[RWP] live performance question.

Mon Oct 7 20:59:01 EDT 2013

I wouldn't call any of the recent Mac Mini line low level machines.
There's some serious pimping that can be done, but even the stock
specs are pretty good.

To back up the cautionary tales of software in a live environment
though, I saw a band come a cropper fairly recently. They're very
physically active on stage, and their bassist accidentally got a
firewire cable caught on his headstock as he ran by their laptop. One
loud pop later, they were left without a click track, their triggered
drum reinforcement samples, their atmospheric backing tracks, and
their pedal changes, because it was all running from the laptop. Took
them a fair old while to reboot, reload the necessary plugs etc, and
even by the end of their set almost an hour later, the vibe on stage
still hadn't quite recovered. So yeah, don't put all your eggs in a
single basket peeps.

Scott

On 10/8/13, Colin McDonald <blulemon at telus.net> wrote:
> true.
> in fact, personally, I would never use any software based fx processor for
> live vocals at apaying gig.
> Mostly because computers are nitoriously unreliable and will crash, freeze
> or otherwise not function in the manner you wish when it is vital that they
>
> do what they are supposed to do.
> You cannot have a crash or freeze in the middle of a song right.
> Much better to buy a piece of hardware design to add fx to your signal which
>
> is reliable and will not depend upon something as flaky as software, and
> operating system etc.
> Especially when you are asking a fairly low powered machine to provide high
>
> level processor intensive functions such as what is required for realtime fx
>
> processing.
> Now if you had a quad core laptop, or something with allot of horse power,
> you wouldn't have to worry much, but a mini? Probably not the best plan.
> check your local kijiji or craigslist for cheap used fx processors and go
> that route instead of trying to use realtime software fx.
> Then again, if your not being payed, and it's for short performances,
> perhaps it'll work just fine.
> But a payed 4 hour gig where you absolutely need things to work right now
> and work perfectly the first time without a bunch of searching, and
> resetting and allot of buggering about, then you need hardware.
> While we all may love the IOs devices, they are not quick, flawless and
> simple to make happen what you need to happen in a matter of seconds rather
>
> than minutes.
> You can't just turn a knob or two to make the effect happen, it takes allot
>
> of voiceover blabber to make it work lol.
>
> Regards
> Colin
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Drew" <amockery at gmail.com>
> Sent: Monday, October 07, 2013 5:13 PM
> To: "Reapers Without Peepers" <rwp at reaaccess.com>
> Subject: Re: [RWP] live performance question.
>
>> If you're using hardware in a live performance setting you should be using
>>
>> something with ASIO which has as close to 0 latency as you're going to get
>>
>> out of a computer.
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Colin McDonald" <blulemon at telus.net>
>> To: "Reapers Without Peepers" <rwp at reaaccess.com>
>> Sent: Monday, October 07, 2013 11:57 AM
>> Subject: Re: [RWP] live performance question.
>>
>>
>>> absolutely you can use fx plugs in real time.
>>> and, depending on the horse power of the computer, you can use as many as
>>>
>>> the processor will support in realtime.
>>> On a mac mini, I have no idea how powerful it is.
>>> For instance, my netbook, running a 1.7GHZ processor and 1 gig of ram, I
>>>
>>> can run probably 4 vocal fx at once before things start breaking up or
>>> before processor lag becomes an issue.
>>> if you want to run reverb, delay, equalization etc it's no problem.
>>> Just open a track, arm it, and select your fx with record monitor turned
>>>
>>> on so you can hear the changes as you set the parameters of the effect.
>>> You may experience latency on a small computer like that though, so just
>>>
>>> be aware of that issue if you are trying to use the computer with reaper
>>>
>>> live.
>>> BTW, a digitech vocal processor with all the vocal effects you can handle
>>>
>>> is not much more than 100 bucks these days.
>>> You can find a lexicon mx200 for less than that on the used market...the
>>>
>>> mx200 is fairly accessible and has extremely good quality fx.
>>> Even a small behringer mixer with onboard vocal fx would run you 100
>>> bucks or under brand new.
>>> then you wouldn't have to deal with latency.
>>> Regards
>>> Colin
>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>> From: "Indigo" <33indigo at charter.net>
>>> Sent: Monday, October 07, 2013 11:43 AM
>>> To: "Reapers Without Peepers" <rwp at reaaccess.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [RWP] live performance question.
>>>
>>>> I haven't used Reaper in a mac, but in Windows, when you have input
>>>> going to a track and assign effects to that track, you certainly can
>>>> hear changes in the effect realtime; at least on some plugs.
>>>> To test that, just insert a track, press F to load an effect, navigate
>>>> to an effect like ReaEQ, then change one of its parameters, like a high
>>>>
>>>> pass filter, and you'll immediately hear the bass all go away, so you'll
>>>>
>>>> get the typical telephone sound.
>>>> Maybe you can find vocal plugs that also work in realtime; as the
>>>> bundled Rea effects do.
>>>> Indi
>>>>
>>>> On 10/7/2013 12:26 PM, Jim Noseworthy wrote:
>>>>> Hello Folks:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I was looking for a good accessible hardware vocal effects processor
>>>>> however
>>>>> I am unable to locate one; at least, that I could afford.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> My question is:  using Reaper, along with a Mac Mini, could I assign
>>>>> Reapers
>>>>> various processing effects to individual empty tracks and then choose
>>>>> the
>>>>> particular track that contained the effects processor and use it in
>>>>> real
>>>>> time for live performances?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks all over the place gang.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>
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