Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

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patrickstinson
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Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

Post by patrickstinson » Thu Sep 18, 2014 5:06 am

My stage set can run with the laptop lid down, so where does everyone else hide or otherwise hold your laptop when using a pedalboard? Seems like a logical place for improvement.
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infernal.machine
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Re: Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

Post by infernal.machine » Thu Sep 18, 2014 5:21 am

I tend to go with under the floorboards, but in the rare case that the boards don't come up easily I'll settle for the classic "inside the air vent" technique. If no air vents are available, consider hiding it in a hollowed-out watermelon. Like, "No worries guys... no computers here. Oh you want some of this watermelon? Um... I don't really have enough to go around, and once I give watermelon to one guy.. you know it's just.. uh.. you know how it is."

patrickstinson
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Re: Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

Post by patrickstinson » Thu Sep 18, 2014 8:35 am

infernal.machine wrote:I tend to go with under the floorboards, but in the rare case that the boards don't come up easily I'll settle for the classic "inside the air vent" technique. If no air vents are available, consider hiding it in a hollowed-out watermelon. Like, "No worries guys... no computers here. Oh you want some of this watermelon? Um... I don't really have enough to go around, and once I give watermelon to one guy.. you know it's just.. uh.. you know how it is."

That is hilarious. I wish there was an acronym to say that I am *actually* laughing out loud.
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TomViolenz
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Re: Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

Post by TomViolenz » Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:24 pm

Hide?! Are you crazy! 8O
The white Apple logo is the only thing my show has going for it... :x

Tarekith
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Re: Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

Post by Tarekith » Thu Sep 18, 2014 2:27 pm

I typically disguise mine as a slab of aluminum on top of my crane stand, I don't think anyone has caught on yet.
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patrickstinson
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Re: Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

Post by patrickstinson » Thu Sep 18, 2014 2:43 pm

I guess I should have used a different word than "hide". I'm more looking for a device like a fold-up magazine holder or dorm thing to "hold" it somehwere so it won't get damaged but it also isn't a central focus of the gear. I have a power supply and USB and audio interface in the pedal board so I'm also trying to minimize setup and teardpwn times. I worked hard with M4L to move all the interface stuff I need into Push so I'm not fiddling with the computer and now I just want to focus on the music.
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infernal.machine
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Re: Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

Post by infernal.machine » Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:13 pm

See also:

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H20nly
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Re: Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

Post by H20nly » Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:47 pm

^ oh that's pure fucking genius right there! :|


running with it anyway: you could get a guitar body with 24 pots and a monitor on the back.

oblique strategies
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Re: Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

Post by oblique strategies » Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:53 pm

TomViolenz wrote:Hide?! Are you crazy! 8O
The white Apple logo is the only thing my show has going for it... :x
:lol:

patrickstinson
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Re: Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

Post by patrickstinson » Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:55 am

A couple of months of work and I have finished building an Ableton Pedalboard. It's an Ableton Live-Powered pedalboard that just has an on-off switch. Throw it on the stage, turn it on, play set 1, play set 2, unplug and take home. Works great!

Complete write-up is here: http://vedanamedia.com/2015/01/ableton-pedalboard/

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Pitch Black
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Re: Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

Post by Pitch Black » Mon Jan 12, 2015 7:57 am

On the stage in the dark behind my screens. Audio and video laptops on lower left.

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Machinesworking
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Re: Where do you hide your laptop on stage?

Post by Machinesworking » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:43 am

I truly don't get the whole hide the laptop, don't look at the screen aesthetic?
I don't work with computers at the day job though, and I don't give a fuck what rock bands think of the laptop thing.
I've played in plenty of straightforward bass, guitar, drums, outfits and it doesn't matter that much.

Seriously though, if you hate the laptop thing that much there's plenty of hardware synths and samplers out there, why pretend you're playing them?

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