Looking for Advice

[Naylor10]

Hi,

Looking to put together the perfect mobile DJ Setup.

Been doing this for about 4 years now and looking to have a full reshuffle of my equipment and put together something i think would be the best around for the scale im looking for.
Want anyone's advice on the way this is set up. If you think there may be an issue using wash and focused effect close together. (planning on DMX-ing) Also is you would recommend any other speakers as opposed to the EV ETX15 on here. The lights on the top bar are ADJ Inno pocket fusion x3 and ADJ Ultra bar 6 x2

17842

please let me know what you think? If you cant see the pic please let me know and ill provide a full list of equipment

[funkymook]

Depends what you mean by ‘perfect’.

What’s perfect for a sophisticated wedding might not be perfect for an 18th for example. Then you have to take ease and time of setting up into consideration, no point having a rig that takes 2 hours if you only have 40 minutes to be up and running.

My view as a mobile DJ is the less equipment I need to get the desired effect the better, I’m not into making work for myself.

A good place to start is by telling us what sort of bookings you do.

[soundscapes]

I wouldn't mount the movers below the speakers, they are way too low and will shine in guests eyes all night. Id perhaps only have two barrels on the bar and add something different in the centre. Perhaps a kaleido or flower of some sort to give the dancefloor permanent coverage

[rth_discos]

Don't waste your money on lots of low wattage lights. 2 very bright high quality lights will outperform all of those, which just won't cut through.

[CRAZY K]

Hi,

Looking to put together the perfect mobile DJ Setup.

Been doing this for about 4 years now and looking to have a full reshuffle of my equipment and put together something i think would be the best around for the scale im looking for.
Want anyone's advice on the way this is set up. If you think there may be an issue using wash and focused effect close together. (planning on DMX-ing) Also is you would recommend any other speakers as opposed to the EV ETX15 on here. The lights on the top bar are ADJ Inno pocket fusion x3 and ADJ Ultra bar 6 x2

17842

please let me know what you think? If you cant see the pic please let me know and ill provide a full list of equipment

The lights fixed to speakers look dangerous to me--could easily be toppled ESPECIALLY as you have the tripod legs in the wrong position--you need one leg pointing towards the audience so if they topple they go backwards NOT straight into the Dancers. OUCH!

I also agree those lights are too low to be effective in a tight situation, on a stage might be ok.

Speakers who knows--EV have a reputation but so do many many others.

[yourdj]

Depends what you mean by ‘perfect’.

What’s perfect for a sophisticated wedding might not be perfect for an 18th for example. Then you have to take ease and time of setting up into consideration, no point having a rig that takes 2 hours if you only have 40 minutes to be up and running.
.

Could not have put it better.


2 very bright high quality lights will outperform all of those, which just won't cut through.

:agree:

My opinion as it has always been, is that the industry is moving away from bulky kit.
Overheads for example are often described by my clients in meetings as "we saw this guy the other day and it looked like a market stall".

I am trying to aspire to fit into the venue or decor as best as possible, which means minimising the size and impact of the technical kit as much as possible, be able to set up in a 20 min window and also be accessible to guests, without compromising safety for kit and myself. I still use 10 inch RCF's but can se myself moving to white bose type sticks at some point as they look more elegant.

I think to be 'perfect' you should look more on what your clients want, (don't ask other DJ's), by good quality bright lighting and you should save yourself loads of money getting a good DMX systems to program and control them is paramount in my option as you can double if not tremble your lighting effectiveness. i would defo look towards line array (RCF evox sticks for example) as box type speakers are quickly going out of fashion, but I may be wrong. And lastly a decent elegant booth like this (even that is perhaps starting to date now) http://lighthouseaudiovisual.co.uk/equinox-aluminium-lightweight-dj-booth-system-110105-p.asp?gclid=CjwKEAjw3fG4BRDsn9GAv7T2zEkSJACNJdjg-R491Knw_rZMWt9sDZwz2FqXYZPpQZjVVnBaCZAK3hoClzbw_wc B

i use a white equinox screen to hide the crap and will soon be reducing my wireless DMX (can be set up away from the main kit) bar to only the Quad Phases, which is quite a downsize to the original design of 8 lights. the main reason is my new cutey, DMX software as its very intuitive and really affects the show. Having wireless wash lights around the room is also very effective.

I used 2 quad phase HP's, and about 2 mins programming it (see video below).
There was no haze as my assistant filled it up with Distilled water. :confused:
That makes it look 3x as good.

This is for weddings as per the comments above, maybe a bank of lasers and moving heads + TV screens with visuals would suit a 21st birthday. This was a bespoke white only lighting scheme, but it looked crap at the venue so I added some blue in there as we had an hour delay. :)

If you want a wash bar the same as you have in the photo then i am selling mine soon. I think I also have the box.

You can see the limited tech visual impact of the set up on 3.30 mins. My goal is to make it minimal as poss, whilst using technology to imrove the quality of the show. In this vid we actually did not use speaker stand and relied on the venue tables, further reducing that. I have always like the idea of doing stately homes and using an antique study desk, rug and an old style lamp. I could go one step further and camouflage the decks to look like an old newspaper LOL. Not sure how i could do that with an Macbook, perhaps with a wrap of some sort?


https://vimeo.com/162248673

[Nakatomi]

Don't waste your money on lots of low wattage lights. 2 very bright high quality lights will outperform all of those, which just won't cut through.
:agree:

Don't waste your time with LED fixtures under 25 watts, especially movers. Unless that is you're only going to be playing in people's living rooms.

[Benny Smyth]

:agree:

Don't waste your time with LED fixtures under 25 watts, especially movers. Unless that is you're only going to be playing in people's living rooms.

I'd say no less than 50 watts, to be honest.

Personally, I'd keep the fusion bars and replace all your profiles with two or four (depending on budget, of course) Chauvet Intimidator 255s with a centre piece added in, like an ADJ Quadphase or a Jellydome. A pair of those movers and a centrepiece should cost about the same as all your profile lights there, or pretty damn close. I think that'd look pretty decent, especially when DMX controlled. :approve:

As for the speakers, I have no idea, I'm afraid. As Peter would always say: listen before you buy.

[Imagine]

My view as a mobile DJ is the less equipment I need to get the desired effect the better, I’m not into making work for myself..

:agree:

I used to rock up with overheads, lots of different effects, the works. I used to think bigger was better.

This was last night's effort. 30 mins in, 30 mins out (and it's not the easiest get in either), so around 20 mins to assemble/disassemble.
For the kit nerds:

1 x starlit Equinox 4ft booth (dressed in black to match the interior of the marquee I was in)
2 x Jaguar MSD250
4 x ADJ MegaTriPar for wash (not technically needed as the venue has a bank of PARS set to a static pinkish colour over the dance floor)
Acrylic LOVE letters

This was a venue I used to take a load of gear into....and it really wasn't needed. The TriPARS provide the colour changing wash, and the Jaguars do the spinny/dotty/flashy stuff on the floor

17843

[ukpartydj]

:agree:

Don't waste your time with LED fixtures under 25 watts, especially movers. Unless that is you're only going to be playing in people's living rooms.


I'd say no less than 50 watts, to be honest.

Personally, I'd keep the fusion bars and replace all your profiles with two or four (depending on budget, of course) Chauvet Intimidator 255s with a centre piece added in, like an ADJ Quadphase or a Jellydome. A pair of those movers and a centrepiece should cost about the same as all your profile lights there, or pretty damn close. I think that'd look pretty decent, especially when DMX controlled. :approve:

As for the speakers, I have no idea, I'm afraid. As Peter would always say: listen before you buy.

Watts? ...... Watts?????

:bang:

[Benny Smyth]

Watts? ...... Watts?????

:bang:

Somebody wanna clue me in here?

[Nakatomi]

Watts? ...... Watts?????

:bang:

Why the head banging? Low powered LED fixtures are almost without exception... crap. I've seen ADJ pocket gear in action & was distinctly underwhelmed every time. They're about on a par with 50W halogen fixtures.

My 25W LED scanner & gobo flower effects are just about enough to cut through in most situations but I think Benny's right. Forget about anything under 50W if you really wanna notice it.

I know it's not all about watts.. it'd be about lumens per foot or whatever.. The power in wattage is just a rule of thumb.

[musicology]

I agree. That's the only way I can tell how bright they're going to be. I am using 2 types of 60w LED fixtures and found them to be nice and "bright". Lower wattage LED units are definitely dimmer.

[ukpartydj]

Somebody wanna clue me in here?

One word - Lumens.


Why the head banging? Low powered LED fixtures are almost without exception... crap. I've seen ADJ pocket gear in action & was distinctly underwhelmed every time. They're about on a par with 50W halogen fixtures.

My 25W LED scanner & gobo flower effects are just about enough to cut through in most situations but I think Benny's right. Forget about anything under 50W if you really wanna notice it.

I know it's not all about watts.. it'd be about lumens per foot or whatever. The power in wattage is just a rule of thumb.

I've got 2 variations of ADJ X-MOVE LED lights (2 from Benny as it happens).
2 are 10watt LEDs and 2 are 25watt LEDs ... When they shine on the floor there is no comparison between brightness.

And as you said lumens per area, very important - a 50w head might give the same output as a 10w head when it's in 5 facet prism mode and the 10w is doing 1/5 of the area.
Using Watts as a measurement of light is just as bad as using it as a measurement of sound is all I'm trying to say.


I agree. That's the only way I can tell how bright they're going to be. I am using 2 types of 60w LED fixtures and found them to be nice and "bright". Lower wattage LED units are definitely dimmer.

I dunno how to say this without sounding like a dick but, maybe it's the only way you know how to tell. Lumens is the correct way to measure.

[DazzyD]

I have to agree with those comments. Power consumption (watts) isn't the only thing that has an effect on how bright your light beams are. It's certainly not a measure of brightness. Optics have a lot to do with it, too. The design, build and efficiency of a light effect can also have an effect on the brightness of the beams it emits. Lumens, however, is a measure of light so that does give a better indication of the brightness for comparative purposes.

[ukpartydj]

Don't get me wrong I think 2 wider brighter moving heads look great and possibly better than 4 moving heads which aren't as bright. I personally prefer the 4 heads as I think it's more interesting with DMX, but there are pros to having interchangeable gobos, prisms etc.

Here's an interesting video comparison between 12w & 50w LEDs from American Brian S Redd -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUn8nKU6UK4


Inno pocket spot = £180
Inno Spot = £350

[Nakatomi]

The debate here is really whether adj pocket fixtures are a good buy & I think not. Buy fewer but better fixtures as others have said.

[Naylor10]

Hi,

Looking to put together the perfect mobile DJ Setup.

Been doing this for about 4 years now and looking to have a full reshuffle of my equipment and put together something i think would be the best around for the scale im looking for.
Want anyone's advice on the way this is set up. If you think there may be an issue using wash and focused effect close together. (planning on DMX-ing) Also is you would recommend any other speakers as opposed to the EV ETX15 on here. The lights on the top bar are ADJ Inno pocket fusion x3 and ADJ Ultra bar 6 x2

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to answer a few questions and hopefully carry on with this discussion. Its been very helpful so far;

- Krazy K - This is just an illustration of what id like, not a photo :) The tripod legs would be sufficiently placed. Thanks though.

- The ADJ Pocket spots on the top shelf and the ADJ Duo's on the speakers would be DMX'd together and have programs to match the event/time. I.E. Nice slow effects for early/slow dances and more colorful for later on when the dance-floor is full.

- soundscapes - thanks for the tip about them being too low. generally i am on a stage so this should be an issue, but when im not, they can always be mounted on top of the speakers and this should be OK but thank you.

- funkymook - you're absolutely right about this, but in my experience you can use 95% the same setup for any event and all we need to do is making a few slight adjustments using different lighting programs, music choice and the way the event is set out.

- My experience with the Pocket series of ADJ has been quite good and feel they do really well especially with a bit of smoke. Obviously the bigger models from ADJ and Chauvet would be great but im also concerned about transporting all of this.

- YourDJ - Yes thank you for the link, this is the booth i plan to get, with the additional top shelf and star cloth. Currently using a Gorilla DJ Stand but want to upgrade to something a little bigger. Also i find the star cloth also acts as its own effect.

- Also a common theme is that "less is more" and i couldn't agree more. I love seeing a controlled slow beam as opposed to the chaotic approach that is the downfall of most beginner DJs and im sure we've all done it. The way this would be DMX would look like 6 beams all controlled together, then the Inno fusion's DMXd together with the UltraBar 6's providing a nice wash effect. I quite like the Inno fusion as other laser's can dominate a room and unless your playing a massive room you can struggle to get other effects working well.

- By the "Perfect Mobile DJ" setup, i mean something of high quality that can be used for a wide range of gigs. Be a great package for a wedding but also a good package for a birthday. Obliviously a setup like this elevates the standard of gigs you want to be doing.

- Looks like I've got my heart set on the EV's at the moment but still open to other suggestions but i think powered 15's are the way to go. Don't think the slimline Bose (and other) systems have the carry that the bigger speakers do. I'm all for minimalising my system but would never compromise on sound. Currently using Pioneer DDJ-RX and really enjoying it and would recommend it to anyone. Generally can use just my laptop for gigs but when its party time i love to get on this thing. so easy to use.

Let me know your Opinions

[mattydj50]

The debate here is really whether adj pocket fixtures are a good buy & I think not. Buy fewer but better fixtures as others have said.

I bought a couple of Inno Pocket moving heads. Used them three times and sold them on. Though I'd seen them in action, they didn't cut themustard when I ran them with Acme Cheetahs,

I've now tried to make sure that all of my effect lighting of of a similar output so at least when changing from one to another there's no obvious difference.

Latest purchase was a pair of Chauvet Intimidator Barrel Scanners 305 IRC. It does of course depend on what you have available to spend and what the end use is going to be.

[Excalibur]

Fairly short and not very detailed reply, but I have to agree that a small number of high powered effects is usually better than a lot of low powered ones. ( And to those who point out correctly that we don't measure light output in watts, yes you're right, but as a general rule, something with a 50 or 60 watt LED inside is likely to be brighter than something with 12 watts onboard, so it's a useful guide. )

Wash lights are very important, IMHO, and I love my little ( one metre long, so not tiny ) Equinox battens. Can do ( slightly limited ) movement as well as wash.

Sound? You're half right. Two 15" cabs would be what I'd have if I were only allowed two boxes ( and RCF Evox et al don't count as two boxes ) Wooden for preference. Check out Yamaha. The plastic ones are good, but the ( more expensive ) wooden ones are better.

[CRAZY K]

Krazy K[/B] - This is just an illustration of what id like, not a photo :) The tripod legs would be sufficiently placed. Thanks though.



Illustration--no its a photograph--what else can it be--its not an artists impression.:D:D:D

Obviously a slipshod one--with the feet pointing the wrong way.:rolleyes:

Not everyone understands tripods :daft:

[rth_discos]

The way this would be DMX would look like 6 beams all controlled together,

To get beams relies on smoke/haze.

Be careful to ensure the venues you perform at allow this, otherwise there are no beams - just some small dots moving around.

That's where the higher power lights come in - a much bigger footprint, that provides a wash of light from its reflection.

[Nakatomi]

Obliviously a setup like this elevates the standard of gigs you want to be doing.


Yeah, low slung lights capable of dazzling customers but not lighting the dancefloor much are definitely on my big wish list.