Bye bye DJ booth?

[Excalibur]

Sorry, late to the party.

Justin - I saw your post on FB the other day. For me it's like rustic booths....marmite (sorry!). I'm older than you (but nowhere NEAR as old as Peter) and can see it getting knocked over, drinks spilled on it, pint glasses and wine glasses rested on it, the mic easily snatched... Don't get me wrong....I love the look because it's different and "open", but at the same time it sends shudders down my elderly and sensible spine.

EXCELLENT craftsmanship by the way!

As much as it pains me to agree with my middle aged Fenland friend, he's right. It's still visually stunning though, I'd expect brides to be beating a path to your door. It just needs a new PA, and light stands.

As for the PA.....I'm biased here having owned a pair of EV Evolve 50s for the past two years. They're now my absolute weapon of choice unless I'm in a marquee and even then it's a toss up these days between my Yammy system and those. They go just about everywhere with me and to date, I've NEVER managed to red-line them. Yes, they're a lot of money but my Gawd...you wouldn't be disappointed with them!

I've got to run my Polar 10s against John's EV, and soon. Having heard both rigs separately in the same showroom, I'd have to say that the Polars just blew me away. The EVs were " nice", nothing more. There are some well respected folk who have wildly differing views. Sound is personal.

All I will say is that if ultimate portability is your objective, it's EV. I prefer the mixer/sound controls on the Polar, but the EV can be controlled from your phone if you wish, and I think Wayne manages to also connect it to his ear trumpet or something similar.

One extra mixer channel on the Polars, I prefer the bass response, and if ultimate thuddage is your aim, go for the ( somewhat elusive) Polar 12s.

Justin, I'm soooo impressed with what you've done, I just think you have to see it through to the logical conclusion. Well done.

[Marc J]

If drunk punters see a flat surface for a drink, they'll use it. The 3 side surfaces should be sloping away from the mixer (not much.... 10%?) and Teflon coated... drinks problem sorted

[DeckstarDeluxe]

I've seen these on facebook groups for awhile.

It's not for me. I'd have it at a home studio for sure but on the open road I'd be far too aware of drinks being put on that flat surface and that. Plus setups change, sometimes you have an ipad or tablet for external software for example.

Still it's always good to see a different setup rather than what 99% of us use.

[Nakatomi]

I don't know if it's something to do with the price of drinks at places I work or my aftershave, but I've rarely had issues with anyone jostling my gear or trying to put a glass down on it. I can count on one hand the parties that have had anyone knock or lean against my booth & those were all dealt with smoothly without incident. Infact I can't remember many times when I've had to persuade anyone that hovering their drink near my kit is a bad idea.

Uninvited boarders on the other hand - there've been a few of those, mostly when I've been absent from my post for person reasons. I think I'll cope with this console as well.

All the cons people are citing here are still risks with conventional setups . If things kick off badly enough that you worry about your gear, they're already too far gone.

I'll likely be keeping my truss booth in the van for contingency anyway & just plonking the console onto the shelf. The win here is how integrated everything is - no more setting up separate radio mic & dmx adapter - it's all in the console now.

As for times I'd need to use other kit - that's the thing. I don't offer anything but evening only functions & certainly don't intend to at any point so a laptop & controller will do me just fine. I can't see myself ever moving to standalone playout either for what it's worth.

I stand by my assertion that this is something of an experiment - the only gig it's seen so far is a quite sedate older wedding & all indications up to now point to how much easier it's made talking to requesters. Its next outing will be a landmark birthday in the fair town of Richmond.

[Nakatomi]

So...

A good few gigs down the line, including a proper rowdy handful and... I still love it. I'm not a fan of the weight of the carry bag for the console itself if I'm upstairs - but then I'm not a fan of carrying any kind of weight upstairs.

Customers, when they express an opinion about it, LOVE it.

I'm still looking at PA options - 10" tops in white at prices I like seem to be rarer than reliable starcloths

[Excalibur]

So...

A good few gigs down the line, including a proper rowdy handful and... I still love it. I'm not a fan of the weight of the carry bag for the console itself if I'm upstairs - but then I'm not a fan of carrying any kind of weight upstairs.

Glad to hear you're happy. Re upstairs, I'm actively refusing many upstairs gigs. Yes folks, you heard me say I'm refusing gigs!

Customers, when they express an opinion about it, LOVE it.

Not surprised. It's stunning, just needs a few " freedom sticks, cough cough " ( in joke there. I've had a sneak preview ) and a stick rig.

I'm still looking at PA options - 10" tops in white at prices I like seem to be rarer than reliable starcloths

Now once upon a time, I purchased a rig for a colleague's residency. 12" subs, 10" tops, . It worked admirably, but comprised a lot of bags, poles and cables. The decision was taken to downsize, and Polar 12s were ordered, but were unavailable. So far, the Polar 10s are offering performance to easily match the 12/10 rig.

A colleague has just got the Polar 12s, and loves them to bits. I relieved him of his old rig, originally owned by the power crazed Mr Neen. Having brought it home yesterday, I can already see why he loves the Polars!!! What have I got? Wait and see.

[Imagine]

Do you know what? Despite my initial hesitancy of going the "console" route, I'm starting to think I may be going that way after all.

Regular readers will know my Prime 4 sits in a flight case along with mic racks and everything else needed to run the show, and weighs in at around half a metric tonne. BUT, just one 13a plug and 2XLRS and the show's up and running. It sits on a keyboard Z-frame type of thing which I've been using for several weeks now and is more solid than ANY booth I've ever used. There is no way in the world it's going to get knocked over! (famous last words)

The only downside is that I still use booths (albeit without shelves) as facades to hide everything. I'm now at the point of considering making something to "box" the gubbins in without being behind a booth (think MDF cut to the correct size and profile to fit around the flightcase on top of the stand...maybe even with a panel in it with my name or something). I'm thinking several styles too including white and rustic.

Why the change of heart?

Last night's wedding saw me VERY exposed to punters. Although the front of the gear was under the tent ceiling, yours truly was outside in the open. Guests were happily coming behind me to request stuff and saw me working. Several of them commented (as I waved them to wait a couple of seconds) that they didn't realise how many knobs and sliders were involved in making the transition from one track to the next (I was in proper club mixing mode last night and it felt gooooood!)

I can't help but wonder that if more clients saw what went on behind the facade on the night, they might appreciate the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. A bit like those restaurants you go to where the kitchen's sort of on display and you can see your steak being grilled to perfection.

A feel a visit to Homebase coming on very soon....

[Excalibur]

Last Several of them commented (as I waved them to wait a couple of seconds) that they didn't realise how many knobs and sliders were involved in making the transition from one track to the next.

I used to have a similar problem Wayne, but this solved my problems at a stroke.

[Nakatomi]

See? The hovering drinks issue has always been a thing even with booth barricades & it's quite easily managed if you're paying attention.

My console has been knocked a few times. Before I added big rubber feet to the base it'd end up turned at funny angles. Now? It wobbles a bit but really is in no danger of being knocked over.

It isn't just a console placed on top of the podium y'know! The bottom of the console box has a recess which the podium slots into, then a couple of butterfly latches secure it in place. The same is true of the base. No fiddly bolts etc. I had my thinking head on when I built this thing.

[Excalibur]

It isn't just a console placed on top of the podium y'know! The bottom of the console box has a recess which the podium slots into, then a couple of butterfly latches secure it in place. The same is true of the base. No fiddly bolts etc. I had my thinking head on when I built this thing.

But you didn't include 12mm Thunderbolts* though. Essential in my view.


* One of the greatest day job inventions. They have other names too.