Djs Then and Djs Now

[ahoustondj]

This coming from a guy that uses a Bose Wave boombox that makes you look even worse than the guys with 2 powered speakers on a stick.

At $150.00 per pop for rental... I am laughing all the way to the bank. That system is for very small applications. Its the transistor radio of my main setup!

 

[DJ PAUL]

Mr. Beecher wrote:

Great qualities of a DJ:
Responsible and dependable..Ok, that knocks out 60% of people who will ever be a successful mobile DJ.

Articulate, Talented and entertaining - There goes another 20%

Good at sales, marketing and with some business sense - Another 10% goodbye.

Vast music knowledge, spouse does not mind you working weekends, owns a car that is not a P.O.S., gets along well with others, is not a werewolf, does not look like Quentin Tarantino,
is able to remove head from ass for short periods of time, Is not wanted by authorities - That eliminates at least another 5%

I would change the last qaulity of Mark's perception of great to 2.5% and add, Strong self discipline to not waffle someones forehead with your microphone or worse just knock them the F out for saying, excuse me, yelling 3 inches from your ear, some of the stupidest sh!t you've ever heard! 2.5%

Paul

 

[ahoustondj]

This coming from a guy that uses a Bose Wave boombox that makes you look even worse than the guys with 2 powered speakers on a stick.

Hey! Don't make me pull out my Voodoo Doll, hyar!

 

[MusicMeister]

I played a wedding this past Saturday - and donated some time and equipment rental to Relay for Life.

At the Relay for Life their DJ canceled on them - the Friday before the event on Saturday. I went up with my small and medium PA systems in hopes that one (or both) of them would work for the event. I also threw together a basic 'rig' comprised of a mixer (M-Audio NRV-10) and 2 CD players (Tascam CD-DJ1's). Dropped in a wired microphone and took off for the event.

When I got there, the head count was fairly low (about 100 people or so) in a gym. I set up the Fender PD-250 and got it all setup. Played music for a couple hours, and then took off for the 2 hour drive to the wedding.

Since the wedding was 'smaller' than typical for me, I opted to keep the medium PA system in the trailer instead of dropping by the house and picking up the double Bose L1 rig. I set up, played the wedding, and then left - driving the 2 hours back to the Relay for Life event so I could play a couple hours more, and then tear down.

Oh, that 'medium' sized PA system? A pair of Behringer 212a's on sticks. Hmmm.... Do I think that wedding would have been any better with my Bose? No. It's not about the equipment no matter what anyone tries to tell you. As long as the PA system is properly sized for the event it doesn't matter (unless there is an equipment rider for the artist...).

The 'tools' we use are more often for our own 'gratification' or 'bragging rights' than for our clients. I don't ask the carpenter about his hammer, and I don't ask the painter about his brushes. My equipment doesn't matter to my clients. As long as I'm using 'professional' equipment that's clean and fits within the decor of the room (skirted, etc) it shouldn't make one bit of difference to them.

BTW, my clients didn't care that I was using Behringer speakers. The F&B manager said at the end of the night, "Now that's the kind of wedding reception I want!" Do you think my Bose would have made any difference in his comment? I don't...

But we come back time and time again to equipment... I've stopped buying gear and I'm actually selling a lot of it off. Why? Because I simply don't need everything I have any more. I have 3 PA systems, 4 rigs ready to roll, and could probably put together 2-3 more if I had to. But none of it matters one bit to my clients. I was using a Mackie Onyx 1620, offboard Peavey effects, Shure Beta58's, and had a lot of other processing at my disposal - and my karaoke clients didn't care. If I had to do it all over again I'd use an M-Audio NRV-10 - ditch the processing, and use Shure PG-58's. The singers don't care as long as the sound is 'decent'. They want a SHOW...

It's not about the gear...

 

[mikemerlin]

I played a wedding this past Saturday - and donated some time and equipment rental to Relay for Life.

At the Relay for Life their DJ canceled on them - the Friday before the event on Saturday. I went up with my small and medium PA systems in hopes that one (or both) of them would work for the event. I also threw together a basic 'rig' comprised of a mixer (M-Audio NRV-10) and 2 CD players (Tascam CD-DJ1's). Dropped in a wired microphone and took off for the event.

When I got there, the head count was fairly low (about 100 people or so) in a gym. I set up the Fender PD-250 and got it all setup. Played music for a couple hours, and then took off for the 2 hour drive to the wedding.

Since the wedding was 'smaller' than typical for me, I opted to keep the medium PA system in the trailer instead of dropping by the house and picking up the double Bose L1 rig. I set up, played the wedding, and then left - driving the 2 hours back to the Relay for Life event so I could play a couple hours more, and then tear down.

Oh, that 'medium' sized PA system? A pair of Behringer 212a's on sticks. Hmmm.... Do I think that wedding would have been any better with my Bose? No. It's not about the equipment no matter what anyone tries to tell you. As long as the PA system is properly sized for the event it doesn't matter (unless there is an equipment rider for the artist...).

The 'tools' we use are more often for our own 'gratification' or 'bragging rights' than for our clients. I don't ask the carpenter about his hammer, and I don't ask the painter about his brushes. My equipment doesn't matter to my clients. As long as I'm using 'professional' equipment that's clean and fits within the decor of the room (skirted, etc) it shouldn't make one bit of difference to them.

BTW, my clients didn't care that I was using Behringer speakers. The F&B manager said at the end of the night, "Now that's the kind of wedding reception I want!" Do you think my Bose would have made any difference in his comment? I don't...

But we come back time and time again to equipment... I've stopped buying gear and I'm actually selling a lot of it off. Why? Because I simply don't need everything I have any more. I have 3 PA systems, 4 rigs ready to roll, and could probably put together 2-3 more if I had to. But none of it matters one bit to my clients. I was using a Mackie Onyx 1620, offboard Peavey effects, Shure Beta58's, and had a lot of other processing at my disposal - and my karaoke clients didn't care. If I had to do it all over again I'd use an M-Audio NRV-10 - ditch the processing, and use Shure PG-58's. The singers don't care as long as the sound is 'decent'. They want a SHOW...

It's not about the gear...

I'm actually looking for a good backup system if you're interested in selling. I've got my eye on a stagepas 300 and that will run me about $350-400 but if you have something in that range maybe we could work something out?

 

[MusicMeister]

I'm actually looking for a good backup system if you're interested in selling. I've got my eye on a stagepas 300 and that will run me about $350-400 but if you have something in that range maybe we could work something out?

Actually, I'm selling of my 'rigs' - not my PA systems.

I need to make a complete list... but a lot of my stuff most people aren't going to be interested in...

 

[Proformance]

As popular as it is to trrash newbies and claim how easy it is to be a DJ - let' consider the reality for a moment.

Yes, equipment is easier to come by, and so is the music.

However, a DJ today needs to be far more tech savvy than any of his predecessors. You must be computer literate. You actually have to know something about audio interfacing. Gone are the days where everything DJ revolved around RCA phono-plugs and unbalanced 1/4".

You'll be forced to understand digital interfaces, video formats. codecs, and lighting control protocols and the difference between DMX and proprietary MPXs, and older or analog systems.

Too many DJs have steered off onto the "entertainer" track at a time when "American Idols" are a dime a dozen. What's left is a crowd of people holding a microphone to a sound system they don't know how to operate. From where I sit - I see way too many DJs who are just one "adapter" away from complete failure.