newbie thinking of buying certain sound/lighting!!

[SnakeyEyes 0]

Hi there, I am fresh and wet behind the ears in the mobile dj land (although I have done club and radio work in the past) and I am looking for people's help and oppinions on some of the kit I am looking at buying so I will know if I am spending my money wisely!

 

I intend to work in all areas of entertainment eg. weddings, birthdays, kids, club nights etc and, on a tight budget, I wonder if the following items are suitable for small/medium venues?

 

Sound:

 

Kam KXR1000 & Z1504 MK2 Amp & Speaker Package with stands for £375 This Package Here

 

Lighting:

 

I already have a rig, 2 laser systems, mirror ball, twister 4 and a wild blazer but looking at a prolight scimitar/leo 4 head package with cables and controller for £399 This lighting package here

 

Any help would be most appreciated thanks!!

 

 

 

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/042.gif Just made your links clickable http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/042.gif

Edited October 5, 2006 by Gary

[digitaldistortion 0]

A purely personal viewpoint:

 

For 'medium' venues, I would try to find something a little more spread (soundwise). 1K power is enough, but I am not sure about the speakers. I have a ingrained dislike of elliptical speakers, especially at any power.

 

Try looking at Terralec, they have some very reasonable packages for the money that you are talking about.

 

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/042.gif

[digitaldistortion 0]

Re: The Above http://www.terralec.com/

 

DXP2 469.00

XXL-BX2 599.00

VIBE15600 598.00

XXL157 498.00

 

 

A few quid more, but I think you'll find a much more controllable sound output

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif

[Paul Smith 0]

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/Welcome.gif to DJU. I've just had a look at the sound system link but couldn't find any spec although I suspect that at that price it isn't gonna be suitable for anything but the smallest parties and would have peizo horns (harsh top end).

 

The sound is the most important part of a disco rig so it's worth getting it right from the start or you'll soon be out shopping again.

 

Can't comment on the lighting as the page wouldn't display for me but you'd be better off IMO adding the lighting budget onto the sound budget and getting a better sound system.

[desperatedan 0]

Depending where your based snake eyes,

 

I know someone who is selling a pair of 300 watt rms mcgregor speakers (blue carpetered version) & a 1000 watt warrior amp and all leads for £300.00 (saving you £75.00) - That person being me have been used to cover all the functions you have mentioned and if you have a look at my website you can see the speakers in question in action.

 

Only reason for selling is that I have upgraded to powered speakers, and I already have a pair of light plastic abs speakers for back up so they are just going to be gathering dust here.

 

Im based in Stockport so if any where close you are more than welcome to come and see them or can possible get them to you ??

 

Pm if you want more details

[ChrisPointon 0]

QUOTE

so I will know if I am spending my money wisely!

 

Wise words! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif

 

Seriously, if you are going about that philosophy, then my advice would be to save up a little bit more into the budget, and perhaps look at doubling what you have suggested.

 

I'm not renowned for my love of anything with the word KAM on it after some early bitter personal experiences, but any Amp & Speaker package which is priced at

 

Personally for Amplifiers I would recommend C-Mark (also known as T-AMP from Thomann) or Behringer.

 

For Speakers, you could consider the Ohm RW Series, Behringer Eurolive Range, or Class D. All of the above have been recommended at some stage on the forum.

 

If you are looking for a complete starter package then the following deals from Thomann look very competitively priced, and contain all of the items you need, and come with a 30 Day money back guarantee and a 3 year warranty.

 

Thomann Package 1

 

Thomann Package 2

[DJ Marky Marc 0]

Welcome to DJU...

 

The speaker package linked in your post is more bedroom DJ than mobile DJ..

 

already you have good offers of kit more stuable for mobile use from DJs on this forum..

 

keep your eyes and ear open and soon you will be on the road with a bargin or two

[SnakeyEyes 0]

QUOTE (desperatedan @ Oct 5 2006, 01:59 PM)

Depending where your based snake eyes, I know someone who is selling a pair of 300 watt rms mcgregor speakers (blue carpetered version) & a 1000 watt warrior amp and all leads for £300.00 (saving you £75.00) - That person being me have been used to cover all the functions you have mentioned and if you have a look at my website you can see the speakers in question in action. Only reason for selling is that I have upgraded to powered speakers, and I already have a pair of light plastic abs speakers for back up so they are just going to be gathering dust here. Im based in Stockport so if any where close you are more than welcome to come and see them or can possible get them to you ?? Pm if you want more details

Thanks desp but I am up at Alnwick (192 miles away) so it would cost me a fortune to get down there and back. Gonna have a look at a few of these models suggested here but I really cant afford to double the budget as I am on a tight budget I take it that omnitronics should be avoided like the plague???

[SnakeyEyes 0]

QUOTE (digitaldistortion @ Oct 5 2006, 01:00 PM)

Re: The Above http://www.terralec.com/ DXP2 469.00 XXL-BX2 599.00 VIBE15600 598.00 XXL157 498.00 A few quid more, but I think you'll find a much more controllable sound output http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif

ok, if I really stretch my budget and drop a set of pars I was planning to get then I can order the DXP2 at £469.00 Shown here at terrelec. Any oppinions on this?

 

I really dont want to back away from buying the prolights though so do you think they are the best choice for the price and my needs?

 

Oh and thanks for the warm welcome!!

[Paul Smith 0]

Trust us on this one - when you have a limited budget spend it on sound rather than light. You already have some lights, upgrade them once you start making some money. In the meantime put your lighting budget into your sound.

 

OK you have your ideas and your heart set on some new lights but all I ask is that you consider the points made.

[ChrisPointon 0]

Also consider the following budget packages too.

 

Package 1

 

Package 2

 

The following articles should also hopefully help you when making a decision

 

Choosing Amplifiers and Loudspeakers

 

Choosing Disco Lighting Effects

[EdBray 0]

If you are going to spend over £460 for an amp and some speakers (and you will also need some form of flight case for the amp).

 

I would suggest you have a look at buying a pair of these and if you really want to kick ass then also add one or two of these. The pair of 15" full range speakers will cost you less than £400 delivered and the subbass speakers are an additional £180 each.

 

The full range speakers are bi-amped sound fantastic and come with a three year warranty. Delivery from Germany takes about 3-4 days in total.

 

This also gives you some backup, as if one amp or speaker goes down you still have the others.

 

If you buy the subbass as well, use the 120hz top cut button on the full range speakers to give a more balanced sound.

 

I have a pair of each of the above, giving me 700watt RMS side, and they sound great. Also if working at a smaller gig, just take the two full range speakers and turn off the 120hz cut button.

 

If size/weight is an issue then I would go for a pair of these at £260 a pair delivered and a pair of these at £330 a pair.

 

The above gives you a four speaker package (would look great stacked in pairs each side of your table) of 550watt RMS per side, costing less than £600 which includes 6 amplifiers matched to their speakers (giving you backup) with a 30 day money back guarantee and a full 3 year warranty in modern polycarbonate cases.

 

Although I do not have the PA202As as yet, I have talked the wife into buying me a pair for Xmas.

 

As you will find from other threads on the forums, you do not have to be concerned about dealing with Thomann, if only all companies were as efficient as them.

 

Eddie

[SnakeyEyes 0]

Ok, your convincing me. As a person who is a bit of an audiophile at home, I was concerened about buying cheap speakers that they may sound dull and really dissapoint my discerning ears.

 

I suppose if I turned up and put up a bad sounding system, I feel I would be letting my customers down. What was stopping me spending more was a concern that I didnt have enough variety in lighting to keep people's interest all night.

 

So, what I have decided to do is to just buy one barrel light (around £149) and buy some of these higher priced speakers you mention (THE BOX PA502 A) with the pair of subbies too as suggested by edbray. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/thanks.gif

 

I now feel it is important to have active boxes on reflection as I dont want to be carting multiple amps around and if one speaker fails, i aint going to look like an idiot as the dancefloor becomes bathed in silence while I fix up another amp lol http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/fear.gif

 

I already have a behringer mixer and my sound sources are going to be my technics mk2 turntables for optional mixing with laptop based mp3 mixing for the pop stuff (twin laptops available as backup).

 

Does this sound a better proposition??

 

I am going to need some help later setting up all the settings on them as I havent really delt with cuttoffs before and also, I have looked on that website for poles edbray, but I am not sure if there are different fittings on different speakers (I am new arent i lol http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif , could you tell me which ones would be appropriate please? http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/thanks.gif

[SnakeyEyes 0]

Also, another problem I have is that my laptop only has a headphone jack for sound out. Although this seems to work fine with my 200 watt sound speakers at home, running through my mixer, i am not sure that this is a good solution for higher power speakers and I am therefore looking for an external usb sound card, any recommendations?? (without paying hundreds lol)

[EdBray 0]

Hi, all the top hat fittings on the PA502As and SB115As have 35mm sockets, so any 35mm stand or pole will fit.

 

If you are going for the PA502As and the SB115As then I wouldn't use poles as the PA502As weigh 35kg each and they are the same physical size as the SB115As so once fitted on the poles they seem to make the system stack unsteady, and as the SB115As have points on the top of the for the PA502s to sit in I use them like this. They then stand about 5ft high in their pair.

 

If I was doing a gig where I was only taking the PA502s then I would use a pair of tripod stands like the ones 8 items down on this page.

 

Another option, slightly cheaper, lighter and more portable would be to go for a pair of the SB115s and a couple of PA302As which have the same power and bi-amping as the PA502s but in a smaller package (which will be no problem as the bass will be being supplied by the subs) and a couple of the poles 6 items down here, thus saving you about £60 overall and and 12kg per speaker but with the same output power. This is probably what I would buy now if I was starting from scratch (I had the PA502s prior to buying the Subs).

 

In fact, it is quite normal to have smaller tops/mids than your bass bins so would not look out of place. Of course you would still be able to use the PA302As on their own if you needed to as they also have the low cut switch (My reason for wanting the PA202As), but you would then still require the tripod type stands.

 

Eddie.

[SnakeyEyes 0]

Actually, I am still looking at the same speakers but i noticed that they have xlr connectors which is not compatible with my behringer mixer. So, what I am looking at is one of the bundles from thomman, more specifically This one at £583.05. I thought of possibly combining this with an optional further one of the subwoofer versions that was recommended, knocking this upto £783.

 

This solves several problems for me. First of all, the mixer connects via usb to the laptop, solving the problem of having to buy a usb sound card. Secondly, it takes care of the connection problem of my behringer not being able to talk to the speakers and thirdly, i was going to have problems running several mics as my behringer has only one mic input and this has 4 with seperate controls. Overall, it makes it a lot cheaper than other solutions and is far cheaper than buying them seperately

 

Thoughts please??

[BigBen 0]

Hi [No Information], welcome to DJU.

 

This topic makes an interesting read. In your opening post you tell us that you are going to spend more on lighting than on sound. Some experienced DJ's offer their thoughts and help to convince you that sound is where your budget should be spent and you change your mind.

 

Within a couple of posts you've changed your mind about something else. This time it's to do with speakers. You have decided to get active speaker's in preference to a traditional amp set-up.

 

In your fourth post you mention you will be using a laptop.

 

There are so many things flying around my head I don't know where to start!!

 

Let's begin with the basics - light. If you want to impress your mates or only play teenage party's then get as many lights as you can afford. If you are serious about DJ'ing then you only need a couple of basic lights. I have been dj'ing for the last three years using one centre-light for 90% of the night and two entry-level lights for slow dances - they have a red heart gobo. Nobody has ever complained or even mentioned them.

 

As for speakers you mention that you don't want to look foolish if your amp was to blow and all the sound stopped. Credit to you for thinking about this event, but what would happen if your laptop crashed/overheated/broke/got stolen/etc.? What about your mixer..what would happen if that broke? Do you have a spare? Ignoring those valid points let's say you get the powered speakers and one breaks, it's great that you can carry on and finish the night, but what happens when you send the expensive active speaker in for repair? Not only are you down to one speaker but you've also got to pay to have an expensive speaker fixed. It could be cheaper and more convenient to simply carry a back-up amp to each gig and use normal speakers.

 

Finally, the lappie. Please tell us that you aren't using illegal downloads..?

 

I applaud you for coming on this forum and asking for help and guidance. I am also very encouraged by your attitude of listening to others and taking on board their advice. However, I think you need to get yourself to a disco retailer and 'play'. Lift speakers to feel their weight, listen to a traditional amp and speakers and then compare with some actives. Ask about typical repair costs for each setup, and how long typical repairs will take for each setup. You've not mentioned headphones, I presume you have some already but are they suitable for a disco environment? What about a microphone? Stands for the lights, stands for your gear, cases for your gear??? Most importantly, who will be taking you to your gigs - they need to make sure everything can fit in their vehicle too.

 

Please do not be dis-heartened. I just feel you need to educate yourself by seeing and hearing these things first hand. Keep posting and keep asking too.

[digitaldistortion 0]

Soundcard?

 

As reported to another member with a similar question:

 

Creative Live! 24 bit ext. USB.

 

Costs around £65 online and £80 retail.

 

The quality really is worth it, just ensure you have sufficient USBs available for this, mouse, ext. hard drive (whatever)!

 

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Gary 0]

QUOTE (SnakeyEyes @ Oct 6 2006, 10:46 AM)

Actually, I am still looking at the same speakers but i noticed that they have xlr connectors which is not compatible with my behringer mixer.

This isn't a problem - there are only about 4 or 5 speaker connectors that are in common use for high power/pro speakers and any decent outlet will be able to provide leads with any of those connections on one end, and whatever amp connection you've got...on the other.

 

Echo'ing what others have said, you should definately spend the majority of the £££ on the sound to begin with. Upgrading a pair of lights later on, could only cost you £60 a light... whereas upgrading your speakers or amps later will cost you hundreds++.

 

Great atmospheric lighting can be made at home cheaply and is very effective - 4 or 8 the £5 150watt, or 500watt patio-type halogen lights with a tenners worth of coloured filter gels on them, connected to a £20 controller, gets you up and running for around £60 and has enough umph for almost any venue - all for half the cost of a decent microphone.

[EdBray 0]

QUOTE (SnakeyEyes @ Oct 6 2006, 09:46 AM)

Actually, I am still looking at the same speakers but i noticed that they have xlr connectors which is not compatible with my behringer mixer.  So, what I am looking at is one of the bundles from thomman, more specifically This one at £583.05.  I thought of possibly combining this with an optional further one of the subwoofer versions that was recommended, knocking this upto £783. This solves several problems for me.  First of all, the mixer connects via usb to the laptop, solving the problem of having to buy a usb sound card.  Secondly, it takes care of the connection problem of my behringer not being able to talk to the speakers and thirdly, i was going to have problems running several mics as my behringer has only one mic input and this has 4 with seperate controls.  Overall, it makes it a lot cheaper than other solutions and is far cheaper than buying them seperately Thoughts please??

Hmm,

 

I think you should try to meet someone with a good grounding in Disco/PA Equipment connections.

 

You say you have a Behringer mixer, yet are concerned about the connecting of this to an XLR input, you can connect any audio output to any audio input if you have the correct combinations of leads, connectors and possibly a DI box.

 

I would agree with BigBen that you go and have a play with various bits of kit in a local shop (if available). Whereabouts are you based? perhaps a member on here may be local to you and may be able to meet for a chat to give you some personal advice.

 

Don't jump in with both feet, I did, and wish I had hadn't bought the passive outfit that now stands gathering dust in the garage.

 

You say you have used 200 watt speakers, I did my first couple of gigs with a 100 watt RMS amp through 2 80watt RMS foldback speakers, nobody complained it was not loud enough. In the late 70s and early 80s I played in a band and our PA system was a 100watt H&H amp through a couple of speakers and served us well, although this would not have had the bass range and punch that a disco would require.

 

Eddie

[SnakeyEyes 0]

eek, i could keep going for years with this and still not make any definate decisions so I feel I got to stop somewhere and say....this is it and I am sticking to that. For speakers going, well, if I am going to get decent sound on my budget then there is no way I can afford 2 sets so you takes your chances. If I buy the package i mentioned earlier, i will have 2 mixers which can back each other up, and that package comes with a usb sound card which means it would be easy to swap the connections over to the behringer I already have, it would mean dropping to a single mic.

 

The problem with listening to kit is that I live in a very remote area and there is only one local dealer who just sells cheap stuff. Added to that is the fact that it's only a small shop so any equipment tested in there would not really let me know what it would be like in a real environment.

 

As regards the laptop, as I said, i carry 2 identical laptops each with their own power supplies so that's as covered as it can be. The music on the laptops is......well.....I may have to invest in some music is all i will say about that!! lol.

 

My headphones are technics RPDH1200s (£135) which i have used in teh club environment and i also have a cheapy pair of backups which i have also successfully used in clubs (although i have to turn them up a lot more).

 

Because I own a 2 year old corsa, we can, at a squeeze, fit it all in (you may snigger, but i have actually done it before). Problem there is, security and the fact that it is such a squeeze and weight in the car. Therefore, there is a local company who will supply me with an astravan for £37 for 2 days, which I think is fair so I intend to use them.

 

So at the moment, I agree that I should not spend on the lights and at the moment, I am looking to buy this sound system

 

I also have quotes for liability insurance and pat testing. The other question I have is the cost of a license to play music in venues that are not already covered?, and has anybody ever been inspected for this license? or checked for the validity of their mp3s if you know what I mean?

[SnakeyEyes 0]

Thanks for that Eddie, I am remote as I say, being 40 miles north of Newcastle-upon-tyne, Alnwick to be exact and would appreciate if anybody local would agree to meet me to discuss this stuff further!!

[Jimbo55 0]

In my own personal experience and being sucked in to this is what you need from local suppliers there are two things you need to know and understand about Mobile Djing

 

1. SOUND MATTERS

2. Sound Quality above any lighting to begin with

 

There are many discussions about amp rms v's speaker rms and the correct ratio so I won't go into that here. You need to remember that any quality speaker will survive a mild and even severe short term overload where a cheap speaker as mentioned earlier may 'Pop' a horn.

 

Jimbo

[SnakeyEyes 0]

Quick question....If I buy one of these combined packages from germany, am i likely to be smacked with import duties??

[EdBray 0]

No, the price you see is the price you pay.

 

VAT is included in the prices on the website, and there is no import duty on items that have already had the VAT paid if they are imported from the EU.