Percussion Live

[Krysta Cirilo]

If you want your percussion instruments to appear in the Live Stage, you can edit the relevant percussion map and enable the option in there to allow space and stage templates to take effect for those instruments.

Ask anyone who has performed live on stage and they'll tell you that there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Throw laptops and electronics into the equation, and the list gets even longer. So in the hopes of mitigating problems before they arise, we present to you: 10 Tips for Performing Live With Sensory Percussion

You don't want to be rushed in your setup and have something go wrong that you could have prevented. Particularly if there are other acts that play before you using the same kit, you want to have enough time to ensure everything is running smoothly.

Loose adapters can cause unwanted audio dropouts, so make sure yours are connected securely. Or even better, get rid of the adapters completely and connect directly to your interface (for new Macbooks with only type-C inputs, you would need a USB type-B -> USB type-C cable). It's also a good idea to bring extra USB and XLR cables just in case.

Your laptop is the heart of your electronics setup (besides your drums, of course), so whether you have a new, top-of-the line laptop or an old beater that's seen better days, make sure you treat it right on stage.

First, find a stable and secure spot for it and avoid putting it on the floor! Consider bringing your own laptop stand. There are many options now that can even break down and fit in a drum hardware case.

It's always a good idea to minimize stress on your machine by closing any programs you're not using to perform. Also, make sure you turn on do-not-disturb and turn off auto-updates. The last thing you want to have happen on stage is your laptop ask to reboot for a minor update!

If you're performing outside, don't let your laptop overheat. Outdoor performances have become even more common post-COVID. Especially during the summer months, you'll want to ask ahead of time if there will be cover from the sun, and keep your laptop there between soundcheck and showtime. If your computer starts to run hot, it can help to get a stand with air-flow ventilation on the bottom.

If you only have 3 or 4 zones trained, you may not need to retrain after setting up on stage, but it doesn't hurt if you have the time. Here's a quick training guide: How to nail training your drums in Sensory Percussion

If you're playing an acoustic kit and you usually put things on your snare like muffling, splash cymbals, or products like Big Fat Snare Drum, you can still use these with Sensory Percussion! Even if they cover up the pickup elements, the sensor can detect your playing through the material. Just be sure to train the drum with these objects on the head if that's how you're going to perform.

Often, the stage has more going on sonically than the practice room, meaning there could be vibrations from other instruments or monitors that set off sounds in Sensory Percussion. To avoid this, make sure your velocity thresholds are set above the level of these vibrations coming from external sources.

Setting up on top of an unstable riser can cause crosstalk and misfires, so you always want to set up on a level surface that won't move around when you play. But if you have no choice, this problem can also potentially fixed using the threshold panel.

The "Stop" button in the bottom left corner under the master channel stops all audio coming from Sensory Percussion. You can map this button to a zone of a drum like the kick rim (only do this if you also set a very high threshold to avoid mistakenly triggering it!), a button on a MIDI controller, or even a key on your laptop keyboard (we recommend spacebar) to mute everything in case of emergencies.

In general, you want to minimize the amount of time you spend on stage looking at your laptop screen and clicking around inside of software. This is where MIDI controllers come in handy. We already touched on how you can assign a button on a controller to choke all sounds, but there are a lot of other things you might want to do inside of Sensory Percussion while performing. Controller knobs are useful for adjusting effects like delay, reverb, filters cutoffs, and panning on the fly. Using the MIDI panel, you can edit how the knobs/buttons on your controller affect parameters in Sensory Percussion. You don't need a full 88-key keyboard on stage with you to do this; here's an example of a small, inexpensive MIDI controller that you can keep next to your kit with all the knobs and buttons you need.

Another way to keep a good flow during a live show is to assign buttons for cycling forwards and backwards through your saved sets in Sensory Percussion. That way you don't have to worry about using your mouse/trackpad to click through to the next set. Check out a helpful guide breaking down a few different ways to set up kit switching for live performance: 3 Strategies for Kit Switching

If a drum/zone isn't working the way you want it to, don't be afraid to quickly retrain or otherwise address the problem between songs. Think of it like a guitarist retuning; it's just a necessary part of performing and the audience will understand.

In the top right corner of the Sensory Percussion window, next to the undo/redo buttons, there's a volume knob and mute button. These two controls are different than the master channel mixer in the bottom left corner, which also has a volume knob and mute button. These control pad click volume, meaning they only affect the volume of the sample playback when you click on a pad within Sensory Percussion.

In the event that you do find yourself having to click around inside the pads to adjust something during your set, you don't want the sounds assigned to those pads firing off and being sent out to the audience every time you click one. If you mute pad click, you'll still get the same sounds when you hit the drum or click on a sample, but it will be silent when you click on a pad.

Submerge in an evening of sonic possibilities with one of the most innovative contemporary percussion ensembles that continues pushing musical boundaries. With a music style described as an \u201cexhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam\u201d (The New Yorker), the fierce S\u014d Percussion partners with breathing artist and composer Dominic \u201cShodekeh\u201d Talifero for his piece \u201cVodalities: Paradigms of Consciousness for the Human Voice!\u201d The program includes music by Puerto Rican composer Angelica Negr\u00f3n, Nathalie Joachim, Eric Cha-Beach, Pauline Oliveros, and Jason Treuting. \u00a0

SCPA is an all volunteer nonprofit public benefit corporation and is not organized for the private gain of any person. It is organized under the California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law for public purposes. The specific purpose of this corporation is to promote the growth of the percussive arts through competition, performance and educational activities and to encourage goodwill, good sportsmanship and camaraderie through such activities.

Each year SCPA awards $4,000 in scholarships to four talented young performers/composers within the SCPA community to help offset some of the expense of pursuing their dreams. Since 2018 SCPA has partnered with the Arcadia Music and Arts Symposium on the Composition Scholarship program to also provide matching music production packages and professional outreach opportunities for scholarship recipients.

Board of Directors
Emily Barclay - [email protected]
Mike Jackson - [email protected]
Ken McGrath - [email protected]
Diana Petersen - [email protected]
Caleb Rothe - [email protected]
Kevin Shah - [email protected]
Larney Staton - [email protected]
Jim Wunderlich - [email protected]

If you are the primary representative for your ensemble, please RSVP right away. Only those who RSVP and attend the Summit will be eligible for a director badge. Walk-ups are welcome to attend but will not be eligible for a badge. Primary representatives will need to show a photo ID at Summit check-in and for badge pick-up at your ensemble's first event in 2025.

All Prelims and Semifinals events (including PSJ Finals) will be general admission. Seating for these events is not guaranteed and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are $25 per event.

We are anticipating a large spectator turnout for all Championships events. Once ticket sales meet the capacity limit, sales will close, and no additional tickets will be made available. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets well in advance.

Two categories of composition scholarships will be offered: Ensemble Series compositions featuring original works for virtually any type of ensemble and Battery Series compositions featuring original works for battery percussion ensemble. Two scholarships will be awarded to scholastic performers and two to independent performers.

Current high school seniors and high school graduates are encouraged to consider submitting an original and never previously performed or debuted work for the chance to earn one of the four scholarships to help fund whatever opportunities or goals they desire. The recipient of each scholarship will be announced at SCPA Championship Finals.

The schedule for the inaugural SCPA Symposium is now live and ready for your exploration! This eagerly awaited event promises a wealth of knowledge, inspiration, and networking opportunities for indoor percussion enthusiasts like you. Visit our Symposium Schedule page for a comprehensive breakdown of presenters, speakers, session descriptions, and session times.

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