Setting up from scratch

[Key2]

Hi Guys (and gals)

I'm setting up from scratch. I won't be buying new kit, I did that with cars for my driving school and lived to regret it.
I was thinking of a dual-deck cd mixer/player and a laptop storing mp3's.
Does this sound about right? If YOU were setting up now, would you go vinyl/CD/mp3/??? (I don't want to be the guy that bought a Betamax, if you know what I mean:D )
Obviously I will need amps/speakers/lights/leads/etc. but I'm just talking about the music format. I'm aiming at the music quiz market and weddings.
I don't want to do holiday camps or stuff like that as this is an additional business for me. A way to add to my income whilst doing something enjoyable.

John

[Corabar Steve]

Hi Guys (and gals)

I'm setting up from scratch. I won't be buying new kit, I did that with cars for my driving school and lived to regret it.
I was thinking of a dual-deck cd mixer/player and a laptop storing mp3's.
Does this sound about right? If YOU were setting up now, would you go vinyl/CD/mp3/??? (I don't want to be the guy that bought a Betamax, if you know what I mean:D )
Obviously I will need amps/speakers/lights/leads/etc. but I'm just talking about the music format. I'm aiming at the music quiz market and weddings.
I don't want to do holiday camps or stuff like that as this is an additional business for me. A way to add to my income whilst doing something enjoyable.

John

....I've deleted the above post with exactly the same content as this.

[Jiggles]

Newbies, What are going to do with them :D:D:D

[Penfold42]

I thought I was seeing double....LOL...

What's the budget......that would be your good starting point....:)

[Jiggles]

I thought I was seeing double....LOL...

What's the budget......that would be your good starting point....:)


I thought you would be going mad :lol:

[Penfold42]

I thought you would be going mad :lol:

Already there Callum.....:D

Back on topic.
Money is the key here I think. I've budget gear but it works for me at the moment....need to earn before I can spend again. Hope to get some tips from Dragonfly next week when I spy his gear....:)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I would start with dual CD players, separate mixer and laptop for backup. I'd definately get used to using CDs before going laptop/PC/Media reader only, as then you know that if anything went wrong and you had to use CD only, then you'd still be confident using them.

[Dillmiester]

Probably the best way to go money wise is to look for someone selling a job lot disoc set up. Some one giving it up etc. You do see them in the classified adds and fleabay, you should get a good deal.
I agree about not going straight to laptop too.

[Spirits High]

Just having a quick scan of the "bay" and there's plenty of complete set ups on there but the quality varies.....alot!

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Just having a quick scan of the "bay" and there's plenty of complete set ups on there but the quality varies.....alot!

The other problem with people selling complete set ups on Ebay, is that they generally have no idea what second hand gear is worth and price it waaaaaaay too high.

[dj-jaym]

The other problem with people selling complete set ups on Ebay, is that they generally have no idea what second hand gear is worth and price it waaaaaaay too high.

There are some amazing bargains to be had on ebay !, Infact i got some real bargains just a few weeks of someone who is a member on here, And they were a real bargain indeed.

Thomann is worth a look at also, If your going to go down using a laptop route, I wouldnt bother with a dual cd player seems a waste of money when it could be spent better on other items. You can easily use another laptop / pc for backup means, You can pickup a 3.4GHZ 512mb DDR2 40GB Sata Drive for around the 110 mark, This is plenty for disco use, (excluding hdd which would need an upgrade), I have just brought 2 for disco use / dj use.

But as pointed out earlier you realy need to disclose your budget, And what you have or havent got already

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

There are some amazing bargains to be had on ebay !,

Yes, but I was talking about complete set ups. People always value them too high.

[dj-jaym]

Yes, but I was talking about complete set ups. People always value them too high.

Yeah i agree on that one, Best to arrange a viewing and check out retail prices first, Also if your buying new or certain items, Certain dealers give good discounts for cash not through books !

[Key2]

Sorry about the double posting. We had a real humdinger of a storm and the power went off twice. I didn't think the message had gone, so I sent it again.:Embarassed:

I play electric guitar and had thought about using my guitar amp(s) for the music quiz's. I have a Line 6 Spider 2 (75w) combo amp, a Peavey 15w practice combo amp that I would use for microphone only, and an Axl 60w bass amp. As for budget, I have seen dual cd mixers on Fbay for around £70.
Similar money for speakers. So I guess an initial £400 or so. I know it's not a lot, but I think I could get off the ground with that. I already own a couple of mp3 players and a couple of laptops.

John

[Larry B Entertainment]

Dont use the guitar amps for speakers. They are optimized for the frequencies of a guitar and most sound very bad plugging anything else into them, even though some of them have an aux input. You can pick up a basic pa system on ebay (a 4 channel mixer amp and 2 speakers) for £150 which at the very least would give you a better sound than guitar amps. Decent gear doesnt have to cost the earth, just a matter of knowing what to look for and your in the right place for advice. :)

[pagan_flame]

I play electric guitar and had thought about using my guitar amp(s) for the music quiz's. I have a Line 6 Spider 2 (75w) combo amp, a Peavey 15w practice combo amp that I would use for microphone only, and an Axl 60w bass amp. As for budget, I have seen dual cd mixers on Fbay for around £70.
Similar money for speakers. So I guess an initial £400 or so. I know it's not a lot, but I think I could get off the ground with that. I already own a couple of mp3 players and a couple of laptops.

JohnDefinitely not the guitar amps.... but bass amps, on the other hand, can be OK as they don't have the high gain of a guitar amp for the distortion sounds.

My Marshall JCM 2000 only comes out if I'm helping a band out these days - but my main pre-amp is an old Laney bass amp with an active EQ on it.

Have a look at this thread if you can stretch to a grand for all new... --> HERE (http://www.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=6637&highlight=class) and have a look at post #9.

[Penfold42]

Have a look at this thread if you can stretch to a grand for all new... --> HERE (http://www.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=6637&highlight=class) and have a look at post #9.

Then check post # 11.....:o

[Key2]

Thanks guys, some great info there, and just what I needed.
Reading magazines is all well and good, but you can't beat getting it straight from the people who do it for a living. (as my grandad used to say when he came home from the massage parlour):D

John

[mr rusty]

I would watch ebay for a while and wait for the good buys to turn up. They do appear from time to time. I agree that most complete rigs are way overpriced, but a few turn up that go for sensible money. I paid £500 for about £1400 of gear all less than 6 months old, having previously just missed another rig. Make sure you price check all the components on google, and you'll get a fair idea of what is worth what.

[Key2]

I would watch ebay for a while and wait for the good buys to turn up. They do appear from time to time. I agree that most complete rigs are way overpriced, but a few turn up that go for sensible money. I paid £500 for about £1400 of gear all less than 6 months old, having previously just missed another rig. Make sure you price check all the components on google, and you'll get a fair idea of what is worth what.
Thanks Mr Rusty

I'm not 'desperate' so I will keep watching. I'm trying to learn as much as I can from the forum, to save costly mistakes!

Thanx again

John