Mobile DJ Equipment

[djsofsomercotes]

im new to this forum,and ive been getting some serious abuse about my equiptment! i don't fancy remortgaging my house for a new Amp or cabs so some advice on good but not too expensive gear would be cool

[NKR]

Ebay is your friend, but also your enemy.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Om sure Peter (Excalibur) will be along shortly to mention a certain brand of speaker called Class D ;)

Try to avoid ebay unless you know exactly what your looking at. Are you wanting to keep the amp and passive speakers, or look at going down the route of powered speakers.

Do you have any kind of budget in mind?

[djsofsomercotes]

Om sure Peter (Excalibur) will be along shortly to mention a certain brand of speaker called Class D ;)

Try to avoid ebay unless you know exactly what your looking at. Are you wanting to keep the amp and passive speakers, or look at going down the route of powered speakers.

Do you have any kind of budget in mind?

no budget really it all depends. powered speakers i think, but thats why i am asking for help on this subject

[yourdj]

Sorry your getting hassle :(
It all depends how you enter a forum.

Look at the post title for example (Equiptment).
All we have to judge by is words. Nothing personal.

Give us a list of stuff you have and I am sure people can suggest budget models (but better) of equivalent gear.

You can get some really good gear for a great price if you know where too look.
Ebay is a good bet but as pointed out you can get some really messed up equipment.

My suggestion for sound is LD dave 12-15 inch or Mackie Thumps 15 inch. Recommend the both very highly!
LD better as it has a good sub.

Good luck

:)

[djsofsomercotes]

Sorry your getting hassle :(
It all depends how you enter a forum.

Look at the post title for example (Equiptment).

Give us a list of stuff you have and I am sure people can suggest budget models (but better) of equivalent gear.

:)

i titled it equiptment because i mean a range of things mainly Amp and Speakers though

[Cowlinn]

i titled it equiptment because i mean a range of things mainly Amp and Speakers though

I think Toby (YourDJ) was referring to the spelling mistake :)

But yeah, as been said eBay is a good start.

Class D are good for the price imo.

Or even if you're on a very low budget Maplins finest Prosound aren't as bad as everyone makes out. They're not brilliant.
I know Charlie Brown will agree with me when I say they're a good place to start, and certainly an upgrade from what you've got.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Right...well ignore my previous post about Class D...their website is showing absolutly no stock for anything (Peter...whats happened?)

As has been stated in your newbie thread, you cant hear watts, and RMS is a good (ish) reference to go off. Think the electric heater syndrome...ive a 4kw heater thats as sient as a mouse. What you want is SPL (sound pressure level) which is given in decibels and is "loudness". Anything over 100db is considered Ok (from what im lead to believe) ;)

[Corabar Entertainment]

Matty, If what he's got is working for him, there's no point in changing for changes sake. It's only worthwhile if he's going to see a significant improvement.

I would suggest having a think about what would be commercially viable for you, and giving a max budget (which can either go to speakers and amp, or powered speakers). People can then make suggestions based on that. - There's no point people making suggestions that are out of your budget, and likewise, there's not much point in people suggesting low budget if you've got a bit more dosh to spend.

If you also give people an idea of what sort/size of gigs you do, it could also have a bearing.

[yourdj]

Right...well ignore my previous post about Class D...their website is showing absolutly no stock for anything (Peter...whats happened?)

As has been stated in your newbie thread, you cant hear watts, and RMS is a good (ish) reference to go off. Think the electric heater syndrome...ive a 4kw heater thats as sient as a mouse. What you want is SPL (sound pressure level) which is given in decibels and is "loudness". Anything over 100db is considered Ok (from what im lead to believe) ;)

Yep - spelling mistake.


giving a max budget (which can either go to speakers and amp, or powered speakers).

yes good guide :)

Class D are OK.

LD Dave aswell. I never thought I would love a budget system. :p
I think some Tapco or Mackie thumps would be a good idea?

[Corabar Entertainment]

LD Dave aswell. I never thought I would love a budget system. :p
I think some Tapco or Mackie thumps would be a good idea?But those are your stock answers no matter what people are asking for or want to do with them! :lol:

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Yep - spelling mistake.


yes good guide :)

Class D are OK.

LD Dave aswell. I never thought I would love a budget system. :p
I think some Tapco or Mackie thumps would be a good idea?

Shut up you...ive had a long night :p

[Excalibur]

I'm sure Peter (Excalibur) will be along shortly to mention a certain brand of speaker called Class D ;)
?

Yes he will be along, and no he won't mention them, because there's no stock again. :(
Chris, let's have a quick start. There are certain budget brands which are budget for a reason. They're cheap crap. Prosound, and Soundlab are not going to last you for tens of years. There's stuff which is just above that, and still won't last you tens of years, probably. Gemini is in this class, and I've still got two of their amps in my shed, and a lot of KAM gear also.

Going up, we find a lot of Peavey gear, some Behringer, some JBL, and a few other brands.

With oodles of money to spend, we arrive at QSC, Yamaha, HK, and the like.

Let's see what good old ebay turns up.
Here's an amp I'd put some faith in. By no means high end, but usually reliable and value for money.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Warrior-Audio-DA1000-DJ-Disco-Amplifier-Power-Amp-/380257443523?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item58891c1ec3
Pair of nice loud cabs which willrun happily off that amp.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ex-Display-Peavey-Pro15-Pro-15-MK2-DJ-Speakers-PAIR-/190497824889?pt=UK_ConElec_SpeakersPASystems_RL&hash=item2c5a8e2079


Rule one: Ignore "peak" figures. RMS is the only one which can safely be used for comparisons.
Rule two: Ask before considering parting with hard earned cash on PA kit. Somebody on here will have had one before, so advice is always available.
Rule the=ree: Listen before you buy. Everybody's ears vary, and one man's sweet sounding rig is another one's deafenng row.

That'll do for now, I have a feeling this will get busy quickly, and involve a frank exchange of views. :D

[yourdj]

But those are your stock answers no matter what people are asking for or want to do with them! :lol:

Agreed but they are speakers I have used (to a certain extent) that do not cost much money and are not bad. :)
I cannot add any others as I have only used good (expensive) ones other than that.



With oodles of money to spend, we arrive at HK, and the like.


The power house range are very good for the money. Much better than LD.

[djsofsomercotes]

Yes he will be along, and no he won't mention them, because there's no stock again. :(
Chris, let's have a quick start. There are certain budget brands which are budget for a reason. They're cheap crap. Prosound, and Soundlab are not going to last you for tens of years. There's stuff which is just above that, and still won't last you tens of years, probably. Gemini is in this class, and I've still got two of their amps in my shed, and a lot of KAM gear also.

Going up, we find a lot of Peavey gear, some Behringer, some JBL, and a few other brands.

With oodles of money to spend, we arrive at QSC, Yamaha, HK, and the like.

Let's see what good old ebay turns up.
Here's an amp I'd put some faith in. By no means high end, but usually reliable and value for money.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Warrior-Audio-DA1000-DJ-Disco-Amplifier-Power-Amp-/380257443523?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item58891c1ec3
Pair of nice loud cabs which willrun happily off that amp.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ex-Display-Peavey-Pro15-Pro-15-MK2-DJ-Speakers-PAIR-/190497824889?pt=UK_ConElec_SpeakersPASystems_RL&hash=item2c5a8e2079


Rule one: Ignore "peak" figures. RMS is the only one which can safely be used for comparisons.
Rule two: Ask before considering parting with hard earned cash on PA kit. Somebody on here will have had one before, so advice is always available.
Rule the=ree: Listen before you buy. Everybody's ears vary, and one man's sweet sounding rig is another one's deafenng row.

That'll do for now, I have a feeling this will get busy quickly, and involve a frank exchange of views. :D

thanks! thats some good well appreciated advice ive just had a look at those and i think i might well get them

[Kernow]

Matty, If what he's got is working for him, there's no point in changing for changes sake. It's only worthwhile if he's going to see a significant improvement..
:agree:
Chris & Emma have been operating for some time and are clearly getting enough gigs to make it worthwhile.
From their website, they're not getting gigs on price alone, so why change a winning formula ? :confused:
Admittedly, like many of us, there is considerable room for improvement, particulary in presentation ;) , but perhaps they would like to tell the forum why, in what way and how they would like to achieve advice ?

:)

[djsofsomercotes]

:agree:
Chris & Emma have been operating for some time and are clearly getting enough gigs to make it worthwhile.
From their website, they're not getting gigs on price alone, so why change a winning formula ? :confused:
Admittedly, like many of us, there is considerable room for improvement, particulary in presentation ;) , but perhaps they would like to tell the forum why, in what way and how they would like to achieve advice ?

:)

its working but genuine advice from well established DJs for me is priceless,i m always looking to improve that was one of the reasons i joined this forum

[DJ James Lake]

I have a pair of mackie c300z speakers and a numazu dimension 4 in the for sale section.

Might be a little out of your budget but will last you for years and have a great sound with plenty of power

[deltic]

if your current sound is working for you,why not just take the edge off the red cabs and spray them black
i know it wont improve the sound but asthetically will be a lot better.

[NKR]

if your current sound is working for you,why not just take the edge off the red cabs and spray them black
i know it wont improve the sound but asthetically will be a lot better.

Spray carpet?

[Rowleys]

I would save for some new cabs. Get your self some class D i have a pair and loved them. Sold them on to Dave and thinks he still liking them.

JAC 15.

Also look at getting a stand and cloth. Your lighting done really look that bad at all.

Start on the look of your show and you will get a buz and just want to make it better.

When we all start mobile disco and you dont no where to look you bombed with maplings selling disco gear and ebay disco packages that are cheap and do the job. But when you see a forum you see what other people and doing and make you looks bad..

Stick around i can see you coming on good :D

Maybe a mod soon lol

[musicologydisco]

I would think that the first thing you need to do is buy or build a proper booth / stand so you're not set up on a table. That's probably the most unprofessional thing you're doing at the moment. Get the presentation sorted then worry about gear later. If it all works, that's good enough for now.

[Excalibur]

its working but genuine advice from well established DJs for me is priceless,i m always looking to improve that was one of the reasons i joined this forum
Good. There's plenty of good advice on here, and I'm regularly thankful for those who give it.


I have a pair of mackie c300z speakers and a numazu dimension 4 in the for sale section.

Might be a little out of your budget but will last you for years and have a great sound with plenty of power
Good kit, the Mackies well there are folk who have those and another brand, and prefer the other brand. Sound is subjective. W Audio cabs, whether active or passive, are a brand I'd use happily, in fact I'm taking my recently acquired ones out for the first time tonight.


I would save for some new cabs. Get your self some class D i have a pair and loved them. Sold them on to Dave and thinks he still liking them.

JAC 15.Also look at getting a stand and cloth. Your lighting done really look that bad at all.Start on the look of your show and you will get a buz and just want to make it better.

Good advice, except the warehouse is empty, so S/H will be the only option, and there aren't a lot about. ;)
See post below.


I would think that the first thing you need to do is buy or build a proper booth / stand so you're not set up on a table. That's probably the most unprofessional thing you're doing at the moment. Get the presentation sorted then worry about gear later. If it all works, that's good enough for now.
Stands. KAM, Rhino, Giraffe ( I'm not making this up, honest!! ) all work fine, and are value for money. You would be happy with any of those, until: you see an Ultimax one. They are the Rolls Royce, and any money spent on them is money well spent. We've all had the cheap stands, (in fact I still have one in my shed, minus the full overhead. ) and we've all now got Ultimax of some flavour or another.

Frontage: Here is the only time you'll see me whinge about Ultimax gear. Their plain cloth frontage is simply crap. I'm presently modifying mine. Use the search facility on here, there are lots of options.

Please don't think you must have a Starcloth. A plain black cloth is absolutely fine.

Keep asking questions, Chris, especially before spending money. ;) No question is unbelievably stupid, we've seen 'em aall before, and we'll see 'em all again at some point. I've learnt an unbelievable amount since joining here.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Completely agree with Peters above post :)

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Right then mate... ive just had a look at your photos on the website and facebook and the one thing that everyone has failed to mention...probably becuse of the red speakers ;) is............ SPEAKER STANDS!!!! :D

Even the best sounding speakers will be no good sat on the floor and you'll be driving them hard just to push any volume through peoples legs. Ideally you need to get them up at head height, or just above. And for the sake of spending 35 quid you'll find a vast improvement...even with the red ones ;)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HIGH-QUALITY-STEEL-SPEAKER-STANDS-INC-FREE-BAG-/190508673233?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2c5b33a8d1

My apologies if you do use stands, not trying to teach you to suck eggs lol, but just something i observed from the photos on show :)

[Corabar Steve]

Do the red Soundlabs have tophats though?

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Do the red Soundlabs have tophats though?

Erm....dunno :confused:

[Corabar Steve]

I've got a nagging suspicion that they don't.


















I could be wrong

[DJ James Lake]

Do the red Soundlabs have tophats though?

Nothing a hammer and chisel couldnt sort though :D

[discomobiledj]

Couple of these will sort that out....

http://www.hifi-tower.co.uk/PA_SYSTEMS/Stands/PA_Speaker_Stand_Adaptor_For_Speakers_Without_Top_ Hat_Mounts_i85_2440_0.htm?campaign=pricesearch/google/10001832

[Excalibur]

Couple of these will sort that out....

http://www.hifi-tower.co.uk/PA_SYSTEMS/Stands/PA_Speaker_Stand_Adaptor_For_Speakers_Without_Top_ Hat_Mounts_i85_2440_0.htm?campaign=pricesearch/google/10001832

True, but if I were going to fit something, I'd fit an internal one.
http://www.djsupplies.co.uk/speaker-adaptor-top-hat-35mm-463-p.asp

[djsofsomercotes]

Good. There's plenty of good advice on here, and I'm regularly thankful for those who give it.


Good kit, the Mackies well there are folk who have those and another brand, and prefer the other brand. Sound is subjective. W Audio cabs, whether active or passive, are a brand I'd use happily, in fact I'm taking my recently acquired ones out for the first time tonight.


Good advice, except the warehouse is empty, so S/H will be the only option, and there aren't a lot about. ;)
See post below.


Stands. KAM, Rhino, Giraffe ( I'm not making this up, honest!! ) all work fine, and are value for money. You would be happy with any of those, until: you see an Ultimax one. They are the Rolls Royce, and any money spent on them is money well spent. We've all had the cheap stands, (in fact I still have one in my shed, minus the full overhead. ) and we've all now got Ultimax of some flavour or another.

Frontage: Here is the only time you'll see me whinge about Ultimax gear. Their plain cloth frontage is simply crap. I'm presently modifying mine. Use the search facility on here, there are lots of options.

Please don't think you must have a Starcloth. A plain black cloth is absolutely fine.

Keep asking questions, Chris, especially before spending money. ;) No question is unbelievably stupid, we've seen 'em aall before, and we'll see 'em all again at some point. I've learnt an unbelievable amount since joining here.

thanks for the advice,i was looking at a star cloth and a Kam stand,because its a pain having to ask for a table and it isnt very profesional i agree

[Shakermaker Promotions]

When I first started out full time I had 6ft Giraffe stand (too big so changed to a 4ft), a pair of Gemini GX450 Actives and some Numark CD Players. It all did the job long enough so that I could start improving the set up.
I wouldn't say the sound was too bad but then I went and got some JBL's and a Crown amp (XLS802) and the difference was vast.

The above are a bit pricey and I don't know what your budget is.

Personally I have a number of different set ups because you never know the situation you are going to be in (stairs, big parties etc) and also it's always good (as I am sure you are aware) to have backup.

Best thing I have done for a while is get a pair of Mackie SRM450 V2's. I did a wedding this evening in a large hall for 160 people. I was on a stage and I just used the Mackies without bass bins (I couldn't carry them as I've done my ribs in). The Mackies coped easily and were only set to 12 o'clock. I even went to the back of the hall when the party was in full flow and the sound was crisp, loud and clear.

It's said a lot on here but if you are coping with what you have already got but still want to upgrade, wait and go for something like the Mackies (or RCF, JBL - Only a personal opinion), rather than get something else and feel like you've made a mistake.

[Booche]

Chris if you get chance pop down to mine and see what i use, now it may not be the Denon/Pioneer/Dogs doolys lol

But its quite capable of doing a very good job and if it wasnt for this forum i wouldn't have anything like i do now.

I use a KAM 4ft stand, Peavey PV 1500 amp, Class D speakers/Peavey ST15 Speakers (depending on were i am), Coff Coff Zoom Coff Coff Starcloth and various lighting, Cortex HDC 1000, Citronic CDM 10:4 MK 4 mixer and a laptop for backup.

The things you saw me use at Somerlea that time was there setup due to my setup being at home and busy earlly next morning lol

Like i say feel free to ring/text/email me and we can sort something out.

I will set it up infront of you at the same speed i do at a "Regular" gig to show how quick it is etc.

Dont think i can say more then that tbh.

Let me know so im in (In today (sunday) if that helps)

[Pe7e]

thanks for the advice,i was looking at a star cloth and a Kam stand,because its a pain having to ask for a table and it isnt very profesional i agree

Check the for sale section.;)

[Excalibur]

Check the for sale section.;)

And as if by magic. ;)
http://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=32183

Chris, if you get the chance to speak to Pe7e, take it. It will be a learning experience. ;)

Beware entering Aladdin's Other Cave though. :Naughty: That could be a wallet lightening experience. :D :D :D :D :D :D( I did it once, but I think I got away with it. ) ;) :D :D