PC/Mac based amp sims live/on stage--Please share your knowledge!

[telecode]

I think technically is possible. But all depends how much you are into setting up on stage. You are basically going to be setting up a computer setup on stage. Lots of cables, power adapters, extensions, what not.. Possibly in a darkened. Possibly wet environment. Lots of other electrical equipment on there. Lots of opportunity to trip over stuff. Knock stuff over. Just get a Kemper or Iridium. One device. Plug and go.

There's so many people performing with laptops/computers these days, that's just irrational...

that is. true. i have seen a few of my fav artists. but they have roadies and what not. i recall playing live and no roadies. you hauled your own shit and pluggied it in and then took it apart. i recall being the middle act and having our equipment stuck on stage with the opening and headlining acts trampling on it. just saying. i guess depends what circuit you play.

[audiojunkie]

I think technically is possible. But all depends how much you are into setting up on stage. You are basically going to be setting up a computer setup on stage. Lots of cables, power adapters, extensions, what not.. Possibly in a darkened. Possibly wet environment. Lots of other electrical equipment on there. Lots of opportunity to trip over stuff. Knock stuff over. Just get a Kemper or Iridium. One device. Plug and go.

There's so many people performing with laptops/computers these days, that's just irrational...

that is. true. i have seen a few of my fav artists. but they have roadies and what not. i recall playing live and no roadies. you hauled your own shit and pluggied it in and then took it apart. i recall being the middle act and having our equipment stuck on stage with the opening and headlining acts trampling on it. just saying. i guess depends what circuit you play.

But wouldn't this be a case where treating it like a pedalboard would make sense? I mean, a pedalboard has a bunch of pedals strapped down and pre-wired so that they are safe and already set to go. I picture it being very feasible having a ATA style audio mixer case or Pull-over ATA case where the laptop, interface and other components are mounted securely, and like many pedalboards, one would have the ability to carry it onto the stage, plug in, and boot up. I don't see this as taking any more work than to use an Iridium or a Kemper. The one thing that I do see is that it allows for more flexibility, but may (or may not) be more costly. It could act as the entire brain of the whole show--playing backing tracks, running guitar amps/cabs/fx, allowing to play synths from it, etc. I can totally agree with the pain in the butt it would be to carry out an armload of equipment unconnected (laptop, interface, mouse, keyboard, etc., etc., and to try to set everything up on stage while the audience is waiting, but I don't see that as being a problem if everything is pre-mounted and ready to be carried (or wheeled) out onto the stage and plugged in the moment it's your time.

[debra1rlo]

figure it out yourself, not giving free help to a forum ruled by power hungry mods

[debra1rlo]

Sorry to rant on your thread audio junkie, maybe I got up on the wrong side of bed (well, we did lose Neil Peart and a close friend had a heart attack, so yeah maybe I'm edgy... but RANT ON)

Any other guitar god wanna piss on this idea some more? Love how I have been doing this for SEVEN YEARS (and outside of my friend Justin3am, with no help from anyone at KVR), but people come on this thread to warn about ALL the stuff that could happen, all of which I've encountered already (and more). Do you people read other people's posts? Or do you just discount stuff automatically that doesn't fit into your musical world view?

I've fuckin' played all over LA and California, toured to Arizona, Oregon, Alaska and Germany and made this setup work. Going to play next month with a bunch of name 80s acts, including MC Hammer at Microsoft Arena in LA for a big 80s fest. With this exact setup. But someone please post how bad an idea it is and how it won't work.

FYI: you'll never see me in this forum commenting on pickups and strings because I defer to those more knowledgeable than me on those matters. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, this is one of those times where YOU defer to someone more knowledgeable. Radical idea, huh? And stop posting unless you have THIS experience. Have a little damn respect, read the freakin' replies. It's a distraction otherwise. Thanks.

/rant

[Forgotten]

Justified, so

[audiojunkie]

I have very much appreciated your comments @debra1rlo! I can understand why you would get frustrated. In the KVR Experts forum, there is a very interesting thread called, "The Big Guitar Amp Sim Roundup + Review".

viewtopic.php?f=290&t=529757

In this thread, I had to ask over and over about what midi controllers people were using to control their software guitar amps. I got a very muted response. I finally made the comment that it seems that these amp sims are not for live work, but more for home/studio work. @Craig Anderton basically concurred that this was his opinion too, although he stated that he had done some live work with amp sims. It seems to me that the existing opinion for some reason, by and large, is that it's not worth the effort, which doesn't make sense to me. I see it as a valid alternative, and wonder what has caused the bias.

[debra1rlo]

screw kvr, not sharing my knowledge with this shit forum run by power hungry mods

[CapnLockheed]

A laptop, on the other hand, is real easy to destroy. One spilled beer
and your done.

You would kill any electronics that way, a stomp box is just cheaper to replace... (unless there is a computer hiding within and its so powerful because of that, that they can ask for a similar price...)

Yeah? I call BS. I've spilled beer on MANY a stompbox, wiped it off and it was just fine.
Laptop KEYBOARD not so much. I've also dropped stompboxes, thown them, had drunks fall and puke on them....STILL working. Laptops not so much. Now I guess if I dropped a stompbox IN a pitcher of beer.....well that would probably do it. Otherwise comparing the robustness of the two is simply ridiculous.