Disco on PC

[donnyxx 0]

I have little to no Dj'ing experience but am about to start and would like to put together a system for using with a PC and PCDJ software. Most importantly could anyone suggest either a specific amp or points I should be looking for in an amp when I buy.

DonnyXX

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

[Paul Smith 0]

You'll find lots of info in the DJU Knowledge Base. Click the link from the home page.............oh and welcome along http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/042.gif

 

PaulS

[Discodunc 0]

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

 

Good rule of thumb would be....Buy the best you can afford.

 

Dunc.

[Tom 0]

Try before you buy, there are plenty of demos out there. Just try as many as you can before you buy.

 

And remember you can have more than one peice of software ie one for beat matching and one for background dinner music,

[joe 0]

Read my guide to DJing using a computer based system: [Here] http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/smile.gif

[ChrisPointon 0]

Are you looking to plug the Laptop / PC directly into the Amp?. IF so I would suggest that you re-consider slightly and also purchase a mixer. Using a Mixer will give you more hands on control of EQ Frequencies (Bass, Treble) and easier control of the overall volume. Plugging directly into an amplifier will work, but a mixer is far more flexible, especially if you are adding a Microphone, or want additional channels for other equipment.

 

You don't need to spend a fortune on a Mixer. I have a 2 channel Gemini PMX-500 mixer available for £29.95, or a Soundlab 4 Channel Mixer with more features for £49.95. Either one will do the job and give you more flexibility than plugging directly into an amplifier http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/thumbup.gif .

 

With regard to Amplifiers, this depends largely on what type of functions you are planning to do, and what speakers you want to plug into it?. If you could give me some idea of the size of venues and the type of functions, then I could give you a better idea of what is required.

 

For instance, it would be pointless for me to recommend a 3000W system, if you only do local village halls with an audience capacity of 75, and equally a 400W System in a venue the size of the Royal Albert Hall, wouldn't be good advice either http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/smile.gif . So before I can give you an accurate description of what you need, I could do with a little bit more information.

 

As a rule of thumb, I find that a 250 + 250W Amplifier and a pair of fairly reasonable speakers will cover medium sized village halls and pubs with audiences of around 100, and will cost you about £100 for the amp and around £100 - £130 for a pair of speakers.

 

A 400 + 400W or 500 + 500W Amp will cover larger venues and cost under £200 and around another £250 - £300 for suitable speakers. Obviously, the higher power the amplifier the bigger the speakers, and the more you'll have to budget for them as well.

 

If you would like a competitive quote for your requirement then please send me a PM or Email by clicking on the relevant icon below, or email me direct at chris@dj-supplies.co.uk

[Gary 0]

Remember not to install any other software onto the pc which you intend to use. eg, no games, no internwt browsers.

 

Also, remember that ripping tunes from your existing CD collection, onto the pc is now, most definitely, no grey-areas, illegal without appropriate licenses.

 

Music which you download from legal sites will come with a license for each particular track.

[Tom 0]

QUOTE (Gary @ Dec 6 2004, 10:26 AM)

Also, remember that ripping tunes from your existing CD collection, onto the pc is now, most definitely, no grey-areas, illegal without appropriate licenses.

Is it????

 

Uhmmm *&!!%

 

Oh well... even if you have the original cd?

I am not going back to CD nooo never. too much finding of tracks nooooooooooo!! etc

 

I never knew that btw, well there you go learn somthing new every day.

[DJ Marky Marc 0]

QUOTE

Oh well... even if you have the original cd?

 

yes even if you have the original CD.

[Mo The Motown Man 0]

I http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/notworthy.gif To all you clever s*ds. I'll just stick with the good old cd player , it;s taken me 4 years to get use to playing cd and not vynil http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/notworthy.gif http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/grouphug.gif http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/goodjob.gif

[Tom 0]

QUOTE (DJae @ Dec 7 2004, 06:23 PM)

QUOTE I am not going back to CD nooo never. too much finding of tracks nooooooooooo!! etc   So as an adult capable of making you own choices etc. you can 'hypothetically' ask away about 'how' to run your entire gig using a laptop were it fully 'legal' and of course you will 'only' be using those tunes you have downloaded officially and paid for as an MP3... Right?   http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/baaasmiley.gif What?!?!   Is there anywhere you can get bulk mp3 songs legalily? as mp3 is so much easyer than cd + poeple cant knik them so easily http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif.

[ChrisPointon 0]

QUOTE

Is there anywhere you can get bulk mp3 songs legalily?

 

We tried to arrange a subscription service like this on the forum a month ago....unfortunately very few people were interested http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/533.gif .

[Discodunc 0]

I'm not condoning breaking the law but....

 

I don't suppose any of you have ever done 35mph in a 30mph zone

it may come as a shock but thats illegal too.

 

I think I'm just saying, We all know the laws about copyright even those who say "Really I didn't know that" (ignorance is not a defence in a courtroom) but maybe its just time to stop preaching about it. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/smile.gif

 

Dunc.

 

 

 

[ChrisPointon 0]

I believe that it is also down to the (good intentioned) questions of members on this forum which has played a big part in the relevant authorities looking closer at the issue and leading to the decision of making the statement on their website.

 

This can be construed as a good or bad thing depending on how you were to look at it. Some may say that it is a fly in the ointment for those who are using or were considering this approach, others may say that it's a good thing because it's cleared up a lot of guessing and speculation and made the point clear.

 

One thing that is certain, whatever your own opinion on this issue is that a heavy handed, Ad-Hoc approach has led to the doors being slammed in our faces (as an industry) because the statement is final and doesn't leave open any room for negotiation or further discussion with them. Had a more orchestrated softly, softly approach been used then perhaps we could have lobbied on a professional 'represented' basis to change the law to one that was more flexible for those who wanted to use technology as part of their work. After all, the government are harping on about the role that computers play in the workplace and asking us to embrace technology etc http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif . When in fact all that happened was that several people clammered to get their attention like a bunch of seals at feeding time and you've read the result.

 

Perhaps in future, it would be more apt, to elect a spokesperson(s) to represent the questions of the entire community in order to voice and negotiate our cause. Rather than everybody (some of whom were only making contact in an attempt to score points of each other http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif ) leaping in with their size 13's and bombarding the authority, company or organisation with questions - which may have already been asked twenty times previously.

 

All that has been achieved here is that we took one step forward which resulted in our industry taking two steps back and us, as entertainers, having even fewer rights than our colleagues in other countries, so whichever way you look at it, the only person to lose out is YOU. The majority of copyright laws in this country lag behind the rest of the world by years (just like our technology) and we still suffer from laws which are decades and sometimes even centuries out of date.

 

Example:- did you know that down to a law passed in the 1800's that it is illegal to entertain or be entertained on the sabbath?. So how many of you are breaking the law this Sunday? because to my knowledge this has never been changed, challenged or overturned and part of the reason that we have early last orders in pubs on Sunday is down to part of the very same laws. My point, made by example, is that largely this entertainment law is ignored, but start asking questions and you may find it suddenly being enforced.

 

I reckon that this is only going to be the start of a snowball effect. Who knows what other ways they are looking at to penalise us, and whilst this one issue may not currently affect you, mark my words pretty soon 'they'' will get around to introducing something which will.

[Gary 0]

QUOTE (Chris_Pointon @ Dec 10 2004, 08:39 AM)

Perhaps in future, it would be more apt, to elect a spokesperson(s) to represent the questions of the entire community in order to voice and negotiate our cause. Rather than everybody (some of whom were only making contact in an attempt to score points of each other http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif ) leaping in with their size 13's and bombarding the authority, company or organisation with questions - which may have already been asked twenty times previously.

So, anyone fancy a face-to-face meeting with someone at MCPS? in London(?) presumably.

 

Go there equipped with list of questions posted by forum members, in an effort to get to the bottom of all the license issues, prices, exclusions, whatnots and wherefores.

 

I for one would like to know more about the yearly license which permits dubbing of tracks between formats for a one-off cost for the yearly license and a per-track cost (rumored to be about 10p)of all tracks which you send them on a quarterly list.

 

Rumored to be called an SG6, this license has proved to be awkward to track down, or get any details on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dukesy 0]

This is a very 'grey area'!!!!

Heard that before???? http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif

No, not the 'copyright law' or 'rules' discussed in the past......this current 'dilemma' of

 

At one side of a table - We have DJSUNITED......who else?

The other side - MCPS / PRS..... http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/014.gif

 

We need to establish an agreed point (on our side of the table), such as 'What we would like, would want, etc' from 'the other side of the table'.

Questions, proposals, compromises, suggested solutions, etc.

 

So I propose the following:

let's get legal advice first - and use a long establised body such as...the MU!

 

Now admittingly, the MU only represent it's individual members, but if enough of us MU members all speak with the same concerns and questions - we may have a case to challenge the MCPS / PRS etc....and then again....we may not.

So we have to ask the right questions to the MU too!

 

Yes, we can 'email petition' on behalf of all those 21st CenturyDigital DJs whose business's may be threatened by the Music Industry Rules, etc......but petition for what, why, when, where?

What do we want?????

 

So lets put together a point list to be agreed on that can be submitted by a 'rep' like Gary suggested.

 

I nominate ADS as a rep because he like driving.

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/071.gif

 

 

 

But remember folks....the mobile DJ has had a good run.......the next can of worms to be opened is the one marked 'licensed Mobile DJ'

How much will that cost per year? Does it exist? Will it exist? Do we want an operatives licence to encompas all our fears and worries under a little piece of paper to sit alongside our PAT and PLI certificates????

Who would issue the license? Would it be regulated? Would something like a Mobile DJ license give us the 'recognised status' many have yearned for from the general public, i.e. the public perception of our trade?

Would a Mobile DJ license eventually command a better understanding of our field of work for things like Vehicle Insurance?

If we had such a license - and it was issued from the MCPS / PRS based on the amount of 'gigs' or earnings per year of the individual DJ.......imagine what would happen to the 'cowboys' who were requested for such a license to 'produce' in a public venue?

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

Edited December 10, 2004 by discodirect

[ChrisPointon 0]

First of all we would need an agenda and a common goal, so far several people have been sticking their figures into Mr Kiplings finest, from on and off this forum, and you have seen the negative conclusion from that excercise http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/wallbash.gif

 

We also need somebody with a lot more influence and 'pull' than a bunch of Dj's with a forum. Any MP's had a career as a DJ ? (no i'm being silly, they are all over 90!). What we need is somebody well known and related to either the music, radio or DJ world to represent our interests and who isn't afraid to speak their mind.

 

Getting together at meetings and for afternoon tea doesn't solve anything, witness the early days of Fathers For Justice, Pro-Hunt Supporters and the fuel protestors - and what has that changed?.

 

I'm not suggesting that we dress up as Batman and chain ourselves to the chairman of the BPI, but what I AM saying is to look at the Media coverage and Public Sympathy that 'Fathers for Justice' has, and tell me whether the as the law been changed for them? - nope -. We also don't have a 1/100000th of that level of public support and are basically a specialised industry, so what would make us a priority?.

 

Image the BPI as a large lake of ice, where chipping the edges isn't going to make any impact on the rest of it whatsoever. What we need to be doing is getting somebody with some influence on our side, as well as having support from DJ's not just the online ones, but the offline ones as well.

[transeurope 0]

A couple of points. I agree with virtually everything that Chris says except the idea that an exDJ MP would necessarily be on "our side". Are ex-miner, steelworker, busworker MPs on the side of their former colleagues?

 

I think going into a meeting with a bunch of highly-briefed professionals that are paid to represent a particular interest and not necessarily to listen is not going to yield very good results.

 

One thing I can say is that in Germany, where laws are much more DJ friendly in all kinds of ways, DJs meet very regularly...DJs there are every bit as interested in pretending they earn four times more than they do as their UK colleagues, that their tunes are the best as their UK colleagues, that they play "real music" or that people should only play dance music. There is one key difference though.

 

They NEVER identify with any other industry. They don't even identify with another sector in the same industry. They may be envious of their colleagues. They may have superegos. BUT they will always back another DJ against a record company, enforcement officer, hotel manager, venue security etc. Even one they have never met. Even a foreigner.

 

You are probably less likely to get help from a German DJ than from a British one on a matter such as how to set up gear, what tunes are currently working etc.

 

You are one thousand times more likely to get strong and exhaustive backing against anyone from another industry that interferes with DJing. This provokes a universal and very strong response. This applies not just to DJs, it would be the same for a railwayman.

 

When they do meet, there is a big social taboo against boasting and arguing. The only thing they discuss is how to gain leverage over venues, the music industry, equipment producers..what have you.

 

And you know what? It works. They gear is cheaper, their music is cheaper, their technicians are faster, their repairs are better quality, their pay is higher.

 

Chris may be the focal point of such a powerful tool if he wants to be and people will empower him.

[Hugmaster 0]

Hi

 

I'll formulate a proper response when I get my hearing back after last night and when I'm properly awake.

 

However, just wanted to say 100% agreed with Transeurope, we, as DJ's, whatever the country or type of DJ you are, must, must, must stop this one-upmanship game we tend to play with each other as it only serves to weaken our cause.

 

I've been watching the various posts on MP3 DJing and the legal issues referred to therein, and have noticed that there are a certain number of DJ's that can't sseem to stop themselves from shoving the "you're breaking the law" line right down our throats.

 

Frankly, I'm getting sick of being prieched to and would back any concerted move to make mp3 DJing more legally viable. I've made my position pretty clear regarding this issue in respect of our roll of providing record industry artists with free promotion of their work, so I won't bang on about it again here.

 

Back soon with a coherent reply.

 

Darren

Edited December 11, 2004 by Hugmaster