DJMickeyk
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Posts posted by DJMickeyk
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I went the way of external hard drive. Big reason for me was in case my laptop crashed. I couldn't face loosing the music I had on there so to me the extarnal way was best
Your external hard drive is just as likely to fail as your laptop. I store all music files locally but have all files backed up on two sperarte external hard drives just in case my laptop is dropped, stolen or just frys itself for some reason. If you have all your tunes on an external hdd only i would strongly suggest buying another one and cloning the drive. External hdd's can and do fail.
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Never used the subs but had the G2 tops for a few years and they were cracking, extremely loud and great bottom end, sound maybe not as refined as some other brands but it improved significantly when used with a good sub.
I don't like the look of the g2 Sub, they use the same cab as the tops and the specs look a little weak, for small gigs i'm sure they'd be fine though. I prefer a sub to be box shaped with the ability to mount the tops via a distance pole. There are definately better options out there unless you are getting a serious bargain.
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Just play around until you find a setting you are happy with, I cross my QSC sub at 100.
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When dubstep seemed to be picking up pace I thought I may need a few tracks. As I know nothing about the genre I asked a DJ I know who is into garage/electro/d&b/dubstep. He knocked me up a few mixes of "commercial" dubstep.
I've been asked for it maybe twice in the last few years. Both times have been at 16 year old school proms. Both times i've played any it totally bombed.
The person who requested it whoops and starts to dance, then 5 seconds later when the dancefloor has emptied they realise they look like a tool and follow everybody else, leaving you with an empty floor.
Quick chop/mix out into something decent.
+1 I have had this too, can't stand it myself but there are people who are really into it.
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I bought a used pair of twister 4 hp's a few years back, cleaned them up and fitted new lampholders and they still work like new, that Abstract stuff was built to last. £200-£250 quid should do it, so you should have change for some LED wash effects or something if you don't already have some. There are any number of similar effects to the twisters, like Datamoons etc, I find the inbuilt programs on the 4hp's to be very good, just link them and you're set. I had a pair of datamoons at one stage and they required a bit of controlling.
The new LED stuff looks good, like the Acme Cheetahs which are supposed to be very bright with proper gobos, very expensive though so I'd go with option 1.
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I have an RMX which I use for playing in clubs and bars with intsalled gear, I use a denon playout system for mobile work. The RMX is very good indeed, it hasn't missed a beat in all the time I have used it and is perfectly adequate for mobile work and basic mixing. It can be mapped to work with other programs, but I use it with VDJ. I would go as far as saying that the RMX is the best value for money piece of kit I own, I bought it used but in mint condition and it still looks brand new. There are far more sexy units now on the market like the DN-MC6000 or the Native Instruments and Vestax controllers but you'll pay dearly for that kind of quality. I find the RMX does everything I need and would definately recommend it.
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Great to see the forum back only came across it by accident.
OP I'm in a similar situation, I stepped back from mobile work almost entirely and possibly foolishly threw all my eggs in one basket with a busy residency, where I get lots of requests every night and lots of abuse sometimes too if I don't play somebodys request immediately after they ask for it, some people almost expect you to cut the track playing to accomodate them and people are becoming increasing rude and obnoxious. I never let it get to me and just try to keep a packed dancefloor and play all sensible requests etc., not much more you can do. I also try to mix mix it up a bit with different genres etc., but still find that I often have to play the same song two or three times over the course of the night as punters come and go. As for the complaints, some people are just never happy, how many complained and did they identify songs or genres that they would like to hear instead of what you already play? I'd wager any money that they wouldn't be able to come up with anything constructive if asked this question and are just complaining for complainings sake. Unless management have expressed their own concerns about the music you are playing then I don't think you need to worry.
As for this gig being your sole source of income, thats a big risk, even if the management are totally happy with you at the moment things can change quickly these days. Establishments close down, management can move on or be moved on meaning new management and new ideas coming in etc etc, I'm sure you don't need to be told all this. If I lost my res I'd have to rebuild the mobile work from the ground up and to be quite honest I don't think I'd have the will to do it as I have a busy dayjob and family. Best of luck with it in any case, I think you are being slightly paranoid but if you really are that worried why don't you sit down with the management and discuss your concerns with them. One way or the other you'll then know what they are thinking, good or bad!
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tough question lookin at the numbers. i thinks its going to be down to your ears really
dont dismiss the 712's they produce a lot of thump, bit lighter and a bit less dosh
Problem in Ireland is we don't have many DJ stores, there are none where I live and every DJ I know buys their stuff from the UK or Germany and gets them shipped, there is no RCF dealer in the republic that I am aware of although there are some in Northern Ireland so it may be hard to go have a listen. I have also been considering the K12's when I eventually upgrade my system, Ian (sweetie) has them JB and I know he loves them. Both would be great I would imagine. The JBL PRX 600's also caught my eye, phenomenal specs and would be easier to find a dealer here if you want to buy from a bricks and mortar shop, they do 12's and 15's which both have 1000 watt amp modules. They are very pricey though. I use JBL Eon G2's at the moment and they are ok, need a bit of EQ to get them sounding right but perfectly adequate for what I do, they have alot of mileage though so i may look at upgrading in the next while.
Mike
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Thanks Mickey, how many ground loop iscolators would i need, just one from laptop>stereoio>ground loop iscolator>mixer??
Two of these between the DJ IO and your mixer should help, they just go on the ends of regular RCA cables. Like I said I never had a problem with hum thankfully so never really used them but they may solve your problem, I have seen them cheaper elsewhere so best to shop around.
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I had one of those as a backup unit but only used it a couple of times, worked flawlessly any time I used it but replaced it with an RMX because I needed MIDI control. It's a pretty stable unit and does exactly what it is supposed to, never had a problem with hum, that is most likely your laptops power supply rather than the connection between laptop and mixer, some are noisy and some are not, a ground loop isolator (pair) should solve the problem, if not post again and I'm sure somebody will have a solution.
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Best tip I can give you is read the manual and set it up the way that you like, there are preset mappers available to download on the Denon & VDJ (I think) websites, you can also download a DN-HC 4500 skin for VDJ which is really cool. Also if you are using it with Vista / 7 you need to adjust the jog trans to 12+, think the default setting is 4. It is possible that the previous owner has already done this however, the unit will crash intermittently if you don't. The manual explains how to do this. Best of luck with it, I find it to be a great unit.
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they literally add a laptop and a couple of lights to the band rig. Now in this instance the sound guy is a dj and has been going for years so he does a half decent job.
Which is perfectly fine, the problem for me arises when you get a lazy band who just hit play on an i-mix and then continue to haul the rest of the gear out to the van, no lights etc (I have seen this with my own eyes, it does happen). This is just greedy IMO and is not a proper disco. Like I said above if a band want to add disco then it is fair game but at least put some effort into it.
Cheers
Mike
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Now here is my next problem do I use a PC based controller or do I use a HDD controller.
Budget is about £1200 so any tips would be welcomed. Ideally I wouls still like to be able to play CD's as well.
I have been using this week in week out for some time now and it works very well with VDJ, you can switch to CD control on either deck in seconds, even if you are playing a track from VDJ on that deck. I think Pioneer do a similar product within your budget which I would guess is equally as good if not better. Only problem with this system is that if your controller goes down you lose both PC and CD playback, so you would need some form of backup. Never used a HDD based system so can't comment but the denon is a pleasure to work with and has been very reliable for me, I've not heard of any other users being unhappy with theirs either, it did have a problem when initially released but Denon have sorted it long ago with a firmware update.
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dj micky from Ireland talks sense.Its almost a tradition in Ireland for a band to play at a wedding.They are usually steeped in c&w and old time waltzs catering for auntie jean etc.Come 10.30.pm they are usaully out the door like a bat out of hell to play at the local pub which is another tradition,so the evening was left to the dj.trust me some of those bands are not a hard act to follow,and the ones that are good ( why listen to a wannabe when the dj can play the orginal .
Advice give to me many years ago by a far seeing club owner pay peanuts you get monkeys
Jeez dunno what kind of bands you've been playing after mate but the ones I play after are superb, and never leave early to do another gig or anything like that, I normally find them very professional with good playlists and good equipment that would take minimum an hour for four people to strip and load in the van. Of course you may have chancers who do cheap weddings with a few mics and backing tracks but that is the exception rather than the norm in my experience to be fair. Like anything else you get what you pay for.
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I'm one of those djs offered by a band and it accounts for 80% of my bookings. I was lucky that I
was in the right place at the right time when I met them. Funnily enough on four occasions in the last year clients have turned down the dj option of the band and contacted me seperately due to seeing me at other weddings and referrals like these are starting to gain more gigs for me too. I guess what i'm trying to say is once you get your foot in the door and you provide a good service, things get easier!
Of course it's easier once you have experience and have built your reputation, I'm a recommended supplier in a couple of venues and am on good terms with all of them but have definately seen bands taking over the DJ bookings, this is also the feedback I've been getting from the venues. I know the events coordinator in one hotel very well and asked her why my bookings have all but dried up and she said that most bands now offer Disco as well and couples are generally happy to go with that. I'm not having a moan here btw. I'm charging almost as much for a party as I'd get for a wedding now anyway since I added video and photo display so not too bothered about getting back into the wedding scene at the moment, enquiries for parties also tend to be close to the events so I can pick and choose which to take, with a busy day job and kids etc this can be handy.
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JB is from Ireland - In Ireland its VERY common to have a band at a wedding
Yep, DJ only weddings are rare in Ireland, most weddings have a band as the main act and a DJ follows with a 2-3 hour set to finish off the night. The DJ has traditionally been a seperate supplier who came in with his own equipment, but more and more bands see it as easy money to do the Disco themselves. The effort and professionalism put into this varies enormously from band to band, from a roadie plugging in a laptop and playing an i-mix to a really good Disco that would match any of us on here. Of course a specialist wedding DJ isn't going to like it but thats life, the band are going after extra business and as Minty said it's fair game. Looking at the wedding chatrooms here it seems that many couple prefer the all in one package as they prefer dealing with one supplier, and there is also a false perception that there will be a long break in the music if you book a seperate band and DJ (there won't as any proper DJ will be ready to start instantly when the band finish). One way around this would be to team up with a wedding band that aren't interested in doing the Disco themselves to offer a package, or specialise in DJ only weddings which do happen in Ireland but not on the same scale as in the UK. Personally my wedding bookings are way back on five years ago so I have taken a residency and do far more general party work, still do between 10-20 weddings a year but I expect this to fall off further rather than increase in the future
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I am unsure if I am going to use a laptop or HD controller yet but the more in depth I get the more I feel I can't be bothered to make the move. Having spent many hours talking to people about software, hardware etc I am no nearer to making a choice of which is going to better for my needs. I like the idea of the Denon where you can still play CD's as well as mp3's.
Sorry just having a rant :djurant:
Don't know if this helps Ray but being a lazy git I have only ripped about 5000 songs to my HDD, these are the "most played" at weddings and parties and my res, most of the obscure or rarely requested stuff that I have stayed on CD and I still carry them to gigs as backup, I use that Denon DN-HC 4500 setup you mentioned above (it's super btw) so can switch to CD very easily, but to be honest I very rarely have to. All new music from CD Pool or download goes straight onto the HDD also so I keep it right up to date. Perhaps your gigs require a wider range of music and genres, but 99.9% of my gigs are very predictable motown, party & chart affairs so 5000 tunes to pick from for live work is loads. Virtual DJ has made my life alot easier, almost to the point where I'd give up DJ'ing rather than go back to CD. Ripping the collection is a very tedious task alright, if I was you however I'd rip them all at a high bit rate on the same machine to a format that you know works with your software rather than letting friends or family do it for you, it'll be worth it in the end. Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with it, it took me ages to rip even 5000 so can't imagine the torture of doing 23,000, good luck with it in any case.
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Barry i recently bought a used RMX as well for use in my res which has an installed PA and it is a superb unit, I've only used it maybe 10 times live at this stage but would have no trouble recommending it. I also use a rackmounted Denon DN-HC 4500 for mobile gigs and that is also terrific. I'd highly recommend either of these, the RMX is probably better value for money, both are solidly built and have been rock steady in use so far.
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Yep the industry is getting the crap kicked out of it at the moment, and whilst I accept that some areas and markets are doing okay, I also think that many others are still reluctant to shirk off bravado and admit it to the depths of the honesty which you have done, just how bad it is in some places, even though they are / maybe equally affected.
Well I can tell you where I live it is very very bad at the moment, I normally work friday and saturday nights so the only chance I get to go for drinks might be a sunday night, or possibly a Friday if I'm off. The difference in the past two years is simply staggering, pubs that were quite busy on a sunday night two years ago now have a handful of customers if they are lucky, fridays are ok(ish) buy way way back as well. Saturdays are busy in the late bars (my res is one of these) but the normal pubs are semi-busy, many landlords who are /were leasing their premises have walked away from their leases as they were losing money, and the scary thing is there is zero sign of improvement. Like I said above function work is holding up ok for me but others have seen their booking levels implode entirely, lucky to get 1-2 gigs a month when they were booked solid every saturday a few years back. I have a decent dayjob and a residency so I'm ok, but god help any full time DJ's trying to make a good living now out of function work. I normally get another good DJ to cover my res if i get a function on a saturday and the manager has been happy with this arrangement but I'm starting to wonder if i should just forget about function work for a while and make sure I hold on to the res, he will have DJ's knocking down his door willing to undercut me shortly, either way I can't see the above machines effecting me directly. Perhaps if my res was very quiet maybe, but we always have a good crowd at the weekend, sorry for dragging the thread off topic
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to be honest i just use a table out the pub at the minute lol,i do have a 8' goal post setup but everything else just goes on the table
anyone got a stand for sale????I did that for years, didn't even know what a deckstand was until I joined here, when I think back to what my setup looked like before I joined here I cringe. You can get a basic deckstand here for very reasonable money, the starcloth is the expensive bit, just use black cloth and velcro for a while if money is tight. Otherwise they are on ebay all the time. I must admit I bought a cheapo starcloth off ebay initially, lasted about six months until the leds died so in my experience it's best to buy a proper one, same with the stand, get an ultimax if you can afford one.
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Not seen one of these yet but think I understand what they are, and no i don't feel at all threatened by them. If my res tried using one of these on a busy night it would cost them money, I take countless requests on a busy Fri / Sat, and am on the mic constantly wishing somebody a happy birthday or whatever, doubt a machine will ever do that. These things have their place, in fact I can see my res installing one eventually, but for busy nights they will only be used in an emergency (DJ or band not showing up). And how a machine could manage a Karaoke session, I just don't see it working in a busy environment, people aren't stupid. If these machines do become as widespread as feared then the venues who stick with using real DJ's (good ones) will make a killing IMO, they'll be rammed every weekend night while the rest won't, as somebody else said the jukebox never replaced the DJ in the past, and these machines appear to be nothing more than a very clever evolution of the traditional jukebox, nothing to worry about. No matter how advanced a machine is it just can't build the same atmosphere that a decent DJ with good musical knowledge and crowd reading & interaction skills can, and it never will be able to either.
A far greater threat to me personally in terms of DJ'ing is the horrendous economic situation, pubs are dead and people are not spending. I haven't seen a major downturn in function bookings yet but I know several DJ's personally who have, I know this because some have contacted me looking for work I may have to pass off, as their own bookings had collapsed in a very short space of time. There has also been a huge influx of newly unemployed people take up DJ'ing for extra cash, and they will work for peanuts. Some tough times ahead, I think given the area I work in and reputation I already have and with my res which is holding up well I will be fine personally, but some others will give up I would guess as they struggle to make any money from it, rant over
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Thanks for the info everyone. Plenty for me to think about.
I have had a look at the JBL's you have for sale DJMick, and they do look really nice.
How much would they be? If I can get powered speakers, I can sell my amp and use that towards the cost. I'll have a look at shipping costs from Ireland.
Hey slim, sorry mate sold them this morning, typical! Think you should have no problem picking up a good pair in the UK anyhow, if you spot something on ebay ask about it here before you buy, you'll get great advice, there is somebody coming to collect mine next week apologies again. Best of luck finding something suitable.
Mike
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I have a pair of JBL Eon 15-P1 (active) that are in absolutely mint condition, as new and they wouldn't be far out of your price range. Not sure what carraige would cost as I'm over on the emerald isle but if you are interested they are a nice speaker. They are 180 Watt (I think) each with 15" drivers and 1" horn, don't be fooled by the 180 watts, they are a match for speakers with much higher power rating.
I have them for sale in Ireland linky
The rest of the stuff in the ad sold almost immediately but I still have the speakers. Genuinely used less than 20 times, I got them brand new in a clearance sale, I normally use their newer model the G2. They would be good for what you want to do, 100-150 people but do sound better when used with a sub (as is the case with any speaker really). Drop me a pm if interested, but carraige may be prohibitive
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Did you have a look at the fusions Dave, they look decent even though they are quite expensive. Can you let us know what you think of them if you get to demo them.
Speakers & Amp Advice
in Introduce Yourself Here
Posted
Some used actives are your best bet and a good used sub. Alternatively have a look at the alto active range. I have never heard them but they get rave reviews and seem to be top of the class in the budget range.
I run a pair of 400w Das tops and a Qsc 800w sub at most gigs. Bought all of them second hand in mint condition and they sound great, paid half the normal rrrp. Personally I prefer getting good used gear rather than new budget stuff that loses half it's value the minute you take ownership. There is usually plenty of gear on eBay an similar sites.