What gear do you want that you don't buy?

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Albatross

DJ Extraordinaire
ODJT Supporter
Sep 7, 2016
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I was inspired a little by Macho for this question. I have a sneaking suspicion that he bought the Alto Stealth just as a "flex" of sorts, just to tell his DJ buddies he has one.

What gear have you thought about buying but held back on? Either because you couldn't make a business case for it, or it just didn't fit.

For me... it's always lighting stuff. I love a cool light show, and I'd like to do a lot more. My clientele doesn't seem to follow that trend so I try to stay disciplined in what I purchase. But I enjoy well done lights and visuals and always wish I had more clients that enjoyed that type of work.
 
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Oh this is easy, starting with

Alto Stealth System 😁
Moving heads-I might buy a pair this year
Trailer- does that count as gear?
Facade-I am buying one this year though.
A new controller
Thats what I can think of now.
 
I guess the only thing I’d consider getting right now, but am not due to space limitations, would be a new booth. Everything else I have.

for those that mention intelligent lighting like moving heads...my moving heads alone made me $20k in 2019. As long as you have quality fixtures, and good programming skills, and videos to showcase the work, you can easily get it added on. I also have videos of with and without lighting... becomes very easy then.
 
for those that mention intelligent lighting like moving heads...my moving heads alone made me $20k in 2019. As long as you have quality fixtures, and good programming skills, and videos to showcase the work, you can easily get it added on. I also have videos of with and without lighting... becomes very easy then.

This is one of those areas where I really do think the average Jersey client has different taste than what I see most often down here.

My movers basically never leave the house. And even when we do uplighting, 8/10 clients ask for just static color all night with no change when we get to dancing. The phrase that I hear is "We don't want our wedding to look like a school dance."

I'm not sure if those just happen to be the types of clients I attract, or if that's a regional difference. But I don't see the demand here for it at all.
 
This is one of those areas where I really do think the average Jersey client has different taste than what I see most often down here.

My movers basically never leave the house. And even when we do uplighting, 8/10 clients ask for just static color all night with no change when we get to dancing. The phrase that I hear is "We don't want our wedding to look like a school dance."

I'm not sure if those just happen to be the types of clients I attract, or if that's a regional difference. But I don't see the demand here for it at all.
I get that comment all the time... actually “like a club” is more of what I hear. When I go into detail about how I control it during the dancing, the formalities, and the dinner time... and then show videos of how stale things look with no lighting compared to properly controlled lighting... I always get at least two heads on the event. I market it as a “touch of lighting” to visually stimulate the dancefloor, enhance the formalities, and add to the excitement of the party in a subtle way, without being too overpowering. I also say how my lights are not random, and during slow songs we set up nice blues or pinks to create a romantic environment and for older or not as intense songs, the movements and actions of the lights are slower and less intense.
 
There is always new gear to covet. I appreciate innovation and convenience. I usually talk myself out of stuff because I have no need. This is especially true now given that I have all but hung up the headphones.

Right now there are several items on the covet list that I have no real need for. However, if a killer deal crosses my path, I may go for it.

Tascam MZ-372 mixer - The mixer is basically all I ever wanted in a compact DJ mixer. It just came out too late. Now I have no need.
Audio-Technica ATW-1322 wireless system - I may get these mics just for our karaoke parties.
JBL Eon Compact Pro - A very nice battery powered solution at a reasonable price. Would probably be quite handy for the backyard.
QSC Touchmix16 digital mixer - Would be very handy on those very occasional charity gigs I still do. Could be helpful for home karaoke too.
 
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I'm going to say it even though I know I'm going to take a beating for saying it. 2 more Yamaha DSR 115 speakers and 2 Yorkville 801p subs. The reason I don't have them is because I don't have the money to buy them. Besides to be honest we don't do enough events that big to justify those purchases.
 
I'd love to get the Evolve 50M system but I just can't justify the price. If I were a full time mobile DJ then I would consider them but the majority of my gigs are lounges and bars. I would also like a pair of truss totems for my little moving heads but once again the cost is too high for my situation and they probably wouldn't fit in my MDX with all of my other gear.
 
This is one of those areas where I really do think the average Jersey client has different taste than what I see most often down here.

My movers basically never leave the house. And even when we do uplighting, 8/10 clients ask for just static color all night with no change when we get to dancing. The phrase that I hear is "We don't want our wedding to look like a school dance."

I'm not sure if those just happen to be the types of clients I attract, or if that's a regional difference. But I don't see the demand here for it at all.

It's Regional. My clients are the same way. Up Lighting, they want a single color all night. I had one bride that wanted me to have the lights near the dance floor change colors and beat to the music (sound active), but wanted the outlying lights to stay static color.



This is my list of things I really wanted, but never purchased

1. Alto Stealth Wireless!
2. Yamaha DXR speakers specifically 12s. (I did buy a single DXR10, but gave it to my sister)
3. Large Subwoofer. I really wanted the Alto TS218S subwoofer. I never made the commitment to buy one because I could not rationalize truly needing it. Also, as time went on, the more I hated heavy equipment so my goal has been to keep everything as light weight as possible.

I could say Large Moving Heads as well, but I always knew I would not make money with them, and I also thought they might end up to be a transport issue with all my other stuff. Also, if I ever sold an event where I need them, I could go and pay the piper to rent them out for the weekend.