As the assorted offerings from the DJ industry get bigger, arguably better, but definitely more expensive, the issue of security comes to mind. Obviously, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t leave gear unattended, in the clear view of passers-by in the back seat of your car, or generally out of your sight at all. If you do, you only have yourself to blame for anything that happens.
But beyond this, we’re talking about securing your gear, to stop the casual smash and grab merchant from half-inching your latest shiny that you pawned your first-born to own. I’m talking specifically about that weird slot on your stuff with a K padlock icon next to it. That dear reader is the Kensington lock, a port that allows you to physically fix your tech to the nearest heavy object.
Technically speaking, it’s the Kensington security slot, with the lock being attached to the end of a heavy cable. And they have appeared mainly in laptops, but over the years it has crept into DJ gear too. Not all DJ gear you understand — the slot needs to be of a specific size, and generally only appears in products with plastic bodies, effectively ruling out the vast majority of mixers or anything with a metal body.
It’s not the perfect solution, because a plastic body will soon yield to enough brute force, albeit leaving a huge hole or potentially destroying the unit. But it should be enough to discourage the average opportunist from making off with your music-making machinery.
But here’s the thing — despite being a staple feature of many a plastic bodied bit of kit, I’ve yet to see anyone use them. So my question is this:
Does anyone use a Kensington lock to secure their DJ gear?
Well… do you? Retailers? Trade show exhibitors? Booths?
It doesn’t matter if you do or don’t really. I don’t believe it costs anything to add to gear. Having never seen one in use, my question is out of idle curiosity.