Best CD player choices for crappy CDs...?

[mac.calder]

In the past I found the best method was to have a PC with multi-card reader and a CD drive.

 

It tends to cope with most things. Quite often for that sort of show I will have 2 PC's networked - one for ripping the track and one for playback running PlayIT Cartwall or similar.

 

The number of times I have had a crap CD handed to me, it hasn't read, and then when I talk to the teacher they go "Oh... let me check my email/grab my laptop/???, I have the music as an MP3 there" - or you get the youtube link - Use the second PC to rip the music from whatever media they have, check the in and out points etc whilst the other PC is hapily running the current act, throw it on the network share and drop it into the playback software ready to go. To be honest, it is not significantly more expensive than a good (user friendly) playback device.

[Biskit]

For many years (must be nearly 15 in fact) I've sworn by a Denon DN-D6000 which was a current model at the time. I can probably count on the fingers of one hand how many CDs it's rejected in that time, including on many of this type of event. It plays MP3 files from CD which has been useful on occasion, but sadly lacks a USB port for memory sticks. I did at one point buy a single Denon DN-S1200 which seemed just as good at reading poor discs, and it also has a USB port, it was brilliant too, but didn't get as much use as I more often needed the convenience of the twin decks of the 6000. A definite vote for the Denon DJ CD players in this context.

 

Phones/tablets are the absolute bain of our lives... while some are fine, so often you can bet that it will sit there ready to play for hours, but exactly 3 seconds before you press play it will decide to switch off/go to sleep or whatever. I do very much like the 'golden rule' of insisting people operate their device themselves. We've tried a variation on that by providing a minijack connection on or near the stage, where the performer themselves (or a parent/teacher) plugs in their own phone and plays the track. It introduces new problems like the pop when unplugging if you're not fast on the mute, and also people not pushing the minijack into the device fully (often hindered by plastic/gel covers) but on the other hand it reduces stress levels at FOH considerably overall! Not for every scenario though, obviously. I'm fast coming to the conclusion that there isn't an ideal solution these days, and on balance, it's probably worse now than the 'tape' days!

[Simon Lewis]

I managed to resurrect a reel to reel player for one show where they insisted all playback must be on that media. I was also given an extensive list of cues (naturally, not in order on the tape) which could only be located using the index number from the original tape machine. Of course that completely failed to coincide with the numbers on mine.

Last weekend I did an event where a visiting dance group needed their music playing. We asked for an MP3 and were given the leader's phone, which did not pass any audio from the headphone socket. They (fortunately) also had CDs which worked but it took some 30 minutes to find them...

 

Sometimes I suspect there is a secret module taught at these institutions on how to obfuscate and frustrate the work of sound engineers...

[ninjadingle]

I've done plenty of shows similar to this - from boxing and their walk ins through to National Gymnastics (over 200 CD's per day that arrive at 8am with an 8:30 start). I've always used professional Pioneer CDJ's - 1000 Mk 3 as a minimum. Very forgiving on the discs and at the graph readout gives you some idea on the volume of the track before you play it!

[Andrew C]

My "favourite" cassette was clearly recorded using a ghetto blaster's internal mic, from a TV / VCR. Part way through, you could clearly hear - "Do you think it will be loud enough?" followed by the thing being picked up and moved closer to the TV.

[Cerbertech]

I would say cheap and cheerful, I worked with a very expensive rig and always wondered why the owner had rack mounted a Tesco own branded DVD player in the rack until I was presented with CD's that would not play in the Yamaha also in the rack! It also played MP3 from CD or DVD, literally saved the day.

 

I still carry around a Sony Discman that seems to play just about all formats and once saved me from what would have been a very angry biker crowd not seeing the adult entertainment at a bike rally I was running the PA for!

[andy_s]

I managed to resurrect a reel to reel player for one show where they insisted all playback must be on that media. I was also given an extensive list of cues (naturally, not in order on the tape) which could only be located using the index number from the original tape machine. Of course that completely failed to coincide with the numbers on mine.

Last weekend I did an event where a visiting dance group needed their music playing. We asked for an MP3 and were given the leader's phone, which did not pass any audio from the headphone socket. They (fortunately) also had CDs which worked but it took some 30 minutes to find them...

 

Sometimes I suspect there is a secret module taught at these institutions on how to obfuscate and frustrate the work of sound engineers...

I recall many years ago extensive discussions with a sound person for one of the local amateur groups, he had to bring his own reel-to-reel stereo player (I think Akai) as none of his tapes would play back on the theatre's revox machines. We worked out eventually that his was a four track machine - i.e. two times stereo, so you could 'turn the tape over' as if it was a cassette... so the heads were aligned totally differently. He insisted our machines were faulty...

[Andrew C]

We worked out eventually that his was a four track machine -

Quarter track. 4 track = four going the same way.

Been there, got that T shirt too!

 

[andy_s]

We worked out eventually that his was a four track machine -

Quarter track. 4 track = four going the same way.

Been there, got that T shirt too!

you are quite right, the correct term came to me after I posted....

[Richard P-W]

Quarter track. 4 track = four going the same way.

Been there, got that T shirt too!

 

Of course the fun really starts when that quarter track tape has material on the "reverse side"...

 

 

 

[sandall]

I've been handed an iPhone 7 to play a track from seconds before the act walks on stage - yes, the ones with no headphone socket, and no, it didn't have one with it.

Happened to me last night at a civic function, when a (surprisingly good) teenage singer was asked to fill with few more numbers. Heads were scratched & the iPhone vanished into the crowd. A couple of minutes later a different phone with all the tracks (& a mini-jack socket) appeared out of the crowd & all was well.

[sleah]

My show-stoppers have been when the phone locks approx 30 seconds before the act comes on... and the fact iphones in-particular blank their display as you look away from them and when you hit play the display changes completely. Absolutely bl00dy awful player interface.

When it comes to playing anything they have to be the most vile, badly thought out, most unfriendly things on the planet.

 

I'd say that things are significantly worse than the days of cassettes and even CD <_<

[sunray]

I got into the habit of taking a padded box out on these multi provider jobs and many would turn up with some random device and popping it in the box with a microphone saved the day so easily. In recent times the box has shrunk to accommodate only phones as I gave up trying to cope with the vagaries of bluetooth and others trying to jump on.

 

I purchased a couple of Philips CD players about 20 years ago which were state of the art and the only ones I found to play some computer formats too. they are identical spec and only a few serial numbers apart but over the years if one wouldn't play a disc the other always has. Lastly I carry a grab bag which amongst other things contains a very cheap Walkman which, like others have said, always plays damaged discs.

[MarkPAman]

... iphones . Absolutely bl00dy awful player interface.

When it comes to playing anything they have to be the most vile, badly thought out, most unfriendly things on the planet.

 

 

Possibly true of iTunes. But but a decent app on there and it's fine!

 

As a QLab user, I like Go Button - quite pricey if you want more than one play list, but one is enough in most cases.

[sandall]

My show-stoppers have been when the phone locks approx 30 seconds before the act comes on... and the fact iphones in-particular blank their display as you look away from them......

Which is why my involvement in whether the music plays or not ends when I plug my mini-jack lead into their device, & PFL the first track - after that they are on their own. So far I've managed to avoid USB sticks, as somebody always has the original on their phone anyway.