Ok, long story short, I'm putting together a rig for live performances. So far, it includes a PC running Ableton Live, an APC40, an Axiom 25, a Korg KP3, and a few glitchy hardware effects units that I like.
To be honest, I don't really do a whole lot compared to the rest of the band... I launch the backing tracks, take care of the click track, do a little on the fly mixing, but nothing crazy. I play a little on the keys, but not a whole lot because, honestly, I'm pretty terrible on them.
The majority of my involvement
musically is with the effects. I really enjoy tweaking knobs on stage to spice things up and make sure every performance is different. Unfortunately the things I'm doing are usually extremely subtle and people constantly ask what the hell I'm really doing on stage...
I'm looking to spice up my performances
visually. It's rather boring watching someone tweak knobs, and while I understand that I'm not
supposed to be the center of attention, I'd still like to take things up a notch. The lights on the KP3 are enough to amuse people for a while, but I'm looking for something a little more "showy".
What I've been looking for is a midi device that can be controlled via motion/proximity, or light. Think Theremin, except midi data instead of synth. Like an assignable midi controller with value of 0-127 depending on the distance of your hand. Essentially a very showy modwheel.... Or even a photocell that does the same thing. I could hold a small light in my hand and control parameters by sweeping and swooping my hands. I know it sounds silly, but that kind of stuff really engages people. If anything, it'll make them say "WTF?", but at least they'll stay interested.
I've searched quite a bit and couldn't find anything... Is there anything like this? If not would it be hard to make something like this???
Just trying to think of creative ways to stay visually stimulating on stage...
