markyb
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Posts posted by markyb
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Thanks Swingcats,
Thats the problem - they all look quite good in the Youtube videos where it is dark with a bit of haze, but Im not sure how good it would be in the light with no haze. The other option is having something else shinging ont he dancefloor, preferably something with slow movement which I could also use for first dances etc.
Cheers, Mark.
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Same thing happened with me a while ago. Booked until 11.30 but by 11 most people had gone. Older guests had gone home, and the younger ones had gone clubbing!
I checked with the guy who booked me (who was already packing up the tables), and he said everyone had enjoyed themselves and I could finish then, so I played a slowy and said goodnight.
Dont think I did a bad job though as had quite a few compliments, but I guess some crowds just aren't up for dancing all night!
Cheers, Mark.
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Meeting went ok, and we agreed on £200 for 4 hours (9pm-1pm). I know that is not a lot, however I was not planning on working at all as mr Mrs is pregannt so I didnt want to be too far away. This pub is litterally a 5 minute WALK from my front door, so very convenient!
Hoepfully by next year I will be more established and be able to command higher fees for more prestigous venues!
Thanks for the advice,
Mark.
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I was in a similar position last year needing to massively increase my music collection after getting back into DJing. In the end, after a lot of shopping around I went down the route of buying CD's from Amazon Marketplace. Ive bought litterally hundreds and now have abour 15,000 tracks in total. Many CD's start from 1p (+£1.24 for postage).
Depending on what you want, I would start with the Now series as this will help you cover a lot of ground. Then I bought by era, 50's hits, Best 60's, Fantastic 80's etc. Then finally bought CD's by artist to cover the tunes that are not on compitations, Beatles, Stones, Madonna etc.
I only download if it is something fairly obscure that is not easy to buy on CD. Last download I bought was Cupid Shuffle!
Iim old fashioned in that I prefer to buy an actual CD where possible, and often it works out cheaper than the download anyway!
Hope this helps,
Cheers, Mark.
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Thanks guys,
I think I will go in with £250 as it is fairly small, right on my doorstep and there is the potential for some more work next year. Will let you know how I get on!
Cheers,
Mark
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After a bit of shopping around I've narrowed my selection down to 3 choices.....
American Dj H2o Led Water Effect Light 10w £99
Chauvet Abyss LED Rippling Water Effect Light 22w £109
ACME LED Waterwave Lighting – 10w £95
The ADJ and Acme actual units look nicer, however the Chauvet Abyss has a brighter LED. There is not much in the price, so out of the choice of the 3 lights above, does anyone have any advice on which is best?
I am thinking of positioning it on a T-bar shining on the floor in front of the disco during meals etc.
Cheers,
Mark
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Hi guys,
If you have been following my posts over the last few months, you will know that for the last few months I have been getting back into mobile discos after a bit of a break.
The enquiries are coming in, and Ive been averaging 2 gigs per month, which is around where I wanted to be. Price wise, I am aiming to charge a bit more next year but have been quoting £150 for most gigs as I wanted the local exposure. Typical prices where I am (near Wolverhampton) are £150-£200).
Anyway, I have not gone out of my way to get a booking for New Years Eve and am currently available, however my local pub has now asked if I am free. I have worked there before for £80 as a favour, however I do not want to work NYE for too little (I have spent a fortune on decent gear, PAT testing, PLI, all original music etc) and take my disco seriously so I would like to earn a fair price so to cover my costs.
I have a meeting with them later in the week - I was thinking of charging £250 8pm-1am, how does this sound? I know it probably seems cheap, but they are a fairly small pub (100-150 people max), and they may even think £250 is too much.
My other option is to try and find a gig for NYE, but I know it is a bit late now! Is there anywhere I could advertise that I am available for NYE without looking desparate? ;O)
Any advice?
Cheers,
Mark
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Hi guys,
My lighting set-up consists of ADJ Par 64 uplighters behind me, and Impossibleds and Miracled's as overhead lighting.
At the start of the evening (while people arrive, during buffet etc) I only use the uplighters, so there is nothing shining on the actual dancefloor . I only use the overhead lights when people are ready to dance etc.
The uplighters look great, but I have been looking for something to shine on the dancefloor while people arrive or are eating etc, and came across the Acme Water Wave LED. From the pics, it looks like a nice tranquil effect which will be exactly what I need - but I've not seen one "in the flesh" and none of my local supplies have one on demo.
Has anyone got one or seen one, and are they any good? Particulaly is the LED bright enough to shine onto a dancefloor from an overhead T-bar?
It does not need to be fantastic as it will not be my only light, just looking for something to shine on the dancefloor while people arrive etc.
Many thanks,
Mark
Just noticed that some other manufaturers make similar models:
The ADJ version looks nice, and is about the same price as Acme. Also has a 10w LED.
However, the Chauvet model is about £10 more and has a 22w led. Might be a silly question, but does this mean it will be twice as bright?
Or any other suggestions?
Cheers,
Mark
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Thanks Fester, that sounds like just the sort of thing Im after!
I'll load it up when I have time and report back on progress.
Cheers,
Mark
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Hi guys!
Although I use a laptop, I also use a CD player both as backup in case my computer crashes (which - fingers crossed- has never happened), and also for "background music".
For both of these situations, I usually use "Mastermix Grandmaster" CD's.
However, Im trying to save some money so rather than buying a Grandmaster CD for around £15, Im looking for a way I could record my own mixes onto a CD, as I usually have all of the tunes anyway.
Im not too worried about the actual mixing side of it, but what I really need some advice on the best way to record my "output" so I could burn it on a CD.
Any advice would be much appreciated, and if I have been unclear feel free to ask any questions ;o)
Cheers, Mark.
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In the last 12 months Ive gone from all halogen to all LED!
I started the year with all 250w scanners and barrells, then went to Datamoons as they were lighter and more compact, and now have only LED - 2 x Impossibled, 2 x Miracled and 2 x ADJ Par 64 uplighters.
To be honest I probably prefer the "warmer" and brighter light you get from halogen lights, but there are just so many benefits of LED. No bulbs to replace, no cool down time, and the biggest one for me - the weight!
Im sure LED lights will continue to get better and I will probably "upgrade" when something better comes along, but after years of convincing myself otherwise, Im now pretty confident that the general public pay less attention to details like lights than we do ;o)
Cheers,
Mark
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Hi Matt,
Thanks for that - good info! I will get the manuals out and work out the exact current rating. From the previous replies it looks like it should be ok, but it will be good practice for me to work it out for my own peace of mind.
Thanks again,
Mark
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Hi everyone,
Many thanks for the replies!
I will continue to use 2 extension leads where possible to provide resilience, but from the feedback where there is no other option I will use the following:
* Extension cable rated at least 10a with appropriate fuse.
* Long enough for the job, but not too long to avoid trip hazards etc.
* With extension lead fully unwound, to prevent overheating.
Thanks again,
Mark
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Hi guys,
I was hoping someone knowledgeable with power ratings could help me with something. Where possible, I always use two extension leads to power my equipment – one for sound equipment, and one for lighting equipment.
However, would I be able to run all of my equipment from a single extension lead, if this was the only available option. My usual set up consists of the following:
2 x Mackie SRM450 V2’s
Numark CD Mix 2
Laptop computer
2 x Acme Impossibled
2 x Acme Miracled
2 x ADJ Par 64 LED
Small desk lamp
Could anyone tell me of the above would be safe to run from one extension lead? I guess that apart from the speakers the load is fairly low, but would appreciate the comments or advice from someone who understands these things better than me!
Cheers, Mark
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Hi guys,
This is probably something we have all considered in the past..... in the village I live there is limited evening entertainment apart from the usual vilage pubs. Therefore, most of the younger people get taxi's or busses into the city centre every weekend, rather than going out locally.
One of my venues is the local Civic Centre, which holds up to 250 people. What would be the implications of hiring the venue, putting on the music, providing security and selling tickets?
I guess there are a few things to think of, but can anyone give me any suggestions of less obvious things that I might not have considerd? To be honest I dont think it would be a big money maker as any money left after paying the hire etc would be minimal, but I quite like the idea of hosting my own event.
Any suggestions/comments welcome
Cheers, Mark
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I currently use UK2.net for my web hosting, but as I have a monthly contract rather than a annual/bi-annual I am probably paying more than I need (about £5/month I think).
I've just joined DJPLI.com, so am interested in finding our about the free web hosting - does anyone else use this, and have they got any advice on how to move my website over?
One thing I would like that I do not currently have is a completely separate email address. At the moment, mark@celebrationsounds.co.uk forwards to my usual email address, but I would rather have it completely separate. Does DJPLI.com do that, or does anyone know anyone else who does?
Sorry if my questions are not very clear, websites are something I know very little about!
Best regards,
Mark
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Thanks guys, some really good ideas!
I will have to have a look on Youtube etc to listen to a few, then try and find where I can buy them!
Cheers, Mark
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Hi guys,
Our local pub is having a Guy Fawkes party, with kiddie rides, bbq, hog roast, outside bar etc. It is being really well advertised and they are hoping for 500+ people coming.
There is no room for a proper "disco" as they hope the bar will be packed anyway, but I have been asked to set up my speakers either out the windows or outside to provide background music at the start of the evening, and music while they light the fireworks.
I dont think they mind what music I play, but was thinking general party type music at the start of the evening, but I am not 100% sure what to play while they are actually lighting the fireworks. I think it should be something dramatic, possibly classical - does anyone have any ideas what I could play?
It sounds like it is going to be a great night, and as this is only my second ever gig at the pub (haloween is the first) I want it to go well, as I would love tyo make it my regular venue!
Thanks in advance, Mark.
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Thanks Jason,
Excellent, I love the "Skool Disco" idea - it will appeal to just the sort of person that owner is hoping for - ie, not teenagers, and will be a lot of fun for me and gives quite a range of music, which I guess would be mainly 80's but with anything from 70's to early 90's!
Love the dressing up idea too - even I could manage an untucked shirt and tie ;o)
At the moment Im going to see how this goes, as it might be monthly or more frequently. For a monthyl gig, I was thinking either last weekend in the month or first weekend in the month to try and build up a regular "crowd"- any idea which is likely to be more succesful?
Thanks again, best regards,
Mark
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Thanks guys, Im away for a few days now but when I get back I'll clean it out using the distilled water and white vinegar method and see if that improves it.
Thanks for the advice!
Mark
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Hi guys, thanks for the advice.
Meeting went well, and we discussed a lot of ideas. They are looking at having a disco for occasions like Haloween, Valentines etc, and a regular disco in the main bar or function room. They are also happy to pass on my details to anyone hiring the function room.
I have posted in the music section for any ideas of themes for a disco night. The owner is keen to try new things and interested in any ideas I have. I suggested a Motown night, so we will probably give this a go, but if anyone knows any other themes for a disco night let me know.
This will certainly not be a big paying venue, but it is really local and a lovely pub so I would really like to do anything I can to help them make it a sucess.
Thanks again,
Mark
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Hi guys, you may have seen from my recent post that I had a meeting with a local pub to discuss providing their disco.
The meeting went realy well, the new owner is really keen to use music nights to get the pub busy, either from a disco in the main bar area, or using the small function room as a separate disco "room".
We discussed the obvious "party" nights such as Haloween, Guy Fawkes etc, however I was asked for my suggestions for a theme for a possible fortnightly/monthly disco either in the main bar or the function room. We both liked the idea of a Motown night, so will probably give that a go, but does anyone have any other good idea for a "themed" night - preferably one you know has been succesful.
The pub is quite "posh" in a nice area, so they would prefer to attract people in their 20's+ rather than teenagers.
As these are new ideas for the pub and we are not sure how well this will work my pay is fairly low, however Im keen to make this work and can see the pay improving if we can get the nights busy enough. Also, it is really local to me!
Any ideas would be grately recieved and I will raise with the owner next time I meet up with him.
Best regards,
Mark
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Thanks Dukesy,
I dont think the machine is dirty as it was bought and only used once as far as I know, and looks mint. Ive got a second smoke machine and Im going to try the fluid on both machines, to identify if it is the fluid or machine that is causing the smell.
If it is the fluid I am thinking about taking it back to the shop for an exchange or refund, however Im not sure where I would stand with this - any ideas?
Ive used smoke machines for years, but never had a smell like this before!
Cheers, Mark.
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Thanks Flash,
Unfortunately mine does not smell of apples, it smells unpleasant, hard to describe but a bit like an "old ladies" perfum, if that makes sense!
Cheers,
Mark
New Years Eve 2010
in How was it for you?
Posted
Had a great night! Was only a small local pub so wasnt expecting too much, but they sold 140 tickets and had other people paying on the door so the pub was packed!
Everyone was up for dancing from 9pm onwards, and was so busy people were knocking into my deckstand due to the packed dancefloor, but was a great atmosphere and the "school disco" theme gave me plenty of scenery to admire while working ;o)
Had a few handshakes at midnight, and quite a few people asked for my card at the end of the night.
This is the one I thought twice about doing as the pay wasn't great, but if any of the enquiries turn into bookings it would be well worth it. To be honest it was a lot like the night club I used to do years ago, and gave me a lot more opportunity to be creative with the music, a nice change from weddings/birthdays etc.
12 months ago I was thinking about getting back into DJing, and since then Ive done quite a few gigs, got decent equipment, website etc. The first few gigs were quite hard after a long break, but Im pleased I persevered as Im enjoying it again!
Anyway, hope you all had a good one and have a happy and succesfull 2011!
Cheers,
Mark