VJs keep a hardware video mixer alongside software as insurance against computer crashes

As laptops grew powerful enough to run VJ software, many VJs could bypass the external video mixer and mix entirely in software. However, the article notes many VJs continue to use hardware video mixers with multiple sources — both for flexibility with a wide range of input devices and for ‘a level of security against computer crashes’ caused by overloading the CPU with demanding real-time video processing. The trade-off is more complex signal routing in exchange for a fallback path that keeps a live show running if the software fails.

Examples

A VJ runs Resolume on a laptop but routes its output plus a live camera through an external hardware mixer; if Resolume crashes mid-set, they cut to the camera on the mixer instead of going to a black screen.

Assessment

Explain the specific failure risk a hardware video mixer mitigates in an otherwise software-based VJ rig, and name the trade-off the hybrid approach introduces.