which do you upgrade first? sound or equipment?

[dirtydutch]

in the market to upgrade either, but not sure which is better to upgrade?

equipment to do more creative mixing? or sound to have louder, higher quality output?

[LondonSoundMan]

Two very different things mate... what are you trying to do ?

[dirtydutch]

i know they are 2 different things. asking to see what other mobile DJs put more priority on. mixing equipment, or sound equipment

[Dix]

It depends on a lot of things. Its not just either or...

If you have a mixer from 1981 & speakers you bought last year... :freak:

If you have a 2 channel & that works fine for whatever it is you do but your still using you home stereo speakers, then.... :mad:

If your playing down at the nursing home every Sunday but now you want to get into the bar scene, then..... :uhoh:

I mean, it depends on a lot of things....

[LondonSoundMan]

i know they are 2 different things. asking to see what other mobile DJs put more priority on. mixing equipment, or sound equipment


Ok well if you can mix and work with the ''DJ equipment'' you already have then great why bother upgrading just spend your hard earned money on some new speakers but you your finding your being held back from djing better / putting on a better show buy newer DJ kit...

I would think about the type of events your doing and what sort of shows you do then based on that you should find the right answer ;)

Good luck buddy oh and you never know maybe Santa has brought you some new sound & DJ equipment lol

[David Bowman]

i know they are 2 different things. asking to see what other mobile DJs put more priority on. mixing equipment, or sound equipment

both priorities. Now buying higher end gear doesn't make you more creative, I have seen some being geared up to the roof yet couldn't mix instant coffee.

[DJMLC]

What type of events do you do?
What's your budget?
What does your current dj rig and sound system consist of?

[fatcatdj]

Buy new lights. Remember that patrons don't care or will ever be in awe of what your "kit" looks like or if you have JBL speakers
or cheap Marathon speakers. However they see lights. Lights are what clothing is to young women. My latest effect lights are like
Hugo Boss, but not like Armani. I hope you don't have Levis (old ass lights) If you don't have any lights you're like Target clothes (no one even notices you)

Remember: Would Deadmau5 put on a show with one American Dj strobe and a Chauvet LED Mushroom?

[LondonSoundMan]

Lighting is all good but i've never heard of someone humming the patterns of the lights home ;)

[DJNR]

I'm more of a sound guy. I feel like lighting builds off of good sound, so I would say go sound first as long as you plan to upgrade both eventually.

[fatcatdj]

Don't get me wrong, I like sound equipment a lot more:
http://www.djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?18518-Backup-rig-solution
(my two kits)
But in this era of smart phones, movies with 3D, 42 inch LED flat screen tv's for $499, instant this and that, etc.
Its GIMMICK TIME! Nobody cares if you can mix like a pro, hell, software does a great job...so besides being
the dj person thats playing the same sh8t the other guy plays, you as a mobile should have something people
remember. Lights may help.

Nick the Event Pro has BLAST. No way I can compete with him so I try doing effect lights that maybe a few people
will remember. I'm probably playing the same ol crap he's spinning too, but he has BLAST.

A guy with a laptop and small plastic controller with no lights will be remembered as much as that tuna sandwich
you had for lunch last week. Unless it made you sick. LOL

[jayhwk]

The real question is:

Are you doing this as a hobby or as a job?

If it's a hobby, upgrade whatever you would think would be more fun to have.

If it's a job, do what will make you the most money, even if it means not upgrading. Create a business plan and do some economic analysis to determine the correct course of action.

[fueledbymusic]

don't get me wrong, i like sound equipment a lot more:
http://www.djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?18518-backup-rig-solution
(my two kits)
but in this era of smart phones, movies with 3d, 42 inch led flat screen tv's for $499, instant this and that, etc.
Its gimmick time! Nobody cares if you can mix like a pro, hell, software does a great job...so besides being
the dj person thats playing the same sh8t the other guy plays, you as a mobile should have something people
remember. Lights may help.

Nick the event pro has blast. No way i can compete with him so i try doing effect lights that maybe a few people
will remember. I'm probably playing the same ol crap he's spinning too, but he has blast.

A guy with a laptop and small plastic controller with no lights will be remembered as much as that tuna sandwich
you had for lunch last week. Unless it made you sick. Lol

^^^this!

[fueledbymusic]

in the market to upgrade either, but not sure which is better to upgrade?

equipment to do more creative mixing? or sound to have louder, higher quality output? Well if I was to want to upgrade my particular system with more meaner sound or a really cool new mixdeck. I probably would just upgrade my CD system.

BUT just like the other posters say. It all depends on alot of things. Particularly depending if the equipment you have happens to be the lowest end or not. Either the "equipment" or sound

[Nick_EventPro]

Can you give us some more info?

It's nearly impossible to give you any good recommendations without knowing what your goals are.

What kind of e vents do you normally play now?
What market are you going after?
What equipment do you normally have? Do you have any large "holes" in your current setup?
What are your clients asking for?
What will bring you the most ROI?

Give us some info. and we can help you much better!

[Sween]

Sound quality first. No one gives a damn about how you mix if it sounds likes shit either way...

And lights are the LAST thing you should be buying if you are subpar on sound equipment.

[LondonSoundMan]

Sound quality first. No one gives a damn about how you mix if it sounds likes shit either way...

And lights are the LAST thing you should be buying if you are subpar on sound equipment.

100% ! and if you have a big gig and need to impress just hire a laser or something :)

[Avine]

Professional equipment is very expencive. The most professional for a customer is to see a synchronous show. No kabels and a representative DJ. I think the first upgrade for you, the sound. so you can do more, and bigger gigs. With that money you can buy nice equipment.

[LondonSoundMan]

Simple this like truss uplighters work well and don't cost a lot (£10) look the nuts

[ampnation]

Easy... borrow or rent a higher end rig... both kit and PA. Try every combination. Lo/Lo, Lo/Hi, Hi/Lo and Hi/Hi (Where Lo = existing and Hi = gear you're thinking about) with the same music. How much difference can you hear? which Hi/Lo combo sounds better? You might just find you like the Hi/Hi so much you'll figure out ways to raise the money you don't have.

[DjNeedleSharp]

I'll break this down into each category.

Gear: You can get a light version of virtual dj for $150 that will work fine for basic mixing. Unless you are playing for other DJs or you are a turntablist, I'd be impressed if any regular person noticed a difference from someone dropping decent automix transitions on virtual dj and a basic controller or someone rocking the new nexus CDJs. Point here is that if we are talking from a business standpoint, pretty much anything will get you by on gear. I'm sure others will argue that "the look" is just as important here... Whatever... Setup a facade and you're good.

Sound: About 5 years ago, I put together a cheap second sound rig for me to have other DJs use when I get double booked. It consisted of: 2 Peavey SP5 speakers, 2 powered Peavey SP118 subs, and a Peavey CS800 amp. I MAY have paid 1200 for the entire set. I thought it sounded like total shit compared to my QSC HPR and Mackie setup but that crappy system got so many compliments... Point here is that again, most people are ignorant. If it doesn't sound like total shit, people wont notice it. If you aren't pushing your system way past its means and you are buying decent quality gear, it will sound fine. Hell you can even make a Marathon or Pyle setup sound decent with a driverack PA or other processor!

Lighting: Do you have a girlfriend or close chick friend (mom even)? Ask them what you should bring for your wedding lights. Tell them you'll buy them a pair of shoes if they come to Guitar Center and point out their favorite lights. I had one person tell me that they liked the way my $80 American DJ Mushrom looked better than my $700 Martin EFX600... LOL! It's all about perception man. I feel that the only place I am lacking to get those high end gigs is in lighting. I decided my basic package will include 8 LED par cans, 2 colorstrips for wash, and 2 larger LED wash moving heads. I figured for the gear alone I should be getting $250 per gig for that (figure 8% of replacement cost) +setting up and programming so maybe $400 total plus whatever else I decide is fair for my PA and DJing... If they can't afford that then I'll send out one of my other guys under my cheap DJ name so it doesn't tarnish my name.

FatcatDJ said it pretty well. As a mobile DJ you have to at least do all 3 things "good enough" so as not to be remembered by anyone in a negative way. I listed above how any regular guy off the streets could come up with 3-4k and put together a "good enough" system. That is in no way a barrier to entry to a business. You have to pick something and over deliver the hell out of it. Was Nick Event Pros setup at his last BLAST event overkill? Full backdrop, 12 VRX subs, and 40 ft of trussing for 300 kids??? Yea I think so... But I bet you that was one of the sickest parties 90% of those kids will ever attend in their life. You can use price as an excuse (like I have) but if I ever pulled anything like that off?? You know how easy it would be to sell this to schools and tell them it will only cost them $15-$20 per kid? Uhh Yea...

[Jon1982]

I would always make sure you have a good quality sound output before worrying about other things such as creative mixing or lighting. This is because even if you have the best mixing skills in the world if the sound quality is rubbish then really it is not doing your skills justice You can have all the flashy lights in the world but if your sound quality is poor then that is all the audience will remember you for and will not book you again.