to seperate channels to an edited and unedited signal, or how does this work? Does anyone have any experience in something like this?

Any info appreciated!

kingskel

It sounds like you're overcompicating this. If you make all the edits/transitions at home on your iMac, all you would have to do is burn a cd and play it through the house system. The sound manipulation you were talking about can still be accomplished using a cd as well. All you will need is some type of effects processor accepting the output of the cd player and going out to the house amplifier.
As far as quadraphonic goes, if all you are doing is compiling bits of music (which I presume are in stereo), then you will gain nothing by forcing it into 4 channels. However, if you plan on being artistic with your cuts and you are going to want the different bits to enter from various spatial points in the room, then you will need an interface that allows for 4 separate outputs.

[kingskel]

Hey A:

Thank you for your response. You're probably right. The reason I was thinking of not playing a CD or MP3 file is because I want to keep it a bit more "live". Still, I'll probably go with the MP3 thing (because I'm thinking of playing for an hour and a half - more than CD time). The reason I was asking about quad sound was because of:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.p...1&query=quadro
and also because of the incredible sound that Kid 606 made - the harmonics were floating in the air...I can't describe it, but it was very digital and cool sounding. I'd love to have my tunes sound like that rather than just the "playing a CD through a sound system" sound. Maybe it was compression or an "aural exciter" thing. Hey, one more question - what kind of headphones do you (or anyone reading) recommend? Where the hell would I plug 'em in to, also? Any info appreciated!

Thanks again