New Starting Out Mobile Dj

[Mousley 0]

I am just trying to start out I have my music Collection

 

And I am looking at what to buy I have my list of

American Audio Encore 1000 MP3/CD Player

 

QTX Sound QS12A 12" 500W Active Speaker X2

 

ST10 Speaker Stand with Protective Bag X2

 

ST10 Speaker Stand with Protective Bag X2

 

XLR PLUG TO SOCKET CABLE 6m X2

 

Ultimax Classic DJ Stand Front Curtain Kit Mk II

 

American DJ Vertigo Tri LED Effect

 

American DJ Reflex Scanner

 

LEDJ Eco LED 56 Can Black X2

 

Black Aluminium Pro Lighting Stand X2

 

Obey 40

 

DMX Cables

 

Produb Licence

 

£10m Public Liability Insurance

 

£10m Employers Liability Insurance

 

£10m Products Liability Insurance

 

Does anyone else what else I need or what I dont need any help would be greatfull

Thanks :)

 

 

 

[Bax Walker 0]

I am just trying to start out I have my music Collection

 

And I am looking at what to buy I have my list of

American Audio Encore 1000 MP3/CD Player

 

QTX Sound QS12A 12" 500W Active Speaker X2

 

ST10 Speaker Stand with Protective Bag X2

 

ST10 Speaker Stand with Protective Bag X2

 

XLR PLUG TO SOCKET CABLE 6m X2

 

Ultimax Classic DJ Stand Front Curtain Kit Mk II

 

American DJ Vertigo Tri LED Effect

 

American DJ Reflex Scanner

 

LEDJ Eco LED 56 Can Black X2

 

Black Aluminium Pro Lighting Stand X2

 

Obey 40

 

DMX Cables

 

Produb Licence

 

£10m Public Liability Insurance

 

£10m Employers Liability Insurance

 

£10m Products Liability Insurance

 

Does anyone else what else I need or what I dont need any help would be greatfull

Thanks :)

 

I would suggest an active sub to put some bottom end into your sound.

 

Bax Walker

[Mousley 0]

I would suggest an active sub to put some bottom end into your sound.

 

Bax Walker

 

Can you recommend any?

 

Thanks :)

 

Mousley

[McCardle 1]

QTX Sound QS12A 12" 500W Active Speaker X2

 

You seem to be going a bit budget-tastic with your Sound System, if anything, in real terms you seem to be spending more of your overall budget on red tape (licenses, insurance etc) than you are on your speakers. Yes, you will need all of those things to stay on the right side of the law and run an ethical business, but they won't actually play a part in selling your business, whilst in comparison a good sound system & reliable equipment will, because they are your first impression.

 

First of all, always take the RMS figure rating on any speaker, this is the 'real world' figure which represents what the speaker will comfortably deliver continuously for long periods of time at the lowest levels of distortion.

 

'Peak' or 'Maximum' figures are generally what a speaker will handle for micro-seconds, under ideal lab conditions with a higher than normal distortion figure. In other words, any peak and maximum ratings are often grossly inflated in order to sell products and look good on pieces of paper, and ultimately don't have a place in professional sound systems. Gold Sub Woofers often found residing in the parcel shelves of metallic purple Clio's - yes! , but not in our industry.

 

So looking at the RMS figures of your QTX speakers, you are essentially buying 2x 250W RMS rated Active Speakers, which will probably be fine in a small village hall or Pub with 50 or 60 people, but will probably struggle in a large town hall, hotel or marquee with 100 - 250+ guests.

 

Realistically, you shouldn't ever be flogging any sound system to within an inch of its life, whatever you buy should have plenty of headroom across all music frequencies to deliver both low levels for small venues and loud volumes for larger venues effortlessly and crisply without lighting the red peak / clip lights. When you start lighting these clip warning LED's you start overloading the electronics and so introduce distortion into the sound chain, distortion, even low levels at high volumes can severely reduce the quality of the audio, to the point where it is painful to listen too, and long periods of over-running can eventually kill the loudspeaker.

 

Generally the advice given over the years is, that clients will not notice (nor care about) how many lights you have (as long as there are enough lighting effects to create some atmosphere), however they will remember you for all of the wrong reasons if your sound is crap, painful to listen too, not loud enough, distorted and nobody can hear a word you speak over the mic. So in other words, even when on a budget, its advisable to spend as much of that budget as is possible on a decent, good quality sound system, even if it means sacrificing a few lights at the start up stage in order to fund the money to do it. You can always add more lights as the bookings roll in, but you need a decent PA right from the start, or nobody will be recommending or re-booking you!.

 

Remember that as a DJ business operator your equipment are your tools of the trade, and just as a professional mechanic would save up in order to choose a Snap-on or Teng tool chest over the cheap DIY Specials found in Halfords, so should DJ's be equally choosy when deciding equipment right from the start which is reliable, sounds good and will last for years

 

Maybe its getting late, but I also can't see a Mixer on your list or a Mic?.

 

So back to your Sound System. Not only is watts important, but also the SPL rating of the speaker, the higher the SPL the better quality the speaker and the SPL rating is a measure at how efficient the speaker is at turning energy into actual usable sound!. Its fair to say that a 300W speaker with an SPL of 120db will actually sound louder than a 400w speaker with an SPL of 95db. So buy the highest combination of watts and SPL that you can afford, and if it comes down to a tie break, then its often worth sacrificing a small amount of output power (50w or 100w), in order to gain 15 - 20db worth of SPL!

 

You don't have to spend a fortune to get a good Watts & SPL combination, although perhaps a little bit more than you were originally planning on spending on the QTX!!. But it would be false economy to buy the QTX speakers, then get a larger gig with 150 people only to find they can't cope and so have to buy another set of more powerful speakers or hire them in for future similar gigs. Far cheaper to buy the best you can afford, right from the outset to allow for all eventualities even if it means saving for a little bit longer.

 

Personally, I recommend a system comprising of 2x Active Speakers, and at least one sub. Bass doesn't require stereo separation using two channels like full range audio does and so is happy to run on a single speaker.

 

For the active speakers, I highly recommend the Alto TS115A. These get very good reviews and often sound just as good as speakers costing twice the price. They also have a reasonable 400W RMS handling per cabinet, and a highly respectable minimum of 122db SPL. You can also buy them at a competitive price as B-Stock (As New condition with warranty) from the link below

 

http://www.whybuynew.co.uk/speakers/active...-pa-speaker.htm

 

For Sub's I recommend the Alto TSSUB-15

 

http://www.whybuynew.co.uk/speakers/active...-active-sub.htm

 

Or if space is limited in the transporting vehicle, then the TSSUB 12 is also a good second choice, with a surprising amount of Bass for a 12" driver

 

http://www.whybuynew.co.uk/speakers/subwoo...subwoofer_1.htm

 

 

Another option, is to buy second hand branded equipment via Ebay. Speakers such as Mackie SRM-450's and RCF ART series sometimes appear at good prices, although it is vital to listen to them and check they are working correctly and haven't had a hard life. Buying Ex-Hire or Ex-Touring equipment in this industry is as bad as buying an ex-hire car or Ex-Taxi in everyday life!, so it is important to try before you buy if you go the second hand route.

 

Speaking of transport and dreaded red tape, also make sure you correctly declare your occupation as a DJ to your car / van insurers. DJ's are prime for late night police pulls, with being on the road in the early hours at weekends, and it will be obvious in a vehicle piled high with expensive equipment in the early hours that you aren't on your way back from running Auntie Beryl from Bingo. If they have the inclination, the Police do sometimes make checks as to the type of business use that a vehicle is being used for ( as many students have found out to their cost when delivering Pizzas part time)

Edited August 17, 2013 by McCardle