Let's be honest, how many of you would be completely screwed without a laptop?

[jprime]

No problem here to rock some vinyl.

[tyfurious]

I could do it, I just dont have any vinyl or CDs.

[pakubear]

i only use vinyl, never used any software/controllers or a cdj. id be screwed there. lol

[mostapha]

I mixed on vinyl for a while before it became cost-prohibitive.

Frankly, the cost of records is the only reason I'm not 100% vinyl, and I don't even own decks anymore. Without my laptop and with no warning, I'd be screwed just because I don't own a CD wallet. If I could run CDJ-2000s off my iPod or someone handed me a crate of halfway-sensibly-selected and organized vinyl, I'd probably stumble for the first mix or so, but I'd be fine.

[ksandvik]

I always burn a set of audio CDs for any Beatport and similar WAV purchases for many reasons, having a backup or CDJ story being two.

As for going back to vinyl, that's icky but I would need to scramble and look through my book shelf half-full with vinyl to find something... Or drive over to Rasputins and do a quick $100 purchase of stuff.

[Frank112916]

I don't really get this question for a few reasons:

1) Who would roll up to a set where they didn't know what they would be playing on? That's just unprofessional and means you haven't done your hw. If you can't use your laptop and aren't good without it - then don't take gigs that can't accommodate one.

2) Asking this to someone who needs to use a laptop, it's like asking "if you broke the styli on your technics, and didn't have an extra one, would you be able to play?" No, clearly not, but no one would be stupid enough to go without some sort of backup plan - i.e. an extra needle, or an extra laptop, a redundant hard drive or with the ability to play on other mediums that do not include your laptop.

Either way - all you are railing on is poor professionalism and preparedness by a DJ. Any DJ using a computer who is reasonably well prepared for potential problems will have absolutely no problem fixing a laptop problem. If you handed me a booklet of CD's or a bag of Vinyl and told me to get mixing, I'd definitely have problem. It's not that I couldn't do it, but it certainly wouldn't be to the level I am at with traktor and my DVS setup.

[bigbeatzz]

Me = old school DJ and X vinyl junkie...I LOVE my laptop but do not need it to play.

[Nick V]

All of my professional experience is with spinning vinyl. I've actually never played real paying gig on a controller in my life. I really want to mostly because there is so much digital music I have which I will never own on vinyl, including stuff I made.

[DigitalDevil]

Either way - all you are railing on is poor professionalism and preparedness by a DJ. Any DJ using a computer who is reasonably well prepared for potential problems will have absolutely no problem fixing a laptop problem. If you handed me a booklet of CD's or a bag of Vinyl and told me to get mixing, I'd definitely have problem. It's not that I couldn't do it, but it certainly wouldn't be to the level I am at with traktor and my DVS setup.

I think you're misinterpreting OP's question. It was more of asking in general if the laptop DJs also have experience with traditional setups, not a hypothetical situation of a laptop crash or something.

[guiltyblade]

but still laptops do crash, and a lot of the younger djs out here would be totally screwed, at from what I take from it.