Hi! I'm seeking advice on how to take my music from my laptop/bedroom to live performance.

I've made an album using a keyboard plugged into Reason, recording vocals with a USB mic and Audacity. I'd love to perform my music live but:
1- don't want to have simply a karaoke performance where i click play on a track without vocals and sing along and
2- while I have a background in classical performance, I'm completely lost when it comes to having an understanding of how to take my electronic music live.

Do you have an issue with a karaoke style performance? Would that be super lame? I can play keyboard competently so I'd love to at least play some of the instruments while I'm performing, so what would this set up look like? Is playing synths through Reason and having mic hooked up to some insert effect/mixer for a live performance a bad idea? Will I need to buy anything or will most venues have the gear I need? Feel free to comment on any of these issues.

thank you!

I’ve done it a lot, and I’ve seen a lot of shows that were not much more than that.

I would prep backing tracks (or just play your Reason session) and settle on what parts you want to play live. When I did this I was the guitar player and singer, and my cohort would press play on the laptop and do his thing. It was sort of lame but no one cares; if you are a good performer/they are entertained then don’t worry about it. Your only other option is to get a band together.

If you don’t want to use a laptop you could load up one of those little stereo or multitrack recorders with stems, or even an old iPod/etc. Some looper pedals even would work.

I would probably not over complicate things by trying to run vocals live through FX within Reason, potential for latency and problems. If you need live vocal FX, i would get a dedicated vocal pedal...or an older Line 6 pod (some have mic inputs) would work very well.

Any competent venue should know what to do with a computer setup, but I would recommend just getting a pair of cheap direct boxes to be safe.

I can't really speak to your specific situation as I've only ever performed with a live band, but I can give you some general things to think about that have helped me. First off, when you play live you are giving a performance and putting on a show. Try to keep that in mind when you are putting your set together.

Rehearse and drill your set and I'd suggest that once you have it down you invite a couple of friends over and perform it for them. You'd be amazed at the difference having even one person in the room watching you can make on how you perceive the strengths and weaknesses of your set. If there are hourly rehearsal studios in your area you might want to think about booking a couple of hours for this. A good rehearsal studio will have a setup that is closer to what it's like to play out and if you are only used to playing at home through headphones, or small monitors it will be good to hear yourself at volume through a PA.

I don't really mind seeing someone play along to tracks as long as they're engaging. Sometimes some live playing can help with this and some times visual elements can. Anyway good luck and have fun. Playing live can be one of the most fun and fulfilling things you can do.

In the past when I want to play smaller venues without my band I either create backing tracks by removing all instruments that aren’t totally necisarry and guitar and vox- that way it doesn’t sound kareokee and still minimal.

Having a heyvoard in stage w you aesthetically forces an audience to assume you’re making some of it up live anyway, even if you’re really just triggering backingvtracks. A loop pedal is another way to keep it live and interesting. Certainly can be done

A buddy of mine used to perform in a similar setup that Kslight described. It was always a good show and I don't think anyone was put off by the guy on his laptop in the back.

You could also do something like at the beginning of Stop Making Sense if you really want to make a statement: YouTube

This is super useful. Thanks for your input. I will do some research on vocal Fx pedals.