
Preview the Latest Electronic Performance Gear from Connect 2023 Berklee faculty share some of their favorite tech from this weeks Electronic Digital Instrument (EDI) Summit-and the future is laptop-optional.
By
John Mirisola
June 6, 2023
Daedelus, assistant professor in the Electronic Production and Design Department, is a presenter and panelist at this years Connect 2023: EDI Summit.
Image courtesy of the artist
Theres a stereotyped idea, at least a decade old at this point, of an electronic music performer bobbing their head behind a laptop screen, clicking through programmed beats and synth cues mostly hidden from the audiences sight. And certainly, some truly memorable music and live experiences continue to come from this kind of performance setup. But this years Connect 2023: Electronic Digital Instrument (EDI) Summit offers an updated look at the EDI landscape-one in which laptops might still play a role in performance, but where the artist is freer than ever before to step out from behind the screen and create using tools that feel increasingly more intuitive, engaging, and human.
Explore the Future of Electronic Music Performance
Learn more about Connect 2023: EDI Summit, taking place June 9-11, and register.
The spirit of this years Connect 2023: EDI Summit is really a celebration of the many different ways that we are exploring electronic performance, says Michael Bierylo, chair of the Electronic Production and Design (EPD) Department, which is hosting the summit. When we began the EDI principal instrument program in 2019, electronic performance was focused on the laptop computer as the center of the instrument. While this is often still the case, we are seeing artists increasingly using hardware devices, such as drum machines, hardware sequencers, and synthesizers and DJ rigs in performances.
The summit will also cover developments in live playback engineering using EDIs, the integration of EDIs into music education, and much more, all centering on the theme of performance.
In advance of this weeks event, Berklee Now caught up with some of the summits Berklee-based presenters and asked them to tell us about the gear theyre most excited to feature at Connect 2023-what is it, how does it work, and what does it make possible for musical performance. Heres what they said:
Daedelus using a Monome Grid.
Image by Shubostar
Daedelus, Assistant Professor, EPD We are lucky to be hosting [keynote presenter] Brian Crabtree at the summit this year; his Monome Grid was at the forefront of a new approach to performing that was isomorphic and isometric-undoing some of the opinion that the traditional piano layout implies. A real innovation from the hundreds-year-old piano layout.
Michele Darling
Michele Darling, Assistant Chair, EPD Ableton has been at it again, releasing a new version of the groundbreaking instrument, Push 3. We are excited to feature it at the Connect summit this year. It integrates seamlessly with Ableton Live software, offering deep integration with Lives features. It allows users to control almost every aspect of their productions directly from the controller. A game-changing part is that they also offer a standalone version that can be played without a laptop, which can create more freedom for players to express themselves on the physical instrument. Also, because of its new design and extra touch-sensitive pads, it has the ability for players to be more expressive with dynamics and pitch control than ever before. It allows for more human expression when playing.
Dan Freeman playing Blinky.
Image by Erin Liu
Dan Freeman, Assistant Professor, EPD I call it Blinky. It's basically three controllers Velcroed together on a bass neck to form a single instrument. It's my way of uniting an instrument, sampler, sequencer, and audio effects processing onto a single performance interface. It's an interface that controls Ableton Live and allows me to do live looping performances solo or play with other musicians. My right hand plays the Ableton Push 2, and my left controls the looping, audio effects processing, and the sampler. It allows me to take my gear off of a table and return to an interface that I've used almost my whole life-the bass guitar. It also allows me to focus on virtuosic performance and live looping, and it's really fun to play. For Connect 2023, I'll be playing with the great jazz pianist Rachel Z as we merge the sound of jazz and electronic music.
Val Jeantys Sensory Percussion drum setup.
Val Jeanty, Associate Professor, Ensembles As a drummer/percussionist who works with mostly digital instruments, Sunhouses Sensory Percussion is now the main tool of all my compositions. Sensory Percussion uses sensors that are attached to my Reverie kit with Evans mesh drum heads and allow me to tap into my creative flow with more freedom for live improvisations, from incredibly accurate acoustic drum sounds to otherworldly soundscapes. And unlike backing tracks, Sensory Percussion responds to the nuances of my playing and creates subtle variations that make the electronic elements feel more human and empowering.
Isabella Koen
Image by Rue Sakayama
Isabella Koen, Assistant Professor, EPD I'll be presenting on organizational methods for constructing a live techno performance using hardware. I'm excited to share the possibilities of performance using Elektron hardware and the Access Virus C synth. The Elektron Octatrack, Elektron Analog Rytm, and Access Virus C allow for ways of composing, structuring, and performing a live set that fosters improvisation, fluidity, and precision. The sampling and sound capabilities of both Elektron pieces afford deep paths into exploring the manipulation and modification of sound, while the Access Virus C provides intuitive ways to achieve the classic '90s-early 2000s rave, techno, an
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
07/05/2026
At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...
07/05/2026
Strategic three-year partnership marks delivery phase of BFBS' next-generation media vision
Media organisation and military charity BFBS (British Forces Br...
07/05/2026
Amagi, the agentic industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced the availability of its In-Content Ads offering v...
07/05/2026
Lightware Visual Engineering has developed Rack Taurus for rack-based environments such as education and corporate training spaces. It enables clean and simple ...
07/05/2026
Jigsaw24, the UK's leading media equipment supplier and systems integrator, will showcase its expanded end-to-end workflow capabilities at MPTS 2026, signal...
07/05/2026
Ease Live, an Evertz company, today announced that it has been granted a US Patent for its proprietary graphical overlay technology, the foundation for interact...
07/05/2026
Test & measurement innovator Leader Electronics of Europe will present an extensive range of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement solutions at...
07/05/2026
At Broadcast Asia 2026 (Stand 5H3 8), LiveU is redefining live production with its most powerful IP-video EcoSystem to date built to help broadcasters and con...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Recreating the 1974 Doctor Who Time Tunnel in After Effects
Graham Quince May 6, 2026
0 Comments
The Time Tunnel from Doctor Who titles is one of th...
07/05/2026
Well known Irish faces pushed to the edge in new series of
Uncharted with Ray G...
07/05/2026
RT will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the...
07/05/2026
Less typing, more tanking.
Faster logins mean more time in the gaming action - and this week provides GeForce NOW members with a smoother path straight into th...
06/05/2026
Gravity Media Chief RF Communications Engineer Glenn Willems uses Wisycom RF over Fiber and wireless solutions across major cycling events and international mar...
06/05/2026
A Sennheiser Spectera module is now available in Bitfocus Companion and Buttons, enabling direct integration of Spectera with the two software platforms. The mo...
06/05/2026
Ted Turner, the visionary media entrepreneur whose appetite for disruption helpe...
06/05/2026
Peacock is going all-in on the beautiful game - streaming all 104 FIFA World Cup...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...
06/05/2026
For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...
06/05/2026
ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing
Brie Clayton May 6, 2026
0 Comments
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...
06/05/2026
Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...