I got to run a feature yesterday on Create Digital Music with tips for getting good gigs, written by musician and Chicago electronica scenester Liz “Quantazelle.” That story has in turn generated a lot of discussion on CDM and elsewhere.

This raises an interesting question, though: how much of this advice applies to visualists and, specifically, standard VJ gigs? We face even more challenges: needing projection surfaces and (in some cases) projectors, having to “accompany” music, and having a new medium that most people still don’t quite “get.” My own gigs have often been nontraditional (modern dance) or mixed with music performance. But I’m curious what you think. And what would you want in an advice list if we could get the community here on CDMo to put one together?

Comment here, and feel free to join the chatter on Create Digital Noise; I’ve set up a new thread there:

Getting good music/visual gigs — let’s share advice

Down with laptops! Jaymis and I have both taken up SFF PCs as live tools, so we can bring some serious iron to gigs with multiple video outputs. Now, the only problem: laptops have these handy QWERTY keyboards attached. SFF PCs (and Mac minis and such) mean bringing your own keyboard and display.

I’ve been looking for the perfect keyboard to turn this into an advantage: why not a super-savvy QWERTY keyboard that’s a performance instrument in its own right? I think I’ve found it:

CES 2007: Luxeed Interactive Keyboard [Chip Chick]

Each key can be programmed with colors, interactively, to demarcate areas or individual keys. That should allow color feedback for keyboard shortcuts for your favorite programs (hello After Effects, Final Cut, etc.), but could also be programmed to make it easier to trigger video clips and effects using the keyboard in a performance. And responsive, live music skins could let you “pimp my VJ rig” to add a little bling to your next gig.

Most important for an SFF rig is having a basic mouse capability built into the keyboard; it looks like this keyboard (like many multimedia keyboards) sports cursor capabilities via a controller at the bottom right.

The Korean maker Luxeed hasn’t said anything yet about pricing or availability. Even if it doesn’t show up here in the US, maybe I can pick one up on my next Asian romp.

Any other tips for good QWERTY keyboards for live rigs? Must-have: some kind of mouse function. Nice to have: wireless, lighting.

Our own Jaymis has left CDMotion for a couple of weeks for something called a “vacation”, but he’s left a terrific gallery of images from the Elements 7 / King Unique event in Brisbane. In an intimate club venue, Jaymis fired up his full live performance VJ setup, complete with Behringer controllers and Resolume video; the musicians are full-on with Mac + Ableton + Novation Remote SL. Notice how have some controllers handy frees up the performer to really have a good time and do something, well, performative. Notice, as well, that everyone in Australia — man and woman alike — seems to be really happy and attractive. (Note to self: groom fully before touring Australia, and apply cool sticker to laptop.)

We will, my friends, end the age of “VJ” connoting dull visuals and someone hidden behind a laptop / mixer, and, whether you call them “visualists” or “VJs”, herald an age where live visuals are as much a real performance as live musicians. Result: better parties.

Or, in short, good performance + happy sound and visuals = happy and dancing peoples!

More on this rig when Jaymis is back from Vietnam.

in the mix: Elements 7 Featuring King Unique [photo gallery on a very excellent electronic music site]

Peter has looked at M-Audio’s new MidAir cable-free midi keyboard and adapter on CDMu, but I’d like to bring it up here for those who don’t visit the ‘Mu daily (shame!).

The MidAir 37 controller is just an incremental upgrade on the existing MidAir 25, adding an extra octave and 9 faders. These are definitely interesting products, but without some way to strap them to your body they’re just removing a cable from the tangle behind your rig. Admirable, but not really worth US$100. However, the MidAir Transmitter and Receiver system allows you to add wirelessness to your existing midi controller.

• 10 meter range
• Receiver is class-compliant on XP or Mac and bus or 9VDC powered
• Transmitter takes 2 AA batteries (20+ hour operation quoted) or 9VDC as well
• Multi-channel, so several adapters can operate in the same setup

The first thought to hit anyone’s brain when faced with this thing is “Yeah! Keytar!“. Don’t even try to deny it. Peter went there. Tom did. I certainly thought it, and that’s fine. Everybody was younger in the 80s, and given the chance we’d all go back there, if only to wait for the 90s to come around again so we could buy dot com shares and then pick up some cheap aeron chairs.

Aside from the potential with DIY gadgets or hacked midi controllers, this device will allow visualists to integrate better with the musicians we collaborate with or support. I have a gig on Friday in which I’m providing visual tastiness for the whole gang, but shall be rocking the midi triggered visuals with Segue. This kind of thing is technically quite simple (midi out of MPD24 or MPC, into BCR2000, done), but logistically can be horrible. Tiny stages and often a lack of decent cable length from the projector can leave a VJ stranded on the opposite side of the dancefloor from their band. Fortunately Friday should be smooth sailing, but I think I’ll be getting a MidAir when they drop, if only for those gigs which can’t be guaranteed to run so smoothly.

And for my keytar.

Update: The MidAir25 has been reviewed on O’Reilly Digital Media.

Welcome, Keyboard Laptops Live and Computer Music Readers! Feel free to say hi and check out the rest of the site.

Photo: Vello Virkhaus with Red Hot Chili Peppers in London (thanks, Vello!)

Live visuals for keyboardists? Absolutely: if you’ve got MIDI chops, slick new tools can help you tickle projected imagery while you tickle the ivories. There’s just too much to say about VJing to fit into one story, so when I wrote up an introduction to live visuals for Keyboard Magazine’s Laptops Live special, I ran out of space fast. Here’s a quick roundup of some of the gear and tools you’ll need to pump out live visuals at your next gig.

CDM Sister Site: Incidentally, thanks to all of you who sent in thoughtful feedback about where VJ content belongs here at CDM, or on its own site. After careful consideration, I have decided to launch a new visual performance site towards the end of the year. But don’t worry: those of you who want to occasionally read VJ content will be able to follow the new site here on CDM, and thanks to a bunch of volunteer writers, I expect both sites to grow, not languish. More on that in December . . . now on with our VJ roundup.