i feel the same way you do! i'm trying to find out myself how reliable SSL is. i've owned final scratch v1.54, and it would always freeze up in the middle of my set. i hope i could get some more positive feedback by SSL owners before i invest the money purchase it.

Welcome to the forum Dylan. You are right to be suspicious of computers, they are very complex and the software that runs on them is even more so.

However, the way scratch live has been designed, you can have a backup if the worst happens. The box has THRU connectors on it which are designed to let the signal from your turntables go through the box unchanged and into the phono inputs on your mixer. This means at any point in your performance, you can flip the input switch on your mixer and put a normal vinyl on the turntable. This is not only a backup, this is also useful if you want to play a mixture of digital and vinyl.

After all, even if the software is rock solid, and your computer is flawless, there is nothing to protect you from knocking your computer off the table, or spilling your drink into the keyboard - it's good to have a backup in the event of whatever emergency may happen.

Having said all that, I don't want to give the impression that the software is flakey. Most people are having no trouble at all and use it constantly without issues. There are some people who have issues right now, but we are working hard to find out what is different about their system or music files that is causing the instability. Given the feedback I've had, the chances are good that you won't have any issues.

i've found the easiest way to keep ssl running decent is to keep everything clean. you know, brush you needles every so often and keep the records clean. that seems to prevent a lot of weird glitches from happening.

i second that Spinthis!