New Equipment Help !

[501damian501]

Hello i am just in the process of buying a totally new set up and would like to experianced folks to have a little say so about the equipment i have picked and some kinda heart folk to message me about wiring on which wires i need to wire this so called beast up, many thanks damian

SOUND SYSTEM…

Speakers:Cd158 350w from class d OR a set of 350rms geminis
Leads/Wires ???????
Amplfier: C-Mark MR2450 Amplifier G098C
Mixing Desk: BEHRINGER 1222fx from EBAY .
Mircophones: MR119338 BUDGET MICROPHONE 5 pack and SHURE PG 48 microphone Rack: Gemini MRC 16 - 19"

LIGHTING RIG…

ACME DYNAMO 250 - 2 SCANNER PACK
ACME DYNAROCK 250 - 250 WATT LIGHTING EFFECT
KAM DJ 250 COLOUR - 250 WATT LIGHTING EFFECT
DISCO LIGHT PACKAGE / STAND & SMOKE MACHINE
PROLIGHT DMX BABY JC1 PRO LIGHTING CONTroller

POWER DISTRIBUTION…

Prolight Show Director Lighting Power Unit from DJ store
SAMSON POWERBRITE PB 10 PRO - 19" RACK POWER CONDITIONER & LIGHT
IEC power plugs: 2 x 10 pack male plugs,

STANDS…

lighting stand Prolight wind up
Speaker Stands and carry bag
ULTIMAX PROSTAND - DECKSTAND

do you think this system would be enough to entertain around 250+ mark, also would are they any experiance DMX gurus in here wishing to tell me how to heck i wire up me lighting

I hope some one can help many thanks Damian

[JAMdisco]

Wow, that's some serious cash your paying out.
Are you already a working DJ or just starting out.

Reason I ask is, if you're a working DJ already, surely you must have an idea how to connect things up. If you're just starting out, that's a massive outlay if you decide you don't like it.

I'm not having a go, just would like to know a little bit more about you before I dive in with help and advice to make sure it's what you're after.

[501damian501]

yeh i am already a working dj, but i dont have experiance of working with dmx lighting or behringer mixing desks lol, every thing else yes, i have a big sound system over in cyprus what my friend uses for this club and beach partys ect ect, yeah it is abit of some serious cash lol but its an expandtion to my current business you see,hope you can help damian

[wigglyrich01]

Hi Damien:D

I'd go for the class d speakers as they seem to have a good reputation by most users on here.
To connect these to the amp you'll need two speakon -to- speakon leads:
http://www.djdeals.co.uk/prod-details.asp?AID=886

For amp to mixer you'll need two balanced xlr cables:
http://www.terralec.co.uk/audio_leads/xlr-xlr_balanced_cable/20081_p.html

For the mics to mixer you'll need xlr to xlr leads:
http://www.terralec.co.uk/audio_leads/xlr_to_xlr_mic_cable_10_mtr_black/17378_p.html

I'd get some speaker stands for your speakers as well as it will give you better sound projection.:)

I'll leave the rest to the dmx experts!:D :D

[501damian501]

cushdee son, just the information am looking for, all i have heard about class d is top stuff like, so i fought i would give them a whirl lol, come on you dmx experts where are you all haha, reguards damo

[wensleydale]

my two penneth is to get 4 dynamos rather than 2- dont think the 4 head pack is much more expensive- either cut back on other stuff or keep 2 as spares.

for the audio i am not a fan of behringer so would suggest another mixer.
would also look at other alternatives to class d- mackies need not be expensive and seem to be popular round these parts.

happy shopping

[Vectis]

my two penneth is to get 4 dynamos rather than 2- dont think the 4 head pack is much more expensive- either cut back on other stuff or keep 2 as spares.

I agree... well I would - I'm selling a set of 4 over on DJbids right now with a really LOW starting price :D

http://www.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=240485

[rob1963]

I agree... well I would - I'm selling a set of 4 over on DJbids right now with a really LOW starting price :D

http://www.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=240485

Very subtle!

:rolleyes:

[501damian501]

my idea of lighting is too have multi effects to give that sorta disco feel but then use my scanners to give a nightclub feel for the local youth birthday parties lol, i think just having scanners would bore the public.

[Vectis]

Very subtle!

:rolleyes:

Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same :)

[501damian501]

i think personally just having scanners would spoil it a little, u also have to think about the older generations who cant tell the difference beween a scanner and a flash box lol, i think multi lights dmx lighting with abit of smoke just to give it that look would smash it at weddings and things,each to their own i suppose, damian


[admin] Please have a little read of the forum guidelines regarding using text talk...thanks. :)

[Shaun]

come on you dmx experts where are you all haha,

Hopefully this (http://www.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=3509) topic will be of some help. :)

[501damian501]

Thanks for that mate, Banging stuff that inf, It all looks pretty simple to be honest..., Damo

[Shaun]

Once you grasp the basics of DMX it's all relatively straight forward. That said though...I much prefer a visit to the dentist than DMX programming. It's a time consuming and laborious job making all the scenes. :(

[DazzyD]

Once you grasp the basics of DMX it's all relatively straight forward. That said though...I much prefer a visit to the dentist than DMX programming. It's a time consuming and laborious job making all the scenes. :(

Nowadays, I prefer a visit to the dentist to most things. I've got two rather foxy young female dentists, you see! Hmmmmmm! ;)

[501damian501]

now now lads lets keep out minds on this equipment, even thou i do like the sound of your 2 foxy female tooth pullers, do you think this baby dmx controll will be much copp for the job ?, i was going to put in one of them ca8 controllers and put the rest towards another light, but i have great faith in the lighting which i have choosen.by the way whats the joystick thing on it all about lol

[DazzyD]

I haven't gotten round to learning DMX yet so I've yet to get a DMX controller. Part of my light show can be controlled via DMX but I just use one unit as a master and then daisy chain the others and just use built-in programs. I've got a few CA-8 controllers but I just use them to blackout effects when required.

I guess I'm more known for my song selection and reading the crowd than my light-controlling ability! It's got me by so far though!

[ppentertainments]

I haven't gotten round to learning DMX yet so I've yet to get a DMX controller. Part of my light show can be controlled via DMX but I just use one unit as a master and then daisy chain the others and just use built-in programs. I've got a few CA-8 controllers but I just use them to blackout effects when required.

I guess I'm more known for my song selection and reading the crowd than my light-controlling ability! It's got me by so far though!

Similar to myself. Obviously it will depend on the gigs you do but I find sound to light is all I need. Never had any negative comments, couple of praises (which is a lot for lighting imo), works fine so why change ??

[Shaun]

Running a DMX show isn't essential but I can definitely appreciate the benefits of it. These days the pre-programmed shows on most effects are pretty good so in most cases they provide a really good show on their own, but using DMX can bring a whole new dimension and extra depth to the light show you offer. Most people may never need to learn DMX, but those that do use DMX will all probably tell you that it's worth taking the time to try your hand at it if you can find the time.

That said, it's public knowledge how I feel about the actual programming of the scenes. I'd have more fun sticking pins in my eyes :D ...the end results are worth it though. *Just keep telling yourself that Shaun, just keep telling yourself* :zip:

Give it a go (the dmx thing, not sticking pins in your eyes), you might just enjoy it. ;)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Is this the same lighting that you were saying is the least important thing for a DJ? :sj:

[501damian501]

personally myself if your going to do a job you might aswell do it right, theirs no point having dmx compatiable lights if your not going to use them to their full potential, having scanners is the way forward but having too many will be off putting and with an booking for an 18th already in i think the dmx lights will be right up my street. as for amps are c mark any good, my friend recommed the amp for me, hes got one and never had any problems with his, many thanks damian

[Shaun]

Is this the same lighting that you were saying is the least important thing for a DJ? :sj:

Lighting is the least important thing for a DJ. It doesn't mean I don't love and use it though. ;) :d

[Tom]

personally myself if your going to do a job you might aswell do it right, theirs no point having dmx compatiable lights if your not going to use them to their full potential, having scanners is the way forward but having too many will be off putting and with an booking for an 18th already in i think the dmx lights will be right up my street. as for amps are c mark any good, my friend recommed the amp for me, hes got one and never had any problems with his, many thanks damian

I agree with what you are saying but how can you controll a full dmx show as well as DJ'ing???

I do the music side of things and I have taught my roadie how to use my dmx controller and he uses that for the night. No pre made shows at all. I think it looks better if you see someone actually taking part in the light show instead of lettting them go sound to light.

Just my opinion.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I agree with what you are saying but how can you controll a full dmx show as well as DJ'ing???

I do the music side of things and I have taught my roadie how to use my dmx controller and he uses that for the night. No pre made shows at all. I think it looks better if you see someone actually taking part in the light show instead of lettting them go sound to light.

Just my opinion.

I thought all DMX shows had to be pre-made? Surely it is difficult to do something like that on the fly?

[Tom]

I thought all DMX shows had to be pre-made? Surely it is difficult to do something like that on the fly?

I don't much about this but my roadie uses the sliders and controls the scanner "on the fly". I use the dynamo with only 4 channels so it's not so bad compared to the moving heads with 16 channels. That could be hard.

It's either him doing that or sitting there saying he is bored. The only thing we do have pre-set is a few scenes where we need to fill a room with light or spot a light for example.

[Shaun]

I thought all DMX shows had to be pre-made? Surely it is difficult to do something like that on the fly?

It is possible to do it on the fly, it's just not as good as a pre-made show. I think most DMX controllers have pre-set 'movement' options (the 2 I've owned have both had them). So you can specify which colours and gobos etc you want, then pick one of the preset movement options to work alongside the other options you've specified.

There's also the little joystick that allows you to move the fixture beams anywhere you want.

[501damian501]

on the nights which i need the lighting show in full swing, i shall have sumone with me to operate it, other times i will just have them on sound to light,people hear audio every day of their lives how good or how bad but people dont see a dmx lighting show in full swing everyday.reguards damian

[JAMdisco]

As for amps are c mark any good, my friend recommed the amp for me, hes got one and never had any problems with his, many thanks damian

I have a C Mark Amp, although only had it a few months, never had any probs. I also use Class-D speakers after a LOT of discussions with other forum members. I eventually bought this lot for £650 after a visit to the shop:-

http://www.class-d.com/Product.aspx?PRO=578 <-- actually I got the JAC12's but I cannot find them on the class-d website

http://www.class-d.com/Product.aspx?PRO=534

http://www.class-d.com/Product.aspx?PRO=554

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/C-Mark-Pro-Power-Amplifier-1400-Watt-Rack-Amp-NEW_W0QQitemZ270241685161QQihZ017QQcategoryZ69962Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I got this amp from Class-d although, again, they don't advertise it on the web-site.

They'll also chuck in all leads as well if you ask them nicely (and plead poverty as I did) :D

[wensleydale]

my idea of lighting is too have multi effects to give that sorta disco feel but then use my scanners to give a nightclub feel for the local youth birthday parties lol, i think just having scanners would bore the public.

i'm not saying only have scanners but i dont think the extra 2 heads are that much more expensive.

even so, with the gear you are looking at, i think scanners and 1/2 led effects would be more than adequate for most events.

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

STANDS…

lighting stand Prolight wind up
Speaker Stands and carry bag
ULTIMAX PROSTAND - DECKSTAND


Can i just say you can't go wrong with an Ultimax stand in my eyes. they seem to really be the dogs :Censored:. Top man:)


yeh i am already a working dj, but i dont have experiance of working with dmx lighting or behringer mixing desks

Sorry to be a bit negative but I've heard a few bad reports about the behringer range of products. How are you finding them?


i was going to put in one of them ca8 controllers and put the rest towards another light

I've said it once and I'll say it again. I really think the CA-8 is a really crap and pointless controller. I'm using 2 at the moment but never wire them up. And they always put miles of bloody cable on them and all you need is a meter or two. I'm not gigging in the bliming Albert hall for god sake!

Anyway....

obviously sound is the most important thing but the look of your show and lighting is important i believe. The first impression can determine the rest of the night and how often do you get people walk in and say: "Wow. that sounds really good". I find they usually say "oh no. not you again":o

I'm still to learn the art of DMX so I'll leave that bit to the experts

[Shaun]

I've said it once and I'll say it again. I really think the CA-8 is a really crap and pointless controller.

The CA-8 is pretty limited but I wouldn't go as far to say it's crap. Take the ImpossibLED for instance, the CA-8 is the ideal controller for this effect. The CA-8 provides basic blackout and separate scene selection options. I also used to use the CA-8 on my scanners when I used them. It provided blackout options, colour/gobo change and also slow show mode. For a basic little controller it's got enough little features to be very versatile.

Just my opinion.

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

The CA-8 is pretty limited but I wouldn't go as far to say it's crap. Take the ImpossibLED for instance, the CA-8 is the ideal controller for this effect. The CA-8 provides basic blackout and separate scene selection options. I also used to use the CA-8 on my scanners when I used them. It provided blackout options, colour/gobo change and also slow show mode. For a basic little controller it's got enough little features to be very versatile.

Just my opinion.

So you use the CA-8 to:
Blackout: Why not just turn the unit off (not like you have to worry about the bulbs cracking or anything as it's LED)

Scene Selection: Why do you want to choose what scene it has on? Why not leave it on show 0 and let it take control of its self and if you do there are controls on the back of the unit to do this.

I do still use the CA-8 for my Puma's as you can't turn the unit on and off with out affecting lamp life and i also occasionally use the strobe feature but that's about its limits.

[Shaun]

So you use the CA-8 to:
Blackout: Why not just turn the unit off (not like you have to worry about the bulbs cracking or anything as it's LED)



I don't currently use the LED's on the switching unit. To switch the LED's off I'd have to pull plugs in and out. There's no need with the CA-8.




Scene Selection: Why do you want to choose what scene it has on? Why not leave it on show 0 and let it take control of its self and if you do there are controls on the back of the unit to do this.




Why wouldn't I want I want the extra versatility of choosing which scenes I want when I want them?. Additionally, it's pretty hard to select the scenes on the controls on the back of the impossibLEDs when they're on the far end of a stage on trussing or t-bars.

The controller provides added versatility.

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

Why wouldn't I want I want the extra versatility of choosing which scenes I want when I want them?

Because if you did you would be controlling it via DMX:)

[Shaun]

Because if you did you would be controlling it via DMX:)

No I wouldn't :confused: . To be honest I don't even know what you mean.

The limited capabilities provided by the CA-8 are nothing to do with DMX. All the CA-8 does is provide the basic controls that are available on the back of the impossibLED...in the palm of your hand. Nothing to do with DMX at all.

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

No I wouldn't :confused: . To be honest I don't even know what you mean.

The limited capabilities provided by the CA-8 are nothing to do with DMX. All the CA-8 does is provide the basic controls that are available on the back of the impossibLED...in the palm of your hand. Nothing to do with DMX at all.

What i meant was if you wanted the "versatility" of the unit you wouldn't have the unit controlled by CA-8 as you would have all the scenes/shows pre-programs with a DMX controller which would give you more "versatility" than the CA-8.

If you know what I'm trying to say:)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Try the CA-8 with moving heads. There are loads of different things you can do.

[Shaun]

What i meant was if you wanted the "versatility" of the unit you wouldn't have the unit controlled by CA-8 as you would have all the scenes/shows pre-programs with a DMX controller which would give you more "versatility" than the CA-8.

If you know what I'm trying to say:)

Half my my show is pre-programmed DMX at the moment, hopefully it'll be fully DMX'd very soon. When it is I'll have no need for the ca-8 controller. However....until then the CA-8 provides a good range of versatility. Which brings us right back to where we started. :)

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

Half my my show is pre-programmed DMX at the moment, hopefully it'll be fully DMX'd very soon. When it is I'll have no need for the ca-8 controller. However....until then the CA-8 provides a good range of versatility. Which brings us right back to where we started. :)

My head hurts so lets no go round again:bang:

Would love to see a video of your complete DMX show when its all finished if you wanna give us a sneak preview. Have been looking into doing the same but its so complex and i have so little time to play around with it.

Hopefully get round to it one day:)

I guess we'll have to stand by are different opinions:cool:

[JAMdisco]

Just a quick question - a little off topic, but I'm assuming the ImpossibLED comes with a 15Amp 'normal' plug as a pose to an IEC?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Just a quick question - a little off topic, but I'm assuming the ImpossibLED comes with a 15Amp 'normal' plug as a pose to an IEC?

13 amp you mean?

[JAMdisco]

13 amp you mean?

Sorry yes - well does it?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Sorry yes - well does it?

Mine did. 13amp - IEC.

[Shaun]

Would love to see a video of your complete DMX show when its all finished


Not a problem. :)

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

cool. look forwards to it.

might give me some ideas and inspire me to find time to start learning the dam program.

[JAMdisco]

Mine did. 13amp - IEC.

Ooh that'd be nice. I guess I'll find out when I get home as I've just checked the city-link website and it has (finally) been delivered along with my LED light cloth. :D :D :D

[501damian501]

what can i say about behringer... their an german trying to rip us off hehe joking, ermm i have the djx700 from them and its pretty good to be honest ts got all the bells and whistles of an mixer 3times its price, it reminds me of one of my favourite club mixers the pioneer djm 600...I think every one should learn and use dmx, theirs alot of competation out their who arnt using dmx, dunno why probley cant be botherd to learn it lol, and as for the speakers i was having a chat with a friend last night and he was banging on about how bulletproof they are, what you guys reckon

[Shaun]

I think every one should learn and use dmx, theirs alot of competation out their who arnt using dmx,

I don't think it's essential. As I've said previously the pre-programs in most effects are more than good enough. Although I like dmx, I can't see me ever booking any extra gigs because I use it. The vast majority of the public just couldn't care less in my opinion. :)

[rob1963]

I don't think it's essential. As I've said previously the pre-programs in most effects are more than good enough. Although I like dmx, I can't see me ever booking any extra gigs because I use it. The vast majority of the public just couldn't care less in my opinion. :)

Agreed.

The vast majority of the public wouldn't have even heard of it, let alone be able to tell if you use it for your lighting.

[501damian501]

hence you say Professionaly controlled lighting rig, i dont bother using words like dmx or professional standard words because the public are lost stright away.Is their any kind sole on here reading this which would help me out on which dmx wires to get for my lighting setup.many thanks damian