When you main sound rig fails.

[Tom]

Ok, so im sure it has happened to us all were our rig has cut out, stopped working ect ect.

So you get you backup ready to play the music and continue. What do you say to everybody. Do you explain the problem then continue with the music or just play the music straight away.

I have only had this problem once and this was at my new year disco. the laptop becamse very slow and i knew it was going to stop working so i quickly got a cd from the folder and mixed it in to the next song and worked of the cd decks till the laptop was working again.


What are your views about this and what do you do.

[rob1963]

I guess this depends on how you work.

I use 3 CD players, so I have one track playing and usually 2 more ready to go. If I hit the start button and nothing happens, I would just hit the start button of the OTHER cued track...so the chances are nobody would notice.

I certainly wouldn't say anything unless there was a gap in the music, in which case I'd make a joke out of it.

[yourdj]

I always restart my mac and close all programs before gigs. i have had times before when i have left my outlook on and the send and receive schedule has gone off! Dont think any one noticed but it could have been worse.

[Vectis]

Guess it depends what you mean by 'main sound rig'.

Even on my smallest rig I have a dedicated (ie specially built, shared with nothing, never been near the internet) laptop for music running OTS AND a d2 director. The larger rigs have additional laptops for lighting and video which can be 'sacrificed' for audio if required with the video laptop having its own mixer channel anyway. So in essence I always have 4 live decks available as an absolute minimum.

For the main part of the night I use the d2, but the laptop is always cued with at least one song or mix that works with the current genre just in case.

In case of a mixer failure I have a spare kept in the van but in the meantime I have a special patch cable that can run direct from laptop to amp - probably takes about 30 seconds to patch, and the laptop can be configured for mic in.

In case of a main amp failure (mid/tops) there's a second in the rack for larger venues when I run two pairs of Pro-15s, so again a 30-second patch job and we're running. If running two pairs of speakers, I drop to one. Plus there's a second spare in the van.

In case of a powered sub failure, with a bit of EQ jiggery pokery I can add bass to the mid/tops - may have to sacrifice a bit of volume in a larger venue.

In case of a speaker failure I have two pairs of Pro-15s. One pair usually sits in the van if I'm at a smaller venue.

The only thing that'll stop me entirely is a lack of power :D But even then my d2 and laptop are on a small UPS just in case I have to contend with Mr Sound Limiter or some idiot switching us off.

Think I've got it covered.

[Dragonfly]

well , luckily so far ive never had the sound system go down , one or 2 big panics due to the fact ive forgotten my mackies need to be plugged in to work at gigs but never mid gig.....

that said ,

i have always had the cortex or other cued up with a track ready to go if the laptop or other stopped working , so quick apology on the mic sometimes a joke and up and running again. same really as if you find a jumping cd.

plan to do the same with the second laptop starting this weekend , its there as back up but might as well be fired up ready to go.

[mb3]

If the audience notice - I guess it's a case of joke about it. When I've cued wrongly I'll usually say something like "it's just like learning to drive - all these darn buttons look the same"

If I've simply put on the wrong track - well, apart from me, who knows - stay quiet.

If it's a case of going to the van for a spare amp and speakers, maybe asking for someone to help carry....

[Vectis]

Very occasionally I'll hit the wrong button - usually when I'm going from d2 deck to a video or vice-versa - and I'll just blame 'finger trouble' or 'Bill Gates' :p Usually gets a smile :D

[rob1963]

Sometimes I put in a CD and then get distracted, so I forget to cue the track I want.

Therefore, when I hit play, track one plays. Sometimes this works out ok, but others it doesnt!

I put it down to old age!

[mb3]

Sometimes I put in a CD and then get distracted, so I forget to cue the track I want.

Therefore, when I hit play, track one plays. Sometimes this works out ok, but others it doesnt!

I put it down to old age!

Don't forget, Terry Wogan did this all the time, and he got paid pretty well.....

[rob1963]

Don't forget, Terry Wogan did this all the time, and he got paid pretty well.....

Good point.

Maybe I'll put my prices up then!

:rolleyes:

[mb3]

Good point.

Maybe I'll put my prices up then!

:rolleyes:

Now den, dat all depends on wedder you can do de oirish accent properly.......

[CRAZY K]

well , luckily so far ive never had the sound system go down , one or 2 big panics due to the fact ive forgotten my mackies need to be plugged in to work at gigs but never mid gig.....

that said ,

i have always had the cortex or other cued up with a track ready to go if the laptop or other stopped working , so quick apology on the mic sometimes a joke and up and running again. same really as if you find a jumping cd.

plan to do the same with the second laptop starting this weekend , its there as back up but might as well be fired up ready to go.

Unlike Dave I have a back up laptop that stays in its case all night next to me and the Cortex--but is ready to go fairly quickly.

Spare Hard drive and two mini Disc players as well.

Spare Amp and mixer--no spare speakers ---usually one is more than enough turned up loud:eek:

Spare Mike and a few cables, connectors, mains leads etc.

CRAZY K

[rob1963]

Now den, dat all depends on wedder you can do de oirish accent properly.......

Top of the morning to you, to be sure, to be sure, to be sure!

:D :D :D

[CRAZY K]

Top of the morning to you, to be sure, to be sure, to be sure!

:D :D :D

Did you want that grass turf laid green side up den:D

Ok ill get my hat on the way out :cowboy:

CRAZY K

[rob1963]

Did you want that grass turf laid green side up den:D

Ok ill get my hat on the way out :cowboy:

CRAZY K

:Laugh:

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

If you do suffer with a problem during a gig, then just explain to the audience on the mic (if you still have power) that you have a slight technical hitch and you'll be back momentarily.

[mb3]

..........a slight technical hitch and you'll be back momentarily.


While telling the roadie to get the van started.... ;)

[leighinstoke]

If laptop fails I switch to CDs which are always up to date.

If main mixer fails, I've one of those cheapo plastic 2 channel £10 ebay mixers.

If main amp fails, I've an IMG 200w a channel one in the same rack.

If speakers fail, limp along sounding cack or, if possible and with permission, use any venue ones or get my small set from home put into a taxi. (Happened once, used venue until I got my spares dropped in).

If all else fails, start praying!

Leigh.....

[Jiggles]

Curl up in to a ball and hide under the decks while crying :D:D

Na i just keep my other laptop ready to go.

[A1DL]

Had an instance recently where a relatively new SMPS jobbie on mid-highs failed for no apparent reason, system was back up & running within less than one minute, as lots of redundancy on the FOH rack, so just a case of loading a different program on the LMS. Redundancy is the key.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Had an instance recently where a relatively new SMPS jobbie on mid-highs failed for no apparent reason, system was back up & running within less than one minute, as lots of redundancy on the FOH rack, so just a case of loading a different program on the LMS. Redundancy is the key.

And in English please Tony...:confused: :p

[Starlight]

Curl up in to a ball and hide under the decks while crying :D:D

Na i just keep my other laptop ready to go.


So what do you do if your speakers or amp blew? :eek: :eek:

Mendoza.

[Larry B Entertainment]

In the unlikely event that 2 cd players and laptop failed i would just switch to the ipod which is always to hand and plugged in ready to go and full of popular songs, if that failed then i would switch to the emergency discman if i needed a track playing while i tried to get the other stuff working again.

If one speaker went i would continue using the other one and get thru the gig

If the amp blew then i guess i would be stuck and have to apoligise to the audience and then try to rectify the situation. It would be impossibe, or at least inconvenient to have a backup amp and speakers already set up, plugged in and ready to go as well as the main system.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

In the unlikely event that 2 cd players and laptop failed i would just switch to the ipod which is always to hand and plugged in ready to go and full of popular songs, if that failed then i would switch to the emergency discman if i needed a track playing while i tried to get the other stuff working again.

If one speaker went i would continue using the other one and get thru the gig

If the amp blew then i guess i would be stuck and have to apoligise to the audience and then try to rectify the situation. It would be impossibe, or at least inconvenient to have a backup amp and speakers already set up, plugged in and ready to go as well as the main system.

You could have a spare amp in your rack ready to go though.

[BeerFunk]

I have only had this problem once and this was at my new year disco. the laptop becamse very slow and i knew it was going to stop working so i quickly got a cd from the folder and mixed it in to the next song and worked of the cd decks till the laptop was working again.

I always restart my mac and close all programs before gigs. i have had times before when i have left my outlook on and the send and receive schedule has gone off! Dont think any one noticed but it could have been worse.
Two words - dedicated machine. Even if you do know Windows inside out - the more things you ask it to do (regardless of having other programs shut down at the time of DJing), the less reliable it becomes.

I have never had any major problems, thankfully, but I am sharp enough to adapt to teething problems arising on the night. I used to use Kam CD decks back when first started (KCD960 I think..?), and after a while the lasers started becoming very hit and miss when picking up a newly inserted CD. I had a spare portable CD player hooked up for this type of situation, and I still use a portable MP3 player now as a 'plug the gap' solution. It wouldn't get me through the night should my Denons fail, but I can't see that ever happening to be honest.

[music-2-play]

I always keep a cheap backup Mixer and Backup Headphones in my van. I always bring a flight-cased laptop and PCDJ controller with me in case my CD players fail. And I'll always have at least 2 amps and 2 pairs of speakers with me, so at worst there will be a short break in the music while I run around like a blue-arse-fly trying to replace whatever has stopped working. Thankfully, it hasn't happened yet, but there's always a first time

[alphawave]

how far do you go with back up? i have gone as far as having two cars fitted with tow bars for the trailer,plus spare wheels for it which is carryed around in the boot..i always carry a spare amp plus if my cd mixer went down i carry a small 2 channel mixer supplyed with two portable cd players rigged up to it ready to plug into either amp,the only thing i dont(no room) have for back up is loudspeakers.......over the years i have amps and cd players fail!

[PropellerHeadCase]

Interesting, apparently the forum censor has no problem with "arse"... curious.

I have my very old Denon 2000F Mk II and an Intimidation mixer in a little home-made roadcase, and I now have a cheap amp as back up to either one of my other amps (as I always take two amps with me and predominantly only use one I generally have redundancy there), but the back up amp could conceivably run my sub and top end (through the sub's passive crossover) as the spare amp is twice the power of my usual sub amp.

[Sam]

Interesting, apparently the forum censor has no problem with "arse"... curious.

I have my very old Denon 2000F Mk II and an Intimidation mixer in a little home-made and lidded carry box, I now have a cheap amp as back up to either one of my other amps (as I always take two amps with me and predominantly only use one I generally have redundancy there), but the back up amp could conceivably run my sub and top end (through the sub's passive crossover) as the spare amp is twice the power of my usual sub amp.

If my cd mixer fails I have two laptops and a ipod which can be used.
I don't currently have a extra speaker (they are active) but am currently buying one.

Sam

[Adam_F]

I use the Denon DN HD 2500 with the additional CD drawers, a seperate dual CD player and an Ipod hooked up to a spare channel, so have at least 3 / 4 other songs cued through various playing devices.

[Tom]

Two words - dedicated machine. Even if you do know Windows inside out - the more things you ask it to do (regardless of having other programs shut down at the time of DJing), the less reliable it becomes.

I

I always make sure that any unwanted programs are turned off before every gig but even the best laptop can give up. I have never had a problem with using my laptop at all, just only happened once at the new year gig but the music did not stop and the dance floor did not stop moving while i was panicing what to do and getting it right ect ect.

[BeerFunk]

I always make sure that any unwanted programs are turned off before every gig but even the best laptop can give up. I have never had a problem with using my laptop at all, just only happened once at the new year gig but the music did not stop and the dance floor did not stop moving while i was panicing what to do and getting it right ect ect.
Programs don't have to be running to affect other programs, or the operating system. A lot of applications try to take over as much of your PC as possible, by associating file types, adding themselves to the startup menu and so on - and some programs can do a lot worse than that! I would suggest that if you use a machine for DJing, then keep everything installed on the machine geared towards this, and nothing else.

[Larry B Entertainment]

You could have a spare amp in your rack ready to go though.

True :) Theres more chance of an amp going down rather than a speaker cone.

[Tony Scott]

My main play out is a rack mount PC running PCDJ RED 5.2 (absolutely bomb proof, super stable).

If this was to ever fail I have a bog standard Numark CDN22 MK4 in my mixer rack loaded with 2 "best of, party type" CD's ready to go. I also carry a CD case with about 100 CD's ('Now' & Compilation Albums etc.).

Also have my Lighting Laptop running DMX which has about 8'000 tunes on it ready to go and an external hard drive with the same.

My sound system is always at the very least 2Way and at best 5way so an amp faliure is never going to be an issue coz I run between 2 & 5 amplifiers anyway.

Same for a speaker faliure, always something else to use, even a monitor will get you out of trouble if you are really stuck! :)

[Tom]

Programs don't have to be running to affect other programs, or the operating system. A lot of applications try to take over as much of your PC as possible, by associating file types, adding themselves to the startup menu and so on - and some programs can do a lot worse than that! I would suggest that if you use a machine for DJing, then keep everything installed on the machine geared towards this, and nothing else.

thats my plan. just need to get payed from work and get a few more gigs and im going to redo my pc. really slow so im going to get the new AMD phenom quad core but thats another story.

at the nye gig norton started a scan and that slowed it right down. i know i shouldnt use my dj laptop for the net but i havent got round to getting my pc sorted.

[Dragonfly]

well my gig tonight is 2 hours and i will mainly be using two laptops and a cortex :D :D :D :D

not got round to taking the cortex out of the flightcase yet and waiting on a 2nd sound card for a laptop but could just swap the one ive got incase of grief , but id prefer to just click on a 2nd laptop and it play ..... have it ready so to speak.

That said im considering not having my second backup laptop on through a gig as if i have a power failure it could then damage my backup too negateing the whole back up thing?? may just have it set up ready to switch on if needed.