What is a laptop battle?

It's simple. 16 musicians compete in a single elimination tournament to see who can rock a laptop the hardest. Contestants are paired up at random and entered into a bracket. Each battler has 3 minutes to show the crowd that he/she does not suck. The winner of each round continues on to the next round until a single champion is crowned for the night.

What can be used in the Battle?

A laptop and a mouse/pointing device. 1 midi controller is permitted. 1 sound card is also allowed. No external effects, synths or mics.

How do you know who wins?

Crowd response and a panel of judges will determine the winner of each round. The more you can hype the crowd or wow them with your skills, the better chance you have of winning. If you look like you are reading MySQL code or updating your blog, you probably won't stand a chance. This competition is designed to showcase the performance aspect of playing music with a laptop.

What software can I use?

Anything you want. Really. You can code something yourself in C++ or use any application that you have available. Of course the software you use may determine how interesting or interactive your set can be, so just keep performance in mind. No one wants to watch you press play in WinAmp for 3 minutes.

What type of music do I have to make?

Anything goes. You want to spend your three minutes on harsh noise, go ahead. You want to break an amen apart for 3 minutes, be our guest. You've written software to convert the electrical impulses in your brain into sine waves--GREAT. Anything goes, from mashup to noise to jungle to hip hop to cut ups to something we haven't yet thought of.

What is the point?

It's fun, man. If you are one of these people who think that music can't be judged or that competition hurts the creative process... this isn't for you. The Laptop Battle is meant to be a fun, engaging way to show people what you can do. There's also prizes for the winner.

What are the prizes?

>> Ableton - Sampler
>> NI - choice between Reaktor, Massive and Traktor
>> M-Audio - Mid Air 25
>> Audio Damage - Replicant
>> FabFilter - One
>> Sonic Charge - Utonic
>> D16 - Phoscyon
>> Mackie - Tracktion 3
>> Drumcore - Drumcore 2.5
>> Soy - Fresh Gear
>> Ticket to Perform in the championships in Seattle

** Special thanks to Matthew Jeanes for help with the FAQ’s.