One of my music goals for next year is to perform some of my chiptune live for an audience. I know of a few local music venues I could likely get booked at, and I've started working on a set of gameboy songs that are more rhythmic and danceable (as much as I love making cute, jazzy NES tunes, I don't expect there to be as much of an in-person audience for that).

I'm too awkward to like the idea of being chiptune "DJ" where all I do is press play on my laptop or gameboy, so I've been using LSDJ's live mode to give me something to do. That way it's more interactive by forcing me to cue each section/instrument, but also more error-prone unfortunately. Additionally, I'd like to incorporate some instruments, probably just my synthesizer to start (because it's electronic and I don't want to deal with getting a mic for my accordion or mandolin). In one of my tunes so far, I have a solo section in the middle where I can let LSDJ loop while I improvise on my synth, and in another one I'll play the melody, etc.


ANYWAYS,
I know several people here have played chiptune songs live, or been to live chiptune shows, so I am curious what advice any of you have.

- What are common technical difficulties or challenges that arise? (in particular for GB/LSDJ music) and how can those be avoided?
- Is it difficult for chiptune to sound good when blasted out of a PA?
- Tips for good stage presence?
- Things to avoid doing?
- Do people actually like hearing chiptune live?

just imagine yourself naked or whatever they say
oh and have like 20 people in the back cueing up stuff for you while you bop your head like an idiot

hey! that's one of my goals too

i shall watch this thread with great interest...

all I have to offer is good vibes, but I'll be psyched to hear how it goes!

Also interested to hear ideas and advice here as i'm in a similar boat haha! i've performed once so far with LSDJ plus guitar and it was very fun. I just pressed play on the gameboy, and performed the guitar parts on top as it's a bit full on in some of my songs. but i'm sure theres some scope to experiment with live mode for less intensive guitar/instrument tunes.

I love your idea of looping a solo section and grabbing your instrument, that sounds like a really cool way to keep things fresh each performance!

MIDI INSTRUMENTS. Or any instrument really. If you're in a region that doesn't care about chiptune (you're in the US so most likely you are), put the performance in chiptune performance. I did the sit there awkwardly and pretend to DJ stuff comp. It was stressful. In the future, I'm definitely doing midi instruments (gotta get use on my keytar). This tip is mainly for formats like SNES and Genesis, but it could work for other chips too.

Covers. When I performed at GDex, I didn't do any (because I haeit them), but that probably sabotaged me the most of anything. Covers are easy discography. Unless you're stubborn like me, it'd probably be a good idea to do a few.

Convenient following opportunity. Another thing I forgot to do at GDex. It's worth it to print handouts with QR codes. I just had one on a wall through a projector. Not smart.

Note that I'm only giving this advice based off of 2 performances, so do take it with a grain of salt. Good luck performing!

Edit:
"Do people like hearing chiptune live?"
........... Good question. Maybe

"Lsdj Technical difficulties/ sounding good"
It sounds amazing over a PA in my experience. Sometimes arps sound weird

"Tips for good stage presence"
Have an instrument and MOVE. Don't just stand there.

"Things to avoid doing"
Don't ramble between songs.

I think you're on the right track with mixing it up and instinctively understanding that a general audience may not be into watching you just stand around holding a Game Boy. I think that's why "visuals" are traditionally a big part of chiptune events. As far as being in a regular music setting (which is a fantastic way to stand out and make fans; this stuff is like magic to people outside the scene), that's why my act has always involved vocals, and most always an accordion as well! If you use your accordion we will either have to eliminate each other Highlander-style, or at least feature on the same bill. :D
haha wait do you live near Philly at all? hmu

Way way back when I was starting out I asked someone about stage presence and they suggested watching Pete Townshend (*who famously, as a part of The Who, smashed his guitar on stage). I dunno about that. There's flamboyance on stage but then there's confidence -- being comfortable with the fact that you're addressing a room full of people, making the ol' eye contact, and if not being genuine then at least being engaged with the audience whether you're playing a character or playing yourself. People like watching someone perform who's having a good time and getting into it. (Big echo @Da Flarf: don't ramble on between numbers, people are there to hear music, not talking.) If you're used to being in front of groups of people - public speaking, acting, etc. - these things will help you. Otherwise that confidence and comfort will come to you with time the more you do it - so do it a lot.

Pop into open mic events too, it's a fun way to build experience and meet people and other musicians. Time-consuming though - get there early so if there's a sign-up list you can get on there to play before midnight!

And you'll certainly feel more confident the more you rehearse your material. I want to really stress that! In the end though, even if you feel you've made a fool of yourself, you'll still get to walk away and go home and do something else.

An important technical tip: an unmodded Game Boy has a super weak output signal. You may end up plugging it into an amp or a DI Box or something before those devices carry your signal to the actual sound equipment.
If you are not using a stereo splitter to get separate L and R outputs from your Game Boy, DO NOT have your songs include any stereo effects. I think I have found exceptions but the bottom line is: it can cause a crazy volume spike in the sound system when the L/R panning starts to kick in. Nobody, including you, wants to hear that. In that situation... you're gonna just have to abort the song!

take a shitload of weed.
if weed is illegal where you live take it illegally or do a shitload of beer

fill up a gigantic plastic bag with air from your lungs as fast as you possibly can then stand up and hop around in a circle until you feel the pump (probably better to do this backstage)

Have a specific outfit you always wear when performing. This could be as elaborate as a fancy costume or as simple as a particular T-shirt you like.

This is partly to make you more recognizable but mostly for the psychological effect it has on yourself when you change into "performance mode."

Hey, coming at it from the organizing end for the past 8 years (MAGFest Chipspace, Boston Bitdown, 8Static to a lesser degree because I only joined them last year), if I had to guess, I think I've seen over 300 chiptune/Chip adjacent acts, and I have some thoughts.

Listen to Sloopygoop!!! I've had him on a stage I manage before (and would love to have him back!) he is an absolute pro.
video here of him playing my stage in 2024 - https://youtu.be/aTz3eLGxhEw?t=1200


"What are common technical difficulties or challenges that arise? (in particular for GB/LSDJ music) and how can those be avoided?"
Common technical difficulties
- Bring back up equipment
- See above!!! And I'll elaborate: seriously, bring back up batteries. Bring back up cables and adapters. Have a plan B and C. Do you plug in with RCA? Did you bring an RCA to 1/8" or 1/4" adapter? Did your 35 year old gameboy stop working? Did you bring a laptop that happens to have backups of your songs on it as well or bring it on your phone?
- Also be prepared for this: have you ever had LSDJ crash on you while playing on your gameboy? If no, you will. If yes? Stay cool. Restart and pick up from where you left off. When a gameboy crashes, it is a RULE that you, the staff, and the audience all yell, "CHIPTUNES!"
- Never rely on venue wifi. Have your files locally available.

"Is it difficult for chiptune to sound good when blasted out of a PA?"
GAMEBOYS SOUND AMAZING OUT OF PAs but the sound tech may need to adjust the sound. That's what your mic check is for. Make sure you get a sound you both like. BUT also make sure you get what you want to hear out of the monitors if you're on a stage with monitors. If you're playing a instrument along, don't you want to hear the tracker so you can stay on beat with it?


"Tips for good stage presence?"
Seeing good ideas on stage presence from performance outfits from agargara, but honestly wear something comfy as well. Dan Deacon used to perform in sweat pants and he was amazing. Hey speaking of Dan Deacon, you want to try something different? Want to get the crowd more involved? Play in front of the stage. Dan Deacon, dataCats, Bubblegum Octopus, plenty of others chip and chip adjacent have done acts where they play IN FRONT of the audience to develop a frenzied atmosphere BUT that's them. If that's not you, be yourself but be yourself louder if that makes sense.

For people who are pure gameboy / M8 / Laptop musicians, honestly you will need to do some footwork or bopping to get people joining you. If there's an easy beat to get people clapping to, start the clap. If you play an instrument or sing along, shine and focus on doing good with that.
Defense Mechanism is a gameboy only guy and I tease him to his face that he only has three dance moves but you know what? He's having fun and mixes up his three moves - you should have fun on stage, too - video example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwu5k4ODb6I

Have a confident mic voice. Get close to it, don't be afraid of it. "EAT THE MIC!" as we yell to the quiet people. I'm not saying yell into it but be close and let your voice be heard. The sound tech will adjust your speech volume if needed.

"Things to avoid doing"
- Don't give up to boos and rejections. You got booed off stage? The incredibly unlikely scenario where a sound tech mutes you and tells you to leave the venue? Fine! Pick your ass off the ground, dust yourself off and try again somewhere else. You can't expect to have found your audience immediately especially if it's a first live performance. You will find your people! YOU WILL! Keep at it.


"Do people actually like hearing chiptune live?" So I take this question asked for instances outside of Chiptune/vgm locales. Yes, it's appreciated where people appreciate synths, good beats (like hip hop concerts), so it's more of the whole package and not so much someone pressing play and walking away from their gameboy. I love Rushjet1. He knows that he's not going to dance on stage, so he puts oscillator viz behind him on screens and it makes for a great visual.

Tailor your songs for your crowds. Is it a venue where you see people dancing? Then it's probably not the time for an experimental noise track. Is it an all ages show? I strongly recommend keeping to cleaner songs. I'm not saying to change who you are as an artist but if you have enough of a repertoire, you should be able to pick and choose what makes sense but experience will be your best teacher on where to play what songs but some forethought into your audience will help.

Other things in this thread -

DaFlarf is right that people like familiar also. A cover or two isn't a bad idea to be an ice breaker or get an audience back. Make sure it's a well loved song. But be mindful that some streamed venues might have copyright concerns so check that ahead.

Other considerations
Plug yourself but don't linger in how you plug yourself. Some of my favorite comedians, Roy Wood Jr and Josh Johnson end their shows with saying their at the end, "I'm (name), thank you everyone goodnight." Both of those men are regularly appear on television and are world toured famous comedians and still remember that they have to market themselves to potential new fans. You will connect with someone who will love your music. Say your name and your bandcamp quick.
My compromise on plugging is time based. If you have 20 minutes? Announce yourself in the beginning and the end with bandcamp plug at the end. If you have 30 minutes, then you give a reminder mid song in the middle of the set.

Practice - I almost left this out because I thought it was a given but yes, practice. Check and see that you'll fit the allotted time to play. Make adjustments. See how you can be efficient. If you have more than one gameboy, see about having songs lead into each other instead of small wait to load another.

Depending on the venue, stage lights might prevent you from seeing the audience. You'll probably see the people right up against the stage if they bothered coming up but otherwise be prepared to have long instances where you can't see beyond the lip of the stage.

- Seconding Sloopygoop on the viz. If the venue doesn't have a screen, you can get a cheap backdrop. Not so sure about cheap projectors but you never know. Also seconding Sloopygoop's point again that viz and chip go hand in hand. We can have a more in depth conversation on viz in another thread and I can give lots of examples if requested

- Another thing I strongly advise - GET IT RECORDED! Have a friend prop up or hold a phone and get it recorded or if they have a camcorder and a tripod, even better. Save it, document it. This is very helpful for stages that request proof you've performed elsewhere but it's also worth going over to see what you would change. Get in the habit of documenting your work. If you're worried about bad sound, most sound boards these days should have an option to record directly to a USB drive and give you a WAV recording so you can mix in perfect WAV audio with phone footage.

Further recommended watching
Donutshoes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hos_b5DJkeY an absolute pro - watch this video for an example of someone with modified covers, playing pure gameboy and still getting the crowd pumped
Followed by Newlife+ performing his first show ever and pulling it off seemingly effortlessly

i think it's a good idea to watch videos like the ones 4ChannelsOfNoise posted (or go see some live shows if there are any in your area) and take the things you like from other performers and include them. i disagree slightly with DaFlarf on the rambling between songs - i think it's great when the performer talks/banters between a couple of songs to at least acknowledge what they're doing, it gives a bit more connection to the audience than not saying anything. i also think it's good etiquette to shout out the other performers playing sets and an easy way to get crowd engagement ("give it up for [previous act]! give it up for [visualist]!"). agree that practice is also super helpful. and recognize performing is a bit of a skill and you'll get better as you keep doing it.

Button Masher would be a good person to ask

the answer to your last 3 questions is do whatever is fun for you because ultimately you're just performing for yourself