light weight equipment

[blitz]

Doing a revamp on the rig so has anyone got ant recomendations for light weight sound and lighting equipment?
looking for a something easy to carry and preferably compact but still up to the job

[Sapphire Disco]

If I was doing a re vamp I think would go for EV SX300e & Matching EV 12" Subs , Turnkey seem to have them at a good price.
It's the speakers that take the most room and are the heaviest.

[spin mobile disco]

I did a lot of research on this as I used to gig out of the back of a 106 3 door and as you can imagine weight was a problem. Lightest lighting equipment is the vango range from maplin I would recomend 2 diamonds 2 arcs and 2 ssc-2's as a good lightweight set. They only weigh 3 kilos each and they are easy to bag and bulbs are cheap on the whole (ssc-2 excluded)
Lighting truss in aluminium is the lightest you can get but make sure the stands each side are ali as well or you could end up taking more weight than you save. Peavey st-15's speaker are good up to about 200 people without subs (in wedding party conditions) and only weigh 18kilos which make them some of lightest 15 inch full range speakers out there. You will find cables take up a lot of weight as well so wiring looms can be a big saver there.
Amps are a very heavy item I was lucky and managed to pick up a couple of rse amps that only weigh 7 kilos each but as they are normally priced at £1000 + i wouldnt recomend that route but it may be worth watching weight on amps a toroidal transformer in an amp will bring the weight down again.
Decks you want to go for a digtal controller like a numark d2 with a hard drive this means you won't have to carry cd's again a very big weight saving.
And also use padded bags to carry equipment rather than cases as they are much lighter.

[PropellerHeadCase]

That's some awesome info, right there, Spin!

I don't know if Quest Engineering Audio products are available in the UK, but if they are I was well impressed with their HPI range of products.

Full range/mids-tops: HPI-8 - 45cm/33cm/28cm (less than 18"/13"/11"), 13kgs
I'd buy 2 pairs if I could, and a pair of the HPI 15SA subs to go with...

Self-Powered Subs: HPI 15SA - 60.5/52/60 (cms) (less than 24"/21"/24"), 33kgs

Then maybe a QA1004 amp (17kgs) to drive the tops.

[Adam_F]

Crown XTI amps are light weight too, the XTI 1000 at 500 watts RMS per channel is only around 8kg (ish). Dan (Danno13) might be able to clarify as he's got / had one.

[spin mobile disco]

Yeah losing weight on the amps is a big bonus, I had a peavey and it weighed 20 kilos including case , was glad to swap it.

[Paul James Promotions]

We use the Void Kryo range of amps, about 8kg for upto 4k. In terms of lighting, the Martin Ego is probrably the lightest i've encountered.

[spin mobile disco]

Whats the void kryo range like Jamie?

[flatliners]

2 rcf 310a speakers
1 carlsbro gamma sub
4 dyno scans
2 moonflowers
but it all depends how much you got to spend

[DJWayne]

i do 2 things to make things easier some of my kit is mounted in flightcases with integrated wheels so my amp and mixer cases wheel straight into a venue. Plus i use a trolley for the rest of it i bought a combo trolley off ebay for £20 which is a godsend as it converts from a sack truck into a flat 4 wheeled trolley and even into a step ladder so you can hang your lights a must have for all DJ's.

[flatliners]

ok you got wheels on some your flight cases what happens at stairs

[DJWayne]

ok you got wheels on some your flight cases what happens at stairs

A strange thing I pick them up and carry them :p

Neither my amp rack or mixer are heavy anyway and as regards speakers bass bins generally don't make the trip upstairs and my tops are manageable

Even light gear can be a pain if you have a long run to load in and out hence wheeled flight cases and a trolley whether there are stairs or not. :)

[blitz]

i use a crown xti and a proel lightweight amp just now with peavey ul`s so really looking for smaller lighter speakers as already got the amps, use a pc and a harddrive controller so got that covered for the music playback and i have been looking at martin scx500 scanners and ego`s or the new 250w dynomos for lighting.
i use a wheelchair and although i have a roadie with me i still like to be able to manage the equipment once in the venue, plus if its light my partner can help if the roadie cant make it ect

[Key2]

Plus i use a trolley for the rest of it i bought a combo trolley off ebay for £20 which is a godsend as it converts from a sack truck into a flat 4 wheeled trolley and even into a step ladder so you can hang your lights a must have for all DJ's.

Is it this one?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-in-1-Trolley-Ladder-Platform-Truck-Sack-Barrow-Cart_W0QQitemZ200139216934QQihZ010QQcategoryZ14783 9QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[DJWayne]

Is it this one?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-in-1-Trolley-Ladder-Platform-Truck-Sack-Barrow-Cart_W0QQitemZ200139216934QQihZ010QQcategoryZ14783 9QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

certainly is the same one worth every penny :)

[Key2]

certainly is the same one worth every penny :)


Thanks for the recommendation, Wayne. I will order one this week.

Cheers

John:)

[Key2]

i use a wheelchair and although i have a roadie with me i still like to be able to manage the equipment once in the venue, plus if its light my partner can help if the roadie cant make it ect

Do you mean that you, personally use a wheel-chair, or do you mean that you have an old wheel-chair that you use for transporting heavy items into gigs? Just wondering.

John:)

[Sapphire Disco]

Now come john think about it , wouldn't be very practical would it , size & weight, balancing your speakers & deck stand on the seat :rolleyes:

[sandysounds]

i had my rig designed so that i could carry it on my own.....so went for a rack with no amp just mixer and cortex.... the speakers are powered....but not a great deal heavier than my unpowered ones....the sub is the heaviest thing, but only use it on downstairs large gigs(smiling sweetly usually gets me the required help with that one).........and instead of a fancy DJ table and lighting bar.....i use an old market stall which is small, dead tough and packs up into a very tiny space ansd still looks good when all set up

[Key2]

Now come john think about it , wouldn't be very practical would it , size & weight, balancing your speakers & deck stand on the seat :rolleyes:

I've seen all sorts of equipment used for things other than their designed purpose. A wheelchair would certainly hold the weight...but I know what you mean.:)

John

[Corabar Steve]

and instead of a fancy DJ table and lighting bar.....i use an old market stall which is small, dead tough and packs up into a very tiny space ansd still looks good when all set up

The pictures on your website look like an "Ultimax" type stand to me.

[sandysounds]

The pictures on your website look like an "Ultimax" type stand to me.

nope....was a hand made market stall.....slightly adapted to slot my lights straight on and has a fancy bracket screwed on to mount my monitor for karaoke....and the best bit.....didn't cost me penny (except the bracket which was nearly £60!!!)

[Corabar Steve]

You can see why I thought it

[TONYTIGER]

If you want a small sound system that delivers the goods wont break your back but might break the bank balance then it has to be Nexo.

[sandysounds]

You can see why I thought it

if you look closely you can see that it is made of square steel piping and the two extensions at the side aren't fixed but slot into the holes of the upright struts.........do you normally disbelieve what people put on here about their rig?

[Corabar Steve]

do you normally disbelieve what people put on here about their rig?

Yes, all the time, they're such a bunch of liars.

As you can see by the photos I posted they do look similar & as I didn't have access to any close ups of your stand to analyze the minutest detail.........

[PropellerHeadCase]

Out of curiosity, and changing the subject slightly, how stable are the Ultimax (or any other) stands? I would've expected some kind of flaring or extensions to the feet to bring the overall centre of gravity down/level of stability up.

[blitz]

I`m a fulltime wheelchair user(paralised from the waist down) but quiet a big actice guy so can move most equipment about with a bit of effort and latteral thinkin, i`ve been thinkin about the ultimax deck stand to, more the winch one tho so i could build it up hang my lights on it then winch it up. not sure about the base height tho for seeing over or hiding me from the punters(remember i`ll be sittin)so i wouldn`t mind hearing some opinions on ultimax stands to

[Danno13]

As Adam mentioned, you can't go far wrong with the Crown Xti range for decent lightweight amps.. i think they're 8.5kg each.. and the biggest one (4000) is 650w rms into 8 ohms for £700ish.

[Corabar Steve]

Out of curiosity, and changing the subject slightly, how stable are the Ultimax (or any other) stands? I would've expected some kind of flaring or extensions to the feet to bring the overall centre of gravity down/level of stability up.
Very stable (Ultimax) to not at all (the others). This is not brand snobbery but experience from one who has used Ultimax, Giraffe & Prolight versions of the same style stand

I`m a fulltime wheelchair user(paralised from the waist down) but quiet a big actice guy so can move most equipment about with a bit of effort and latteral thinkin, i`ve been thinkin about the ultimax deck stand to, more the winch one tho so i could build it up hang my lights on it then winch it up. not sure about the base height tho for seeing over or hiding me from the punters(remember i`ll be sittin)so i wouldn`t mind hearing some opinions on ultimax stands to
Not sure how low the crossbar goes on the winch version, maybe Darren will let you know next time he's on. As for being hidden from view, the new versions have 2 height settings for the shelf crossmembers, I suppose it would depend on how tall your main console / mixer flightcase is.


IMHO buying any other brand than Ultimax for this type of stand is false economy.

[PropellerHeadCase]

Very stable (Ultimax) to not at all (the others). This is not brand snobbery but experience from one who has used Ultimax, Giraffe & Prolight versions of the same style stand.

So the next question is: How?

It doesn't look very deep but the bar can be set quite high, surely some reasonable heavy lights would make it relatively easy to knock over?

[TONYTIGER]

Been using a ultimax 6ft stand with the winch pods for many years have the box section internal wiring bar winch folds in the middle have found it first class and very stable even with 7 large effects bar just fits on with normal 35mm castings also have the front acsserory bar to keep the punters at arms length acts as a sort of a crash bar would highly recomend

[Adam_F]

IMHO buying any other brand than Ultimax for this type of stand is false economy.

:agree:
I went through 2 Prolight ones in two years, my Ultimax is far better built, and its nearly into its third birthday :party1:

[pdarnett]

Just bought a Rock n Roller r12 trolley from Thomann, awesome trolley, can get it all in in two trips !! bit pricey though but it was well worth it.

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/regular/9/9/6/282996.jpg

[Corabar Steve]

You can get shelving for them too so if you use goalposts for your lights you can double the trolley as your deck stand.

[CRAZY K]

You can get shelving for them too so if you use goalposts for your lights you can double the trolley as your deck stand.

That looks useful Rob--you could keep your Peaveys with one of those!

CRAZY K

[rob1963]

That looks useful Rob--you could keep your Peaveys with one of those!

CRAZY K

It does indeed look useful, Crazy, but trolleys aren't for me.

I don't really need one...because none of my gear is massively heavy, and it's also better exercise for me to carry everything (especially now that I'm on my diet!).

Also, trolley's are no good if there are steps up to the entrance of the venue or if the gig is upstairs & there are no lifts - like my gigs last weekend AND this coming weekend!

In addition, stuff can fall off trolleys. This happened with one of my mate's speakers, and the repair cost nearly as much as he'd earned from the gig!

Personally, I find it easier to carry the stuff myself.

I have nothing against trolleys in general, they're just not for me.

:)

[Ricesnaps]

Pah, who needs trollies. I was 28 stone a year ago, look at me now...

[JAMdisco]

What a place to sick the number on (165) - hope they don't use pins!!!

P.S. I wasn't looking there on purpose, just kinda caught my eye...

[PropellerHeadCase]

P.S. I wasn't looking there on purpose, just kinda caught my eye...

Isn't that actually worse? ;) :p

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Just bought a Rock n Roller r12 trolley from Thomann, awesome trolley, can get it all in in two trips !! bit pricey though but it was well worth it.

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/regular/9/9/6/282996.jpg

Why would you need that for Paul with your lightweight Bose stuff? :confused:

[Little_John]

Look at the Chevin Research Range of amps. About half the weight that you expect for power rating. Truly excellent for quality too.

[colinm345]

2 rcf 310a speakers
1 carlsbro gamma sub
4 dyno scans
2 moonflowers
but it all depends how much you got to spend

2 rcf 310a speakers and 1 db 12" sub thats all we use now plus some lights of course!:)

[Corabar Steve]

2 rcf 310a speakers and 1 db 12" sub thats all we use now plus some lights of course!:)

What, no CD players or mixers etc??????

I know you do Karaoke, but bloody hell!!!http://planetsmilies.net/vicious-smiley-1759.gif (http://planetsmilies.net)

[colinm345]

What, no CD players or mixers etc??????

I know you do Karaoke, but bloody hell!!!http://planetsmilies.net/vicious-smiley-1759.gif (http://planetsmilies.net)

PMSL:D I cheapo DVD/CD Player 1 1622Fx Mixer and 1 Sony Vio laptop (for Disco only)
and if I could pack everything in a matchbox I would:D