Lainhart studied composition and electronic music with Joel Chadabe at the State University of New York at Albany. He has composed music for film, television, CD-ROMs, interactive applications, and the Web. His compositions have been performed in the US, England, Sweden, Australia, and Japan. Recordings of his music have appeared on the Periodic Music, Vacant Lot, and XI Records labels.

Lainhart's animations and films have been shown in the US, Canada, Germany, and Korea, and online at ResFest, The New Venue, The Bitscreen, and Streaming Cinema 2.0. He won awards in several categories at the 2002 International Festival of Cinema and Technology in Toronto.

As an active performer, Lainhart has appeared in public approximately 2000 times. Besides performing his own work, he has worked and performed with John Cage, David Tudor, Steve Reich, Phill Niblock, David Berhman, and Jordan Rudess, among many others. He has also played vibes in a swing band, sharing the stage with musicians like Woody Herman, Nick Brignola, the Widespread Depression Orchestra, the Manhattan Rhythm Kings, and Asleep At The Wheel.

As a writer, Lainhart has authored technical manuals for music and video hardware and software, served as Contributing Editor for Interactivity and 3D Magazines, and contributed to books on digital media production published by IDG, Peachpit Press, McGraw Hill, and Miller Freeman Books. In addition, he has engineered audio for recordings and live sound, and served as technical director for Intelligent Music, a pioneering music software company.

Currently Technical Director for Total Training, an innovative digital media training company based in New York, Lainhart is also an Adobe Certified Expert in After Effects and Premiere, an occasional demo artist for Adobe Systems, and co-founder of the official New York City After Effects User Group.