Hi All

[Kazzer1 0]

Hi All

 

I am 37 and only just setting up as a mobile DJ doing disco and karaoke covering West Yorkshire.

 

My current equipment is....

 

1x Mixer Amp from Maplins, though it's piddly and isn't quite powerful enough for what I really want to do.

2x 10" 3 way speakers 200rms/400w max 8 ohms.

2x Kam disco lights

some other disco lights which I can't remember the name of them and a set of LED lights from Maplins

 

I am getting a QTX Sound QA1000 amp second hand (to replace the mixer amp) when I get paid on 15th of this month and the Alto Zephyr 6 channel mixer from Maplins.

 

I intened to upgrade my speakers if my business takes off but I have had to buy minimulistic to start off as funds are limited and I needed equipment to start off.

 

I refuse to use smoke machines but intend on looking at picking up a mist machine at some point.

 

My targeted market at the moment is kids parties though will try my hand at anything.

 

I do a minimum of a 2 hour gig charged at £50 and any alternate hours after the standard 2 hours are charged at £25.

 

I am willing to listen to advice but please do not be offended if I don't necessarily take the advice as my budget at the moment is limited so have to buy what I can afford and build up gradually.

 

At the moment I am in the process of re-naming all my karaoke tracks (just about lost the will to live doing this, very tedious task but has to be done) but am still able to do karaoke parties and have some radio mics purchased from Maplins.

 

I am a member of another DJ site too and they seem to be very anti Maplins so I am interested to see what you guys on here think.

 

I am looking forward to getting to meet you all.

[Thats entertainment 0]

:welcome:

[Brentford Bob 0]

I don't think people are anti Maplins as a rule. It's just that Maplins don't really offer particularly good value for money. If you're on a limited budget, buying second hand gear from eBay and Gumtree is tha way to go.

 

If you're charging people money for your services, you also need spare EVERYTHING. Not forgetting that you MUST get Public Liability Insurance - it's totally worth it for fifty odd quid a year.

 

 

[Kazzer1 0]

OK I agree I need public liability insurance but might just wait until I start getting gigs, the first proper gig I get I will look at getting that ready.

 

In the mean time, I have some sounlab powered/active speakers and an Alesis MultimixFX mixer in my posession to try out.

 

My question is how the heck do I connect the above mentioned and my laptop together?

 

As for Maplins I am starting to agree, their disco lights are OK though and they do mist machines quite cheaply that I might look into picking up at some point.

[Brentford Bob 0]

 

In the mean time, I have some sounlab powered/active speakers and an Alesis MultimixFX mixer in my posession to try out.

 

My question is how the heck do I connect the above mentioned and my laptop together?

 

 

Depends on the models involved.

 

However, at a guess, you need a cable to connect your laptop to the inputs of the mixer. If your laptop doesn't have a dedicated soundcard, you're probably looking at taking a cable from the headphone socket of the laptop. So that will be a 3.5mm stereo jack plug.

The "line in" inputs on the multimix are 6.35mm jack plugs, so by my reckoning you need something like this:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003TWR...ZJ3RK01PYXJSBP2

 

Then, I think you'll need 6.35mm jack to XLR cables to go from the "main mix out" sockets on the mixer to the speakers. Something like this:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nickel-6-35mm-inch...ono+jack+to+xlr

 

As I said though, without knowing the exact specs of your current gear, it's a bit difficult so I'm only hazarding a guess.

Always go with the best quality cables you can afford (the one's I've linked to are very cheap and basic and just to show you an example) and have spares! These guys are pretty good:

 

www.kablonline.com :dukesy: