What’s a Laptop Battle?
No, it’s not a feature test or a battle of who gets the best score in 3Dmark. It’s about making music, and moreover – making the best of the situation with minimalistic equipment. Contestants are only allowed to use a laptop, one soundcard, and one MIDI controller, all of which must fit in a 2′ x 2′ square. In other words, there’s no room for backing vocals or a Hammond B2, just a set of samples and a lot of creativity.
This is a kind of weird but interesting phenomenon that seems to have spread like wildfire across the states and the rest of the world. Apparently, the whole thing started in Seattle, but nowadays, laptop battles are being held as far away as New Zeeland and Germany.
If you think all this sound intriguing, consider the following rules:
- Gear Specifications: Contestants can use up to one midi controller and one soundcard. All gear must fit in a.
- Battles are chosen randomly.
- Battles are 3 minutes long. Contestants can choose whether they want a 30 second warning issued by the MC. At 3 minutes the MC will fade out the contestants output.
- Five judges decide the outcome of battles in a single elimination style.
- Contestants must be at the location of the battle half an hour before the battle for the following reasons: a. minimum amount of set-up time, and b. alternates will be onsite to take the place of the contestants who fail to show up on time.
Still interested? Then head over to LaptopBattle.org and sign up for your first laptop battle.