Hi, ive been an amateur singer songwriter producer, for just over two years now, producing my music in my living room with minimal equipment (laptop, headphones, usb mic, stereo speakers, and a copy of FL studio) and trying to make the most of a very low budget. i have a few songs which are almost finished and i now feel confident enough in my tracks, and more-so my abilities, to move my music into a live environment. i make dubstep, into which i also incorporate vocals, so basically my live act would consist of me at the front providing the live vocals, and a DJ backing me up with the instrumental versions and controlling levels etc (unless anyone has a better suggestion).

so what i need, is pointers on how i could go about doing this, what equipment i will need, and anything else that you think might help me to achieve this. if anyone is suggesting equipment, please keep in mind that my budget is low as i am saving almost all of my disposable income for a deposit on a house for my family.

equipment/ options that i have been considering so far, are as follows:
– a shure sm58 mic (or a cheaper equivalent)
– a boss ve20 vocal effect pedal – £170 – £200 (would struggle to find the money)
– a novation NIO 2/4 usb audio interface – £100 (sounds good… if it can work independantly from a laptop and DAW)
– routing my vocals straight into my laptop and applying the necessary effects within my DAW. (this would obviously be the cheapest option, but i am worried about latency and whether my laptop could keep up. i am also not sure about whether this is possible considering the laptop only has 3.5mm mic input and 3.5mm output)

i do have some contacts in the way of local venues, but if anyone has any pointers/advice on this, it all helps…

sorry i am so clueless about this sort of thing but thats why i am seeking some help. we all have to start somewhere, and if i dont give this my best shot, and get on that stage, i will seriously regret it when im too old!!

thanks