Relatively new to mobile DJing - working around 4 years now. I’ve been using the MC6000mk2 for the last 2 years and love it, except that what started as an odd one off problem, has now become an issue every time I use it, meaning I now rely on my backup MC2000 as my main controller.
Initially, it happened just once - in the middle of a set, later in the evening, after around 3 hours of playing, the controller and VDJ software froze up - the s/w glitched onscreen, with a track paused but flickering side to side, no output, and the controller flashing random lights and not responding to any button pushes or fader movement - either through the PA or visible on the s/w.
For months after, it worked perfectly, and then suddenly happened again - a restart cured it.
But more recently it has started to happen more often, such that I cannot trust it to run even an hour without it happening. I’ve updated the firmware, and also the VDJ software. There is some talk elsewhere that this may be due to overheating, but I can cite cases where I was working in very hot conditions and it did not occur. Is there a chance that dust can affect this and a build up has caused this to clog and overheat far worse than it would normally?
Because midi controllers are just dumb boxes like a joystick but with more Buttons on, there’s not a lot in them to freeze.
I’d try running your controller on a different laptop or computer. The thing you say about everything being fine for an hour or two is classic laptop behaviour. A laptops heat is inversely proportionate to its speed and reliability
As your post suggests, dust could be a problem. But again more the laptop than a controller. Most controllers, and certainly not the 6000, don’t have fans sucking in air (and dust) - a laptop pulls in a shot load of air (and dust) which coats everything inside the laptop in a lovely warm layer of dust just like a winter coat, keeping everything warm inside the laptop - exactly what you don’t want
Thanks - I’m using an i5 MacBook Pro - and I have a backup machine. Will try a soak test with both. Nothing else on the MBP stops working at the point that everything freezes. And a restart of the 6k2 cures the problem, at least until the next time.
Both the VDJ software and the controller ‘hang’. The lights on the controller flash and go mad for a bit, then freeze in a non-standard random way, sometimes flickering.
I have sometimes had this issue on startup of the controller too, with no issue in VDJ, but restarts clear it.
Can you explain a little more about the buffering and driver issue? Bear in mind that this problem has got worse over time - but didn’t happen at all to start.
This is typically a “lost connection to audio interface” problem. Could be your audio buffer is too small, could be a dodgy USB cable. VDJ has a reconnect option to avoid needing a computer reboot.