Laptop Performance: Techniques, Tools, and a New Interface Design

While personal computers have been used for over twenty years in live music contexts, the proliferation of powerful and affordable portable systems (laptops) has spurred the emergence of new music creation styles and venues outside of academia. Laptop performance is the practice of live computer music using software tools exclusively. This paper surveys the current state of laptop performance practice, discussing the styles of music that are typically performed in this way, and the techniques and tools used. This discussion serves as a context for a new software system for laptop performance. The system’s design is motivated by some of the problems encountered in this style of live use. The system supports the real-time definition and modification of generative musical patterns via a novel freehand drawing interface, allowing a solo performer to create multi-layered works on-stage.

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