The Soundpainting Think Tank is an annual conference where Soundpainters from around the world are invited by Walter Thompson to come together to develop the Soundpainting language, give performances, share ideas, and make contacts with other Soundpainters to help further the development of the Soundpainting language in the performance and education arenas.

One of the main goals of the Think Tank conferences is to further codify concepts and ideas around the subject of live composition and how Soundpainting may be applied in education.

Brief history:
The first Think Tanks, known as Soundpainting residencies, were held at the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony in Woodstock, New York during the summers of 1998, 1999 and 2000. The residencies were a month long and artists from all over the world were invited to aid Walter Thompson in the study and the development of the Soundpainting language.

From 2002 to date (2023) the Soundpainting residencies were known as Think Tanks and were one week in length. Conservatories, universities and organizations all over the world have hosted the Think Tanks. A few of the host organizations include the Conservatorio de Milano (Italy), Kingston University (London) and Le Petit Fauchaux (France).