A live AV performer must hold both an inward view (technical control) and an outward view (overall flow and impact) at once

Performing live audiovisual work demands a split attention that the audience does not share. The performer has a unique consciousness of internal processes — cognitive control over the technical execution (managing the software, patches, parameters). But while ‘playing the instrument’ they must simultaneously monitor the overall flow and impact of the presentation as an audience member would. Schacher frames this as cultivating both an inward and an outward perspective, and being able to adjust to changes in either domain. Beginners tend to collapse into the inward view — heads-down debugging — losing sight of whether the piece is actually landing. Mastery is the ability to zoom out to the room-level effect while keeping the machine running, and to steer based on both. This is a trainable performance discipline, distinct from the technical skill itself.

Examples

A live coder mid-set notices the visuals have plateaued (outward view: energy is flagging) while also tracking that the current shader is stable (inward view: technically fine), and decides to introduce a new layer — a decision only possible by holding both perspectives at once.

Assessment

Describe a moment in a live set where the inward and outward perspectives would demand conflicting actions (e.g., a technically risky change that would raise the energy). Explain how a performer decides, and name one practice-room exercise to train the outward view.