I was away from my computer when I, possibly, fueled the explosion in
this thread so apologies for not following up.
I was going to apologise for feeding this potentially tired
discussion but I think this topic is crucial for how electronic music
performance is headed, and I mean both artist's performance and DJs.
The line between which is going to seriously blur over the next few
years.
Some thoughts:
That MPC or Electribe is a computer. What sets it apart for some
people is it's intuitive physical interface and software that doesn't
get in the way of your creative thoughts. The stability of a single
purpose computer is also a bonus.
This Macbook with appropriate software is exactly the same thing if I
can make the physical interface to the software as intuitive and
comfortable as a pair of decks and a mixer or an MPC. I believe
software/hardware/computers are pretty much there when it comes to
that intuitiveness/physical interface/stability.
I have no qualms with sorting out computer problems live on stage
(not that I get that many, when I've dj'ed, demoed research software
and even given presentations). The ability to recover from a small
computer porblem/broken string/dodgy cable/broken needle is all part
and parcel of being a performer.
robin...
