Equipment pics per mix's request

[rickryan.com]

I received a PM from Mix, asking me to post pics of the setup I used last night. This is my standard rig that I use at pretty much every show. Not sure why I'm painting this target on my back but, you may fire when ready.



Denon X500 mixer
Furman power regulator
Sabine feedback exterminator (on my wireless)
Sennheiser 135 hand-held
Shure Super Beta 55 wired mic
2 Peavey IPR3000 amps - sending full-range from mixer to the tops amp with the crossover engaged (so it only sees 100hz and up). The sub amp gets its signal from the sub-out off the Denon (100hz and below).
The laptop on top is my main player. The laptop on the side has a duplicate playlist and I keep each song in sync with the main player. If the main box dies, I can have the same song playing, at the same location, just by pushing another fader up. And yes, I'm using winamp for a player. The rack case came from cheaplights.com (I think).

Side view

2 X JBL m-pro 18" subs (4-ohm load) I have one sub per side of the sub amp. The 4-ohm load pushes 840 watts to each speaker.
2 X Carvin PM153, 3-way tops. These are 8-ohm boxes that pull 440 watts per side out of the top amp. I'm running stereo tops. Yea, I'd like to have wood tone but these plastic cabs sound great, don't have any of that high-mid harshness that most 2-ways have when cranked, and they're the only 3-way cabs I've found that are 42 lbs. Everything else I've looked at is 90lbs or more.

While this rig isn't massive, it has proven more than enough for any room I've thrown it into. For the most part, I do weddings with the occasional mitzvah. I don't need huge boom and this system fits my needs beautifully and it's easy loading. I throw covers on everything, stack a top on a sub, then 2-wheeler it into the van. No lifting. Keep in mind, this was a small room, hence, doing the headphone speaker thing. If it's a larger room I'll drop the tops onto stands, spread them, then center-load the subs under the table. For last night's event, this was more than adequate and I barely tapped it.

There mix, happy?

By the way, here was the "hottest part of the dance party" (yawn)

 

[dunlopj]

Very nice...one question....why Winamp? The obvious answer is "because it works for me".

What feature(s) do you use and like?

 

[MIXMASTERMACHOM]

I asked for this because of your post about the Peavey amps you use. Maybe that will help that DJ who was asking about those amps. Great mixer. I used to have that same one. I have it to one of my partners.

 

[rickryan.com]

Very nice...one question....why Winamp? The obvious answer is "because it works for me".

What feature(s) do you use and like?

I've played with a couple of pieces of DJ software. For the way I work, it just seems to add a layer of un-needed complexity. Yea, they can do automix and auto-crossfades but so can winamp. I don't like the mental exercise of trying to remember which player (side) I'm using and I certainly don't like manual cueing. The way I've got winamp configured it auto-clips the silence and if I flip to another track it does a smooth crossfade, without me having to think about it. I also can't say that I've ever seen it blow up. A lot of the above is obviously my perception and lack of using the DJ-specific players but hey, it's a tool and it works (for me). I see no reason to change at present.

 

[ahoustondj]

Rick Ryan,
Are you using the Shure Super Beta as a Hand Held? Is it for your use or for Client/Guest Announcements? I have one and I either have it on a Full Boom Mic Stand or in most cases a Regular Mic Stand with a Mini Boom like this: Here is the link. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BoomMini/

 

[rickryan.com]

Rick Ryan,
Are you using the Shure Super Beta as a Hand Held? Is it for your use or for Client/Guest Announcements? I have one and I either have it on a Full Boom Mic Stand or in most cases a Regular Mic Stand with a Mini Boom like this: Here is the link. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BoomMini/



View attachment 25916

Thanks. That 55 is only for my use. I used a boom arm for a while but found it was more pain to keep up with an install than it was worth. It was always a pain to have that mounted mic with me always trying to arrange my script so I could read. After it caused some reading errors (on my part) I ditched the stand, problem solved. BTW, you should try the beta capsule. It's a big improvement.

 

[ahoustondj]

Thanks. That 55 is only for my use. I used a boom arm for a while but found it was more pain to keep up with an install than it was worth. It was always a pain to have that mounted mic with me always trying to arrange my script so I could read. After it caused some reading errors (on my part) I ditched the stand, problem solved. BTW, you should try the beta capsule. It's a big improvement.

In that case I would rather use a wireless mic, surface mount or a table top mic stand with an extended Gooseneck or Mini Boom.. However, my headphone has an attached mic which give me the ability to make announcements hands free. As far as the Beta capsule, I don't need it because I run all my mikes through some kind of processing and effects before it reaches the Live Mixer Board. I can make a cheap Mic sound real full bodied with proper processing.

 

[dunlopj]

I've played with a couple of pieces of DJ software. For the way I work, it just seems to add a layer of un-needed complexity. Yea, they can do automix and auto-crossfades but so can winamp. I don't like the mental exercise of trying to remember which player (side) I'm using and I certainly don't like manual cueing. The way I've got winamp configured it auto-clips the silence and if I flip to another track it does a smooth crossfade, without me having to think about it.

What skin are you using?

 

[rickryan.com]

BTW, in case you're interested, here's the weekend in review:

Friday (Front Porch Farms - out in the country, nice view) great party
https://plus.google.com/photos/104949851951762302969/albums/5877907262331231137?banner=pwa

Saturday (winery in Princeton, KY)
https://plus.google.com/photos/104949851951762302969/albums/5877870377978679633?banner=pwa

2nd crew (The Pick Inn - Gallatin TN)
https://plus.google.com/photos/104949851951762302969/albums/5877509678979897313?banner=pwa

Monday (Belle Meade Plantation - quiet, conservative wedding)
https://plus.google.com/photos/104949851951762302969/albums/5877831115615472977?banner=pwa

Had 2 other events on Saturday (3rd and 4th crew), Wedding in a Methodist church and a re-commitment at a private residence.

 

[maestro]

Rick, I love that Front Porch Farms venue, would love to build something like that one day... Already built two houses for my family but they say third time lucky! What is the weather like where that venue is? Can they use it all year?

 

[rickryan.com]

Rick, I love that Front Porch Farms venue, would love to build something like that one day... Already built two houses for my family but they say third time lucky! What is the weather like where that venue is? Can they use it all year?

Yea, I've been thinking the same thing. Build a pavilion that has an amazing view and use clear plastic to close it in as the weather gets cold. They have that thing sitting on top of a hill, so I imagine there's a breeze in it, even in the summertime. The venue is only a few years old, so they're still doing small build-up projects, I imagine as budget allows it. I spoke to the husband and I think his current project is a cabin where the bride and her bridesmaids can stay the night before. They also have a nice, in-ground pool that was right behind where I was setup. It's a nice venue and something I'd like to do myself but to be perfectly honest I don't really care if I go back there. It's 50 miles from home, out in the weeds, and the owner (lady) was a bit squirrely. I think she changed her tune though after she saw how I handled their event. Things went very well.

The one thing I'd probably fault them on is parking. It appears they don't have enough so they arrange to have a bus to shuttle guests in/out. That's a pretty hefty extra expense for a client to shoulder.

 

[steve149]

I see you have a Sabine Feedback reducer.

I run both a 2 channel FBX2410 and a single channel SM-820. I have bought and tried most of them out there (Peavey Feedback Ferret II, Behringer DSP110 and the fullsize one, and dbx AFS) and the Sabine along with the dbx do the least harm to the signal. I try to have one on any mic that may be moved into harm's way while I may be away from the mixer. Even in live sound situations, if I don't have complete control where mics or monitors are placed, or when I have a new singer/speaker, I put one on that channel or group. I monitor and reset filers fairly regularly and have never had an issue with sound quality with the Sabine or dbx.

 

[Ausumm]

I've played with a couple of pieces of DJ software. For the way I work, it just seems to add a layer of un-needed complexity.

Just for giggles, search for Zara Radio.
It's music playing software made for running radio stations.
The automix settings control the segue to your liking...plus it gives you options to mix into the next track, stop after the current track, and it even fades out when you hit PAUSE.
I have used it for gigs, but I use it mainly for dinner/cocktail music...and I have saved several playlists.

 

[SoftJock Rick]

Just for giggles, search for Zara Radio.
It's music playing software made for running radio stations.
The automix settings control the segue to your liking...plus it gives you options to mix into the next track, stop after the current track, and it even fades out when you hit PAUSE.
I have used it for gigs, but I use it mainly for dinner/cocktail music...and I have saved several playlists.

Search for RockIt -- it can do much more.

Heck, we can reconfigure on the fly for timer based mixes, level mixes -- you can set the timer speeds, the level mix adjustments.

Minimum of 6 decks available -- use the audio, video and sampler jukeboxes for dinner music, while keeping you main decks loaded for dance music. Try the Sync Start -- you load the same song into both main decks, click the Synch Start, and you get a 2 ms delay, which adds some great effects. Speed up, or slow down one of the decks, to get more effects.

Just saying -- my annual late spring/summer sale is on now

 

[DjDennis]

I want to see all MIX's Gear

but he cant post photos so we shall never see them!!

 

[Audio One]

I want to see all MIX's Gear

but he cant post photos so we shall never see them!!

Oh Mix knows how to post pics........its just that they may be a little blurry.

 

[ahoustondj]

Just for giggles, search for Zara Radio.
It's music playing software made for running radio stations.
The automix settings control the segue to your liking...plus it gives you options to mix into the next track, stop after the current track, and it even fades out when you hit PAUSE.
I have used it for gigs, but I use it mainly for dinner/cocktail music...and I have saved several playlists.

View attachment 25939

I am amazed that you chaps use multiple software to do what is basically the same task. With Traktor you can start at any point in a "playlist" or switch back and forth from one playlist to the next or even load all your required playlists into one and skip/go to whatever sections you want. In all fairness to other DJ Software, most can do that feature. My question then is, why the need for more than one software at a Gig?
I always have an active "Playlist" running. If someone comes and makes a request I find the song and put it at the bottom of the active list. At that point I can play it from where it is, load it to play next or drag it to a desired point in the list. Yeah I know some will say "I do what works for me!" but do you really need two dishwashers, one for flatware and the other for dishes?

 

[Ausumm]

I am amazed that you chaps use multiple software to do what is basically the same task. With Traktor you can start at any point in a "playlist" or switch back and forth from one playlist to the next or even load all your required playlists into one and skip/go to whatever sections you want. In all fairness to other DJ Software, most can do that feature. My question then is, why the need for more than one software at a Gig?
I always have an active "Playlist" running. If someone comes and makes a request I find the song and put it at the bottom of the active list. At that point I can play it from where it is, load it to play next or drag it to a desired point in the list. Yeah I know some will say "I do what works for me!" but do you really need two dishwashers, one for flatware and the other for dishes?

I use a dual-deck media player, not a laptop.
So I am only using ONE type of software.....
Zara Radio.