I should know better than to participate in a Mix thread, but I guess I’ll do if just for some random new DJ’s who happen in.
This is really a NOOB kind of question.
I have two rack systems. Both have backup computers and Denon MC6000 MK2’s screwed to the top section of the rack. If the controller fails, changing it out would be a PITA and would take time, so I have secondary systems (backup computers with attached controllers), which are up and running live at the beginning of every gig along with my primary controller and computer. Both the primary and backup are connected to a mixer, so switching to the backup is only a matter of turning up the volume for that channel. On my small system, I have a Pioneer DDJ-WeGO3 as a backup, and my large system uses a AKAI AMX.
Here’s the deal... I’ve NEVER had a controller failure... EVER! In 6 years I’ve used 4 different controllers, and haven’t had a single failure. I take good care of my gear, but I think controllers are pretty reliable in general. I’ve heard of guys whose cross fader crapped out, but other than that, I don’t even know anyone whose controller quit working at a gig.
My contingency planning philosophy is probably a little extreme. I try to have alternatives for performing in case pretty much any component in my system fails, and it needs to be transparent to my audience. That means no more than a few seconds to switch to my backup.
The WeGO is almost a real controller. I can pretty much do anything with it I do on my MC6000. The AKAI allows me to mix between two decks, but not much more, so it’s not the best backup if I had to use it for an entire gig, but I could.
I’ve thought about this quite a bit though, and I’m not sure having all the backups is worth it. A simple tablet with a playlist might be smarter given the risks.
