QSC - New K12.2 vs Original K12

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So I’m just supposed to DRAG all my SHI.. gear over the city streets behind my BICYCLE??![emoji1] I’d have to buy ALL NEW gear before EVERY gig.[emoji1]


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That's what they made thumbs for ... :)
 
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I'm thinking about upgrading to them Alto speakers ..

I can't consider that an "upgrade" from an EVOX system

BUT, could be a positive move depending on the variables you seek to change in your current set up :)

Perhaps Weight Savings, Portability?

Or maybe you only need speakers on a set of stands for outdoor gigs so you don't mess up or get your Evox Subs dirty?
 
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So... you gonna carry that gear in paper bags?[emoji1] Is this a 100% wireless setup; cause I don’t see any cables in that setup? What about a cart to roll it in on? A table to set it up on??? Lights??? What about a vehicle to get you there??... AND... there’s not one piece of backup gear mentioned. Don’t your clients deserve at least an attempt at contingencies for the gear with the highest probability of failure (a spare laptop or tablet and a spare speaker)? No music subscription(s) or insurance either?

Let me tell you... all the little expenses and purchases start to add up... When you’ve been in the biz for 10 or more years, and acquired your gear over a long period, it’s easy to forget what it’s like getting started. For those trying to start up without substantial resources and compete with established DJ’s, you could be nickel-and-dimed to death, even when not purchasing top-of-the-line gear. $6,000 doesn’t even come close. You could double that and you’d still fall short. That’s about what my initial expenditure for gear was, and I still didn’t buy everything I needed that first year. $12K (or even your $6K) is quite a lot of money for most people to risk, not having any idea if they can make a go of the DJ business or not. I see a lot of guys (mostly), selling their gear because they gave up on DJing (for whatever reasons). My opinion, if you can get started with a $350 Laptop, a Numark Party Mix DJ Controller ($100), and a pair of Alto TS212’s ($500), you’re Smart! Since you’d have a minimal investment, you won’t be out much if you decide the DJ business is not for you.[emoji4] If you find you’re good at it, and your clients like what you do, you have a pretty good chance of making enough to buy all the premium gear you need.[emoji4]

Nonsense. There are a variety of ways for someone to get started as a DJ for $0 down. DJing is not about owning gear. It's not even about owning or collecting music. Those are two of the biggest distractions that prevent people from making the most of any DJ potential they have.

Renting gear during your startup period will raise you up faster and to higher levels. You'll have premium gear right from the onset, pay less for it, and learn exactly which gear is right for you before you commit to buying something. Try it before you buy it.

Newbies who throw thousands of dollars at equiping themselves typically end up with debt and no clients to pay it off. These are the same folks who turn down a gig because despite having a pile of brand new gear in their apartment - can't afford the gas or parking necessary to get to the gig.
 
Nonsense. There are a variety of ways for someone to get started as a DJ for $0 down. DJing is not about owning gear. It's not even about owning or collecting music. Those are two of the biggest distractions that prevent people from making the most of any DJ potential they have.

Renting gear during your startup period will raise you up faster and to higher levels. You'll have premium gear right from the onset, pay less for it, and learn exactly which gear is right for you before you commit to buying something. Try it before you buy it.

Newbies who throw thousands of dollars at equiping themselves typically end up with debt and no clients to pay it off. These are the same folks who turn down a gig because despite having a pile of brand new gear in their apartment - can't afford the gas or parking necessary to get to the gig.


I once booked a party because the DJ the client originally booked didn't have any equipment. They had him booked for weeks, and when it came closer to the gig, he told them he was under the impression that they were supplying the equipment. He was just going to show up with his laptop, and a aux cord to plug in with...


Going back to how I started. I did not have the money to spend a bunch of money on gear. I was young, and most of my equipment was handed down from my Dad. For a while I was carrying speaker stands in and out of gigs with no gear bag to put them in. ...The only piece of equipment I had to purchase was a amplilfer. I bought a QSC RMX1450 for $350 as my first amp. (Great price for it at the time). I also purchased new 1/4 speaker cords, and banana plugs, and I was good to go. After like 10 gigs or so, I purchased my first light effect for $110+ tax. MBT Enticer. I junked my two police beacons after using that light the first time. I was very proud of that single light for a good 3 years before I bought another light, LOL.

If I did not come from a family of DJs, I don't think I would have gotten into this business. I certainly would not have had the know how or been willing to save and drop thousands of dollars on equipment back in 2000.

... I think a newbie obtaining used equipment for cheap is probably the best alternative starting out. Even renting can be very expensive, and a large chunk of pay out of those first 20 gigs or so.
 
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Nonsense. There are a variety of ways for someone to get started as a DJ for $0 down. DJing is not about owning gear. It's not even about owning or collecting music. Those are two of the biggest distractions that prevent people from making the most of any DJ potential they have.

Renting gear during your startup period will raise you up faster and to higher levels. You'll have premium gear right from the onset, pay less for it, and learn exactly which gear is right for you before you commit to buying something. Try it before you buy it.

Newbies who throw thousands of dollars at equiping themselves typically end up with debt and no clients to pay it off. These are the same folks who turn down a gig because despite having a pile of brand new gear in their apartment - can't afford the gas or parking necessary to get to the gig.

Poppycock![emoji1] You missed the entire context of the post. I was responding to Steve’s $6000 startup, pointing out all the OTHER stuff you need, but can’t afford because too much of his budget was spent unnecessarily on speakers and a controller. I’ve been sayin’ all along that there is ANOTHER way to start out without waiting until you can afford top-of-the-line gear.

I’ll say it again... Client’s don’t care how much you spent on your gear, as long as it doesn’t look like cr@p.
Clients don’t care if your speakers will last 20 years; they only care that they last ‘til the end of THEIR event.
Clients are not paying you based on the price you paid for your speakers.[emoji4]
 
I think, in total, I have about 2500 in equipment, between the speakers, controller, lights, stands, bags, and cables. Considering how little I spent, I think I have a good looking setup, with a great sound.
 
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Except... this is NOT virtual reality; this is the real world.[emoji1] You don’t get to spread the cost of your speakers over 10 years... You have to pay for them on the spot. And NO DJ I know uses ONE speaker. You buy them in pairs, so the difference between a pair of K12’s and a pair of TS312’s is $1000. If you’ve got $600, how long would it take most people to save the additional $1000. Let’s say it takes 10 weeks, putting aside $100 a week (and that’s not easy). That’s a 10 week delay in when you could have started DJing had you bought the $600 speakers. What if in that same 10 weeks you could have taken your $600 pair of speakers and performed at 5 gigs for $400 each... That’s $2000. That pays you back for your $600 speakers and puts another $1,400 in your pocket. You could use $1,600 of the $2,000 you earned DJing, and buy the expensive speakers while keeping the $600 pair for backup or a wedding ceremony system. Or... you could sell the $600 speakers for $400, take $200 of it to put with the $1,400 you have in your pocket and buy those top of the line speakers... and you still have $200 to celebrate on.[emoji1]... OH, and that $100 a week you’ve been putting aside for the past 10 weeks... That’ll buy you an extra one of those expensive speakers for a backup, with some left over.

If you have them for 10 years, while you may be paying for them now, that cost certainly is spread over 10 years. If you're just starting out, I might agree with you - start small and grow. As an 'experienced professional' selling services at a higher cost, I don't understand it. An e-machine is a great starter computer. Not so much for the experienced user.
 
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My QSC's have never failed. Period. That's enough for me to be a repeat customer. I have heard of Alto failures. Combined with the low price point and the knowledge that you can't get something for nothing, that's enough for me to not even attempt it.

^ This. One wedding pays for the $1000 price difference between the QSC and Alto boxes and I see it as cheap insurance against a disaster.
 
A little behind on this thread... catching up. A few overall points:

- On clients/guests noticing gear: When at events that I'm not DJing, I like to ask people if they noticed XYZ about the DJ (XYZ being whatever I'm wondering about). Most recently on 9/22, a DJ was using CD's. Maybe she had a couple songs on her iPad, but I saw her flipping through SKB cases full of discs on a table behind her quite often. I mentioned to a few people during conversation, "hey, did you see the DJ is using discs?" All three people in the convo -- including someone in the wedding party -- hadn't noticed. My takeaway: Only other DJ's will notice your gear, not guests -- unless it sounds THAT bad or looks ABSOLUTELY horrible. That being said, I still hold myself to a higher standard that would likely meet the approval of other DJs (I've gotten positive feedback on my gear photos here).

- On start-up costs: My first setup was a QSC RMX2450 amp paired with (2) Yamaha Club 115IV's (not V's... the generation before that). The gentleman threw in the pair of ProLine speaker stands and 1/4" to Speakon cables to connect the speakers and amp. I paid $500 on Craigslist. I did about a year and a half of gigs with those before I was tired of lugging the 40lb amp and 60lb speakers around everywhere. But they sounded pretty great for being manufactured in 2002 and I got 5-star reviews from clients during that period of time. Even did my first wedding with that setup. (I later sold the amp and speakers for $800 - a $300 profit... also on Craigslist). I used my existing personal laptop. I spent $500 and got 3,000 CDs from a retiring DJ who just wanted them out of his garage, which gave me an instant music library (at least as instant as I could rip the discs!) and PrimeCuts Weekly subscription kept me up to date for under $400/year. The CD collection included RPM Top Hits USA from 1992-2008, some Promo Only, a bunch of Time Life -- it was a goldmine. (I realize now that selling those discs is a bit shady - but technically legal under the first sale doctrine). Virtual DJ Pro 7 ran me $150. A Numark Mixtrack Pro ran me $199 new. I think miscellaneous cables, cases, external hard drive, and other paraphernalia was about $1000. So my all-in initial cost was $2750 including my first year of PrimeCuts, thanks to exceptional Craigslist finds. Even today about 1/3rd of my gear came from Craigslist (e.g. cocktail/ceremony ZXA1 speakers, which came with other gear I subsequently sold, and now I'm out only $100 on that pair).

I've spent a lot more since then on newer and better gear... but my faithful K12s are at the 5-year mark now without a single issue. But now I'm going the opposite way and winding down to a streamlined bare-bones-with-backup setup since I don't gig nearly as much as I used to.
 
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