I Had A HUGE Power Issue 😱 

Heat plays a major factor as well if you have your gear in furniture..I have my gear in a flight case and I added intake and exhaust fans to keep my mixer cool…what happens is as the voltage gets lower the power converter in the mixer has to work harder to transform the voltage from line AC mains voltage to actual DC voltage (15-18v DC I think ) when you have a large voltage swings in the system, the power supply built into the mixer gets very hot because it has to work harder to deal with the various voltages coming in… And as you play louder and push the mixer harder by opening the volume gain, the mixer still has to use more power to amplify the input sources a little more. This adds even more strain and heat to the mixer’s power supplies… The heat issue is the same for laptop power supplies, they have to work harder to maintain constant clean DC power (usually 19-20vDC).. So the laptop power brick can get very hot too… What I do is I place my computer power brick in my fan cooled dj flight case cooler with (2) small intake fans and 1 large exhaust fan… You always want to insure that the vent holes are not blocked. We gotta start thinking about how heat affects this newer high tech digital computers and mixers… In the old days we had heavy analog mixers with capacitors, resistors and heavy duty transformers, which were more resistant to the effects of heat and in fact sounded and performed better when ran hotter or had a loud fan supplied with it… But now a days, this is not the case!!!! Cheers!!!! Thanks brotha !!! Great enthusiasm and content keep this up!!!

The fact a venue can charge a client $5k+ and have crap power is a joke. Then the $1000 DJ needs to handle the chaos

If you have ever looked at the print on a power brick or device, you will notice that voltage specifications are 100-240v range. This indicates the manufacturers specs for power requirements to run that device. I would never use power where I did not have 110 volts minimum. Power conditioners are highly recommended but will not protect you from a bad power circuit. I have talked to many venue managers about power and the majority have no clue what I am asking, especially older venues or schools. Always take the time to evaluate the venue before you setup, use more than one circuit when possible.

I had similar problems with a power strip (not surge protector) after it got rained on. Everything went south at a wedding, but worked perfect at home. Went back to the same venue 2 weeks later and it happened again. I tested every possible scenario at home and could not get it to happen. Called the venue owner and she let me come back to test. Everything worked perfect. I realized the only thing I did different was the power strip. Tossed the power strip and it has been working perfect ever since.

Not sure if all DJs do this but when I go visiting a venue to meet with clients, I take a power meter with me. My partner would check EVERY OUTLET that we're going to use for that night. We'll even check it when we're setting up just in case as well. We only had 1 problem and it was due to the adjacent bar area using 5 air conditioners when they only needed 2.

That’s the unfortunate part of this business, shit can happen anytime with electronics and computers. Be very professional and calm and you should be able to end the party with dignity. Great video Nick

When I was using a computer I had problems like this a couple of times that's why I went to a stand alone. I have a pioneer xdj rx2 and a couple of Denon prime go's

I was working an event, and there were some lighting guys that couldn't get their equipment going. they checked the error code and the documentation said "insufficient voltage" they ran TWO 14 gauge extension cords over 100ft of distance. immediately i told them they had the wrong extension. they laughed. I went to my car, got my big boy extension, a home made 12 gauge 95 footer I made from Home Depot parts. ran it and saved their day. they couldn't understand. The reason is that the longer the extension is the more resistance it will introduce to the circuit. so if you have your typical or cheap extension cord, and connect multiple ones to lengths over 50ft, you will start to get voltage drop. meaning at the wall it will be 120v but 100ft down the line if you throw a meter on it, it will show 118v...which for some equipment (them huge concert projectors, led walls, and some other high power stuff would not be enough to not work right)....The solution is to use a higher gauge extension. If you have to go over 50ft, you can't use the cheaper 14 or 16 gauge extensions cords in some cases. it can work for some things but not for power hungry equipment. over 50ft I do 12gauge only. Also use the shortest extension you need to get to the plug. don't use a 100ft or 75ft extension cord if you're only 20 ft away from the plug it will have the same issue. if you're less than 20ft from the wall outlet use a shorter extension 25-30ft, and use and extension rated for the correct amount of current you use. 15 amp would be safe to run you're typical setup (controller or turntable/mixer combo, laptop, external mixer, mics), I would use a separate extension for speakers and DO NOT run speakers through conditioners or those cheap power strips ... 15 amp cords might work for most typical speakers setups. For amplifiers or if you're running earth shaking, crack the walls, mess up people's hair type speaker setups, be safe and run it on a 20amp extension. Longer runs, higher amp rating on extensions... just my $0.10 (it was 2 cents before but you know, inflation)

I've had this happen to me. Everything dims down like I'm running my mixer on laptop USB power only mode. It's always when the music is blasting that it would happen. It seems like Running the speakers through the power conditioner that has a load shunt feature. can cause it to cut off power because it's sensing the high amperage that the speakers are pulling after running for a while and getting hot. So basically the speakers are causing the power conditioner to sense a false power surge and it interrupts the circuit. I also read some stuff online saying that you shouldn't be running the powered dj speakers through the power conditioner for that reason.

Good luck with the gremlins! Just found you recently and love your content. Keep it up!

Hey Nick - had something happen very similar 2 weeks ago - outdoor beer garden with crappy power plus extreme humidity right after a big rain. My laptop / controller connection would flake out periodically and had to reboot Serato each time. I had my Denon Prime Go that I use for ceremonies and patched it in to my Soundcraft mixer so it could be live at the same time. I was deathly afraid it was going to flake out during special dances so I muted the Denon Prime Go and pressed play on it at the same time as I did on the main system… system didn’t flake out during the dances but if it did I would have had the song playing at pretty much the same spot on both systems and I could unmute the Prime Go and have a minimal blip in the music. This crap adds tons of stress to the night but it helps when you have one or two back plans. I always keep my iPad plugged in the mixer and ready to go if needed for a quick recovery.

I hope you use QSC as they have a super LOW draw even at high output.

Let’s hope you got this sorted out, perhaps you were pulling too many amps on that particular breaker and the USB ports were the first to reap the benefits of not having enough power. Perhaps your controller has some gremlins in it but I doubt it. Get yourself a killawatt outlet reader and you can see in real time what you are pulling on each outlet as you test it. That way you can separate lights from sound etc. I’ve lost track of how many bars and venues I’ve blown breakers bc of how many amps I’m pulling from a certain circuit. Good vid man.

My Mesa Boogie Triaxis Preamp says not to allow voltage below 118!! So yes poor voltage to your setup will definitely cause funky things to happen!!

Same thing happened to me during Father & Bride dance. Yes, I had backup, spun it up and though the dance had to start over, music kept playing. The next day, I updated my laptop to never turn down USB ports, whether on AC or laptop battery at any time. Serato also has an update released the day of the ceremony I DJ'ed. Not sure if the update was needed to prevent this issue since I never had it before, but got all my systems updated and settings configured to give priority to USB ports. Hope it prevent this from happening again. I am surely going to look into the Jackery battery. I have a large generator, but that is only for outdoor events where power is not available and I am running at least 6 hours. Not sure if Jackery will be a solution for those types of events, but it would sure make my life easier if I didn't have to use generator

I just want to ask you a question are they coming out with new power condensers better than the old ones

We use 240V power here and our biggest problem is load shedding where Eskom cut the power for between 2-4 hours and we need to switch to backup power.

That is the biggest problem. I use this same power conditioner. I’ve seen mine hit 106 and then boom everything went off. I’ve also dj’ed on 110 all night and had no issues

A few weeks ago had the same issue usb kept dropping out changed cable,usb ports changed laptop same issue someone suggested change the power cable. I did that the issue went away. The other power cable must of had bad earth or bad connectivity. So same thing voltage would of being dropping and causing usb drops outs. Hopefully that's it for you man all the best.

Jesus Christ 100-105 volts?? That's dangerously LOW! I start worrying when it gets down to 110. I always try lowing the BASS and Volume in those situations. Peace

Lucky us to be on 230V, never had issues running on one Phase only (still trying to avoid that though). However, good to know and to keep in mind!

bringing gear to the local shop when having power issues the tech mentioned rectifier I believe is like a regulator in a car alternator regulates the voltage. would imagine if you had bad power at venue could burn up your power supply in the mixer and yes the USB ports are powered cause that issue disconnect searato. is there a rental shop you could get an s9 tomorrow? probly going to have power issues with the s9 until a tech can test power supply votage.

Shit could always go wrong. When I was doing gigs on the regular I always had 2 laptops and since I use to use cdjs I also had all the music backed up on thumb drives with record box.

That is why I use a Furman Voltage Regulator to power everything I use!

This may be totally off. However I just read that you should never plug your speakers into a power/surge protector. Is this correct ?

That’s funny. I have a venue where I always get 89 volts and only gets worse when you start playing. Definitely power issue.

this is why i honestly got away from having controllers that can't also use standalone. bc if shit hits the fan you have usb back up and can run just off the controller. but that means using rekordbox if you're only on standalone if its on a xdj whatever

I had the similar thing that happened to me at a wedding and I have a power conditioner as well and it was telling me that my power was coming in at 114 and I had a really loud buzz through my speakers. I also had lights going, and I feel like the lights were interfering as well.

In todays quest to get venues to have power maps. Now I have this video 😂. They won't do it but a guy can dream. Also, a circuit sniffer is a pretty good tool to have

I keep being booked to a local well known wedding/event hotel venue…every outlet is always broken or reverse grounds. I was even shocked last weekend plugging into power last weekend….they could spend $50 on new outlets

I have weird problems like this at only 1 venue, I wonder if this is what's wrong. Would a power conditioner help? Last Thursday my mixer (Denon x1800) got super low volume and distorted sound only out of the XLR connectors. I thought my mixer was fried but when I took it home the next day it worked fine. today I have been running it for hours again and still no problems. In september of last year same venue, my SC5000 kept stopping the music like if someone walked up and hit the pause button. I could press it again and restart the song but it happened like 3 times. The first few I thought I did something wrong but the 3rd time I know I didn't touch anything. In September I Dj'ed on a boat with the same gear and was worried about the power situation but everything worked flawlessly. Only this one venue.....

Jackery 500 is the real deal! Perfect for out door ceremonies and backup power.

5 percent of 120 is what's required. I am industrial controls tech and its amazing how many issues can occur from dirty voltage

This issue has been stuck in my head... You changed the USB cable out, You used 2 different computers. I'm wondering if the issue is directly related to the Mixer and a possible Firmware Update. I wouldn't rule power COMPLETELY out of the picture. Does the mixer run on Bus (USB) power or does it have an independent power supply? Wouldn't the whole Mixer just CUT OUT if Bus Power Failed and that was it's only power source? Nonetheless, your point on have a solid power back up is well stated. Really Enjoying these episodes!

Is it in your contract to protect yourself against things like this happening? Like what if the couple demanded their money back because of all of the "technical problems"?

I had this happen to me about 6 months ago on my Denon mixer. I have 3 of these Denon MCX8000 mixers and 2 of them started doing that with a packed Hot dance floor and BOOM disconnect/No sound. I was so pissed I gave one to a kid at the venue and sold the other one for $500 and I still one have because I loved this controller but I'll never trust them again. Picked up a new Roland and never looked back. I carry 3 newer MacBook Pro's and It didn't matter it still stopped every time the dance floor got hot. Good luck this up coming weekend cuz it will on you mind, what if what if

Possibly a bad ground on the electric system at the venue. I always use my conditioner..

Hmmm but the usb port ur using through the S9 is data only right? its not powering anything.

Pure gold as usual 🎉

Can I run my 18 inch sub and my two 15 inch subs with all my lights and lasers? 3200 watts from speakers

I always have a laptop connected to a mixer ready for situations like this.

That happened to me using a 2011 MacBook Pro. The S9 said USB connection failed. So during the event it happened three times. So I thought that the MacBook Pro was giving out. Bought a new 2018 MacBook Pro. The week after same situation happened it failed on me three times. And then out of nowhere it just continue to work and haven’t had that issue since.

I have the same battery pack. Love that too.

So hilarious!!!!! Get a XDJ-XZ or Denon Prime. Why do we have to hear these stupid issues with laptops. Geezus you'd think this is 2008.

Would this be a good reason why people would rather play on Standalone Units or Cdjs with USB no laptop

nice video indirectly supporting the use of standalone controllers

Sounds like the venue might have had some grounding issues as well...

If that happened to me i wouldnt wait till the next event to see if i solved it id be setting up at my office. If you dont have any issues then it was like the power as you suspect

Anything below 110V would very likely be a problem Nick.

Did you every get that video done?

I was thinking of buying jackery. Seems worth it

Maybe the Firmware needs to be updated on your mixer? Serato update to fix connectivity issues?

Low Voltage like that means there's a lot of things are on that circuit. You're lucky the circuit breaker didn't trip on you mid set. Always, Always, Always split up your power sources on multiple circuits. Especially at venues where you don't know what's on the circuits. All it takes is a fridge to be on the same circuit as your speakers and that circuit will trip when the fridge compressor kicks on. Amperage consumption is very important. Definitely sounds like there is a power issue at the venue.

SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME ON SATURDAY!!!!!!!

I have seen it as low as 79 and then PUFF! drop out!

I don’t know if you’ve come up with a solution - but you need a UPS. Having shitty power like that will ruin your gear. Any fluctuation in voltage is bad.

Nick- I think you hit it on the head... you have to make sure your laptop USB ports are ok. USB Ports can burn out very easy with voltage bouncing like that. the USB port on both your mixer and your laptop can get compromised. Be prepared my brother

Same happened to me. Except it was the dimmer that screwed us

Damn crazy! Maybe this is why Nick unfollowed me on IG lol

Goal Zero 3000X. is 1000 percent better then that Jackery! How bout $3399.00- I own one!

Plan for the worst..... Hope for the best.....

It be safe to say that the power was the issue.

This Furman model has nothing inside... open it and see for yourself

thats just don't give confident on my gig tomorrow :D

done

Hey 👋 bro you talk a lot 😂😂