Just ran across this article on the topic at hand:
http://www.beatportal.com/news/item/laptop-djs-replaced-by-cubes-of-light/

best blend of technologies has been, Final Scratch, Traktor Scratch and Serato Scratch Live.

For Live users, best thing i've seen is the Xone 3D, course now they have 1D and 2D also.  Course Allen and Heath stuff is expensive, more affordable alternative is Ecler NUO4 and I think Korg has mixers too.

Best setup for a Live or Traktor user, I feel would be a mixer with midi control and various midi controllers so they would use the mouse less.

Cubes and Rectable, which I've known for a while, are cool looking but probably a pain to control with.

That's GREAT for djing, but does that mean that the live pa should simply die?

you obviously have not been to superclubs that people may lots of money to watch the dj...it is a major part of our culture dave.



for the record...I am not down with ableton or whatever...just think there are kinks to be worked out to make it a better performance.  Its just not interesting to watch AT ALL right now

That's the issue though. If you look at Daft Punk's setup, they had controllers out there. Of course, they were raised way above the crowd then.

visually though, if you are above the crowd and say you load in 2 mp3 cds and never change them, you aren't going to see a DJ do much either. Technically, at that point, it's just knob tweaking just like a live pa. There just isn't a laptop on the table.

I do agree, if you do a live pa, you shouldn't look like yer checking email.

And now enters a definition issue: What really IS a live PA?

I don't have a good answer for it. My show was basically me DJing loops. Most of the setups I've read about were the same with different levels of complexity. The more people you have on stage... the better the show as each person could focus on fewer technical issues of the production and instead work the crowd.

Me trying to run 2 midi controllers is VERY taxing.

I've always thought of Live PA's as someone, 1-2 people, performing their own music live using programs like Live in a clubbish environment.  And really it gets more interesting when more are on stage, but you pretty much have a band then.

I can't really consider it since I only have seven songs.  Anything after would be improvising or performing other songs that i had to sit down and figure out.

What would be cool for a Live PA for me, is get me and my friend that use to play drums with me and do one.  Him with his drum set, then see about getting him a laptop, Live, BFD Drums and some drum triggers.  then let him control the tempo and I'll run Live also and setup my bass, Virus and get this control box, so I can control VSTs and my Virus with my bass.  That would be cool, but he has a full time job and family to support.

Suggestion: Use a tablet PC rather than a laptop. Reason: lower profile and touch screen

Rather than having a screen sticking up, you have a low profile screen set at the right angle for you to used in conjunction with other midi gear. Beyond that, you use the stylus rather than the mouse so it looks more like you're writing an old fashion letter