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You are missing what I am saying, EVEN IF I WAS mobile, I would still bring my discs & players for back up.  It doesn't take anymore time.



It was cheaper, it is completely user serviceable as far as changing out cards, adding memory, swapping hard drives, etc. plus the fact it was a pro grade sound card that most laptops don't have - this was a major importance for me.  May not be important to anyone else.



Ah but computers do fail, i've had to reboot during a show on a couple occasions. Program crashed once & the audio started glitching a couple times so I manually rebooted after a song, all in the while I had my discs, pulled out the next song before the current song was over, had it cue'd, called the next singer, started the song, rebooted computer.  It was done rebooting before the current song was over so nobody was even the wiser, no dead air, no down time, just a flowing show.  So bringing in the discs were for something.  You may feel it's frivalous to do so, but to me it doesn't hurt, even if I need them 1 time every 6 months, that one time is worth it to me, not to have the audience looking at me wondering why my equipment isn't playing.



Yep, it is JUST as illegal, but at least I could prove in the spot 1:1 ratio with all my corresponding discs.  Even a couple of the manus said if they saw this at a show, they more than likely wouldn't pursue any further action.  But at least I can say my selection is 100%, no one has to wonder.

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Lonman, wouldn't you just LOVE to see the guy with 70,000-90,000 songs on CDGs dragging in their cases of hard copies?  

K

Yes I would love it, because I seriously doubt that many legit people have that many discs.

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You guys are cracking me up with this thread!

Personally, I'm going with the desktop.  Reasons for me are cost and configuration.  I can custom design my rig and get the parts I want when they are on sale.  I can replace any single component on a desktop - something that can't be done on a laptop.  (video is hardwired to the MB for example).  There are plenty of small cases for desktops so size isn't that much a factor.  But I'm an IT guy so I can do all that.

Well I made up my mind I am putting together a desktop shuttle system for about 550.00 yes it includes the monitor and wireless keyboard and mouse. I will make me a nice custom road case so everything will be in it. It will also have a backup cdg player just in case. I looked hard at laptops lots of good points but I cannot run down to the computer shop and grab a part if something goes wrong. I really did not want to invest in 2 laptops although that is a good alternative. Thanks for all the discussion It was very helpful. And soon Ill be doing my first digital show! (All copied from my disc I have acquired over the last 11 years)

Sounds great.  I have a PC shuttle that I am in the process of uploading my music too - when people say it takes a long time, they MEAN IT.  I have about 4000 songs of my 18,000-plus songs done and have been at it daily for 5 days. Yes, All music that I've acquired over the last 12 years. I am so anxious to switch over to straight computer use. I have a laptop that I will keep for backup as well just in case, but the shuttle seems like the perfect solution. (Another KJ put the whole thing together so it is tested, thank goodness, because I definitely have NO IT blood in me!)

K

 :wave: I use a desktop shuttle system.  I also bring my discs & players with me to every show I do as a backup.

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[shadow=deepskyblue]I'm impressed, I've never met such a small mind inside such a big head before.[/shadow]

That is most likely what I will do - a shuttle box.

If the shuttle is so cheap, why not 2 of them and you could leave the discs safely at home?

Because some people prefer to have a physical back up.

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if one computer can be physical so can 2

Physical discs!

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Back up hard drive is also physical back up.  Same music as the physical discs.

Some people like the original discs as their backup as you can obviously see from some of the responses.

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Some people think it's a waste of time to put your discs in danger of being stolen or damaged.  Just to say you have them.

They can view the originals all day long at my warehouse.

Again, you see it differently.  Don't make it right, don't make it wrong.  You have a preference I have a preference.  Let it go!

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Everyone is trying to make it sound like discs are fragile.  properly handled they can last at least 18 years plus.  In that time we've had to replace two KJTools discs. We currently have about 1,800 discs and completely mobile.  even if we lost 10 or 100 discs, it wouldn't affect the show.  The time spent converting the discs can be used for better things.  If you have haul the discs and players with you then why add a computer (and back up) with you?

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Exactly...why have a computer at all?

If you are taking all your discs to every show and hooking up all the players, just don't waste your time dragging a computer along.  It will only slow you down.  They are nothing but a waste of time.   They won't even catch on.  

5 years from now people will be saying com-pu-ter...what is a com-pu-ter?   I like writting on papyrus, clay tables, carving on rocks and using 2 sticks to make fire..  

woohooo gotta love all these new fangled inventions...What's coming next...the wheel???  :whistle:

Yeeee haaa....  :dancin:

As I had indicated in a different thread ("Handling Discs On A Computer Set-Up")
in addition to my laptop, I bring my discs and separate player with me to shows. There are reasons for having both and a rig that utilizes just one or the other is missing some important benefits of having both. 

1.  While I have a back-up library, it stays at home where it belongs. So, if the external drive stops working, I need my discs.  Sure, I could backup another external drive (they're so cheap nowadays) to bring to the show, but I won't for several reasons, one of which is the difficulty that the Sax & Dottie software poses in regard to "tracking" through from the database to an additional hard drive with a different label than the originally used drive.  
2. If my computer, itself, is not working (and it did temporarily lock up on me once during a show) I can go to directly to the discs.
3.  When I started out, in order to get my show up and running, my library was copied to an external hard drive, basically all at once.  Over  time, I have found that some of the copied tracks have terrible graphics and need to be re-copied.  If a singer can't deal with those poor graphics, and if I don't have an alternative version on the hard drive, I grab the original discs and start the song over.  While it would be nice if every copied track were perfect, that isn't the case in my system and it would be a massive job that I don't care to undertake to go back and check each track.  I note the bad tracks as they are found!
4. Faster queuing up of songs on the computer
5. If a singer's disc doesn't play on my equipment, if I have a version of that song on the hard drive, they will be singing without missing much of a "beat"
6. Quicker recovery when using the computer when a bad track is selected (which is a problem that can also occur during a show that strictly uses discs)
7. no damage or wear and tear to the tracks in my library due to usage
8. computer tracks will not deteriorate over time as discs will
9. easier and quicker to find songs, if asked, on the computer than searching trough any printed catalog, particularly new additions
10.  enhancements to my show that have been made possible by the computer that could never have been implemented using a cd player, including the hosting software
11. I don't have to "rummage" through binders to extract and replace hundereds of discs during the course of a show.  (Perhaps losing or misfiling some in haste during the process)
note:  My song catalogs list the original disc/track number so I can still use my discs, if I need to find a track on a disc

I have the computer for ease of use at the show.  I have my discs for backup - yes they would come with me to every show.  I hook up the players for backup & customer discs.  
I don't need to spend the money on a second computer for back up, I have a perfectly good back up, I use that money for discs.  

Not your style, it is mine.  You do it your way, i'll do it mine - just let it go  :roll: .

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