Elevating Performance Atmosphere

I know, I know—musicians don’t need yet another thing to worry about in addition to performing. Trust me, as a percussionist (read: logistical ninja) I’m fully on board with musicians being able to focus on their performing and having an appropriate staff to handle production. However, I’ve recently been expanding my Gear Cage to include some LED lights (Affiliate Link) and a DMX control board (Affiliate Link). Having these items handy has been incredibly easy to implement into my performance practice, and it can take an otherwise non-inspiring performance space and make it a focused listening environment.

I’ve found the physical controller gives a lot of creative options throughout a performance, and it has a robust amount of programming options to align with an artistic vision. For example, at the Nief-Norf Summer Festival, our team programs more than a dozen concerts over two weeks. The Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall at the University of Tennessee is gorgeous, but in the end, it is still a Recital Hall. We’ve had a lot of success transforming the space by installing quad-speaker surround sound, having a pre-show playlist, and most of all, by doing our own lighting design.

Performing Christopher Burns’ Constellations at the Big Ears Festival. DMX Lighting placed around the stage and interacting with the performance.

It’s of course possible to elevate the controls through DAW usage as well, automating them or causing them to interact with the performance in many ways. The options here are endless. But for entry-level usage, a pair of lights and an analog controller can transform an after-hours book store into a community performance venue. For around $300, this combination can do a lot for a performance, and I see musicians spend far more on other equipment that sometimes gets them far less.