problems with CDI-500 cdjs. need help ASAP

First off, let me state that I am not personally seeing you taking care of your CD's. My brother in law snapped a karaoke DVD last night because of his poor disc handling methods. He just grabbed the edge with fingers all over the playing surface and yanked and then SNAP! That was a $60 disc and a hard one to find, thanks a lot. Just shows why all their discs are practically unusable. Hopefully you're an edge hander.

Normal power strips may not have surge protection. Get one that does. Protect yourself from the local power, it only benefits you in the end. Yes, it costs more, and yes, it's worth it.

Ah, Arizona. I remember being there once, as it's 95-degrees at 5AM in the MORNING! The advise is to not play the gear under the pounding sun. Shade yourself and you should be fine and let the gear ventilate and it should be fine. But, remember your transportation of the gear: it gets hot in that case, and that can be where the problems are.

My situation is a reversal and not totally related. We had a New Years Eve show and the keyboardist left his stuff in his car overnight. It got cold by Sacramento standards and literally, the keyboard "froze", but didn't freeze to death. We had to run hair dryers on it to warm it up. Worked fine after that. Gear that is operating and the environment gets too cool tends to be OK. Gear that operates in environments where it gets too hot can fry.

Sounds like heat related issues. Crank the AC and drive fast and I hope your vehicle has a covered cargo area.

well thanks for the info

however didnt really answer my issue on why both decks have two diff problems. now the issue with the weather is unlikely in my eyes. this happened last week and two days ago. in winter arizona doesnt get hot or cold. we stay right in the 80's. as for disc handling, well not an issue cuz i dont use cds day in and day out. its one cd. its the serato cd.

i will look into the ac power advice. but again, im lookin for reasons why my equipment is failing not after 3 years of purchasing and only one year of high usage. doesnt sound like a reliable product. i dont know. i just need to figure something out quick.

also when i did do a dj gig outside. i was under a tent and never was in direct sunlight. also the ride im in was AC usage was high and never left my equipment in the car overnight. so i dont think the heat is the cause or issue.

It could be other factors. Being bumped around, even in a case, can be a rather "jarring" experience for gear.

You're in Arizona, and don't for one second think being under a tent and not in the direct sun doesn't mean you're not going to have heat related issues. Also, even in the AC during transit, your case will absorb heat.

You might want to take extra measures to ensure adequate ventilation, such as rack mounted fans and the like.

The problems are still pointing to heat related issues. I'm not suggesting you're some gear abusing slacker. Arizona doesn't give you that much room for messing up due to the weather(or rather, the long periods of heat).

I've done shows outdoors where it's in my rider "SHADE TENT" and I have to be exposed to 100+ degree weather all day long as does my gear, and yes, it causes crap to happen to my gear. I had an FX unit fail on me, but one it cooled down(not during the event!), it was fine again. I can't see lights on the console during the show, so it's harder to maintain proper levels, but I mix by ear anyways so I can hear the distortion and use the solo system to single out channels that I think are giving me grief to get a reality check.

Since you're outdoors a lot, I'd also invest in some good 12-guage multi-strand flexible AC cabling that YOU can rely on and a UPS system or an AC powere regulator. If you don't carry a PA, get an isolating transformer to sepparate yourself electrically from whatever is past your mixer. Be your own island.

This is something i am taking a great interest in. I like these cd players, but not sure how durable they are. I had the velo which geve me issues, i still have the ck1000 and that has also given me issues. the cdi's are over 500 a piece, and i dont want to spend that kind of money if they are just going to give me problems. Who else has had problems with the cdi's?
I know what you are gonna say (you know who you are), it all depends on how you take care of it right? but sometimes products seem to act up eventhough you pamper them. hmmmm.

I have used the CDI-500's and CDI-500MP3's since both were released. From my own experience I have never experienced an issue with either. Now I'm not saying that people haven't had issues. Like any company and any electronics, there can be issues. But personally I haven't seen any.

I think this thread is dead. The guy vanished, so I suspect the issue was fictional or not factual.

I pamper my gear. Good cases, try to stay on smooth roads, take great care of it. In the heat, my TC Electronics M1XL does NOT like the heat, it is NOT a good unit to have in the heat. And I like the unit.

I suspect the problem is cheap and/or abused media. I run into DJ's all the time whining to me with their disc. "It won't work". OK, let me take a look.... cheap CD-R media. Turn it over: looks like they just sanded their deck it's so scratched up. Well, there's your problem right there.... Or people come up to me with their CD's that they handle incorrectly and it's all scratched up...

Taking care of your gear. DJ's also need to take care of their media. I burned some stuff onto some cheap CD-R's years ago. Amazing they are still working. I'm gonna replace them soon. Nothing I can't replace.

Fluke unit and/or bad media. My money is on bad media.

well looks im back from the dead or a fake person has come back



well the issue was real and based on talking to other people on the site and other djs. i came to the realization it was faulty equipment.

i too take good roads i dont dj gigs on constructions sites

but the issue was not bad media. i am using the serato cdj discs. not using cdr media to dj from. so maybe i should call serato to complain their bad or cheap media is causing us djs our equipment to fail.

i clean and take care of my equipment before and after every gig and store in a safe place. i think maybe buying the top of the line cdjs instead of the entry level would be best

so maybe i should have bet someone and maybe chris could have paid me since his money was wrong.

So I'm wrong. Oooooh, BFD. But that hasn't been fully qualified yet.

Defective hardware? Which hardware? You're not helping US troubleshoot YOUR issues.

You kept pointing at the decks, and now it turns out it is not the decks. if I understand Serrato correctly, the source comes FROM files on your hard drive, and then you use the Serrato interface to take input from your turn-tables or other source that utilizes their control discs ad use that to manipulate the hard drive-based source material.

I was just at a studio where the guy uses Serrato, and unfortunately due to issues beyond his control, he has to redo the thing he was working on, but it let me at least get a decent education on how Serrato works. Neat. he's using the control vinyl for his performance aspect.

I would suggest that for you, in the future, you better use the "divide and conquer" method. Rule out everything one element at a time. That should reveal where the problem is.

But, let's look at a few other things. The CD500i is a CD player. If you're using the Serrato control disc, that doesn't mean all players are created equal. Without personally getting one of these discs myself, so I'll go download the source later and examine(since they let you burn your own). It is entirely possible that the information being sent out via the control disc is simply not able to be properly handled by the DAC's, being nailed filter chipset, or other issues. Could be dust on the laser. I mean, you need to take these things apart and blow them out and properly clean them.

OK, so let's rule out the CDI's: Play any commercially produced CD, put it on a loop(if the device supports that, I'm not downloading a manual right now). Estimate what an average DJ job is, say, 4 hours. Play stuff for 8 hours. Notate any issues. No problems? Not the CDI's if there are no problems. Don't have time? 4 hours is more than sufficient, but I would personally prefer 24 hours as I do endurance tests.

Now, let's eliminate Serrato. Optimize your system by disabling WIFI and anything you absolutely don't need that you can turn off. Forgive my ignorance, but the guy I was working with last night started the track using the control record, then even went so far as to stop the record and the music continued playing, so you SHOULD be able to do the same thing. Does Serrato glitch? No? Then it's not serrato.

Grab a home CD player and plug that into the Serrato interface, play your control CD. How are things going? 2 hour test should be sufficient. No problems? Now it points to the CDI unit. MAYBE.

Check your serial numbers. Are they close? Could be a bad batch.

Let me see your control disc. I've had DJ's tell me "I take care of my media" and I see a box full of scratched CD's.

Back to your first posting, you definately have a bad unit. Sounds like a bad motor and lens assembly. But the other, it's unknown.

Do keep in mind these are intended for regular audio playback applications, which this is NOT. Could be this unit can't deal with the data signal, which doesn't really surprise me much as I'd never trust an audio deck/hardware for a data application, which indirectly this is.

Let's rule out further. Use the Serrato records. Got turntables? Let's work in an analog environment, where we can get away with more things.

Extreme environment is harsh on gear. Arizona is not exactly gear friendly thanks to the heat, even if not directly in it. The heat and then cooldown can cause condensation, but the thing you have in your favor is that should be fairly minimized thanks to your weather.

At least the issue is resolved. I'll send you a bill for $150/answer. This one is on the house. You want your money, come and get it. But don't expect to walk away with it. If you're coming this way, you better bring your rig because I'm gonna go over it with a fine toothed comb and we're gonna find your problems.

You've now had 7 months to deal with this issue. Have you really dealt with your possibly defective hardware yet? Otherwise, you're in a lose-lose situation. My situation is I have 4 pots on my 76-channel console that need to be replaced, nearest repair place is 60 miles away and I can't break away from the house to get them repaired. They still work so I'm OK, but I want that console factory fresh at all times. With a wife who constantly changes her schedule without telling me and being stuck at home with 3 small kids and the truck is NOT suitable for car seats for small kids. The rest of the time, I'm either working 120+ hour weeks or otherwise gigging or more than likely BOTH now.

Do more testing. Report back. You haven't proven anything quite yet except one CDI is bad. That's it. Doesn't explain the other.

What platform you on? Mac or PC? If PC, share more specs.

damn, Chris! talk about thorough
never thought you paid so much attention to detail.

You have to.

DJ's often have what people would think is a much simpler audio path. Often they do, but just because they have two turntables or playing decks, it's not that different from a concert sound system when you really think about it, except in scale of channels.

In his case, he has to troubleshoot the mixer and the decks as playback sources TO the mixer. Since he's adding in Serrato and that interface, now he's got to troubleshoot that AND the laptop AND the source files. Along with the Serrato interface, that means checking the control disc as well as the INPUTS into Serrato as the OUTPUTS from the Serrato interface.

He's dealing with 4-6 channels of audio. In my case, I may be troubleshooting up to 76 or more channels, plus all the patch points in the patchbays, FX, outboard, mics, wireless and more, but the concept is the same: Single out one at a time and find where the problem is. It's no different.

Having had some really good views of how Serrato works by the guy I was talking about in the previous post, what I noted was that it adds a whole new set of complications. I love computers, no doubt about it. My "day job" surrounds itself with comptuters and networking. Again, signal flow and troubleshooting. But, Serrato is interesting. Normally, I see two turntables plugged in, I see those as "Audio sources" for playback. Serrato totally hoses that concept up. The turntables still work as audio sources, but they terminate into the Serrato interface, and the Serrato interface is listening on those inputs for control signals. The USB connection serves of course as a bridge for control instructions from the turntables going into and manipulating the computer, while the OUTPUTS on the Serrato interface are driven from audio ON the computer and that in turn is driving the mixer's inputs. Now you have multiple things to troubleshoot. Grounding on the turntables, mixer settings(Line/Phono), cable issues, integrity of the control discs, integrity of the USB cable, integrity of the interface, integrity of the source data. On top of all that, you have to deal with issues that may be the computer itself. Now we're tracking utilization of resources, hardware desing, other apps running, TSR's, memory, hard drive and CPU issues, and then we're back to integrity of the data issues again.

Here's a great example. I was doing a major event at the end of May. I had a problem with Channel 25 on my console, but oddly enough, I had a problem with Channel 25 on my console since January, but back then I didn't have the chance to troublshoot. At this event at the end of may, I had my 2A continue to mix, while my other assistant assisted him. I took out a panel out of the back of the rack and had to poke around. Mind you, we're talking over 400 connections terminating in that rack and I'm poking around in there during a LIVE event trying to troubleshoot. The snake was fine, the mics were fine, the DI's were fine and I by-passed the installed wiring and went direct to the channel and that worked, which means the insert points were correct. This left it down to the patch panel where the stage box meets the console in that rack. Turns out for some strange reason, 25 INPUT was pulled loose. There ya go. Plugged it in, buzz vanished, console solid again. Of course, simply muting also removed the buzz but wasn't resolving the issue. Definately NOT how I would recommend doing things but you do what you can when you can. Since I can't move a 400 pound console on my own, much less set it on the stand and remove the case lid on my own, I have to do maintenance when I can.

DJs using Serrato run the risk of having a whole new slew of problems to troubleshoot. I'm not saying "Hey, let's ditch Serrato" because that's counter-productive. Ideally, computer-based applications should run on a purpose-optimized computer. But let's face it, these things are expensive, especially laptops and even more with Mac laptops, we try to get everything we can with them. In some cases, we're causing ourselves problems.

Let's look at ProTools. I can talk smack about Digi, I've been using their stuff since the Session 8 and 442 interfaces. Even with an optimized system, Apple or Windows make updates, and then ProTools stops working. Then we have to wait for Digi to come up with the fixed version. And then the process repeats. In my case, Mac updates keep slamming ProTools, so I have to kick over and run it as a PC, but my MacBook pro was bought with this concept in mind.

We often don't optimize our computers for our MIDI apps, ProTools or other production suites, or even things like Serrato.

When you work at an extremely high level, one of the things that develop is that eye and ear for detail, as most of you SHOULD develop over your years of working. At first it's "I got it working", then it comes to "how do I make it work better" and then it's onto new gear and starting portions of the process over again. You run into problems and learn to troubleshoot them.

Even I get stumped from time to time. I had a 64 LED Pro fail on me at an event. I IM Jingles, who was unable to help me as quickly as I needed help. That's fine though, because he, being sepparated from the event, didn't have to deal with my stress over it and was able to confirm that "hey, you did what you could as far as troubleshooting", which is what I needed to hear. In a panic and under the crunch, you can overlook things, which fortunately it appears I didn't. My biggest problem was that I did NOT have a volt meter on hand and the fuse looked good, but that was the failure point. Even if I did diagnose a bad fuse on site, I had no spares, so it would have done no good. Now I have spares, bought from ADJ directly. Lesson learned: Why the hell did I NOT have my volt meter with me this time!!

Not to knock DJ's, but they are typically using stuff that is entirely at their fingertips. This is a HUGE advantage for them. Why? Anywhere there is a problem is on their table. That's a luxury to me. I have to also troubleshoot the stage. Is phantom power on or needed for that channel? Active or passive DI? Proper switch settings on DI's need to be set as well. Microphones set up properly(some have switches that need to be adjusted). Just a whole new set of toys and tools that need to be examined and troubleshoot.

When you're on the road and your survival depends on your quick wits and skills, you become really good really quick. Again, it's a much greater skill set for an audio engineer running a concert system, but just as important for a DJ to do as well. Downtime isn't a option. Your gear is your "life" and you have to be able to rely on it.

Not thoroughly or completely troubleshooting your situation is only shorting yourself. Stuff does fail. Things do need to be replaced. Bad stuff happens. You have to isolate the exact cause of failure, no matter what it is. Sometimes you get lucky and find it right away, and that's all well and good and hey, take it, you won and got off easy. That's just as valid and important as really having to grind down and find the issue. But sometimes finding the problem isn't sufficient, because sometimes even if you've fixed the problem is that you may not have fully addressed the problem. Its not just enough to fix it, it's also necessary to know WHY the problem happened.

"Why is my system buzzing and humming"? Well, you've got a ground loop issue.
"Why do I have a ground loop issue"? Because your mix position is plugged in a different circuit than the speakers/amps. This problem is more common for ME than for DJ's, who often are up on stage with their gear.
"Well, how do I fix it?" Good question. Sometimes you can't fix it, because it has to do with bad electrical practices at the venue.
"So, what, I just gotta live with this?" No, you don't.
"Since it's a grounding issue, can't I just use those ground lifting plugs and be done with it? OrI can just bust those grounding pins off." Yes, you can, but you've now made an unsafe situation and you could KILL someone. In this case, you may have solved the problem, but in reality is you have caused a dangerous situation that can end with someone dying.
"Well, the how am I going to get that hum out?" You can go out back and shoot yourself, or you can learn to address the issue.
I have ground lifts on my stage box, which will often resolve such issues, both in inputs and returns. But that can't always do it for me.
One of the simplest items is to have an EbTech hum eliminator. Of course, you need to have some adaptor cables as necessary to interface with it. These devices have worked very well for me.
Using a transformer to break the grounding issue safely maintains that ground while breaking the issue that was causing the problem in the first place.

Ebtech also makes versions that don't tie into your audio cabling, it is something that plugs into your power, doing the same thing at an electrical/AC level.

I DO NOT carry any of these little "ground lift" plugs that you get at the hardware store for a dollar. That loop or spade on there is intended to go onto the screw that holds the plate on the wall, which is connected to ground, when you have those ancient 2-wire receptacles. That is what those things are for: using modern 3-prong gear SAFELY on houses with older 2-prong receptacles(that are still 3 prong compatible!) Here's your hint and a half: It has 3 prongs on there for a reason. If the unit is designed for a 2-prong cable, it's been designed for that. It's safety.

So, we've seen how we can fix a problem without addressing it properly.

Same goes true for DJBigMike602. It does not sound like he's thoroughly troubleshooting his rig.

Now, let's just say that these CDI500MP3's are defective, then he's vindicated in saying that they are defective. But he's not entirely there yet but he has proven that one has failed, but not the other. It could very well be that some of the control signal information from his "factory produced Serrato control discs) is being dinked up by the DSP, DAC or other filters in the unit. This would mean that the deck itself is fine, but that the decks are just simply hating those control CD's. Let's look at this at a higher level:
Take 2 CD player by DIFFERENT companies and put them on a very high resolution system using TWO identical CD's. I will guarantee that BOTH will sound different, often slightly. NOT all CD players are created equal.

Not to ding American Audio, but perhaps the CDI500MP3 may simply NOT be the right unit for use with Serrato. I suggest you get to a music store and try this stuff out with your Serrato interface but with different decks, even if it means looking at different brands.

Sometimes the "RIGHT TOOL" is not the "RIGHT TOOL" for the job. Just because it CAN do the job doesn't mean it SHOULD do the job. In some cases, such as microphones, it can be subjective. Like I like the Audix i5 better on snare than the Shure SM57. Both will get the job done, but in my opinion I like the i5 better, but I've worked with snares where based on the player and tuning, the SM57 worked better. So there ya go. case and point is that while the CDi500MP3 may be able to do the job based on what it is, maybe it's not the right tool based on how it operates. Doesn't mean upgrading will fix the issue. This is an issue where you need to get some real hands on and trials to ensure you get the right gear. Any music store that gives a crap about their customers will do what they can do try to help them make the right purchases.

DJBigMike602 isn't an idiot. He's just not being thorough enough. What does he have in his favor? He's not afraid to talk to others and ask for help. This means he cares enough to try to resolve and fix his problems and knows when he's outside his realm of knowledge. This will in turn expand his knowledge. He's also helping show that "there's no such thing as a stupid question", and he's not afraid to ask them. That's two in his favor right there. The third is that he wants resolve for his issue and it sounds like he's willing to put in the effort to get there. But, what goes against him is that he takes too long to resolve things. I bet that's a money issue.

ok, i have a question for you. i am at a new club and the owner wanted me to monitor the band that was performing on stage through his mixing oard. seven mics, drums, organ, and bass. feed back up the yikes! im a dj not a mixer or whtever the tittle is for you guys. i have an interest in learning how to master the boards, but too many knobs. ok, the very top, you have gain. then you have the highs mids and lows. then you have several other knobs that i wasnt sure what they are for. my question is... do those knobs have anything to do with the feedback? I tried the gain, the channel volume, the highs, mids and lows and i still got feedback. what do you think?

Yes, the knobs have something to do with feedback. You're the knob causing the feedback.

JUST KIDDING. Maybe.

Seriously though, the "mixing" that a DJ does is NOT the same that the "mixing" a sound engineer does.

Let's take my console, an Allen & Heath ML 5000 48B.

Starting at the top is GAIN. This is where things are coming in are amplified(as necessary or padded down) to a usable level. This is PRE-fader.

The next knob I have is a high pass filter, meaning anything BELOW that setting to simply roll off. In the same area as gain and high psss filter I have phase, pad and 48V.

Under that I have my sweeb of highs, then the adjustment.

Under than I have my frequency select kbob, Q knob and adjustment knob for high mids(3 knobs). This is repeated again for low-mids, but with a different frequency range.

Under this is my two knobs for lows, which is frequency and adjustment kobs.

Under that I have 16 pots for Aux sends. The first 8 can be used for driving FX, or if I hit a switch in the master section, they on a per knob basis turn the subgroup fader into an aux send fader. 9-16 are always going to aux 9-16 faders.

Where is the feedback?

Depends. Often, it comes from cranking a mic too high when the singer or source is TOO low. I get this all the time: singer quiet, then expects to be heard. GImme something to work with!!

But, gain structure is critical. I also have to do monitors from the same console. So, since I'm pulling that monitor send from the GAIN(PRE fade send), what I do on the channel faders is not affected by what goes to the monitor sends. This is where you can insert an EQ and notch down problem frequencies, which may help. But if you have crap levels IN, you're gonna have problems getting good or usable levels out.

Any knob COULD be causing feedback. I use "subtractive EQ" as much as possible: take out crap I don't want. So, some guys BOOST, and that could cause feedback. Quiet sources mean higher gain which can mean FEEDBACK in mains AND monitors. Underpowering a monitor and cranking the amp up will not only cause stuff to fry, but also causes feedback. The gain level can be cause for feedback, so can the channel fader or even the aux sends. Or maybe you're routing an FX unit back into itself, causing feedback....

Where to begin.... No way of knowing.

Are the musicians behind the PA? If they are in FRONT, that can cause feedback.

I'm heading down to Disneyland in fall. Tell me where you are and I'll see if I can swing in and fix this for you if my family will let me.

I think right now you're in over your head, but you're also smart enough to know it. I got a few shows coming up this month. Care to swing into Sacramento and get some good hands on in a real working live environment? Better hurry. I got a guerilla one next week and a good one on the 25th.

Let me take a minute to comment about what DJ's do vs. what a sound engineer does. This doesn't mean one can't do both. I will say I can't do both. I am NOT a DJ, and I don't have an issue with that.

DJ's in general often have an incomplete set of skills when it comes to the whole live sound thing. I'm not saying this to be negative, but overall, it's what I've observed. Set your gear, go for it. Maybe lights. But I'm not here to knock your skills.

A DJ job to read the room. Figure out what is and isn't working, choose the right songs and keep the event happening. Dealing with requests, idiots, drunks, club owners on top of keeping the music going is no easy task. Maybe you come in with a playlist and find out "hey, this ain't gonna work" and have to start over again. Not easy!

What does a sound engineer do? Well, let me put it in my view: I can't read a room worth a crap. If they ain't bitching, then they must be happy. I work with live performers, whose job it is to read the room and keep the event going. I am along for the ride, ensuring levels are where they need to be and things are optimized for the right sound. I may be dealing with 40 or more independent sources and providing not only a stereo mix for the mains, but also up to 8 or more mixes for monitors, plus another mix or mixes for recording at once on one console.

Just because what a DJ does may be highly simplified over what a sound engineer is doing, there are some overlapping skills. Signal flow is signal flow.

Expecting a DJ to suddenly handle a real audio console is NOT fair to the DJ UNLESS the DJ already has those skills.

DJ mixing is NOT live sound mixing.

What I recommend: I do your sound, you do your tunes, and we both get paid! You get super high end sound, and your clients will love it. I'm merely a conduit to success.

well, I guess this is going to take much time and practice.
first off, the owner had someone come in and "set it" so that whoever comes in will be "good to go" ( I understand that every performer must be monitored because they each will need different levels for themselves and their intruments, which means that i will have to scramble to find the problem). although you gave me the most basic (if that) run down, it is very helpful. i saw the gain way high on some of the mics, and yes that could be the problem. i guess what i have to do is go in there during my free time (might be impossible since i run a business and have a daughter and needy wife) and play with the system for a while. maybe i should invest on a small board for my lab at home? whatever the case, this guy is going have to cough up more money because this is more stressfull for me. since the board is in the dj booth, i get all the dirty looks from the bands and the crowd when it sounds like tihs. that sucks!
well, thanks for the advise, and the invitation.

If the owner wants to set it so it will be good to go, then he's not experienced and not going to get results.

I do many festival shows, and there is no "set it and good to go". It's a fight each act to get their levels right since I often don't get a sound check, just "roll and go".

I get hard hitting drummers with screaming guitars followed by an acoustic act, but I have open channels so I'm OK but then the next band comes in and they are jazz so levels are more reasonable but the vocalist is a monster. Then comes on a hard rock act with a drummer who is quiet with bad drums, the guitarists who are at 11 and the singer is super quiet....

No, you're walking into a bad situation with that mindset.

The gain too high MAY or MAY NOT be the issue, so don't rush to assume tht is where the problem is. I've had the gain cranked and been fine on mains and monitors, it just depends.

And you're in the DJ booth, which does suck. I mean, I can SORT of understand the DJ being in a DJ booth, but as a live sound mixer, I need to be IN the room to rspond to the room, even if I ran my RTA or not, I need to be IN the room to hear properly.

You're running into a situation where it's crap. You're clueless but trying to learn, and I commend you for that. But this isn't some quickie skill. I've been doing this for 27 years and I STILL learn something every day. The owner has shown a lack of understanding of how things work.

You're going to need something to practice on, but let me give you some words of warning. First off, analog consoles provide the best learning platform as what you learn on one can be applied to another, even if larger and more expensive. Case and point, I jumped up from a Mackie 1604VLZ to a Allen & Heath ML5000 48B. I got the big console having never really used one before and used it for a crappy rehearsal, and then the next day I was out kicking ass and taking names with it for my concert.

Digital consoles are their own realm. Everyone does it a different way. They aren't intuitive. You have to basically say "hey, this is what I'm gonna learn" and move in that direction. Some have mega high learning curves, others not so much. Some are super complicated, some aren't. The Allen & Health iLive series acts like a analog console to a certain degree, which means less down time and less training to get familiar, where as a Digidesign Venue series requires a larger amount of familiarity. Everyone does their boards their own way. While you still need your foundations and it always apply, how you can do what you want to do can vary greatly between brands or even models or even firmware!! It's not intuitive like an analog console. My choice is A&H not only because I have one that I love, but because dealing with the other companies has been a pain. I've literally been told that if I'm not spending a few million dollars, that I can go f*ck myself(Digidesign was so smooth! in that direct quote) Midas was simply saying that while they'd like to help, their products are simply outside my budget, which is right. Digico didn't want to talk to me because I'm not touring with anyone big enough so why bother? Harmon Kardon(Soundcraft/Studer and others) won't return my calls. Yamaha is not returning my calls either, despite me being a client with my ProMix01 and SKM-100 subkick mic, but that's small beans and not someone they take seriously. I'm not big enough, yet A&H takes the time out to deal with me no matter what.

Guess what: it pays.

ADJ took time to answer my questions and provide good support. Guess what: a competitor whose products I have will not support me at all. ADJ wins my business going forward.

I too run a business. I have a needy wife who keeps changing her schedule and rat-f*cking mine(costing me millions in losses per year due to her simply no taking my needs into consideration) and 3 small kids(5, almost 3 and 4 months at this writing).

No offense, but I think you're no qualified for the job. I think it is wrong for him to have put it upon you. I'm not saying you won't in time be able to do the job, but right now you ain't the guy for it.

This is how I behave: Each band requires a fresh set-up whenever possible. There is no "global set and forget", it just doesn't work. The guy needs a real sound engineer at the console running things. Stick around that guy and learn. BUt also, go to school for this, it may take time but it will seriously help you out. The hands on in real world will help with the education as you can directly SEE and apply what you're doing in school for it. AND YES, since you're spending time and money on it for this guy, you need to be compensated.

Without being there and seeing it myself, I can't help you much more. I want to, really I do, but I can't. I'll do what I can based on what you provide to me.

How far is this place from Disneyland? It looks like I'm heading down in October and I might be able to squeeze in an extra night or plan my first night around this. Maybe you can swing by and get me from the hotel I'm staying at. I teach when I mix, everything should be a learning experience.

If you have good gear and you RTA the room, then you have your "flat". Once that is done, you COULD theoretically mix from a booth, but I would not recommend it.

DO this though:
Find the make and model of the console. Hopefully it's analog. Find a documentation chart, some companies provide them. Use pencil/pen and those sheets and document the console. Because if I get there, I expect the console ZERO'd and start fresh. I have my own way of doing things, but you won't find it much different than many other engineers. Good foundation. I can get a mix happening quickly, as well as monitors depending on the cooperation and communication of the band. But if it's a digital console, all bets are off, I don't like digital consoles all that much right now. Analog always gets the job done and never gives me crap.(or crashes 5 minutes before show, like a Digico Live D5 did right before a Kieth Urban concert)