“Ones and Zeros has always used
computers for playback of percussion
samples, synths, and dialog,” says Gould.
“To add visuals to our live show, we built
a system—affectionately known as
‘Bertha’—that handles audio and video
playback while giving us total control of
our monitor and click mixes. Our main
computer is a MacBook Pro, running
Apple Logic as the playback engine that
sends clicks and cues to the band, as
well as a stereo signal of the prerecorded
backing tracks to the house
system. Logic also drives our Arkaos
software that calls up the video images
and effects. An RGB send from the Mac
feeds video to video projectors, which
beam the images onto our custom
screens or any blank surface—including
speaker cabinets.
“Onstage monitoring of the playback
system is essential, of course, and this
is achieved via a Rolls headphone amp
for the drummer, a Shure PSM 200 wireless
in-ear system for the bassist, and an
Audio-Technica M2 wireless in-ear system
for me. I feel it’s too risky having the
drummer on a wireless system, because
if he loses signal, we have a real performance
issue.”