what the hell is a laptop battle?
The laptop battle is a competitive event for laptop musicians to match their skills against one another.
Battles are chosen randomly and conducted in 2 or 3 minute rounds. A panel of judges decides which contestant advances to the next round, double elimination style.
It's fusion of sound design, composition and stage performance, and a chance for laptop musicians to prove their skills in battle and develop techniques and strategies.
Battles are held throughout the United States during the year, culminating in one final competition in Seattle every December to crown a National Champion.
Atlanta is sending one representative to the National Finals, along with
over $1000 worth of software.
could it be you?
the rules:
There are two (2) qualifying battles and one (1) final battle.
Each battle is a double-elimination tournament.
There are three (3) judges per battle.
Judging is loosely based on these criteria:
Judging Guidelines
- EMOTIONAL IMPACT - It's hard to judge on a thing like originality, so we need to break it down to the basics....are you feelin' it or not? This is a laptop battle, a punk soundclash delivered via a little silver box that's been programed to destroy. Ya'lll are producers and know what to look for. For me, it's that moment where my blood starts to rush to my head and i break out in a big smile...
- PERFORMANCE - It's not easy to "perform" with a laptop. Each contestant is allowed 1 Midi controller, which allows them to interface with their music software via knobs, faders, buttons, keys, pads, etc. This is their weapon of choice, the way they have chosen to interface with their musical creation...you want to see 'em workin' that shit!
- SONG DEVELOPMENT - Hooks,builds and breakdowns. Sounds, patterns and movement. How well they are fit together live will be your decision.
- CROWD RESPONSE - Crowd response could be described as how loud the audience cheers for one contestant or the other. Or it could be their reaction to the battle on the dancefloor as the track is played. Perhaps an exodus to the bar? The crowd is like a barometer, it predicts the obvious outcomes, but isn't always right. Other times, there is a contestant with a bunch of fans who are there to be heard. Ultimately, you make the decision. Remember: There are no rematches.
Each contestant is allowed to bring
ONE (1) laptop, ONE (1) external sound card, and ONE (1) external "controller" (MIDI, extra numeric pad, etc.)
Each preliminary battle is capped at 16 contestants, and consists of two (2) minute rounds.
The top four (4) from each qualifying battle will return to compete in the 8-person, 1 champion final battle.
the when:
There are two (2) preliminary battles:
There is one (1) final battle:
the prizes:
- a slot at the
Championship Battle, December 2007 in Seattle
- Ableton Live "Sampler" Instrument
-
Native Instruments Reaktor, Traktor or Massive
- Tracktion recording software from Mackie
-
Sonic Charge's µ-tonic drum machine VST plugin
- Fab Filter's "One" synth VST plugin
- Fresh gear from
Soy Clothing
- Replikant VST plugin from Audio Damage
- Phoscyon VST, by
D16
- M-Audio - Mid Air 25 MIDI controller
questions, comments, and feedback may be directed to
threv
thanks, and good luck.
Battler Bios & Contact Info
Josh ClaytonHearing his first electronic music compilation at age 14, Josh Clayton fell in love with the unlimited possibilities offered by sampling and synthesis. He immediately began building a sample collection. Experimenting with creating crude edited songs in wave editors, Josh steadily improved his knowledge of, and skill with, his passion. By becoming increasingly motivated to create new textures and sequences in Impulse Tracker, he progressed to more advanced digital audio workstations to quench his thirst. Today Josh holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech, a DJ residency with WREK 91.1FM's
The Mobius, and a steadily increasing knowledge of synthesis, psychoacoustics, and flat out destroying a crowd.
Dr. Maximillian RheinhardtDr. Maximilian Rheinhardt is the unpredictable and unstoppable alter-ego or Larvae founder Matthew Jeanes. Freed from the boundaries of style, expectation, and good taste, the evil Doctor consistently attempts to push the boundaries of live electronic performance. Whether he is producing hip hop tracks with 8-bit synth emulators or splicing epic power metal with break beats, his only goal is to entertain. Dr. Rheinhardt first surfaced at the 2007 Atlanta Laptop Battle preliminary and since then he has been honing his craft by experimenting with a variety of controllers, effects, and performance tricks. There are no plans for a recording and Dr. Rheinhardt does not have a Myspace page--he lives only in the realm of live music venues.
www.zeroplate.comEl HadronEL HADRON / SOCIAL SECURITY:
http://asstaco.com/ss/PoodlefacePoodleface
/pud leɪ fɑ ʃeɪ / desalinates familiar icons of the past through the osmosis of bizarre pop music. His latest CD is called The Great Directors, featuring songs about famous film directors played only on a Casio VL-TONE. His losing Ric Flair rap video from Atlanta's first laptop battle ("Custom Made"*) has been viewed over 150,000 times. Lovers of EBN, Negativland and synth-pop will feel right at home.
http://www.poodleface.com.
Videos:
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=poodleface pHhttp://myspace.com/0x7048Graham ColemanGraham likes to play music, cook soup, and hold talent shows on his birthday. Graham improvises live in ChucK, alone and with his co-conspirator Mark Luffel. He is the creator of Mused, and a member of the Athens-based nerd-rock duo the Men of Science. He just started working on his PhD in Music Technology, but he's putting the relationship first.
Chris Choycehttp://resonatormag.comCitizen Greenhttp://www.myspace.com/citizengreenCitizengreen has been learning the ropes of electronic music composition for five years and has never looked back. Fusing many different types of music, citizengreen hopes to embark on a sonic fingerprint all his own.
Andrew Provine
www.myspace.com/prosizzlewww.connectatl.comwww.myspace.com/1randomrabbitCharlie P
www.myspace.com/charliepazinetswww.connectatl.comwww.myspace.com/1randomrabbit
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