I am not a DJ I am a DJ

by Clint on May 14th 2013

This morning I did a DJ set as part of the Together Festival in Boston. Performing electronic music for most people is sort of a hybrid of playing things, and DJing. (... (continue reading)

Laptop Live Performance Tips Part 8

by Clint on March 5th 2012

For the next installment of the Laptop Live Performance Series I'd like to spend a minute talking about the importance of 2 fundamental things that are in IMHO vital to ensure a successful live performance. These are not technical things but actually more about setting proper expectat... (continue reading)

Laptop Live Performance Tips - Part 7

by Clint on January 2nd 2011

Tape is not TapeFor Part 7, I'd like to elaborate on a statement I made in Part 6 in this series. "If you can't use proper gaffer tape (NOT DUCT TAPE) to secure these cables before the show, consider ho... (continue reading)

Laptop Live Performance Tips - Part 6

by Clint on December 2nd 2010

Disable (but not uninstall) Anti-virusIf you know me personally you know that my day job is with the worlds largest Anti-Virus software maker. Certainly if anyone believes that every computer needs modern security software it is me. However, though you need it and it needs to be up and runn... (continue reading)

0xf8 Phase 2

by Clint on November 16th 2010

Now that the init.system DVD is out, I thought I'd spend some time talking about the next big project for synnack and 0xf8 Studios. We've travelled around the world with custom video for the synna... (continue reading)

Laptop Live Performance Tips - Part 5

by Clint on November 2nd 2010

Disable Wireless/Bluetooth Unless you are using wireless as part of your performance (to sync with other computers or controllers) make sure you disable the wireless functionality. Many computers will sit there broadcasting and looking for wireless connections in the background. Though thi... (continue reading)

Laptop Live Performance Tips - Part 4

by Clint on September 18th 2010

Have Backup Drive I have read studies which say (any my own experience confirms) that of all the things that can break on a computer, the hard drive is the most likely. Consider having a second hard drive with you with a mirror image copy of your normal drive. If your hard drive dies on to... (continue reading)

Laptop Live Performance Tips - Part 3

by Clint on October 4th 2009

Prepare for no/low lighting Laptop performers actualy have the advantage in low light situations. Our chosen tool actually comes with its own built-in light... the computer screen/monitor. Even with that said I have been in some places to perform (DJ booths are a great example) where other... (continue reading)

Laptop Live Performance Tips - Part 2

by Clint on September 21st 2009

Consider heat Computers do weird things when they get too hot (like die). Some computers are worse than others in terms of how they handle heat. If your laptop suffers from this or you're playing in a really hot climate, consider getting a laptop cooling pad such as this Belkin pad shown o... (continue reading)

Laptop Live Performance Tips - Part 1

by Clint on September 13th 2009

One day someone asked me "What do you do?" and in the discussion it dawned on me that there is a common thread through my day job in a large software company, and my other world of musician and artist. Laptop performance. Whether I am performing music in front of an audience, VJing in a club, or pre... (continue reading)

laptop bands

by Clint on August 8th 2009

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people use the term "laptop band" to describe a live performance... as if the device you use to make music itself defines a genre. We don't go to classical music concerts and say we really liked that "violin band" yet seeing a guy or girl and a laptop apparently ... (continue reading)