I constantly compare someone playing live (especially a single person with a laptop) to someone playing guitar. Even the worst guitar player still has to have some technical skill, look at the audience and play a volatile and dynamic instrument on which it is difficult to take breaks or mask mistakes. There is also a clear cause and effect which is extremely important for engaging the audience as a performer.
imho it doesn't matter how complex the live setup is, if you don't have tactile, logical controls that are the predominant focus of your playing (just like any other traditional instrument) then you will be lost staring at a screen and disengaged from the audience (even if you argue that you are absorbing their "synergy" while you program).
I guess maybe comparing live pa to a musician is unfair...maybe it is more like an orchestra conductor. A conductor may be performing with exaggerated movements and gestures but they all mean something and they help emphasize a performance from the audience perspective.
There is a balance that people are trying to work out: if your set is truly live and you are programming tons of stuff on the fly then there is only so much that you can do in real-time (or in quick enough time). The result is that your set will progress much slower. Some people compensate for this by collaborating and then concentrating on specific aspects like: mixing, drum programming, leads, fx etc. This formula works very well for groups like Cobblestone Jazz but I think it helps that two of the guys are accomplished jazz musicans on their own.
I like Robert Henke's Monodeck II, he closes his laptop screen and just uses the surface to jam out on. I think it has a long way to go but it is still way ahead of what a lot of other people are doing.
When I used to DJ more I used to practice for many hours every day with doubles, fx, and tons of mixer tricks. I really learned to use my mixer and to be able to get as much out of a fairly simple device as possible. I was also very inlfuenced by Cari Lekebusch (one of the most underrated technical DJs) Jeff Mills and other guys who would take minimal tracks and heavily manipulate and mix unlistenable/booring/minimal records into something exciting and alive.
Live PA should have more control options and opportunities than the limitations of a DJ setup. Therefore the live set should be more exciting volatile with a better chance to engage the audience.
Sadly most live sets are a step down from DJing instead.
The word "volatile" is key to me for both Djing or playing live. If I sense that there is a chance that everything could fall apart or it could go somewhere brilliant then it is exciting to see what happens and be a part of it. When I witness the majority of DJs playing incredibly safe sets and very conservative live sets I am bored after 5 minutes!
