We've had our share of bum computers, including our last one, a Gateway, which was, quite simply, the computer from hell.
But like Jose, my worst computer-related nightmare was a computer-chipped keyboard I was using for Music Directing Putting it Together in its northwest premiere here many years ago. Huge Equity house, great cast, etc., except the company was going out of business and so asked me to reduce the two piano score to one, which necessitated me recording some tracks on this keyboard and then performing live to playback. It took some deft maneuvering, especially in the opening number, but it all worked surprisingly well.
Until one night, that is, when during the one really quiet moment of the show--second act, just as the Night Music medley was starting, for some reason the metronome on the keyboard went off, with a huge jarring clanging sound going out over the whole sound system. Now as if that weren't bad enough, they had the three piece band on the stage, up very high on a huge column upstage, so as it happened the entire cast broke character, looked around, and my bass player and drummer just collapsed into giggles. I was madly pushing buttons trying to get the damned thing to stop, and finally had to shut off the keyboard, and reboot. It was a moment.
To top it all off, the nazi stage manager came back after the show and read us all the riot act for disrupting the performance, as if we had done it intentionally.
BTW, all AOL "tech help" (and I use the term beyond loosely) will ever say is "uninstall your AOL adapter." It has been their rote response for absolutely every problem I've had with AOL.
