The "Laptop-based live rig" club

[Naigewron]

It's 2025 - How many have abandoned physical rigs, amps, floorboards and pedals and moved to the ultra-digital realm of using a laptop rig live (and elsewhere)?

Let's share experiences, tips and tricks.

I'm just getting into this world permanently now, but it's been moving this way for a few years.

My rig has gotten more and more digital over the past decade, with fewer and fewer individual pedals and components.

Last year I ended up with a Helix Floor straight to FoH as my entire rig, moving up from an HX Stomp with external pedals and an optional amp, and this year I finally made the last step and went for a full laptop-based rig. So now I have the exact same setup and tones available in my home studio (using the laptop as my studio machine) as I do when playing live or recording in other studios (routing my audio interface straight to the desk), and as a bonus my studio is now super portable as well (no more big and bulky desktop computer).

Side note: I've already used plugins for my live synth rig for 1-2 years, so from that perspective it made even more sense to just adapt my bass and guitar rig to that setup, to minimise the amount of gear I have to maintain and lug around. The Helix is huge and heavy.

The biggest part of making this transition seamless was that Line6 offers the Helix as a full-featured plugin, which no other modeler does. So I was up and running with all my core tones straight out of the box; I just had to set up the laptop. Using Gig Performer as my VST host and virtual rack, and a simple Arturia interface for traveling (leaving my main one at home).

The rig had its first real test yesterday in a studio session, and it performed flawlessly. Very eager to test it out live once I get it even more properly set up, and get a MIDI footswitch added to the setup.

Looking at one of the Morningstar MIDI footswitches, preferrably the MC6 Pro, but that's not decided yet. I figure I'll let the rig live like this for a little while and see what my needs are, since I don't have any gigs lines up at the moment.

Current specs:
- Laptop: Macbook Air M1 (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
- Travel interface: Arturia Minifuse 1
- Keyboard controller: Arturia Minilab 3
- Plugin host: Gig Performer 5
- Main bass/guitar tone plugin: Line6 Helix Native

 

[Groove Doctor]

One word - LATENCY. I can’t stand it.

 

[Naigewron]

One word - LATENCY.

That has stopped being a problem many years ago. My buffer size is at 16 samples, and I'm getting a round-trip latency of 1.5-2ms on this rig. Sound travels roughly one foot per millisecond, so if you're standing more than 2 feet away from your amp you're getting more latency than I am.

 

[Krakmann]

Salud!

I much prefer a dedicated/simplified computer and interface (digital pedalboard).

I've seen too many shows stopped because of laptop issues and dreaded seeing an exmate setting up his Mac (Mainstage)+interface just to play pianos and organs he had in the keyboard he used as controller (in his case, the computer never crashed, but we had quite a few issues with the audio interface).

 

[Naigewron]

Salud!

I much prefer a dedicated/simplified computer and interface (digital pedalboard).

I've seen too many shows stopped because of laptop issues and dreaded seeing an exmate setting up his Mac (Mainstage)+interface just to play pianos and organs he had in the keyboard he used as controller (in his case, the computer never crashed, but we had quite a few issues with the audio interface).

That is definitely always a potential hazard, for sure. But then again, I've also seen amps break down, modelers stop working and require a restart, pedalboards get beer spilled on them, cables breaking, and so on. Any rig is prone to some sort of breaking down.

Having an emergency backup solution is the key to any live rig; in my case that's an Atomic Ampli-Firebox, which is a very compact amp modeler with a few basic effects. It's up and running to FoH in no time with a couple of cable swaps, and it will get me through a gig.

 

[el murdoque]

For me personally, laptop computers are not 'there' yet.

I have played through digital modelers. Mine was in a flightcase.

I strongly believe that I could have used the modeler as an anvil, place my laptop on top of it and beat it to a pulp with a hammer,
then continue using the modeler.

I think there still is a great difference in software between a digital machine that is made for live playing and a laptop - we've all seen that PowerPoint presentation where Windows decided it needs to reboot RIGHT NOW, and that's only one aspect of it.
I've heard that laptop at a gig receiving an email and sending the notification sound through the PA.

Plus, I somehow have a negative disposition for stuff that's not "meant" to use a laptop on stage.
Like when you run a synth setup with multiple keyboards and boxes that have lots of knobs and there's a macbook in there, it seems fine - but a guitarist, bassist or drummer having a laptop running on stage just feels wrong to my gut.

That's all highly subjective, I know.

 

[Krakmann]

But then again, I've also seen amps break down, modelers stop working and require a restart, pedalboards get beer spilled on them, cables breaking, and so on. Any rig is prone to some sort of breaking down.

That is VERY true.

This said, I've never heard a mail/WhatsApp notification through the PA coming from an amp.

(of course, it takes a special kind of guy to allow for that to happen... but it DID happen).

Anyway, it will be interesting to read your experiences/gear.

 

[pklima]

Have done it on guitar some six-seven years ago, using a Dell tablet with Windows on it so it maybe looked a little cooler than a laptop... or at least cooler to use a touch screen than a mouse? Had tracks (split so we could enable the drums on gigs the drummer couldn't make etc.), amp sim, a few effects, and automation of those effects so no need to stomp on any pedals or footswitches to turn distortion on for the hook etc.

Never done it for bass, but my bass rig is a tiny Headway DI, so unless I'll be doing something with tracks again...

 

[red_rhino]

At the end of it all, there are amps and speakers involved somewhere. At least for live work. Having one’s live rig completely in the digital domain can be pretty cool, and personally I think that’s what live work (with a decent FOH) should be evolving toward. (IME, all tablets or laptops involved should be dedicated to this use case; not dual-use personal systems, lest Siri start announcing notifications from your Tinder feed mid-gig.)

There are challenges for sure, beyond the mere technical. The biggest is buy-in from other band members. Some people are convinced they can only get their tone from a Marshall stack cranked up to 11. Drummers are often resistant to using electronic kits, etc.

There are also too many situations in which having real physical amplification is required. That said, most of my “real rig” needs nowadays can be met with a combo amp and a couple of pedals. I would really like to spin up a fully-digital project with some like-minded people and see what’s possible.

 

[s0c9]

There are also too many situations in which having real physical amplification is required. That said, most of my “real rig” needs nowadays can be met with a combo amp and a couple of pedals. I would really like to spin up a fully-digital project with some like-minded people and see what’s possible.

Most (99%) of my gigs have house PA where the band has an onstage mixer, so I'm down to a pedalboard, wireless IEM's and mic. No amp.
Three XLR's in/out of mixer with feeds to/from the House.
Not sure I'm ready to swap to 100% digital for my audio to FOH yet.
Prolly get lots of resistance from the bands I sub with - 7 last year - and 3 booked so far this year.
Still looking for a "home" band.

 

[Hoochie Coochie Man]

As a sound guy and also someone who has worked with computer hardware and software going back far before there ever was such a thing as a "Personal Computer" I will say that we encountered a situation where one member of a group had an electric guitar, a violin a keyboard and a laptop and when we could not get a signal from his setup, it was maddening for us because the show was delayed due to the fact that the person was ill-prepared. I went onstage and verified signal passed through what we had provided, and then made the mistake of looking at his setup. I should have merely proved our signal chain was working and left it to the band to figure out what was wrong. He eventually found out what the problem was and the show went on. The look on the persons face was one of alarm, as he was trying to figure it out. One of the other members of the band told me that the owner of the venue thought that we were the cause of the problem, and suggested that they find someone else to provide sound if they were going to play there again. Of course they did not explain to the owner that it was not our fault.

My point is that if you intend to employ a computer please make sure you have a bullet-proof system and process and you know how to use it or you will look like an idiot, (or much worse in my mind, make the sound guy look bad). If you can't do the show without the computer have a backup plan for when something does not do what you expected it to do. We bring at least two computers, two tablets, two routers a spare mixer as well as spare everything else. Thanks!

 

[TonyP-]

I have down the in ear only thing before.
However it was with an analog preamp.

Funny, I’m going more old school the other way. The last thing as a player I want to touch live is a computer. That’s just me though.

Analog effects even…Less to worry about for me.

Call me old, but I rather that.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I work with computers all day and things crash all the time, but my Mac has crashed only once in the ~20 or so years I've been using one. I wouldn't be against trying it, but it would have to be in the right situation. A SansAmp BDDI is good enough most of the time. But if I had to do a bunch of different tones, I might try it. Something like a musical pit maybe?

 

[CryingBass]

Love the idea, and not gigging anymore myself. And you probably know what I am about to say next.

I hope that you take frequent backups of that laptop ( I use Acronis myself ). And have a really-good protective case. And a lot of luck.

Edit: And absolutely an SSD drive, nothing spinning inside.

 

[trevcda]

I don't know. I'm pretty sure I can make a laptop crash running a simple program like Note Pad! It took me awhile to trust digital mixers running on dedicated hardware with no bloatware, without bringing an analog back up board, but I eventually got there. I could probably do the same for an instrument interface but I'd have pretty confident in the laptop it was running on.

 

[Hoochie Coochie Man]

Can anyone tell us about their experience making use of the MainStage app from Apple?

I don't intend to use it for performing on stage, but rather as a way to play backing tracks while I play and record various instruments.

I have two different iPads, an M2 MacBook Air, and have just purchased an M4 Mac Mini. If I do purchase MainStage, I will install it on the Mac Mini.

I just ordered a Sonicake Pocket Master to employ as an interface for bass and guitar. I have other older interfaces with microphone preamps for those instruments that I will record with a microphone, (drums, Hammond/Leslie, etc).

MainStage users, please tell me what you think about it. Thanks!

 

[pholli00]

It's 2025 - How many have abandoned physical rigs, amps, floorboards and pedals and moved to the ultra-digital realm of using a laptop rig live (and elsewhere)?

Let's share experiences, tips and tricks.

I'm just getting into this world permanently now, but it's been moving this way for a few years.

My rig has gotten more and more digital over the past decade, with fewer and fewer individual pedals and components.

Last year I ended up with a Helix Floor straight to FoH as my entire rig, moving up from an HX Stomp with external pedals and an optional amp, and this year I finally made the last step and went for a full laptop-based rig. So now I have the exact same setup and tones available in my home studio (using the laptop as my studio machine) as I do when playing live or recording in other studios (routing my audio interface straight to the desk), and as a bonus my studio is now super portable as well (no more big and bulky desktop computer).

Side note: I've already used plugins for my live synth rig for 1-2 years, so from that perspective it made even more sense to just adapt my bass and guitar rig to that setup, to minimise the amount of gear I have to maintain and lug around. The Helix is huge and heavy.

The biggest part of making this transition seamless was that Line6 offers the Helix as a full-featured plugin, which no other modeler does. So I was up and running with all my core tones straight out of the box; I just had to set up the laptop. Using Gig Performer as my VST host and virtual rack, and a simple Arturia interface for traveling (leaving my main one at home).

The rig had its first real test yesterday in a studio session, and it performed flawlessly. Very eager to test it out live once I get it even more properly set up, and get a MIDI footswitch added to the setup.

Looking at one of the Morningstar MIDI footswitches, preferrably the MC6 Pro, but that's not decided yet. I figure I'll let the rig live like this for a little while and see what my needs are, since I don't have any gigs lines up at the moment.

Current specs:
- Laptop: Macbook Air M1 (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
- Travel interface: Arturia Minifuse 1
- Keyboard controller: Arturia Minilab 3
- Plugin host: Gig Performer 5
- Main bass/guitar tone plugin: Line6 Helix Native

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I stare at a screen all day for work. I wouldn't want to bring a laptop to play or jam. But you do you and I hope you have an awesome time doing it!

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

I want a Bluetooth connection from my bass to this phone I'm tapping on now to FOH.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I want a Bluetooth connection from my bass to this phone I'm tapping on now to FOH.

Unfortunately, it would be ~150ms of latency and even with the low latency codecs at least 40-50 ms. Double it if you're going to send the phone output back to Bluetooth headphones.

 

[ravlin]

It's 2025 and there are so many good analog preamp/DI units out there it makes my head spin. I'm not opposed to digital tech but I'm also not changing the sound of my bass more than boost/comp/dirt/octave so for me all of the modeling and multi-effects are a solution looking for a problem. I can see applications for having all of the patches, I just don't play that kind of music/set. After having maxed out my pedalboard and overall setup, I've gone the other way and am headed toward simplicity. If I were to run a laptop rig it would have to be packaged in such a way that I don't have to worry about the bumps from load in/out and I'd need all the accessories permanently mounted so I just have to plug in my bass and a power chord for the gig.