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View Full Version : Advice on a lot of details



rocket's ass
03-07-2012, 02:35 AM
Hi I'm starting a mobile DJ-ing side business concentrating on weddings and parties. I'm not a scratcher and don't use turntables. I'm a very standard party music type DJ specializing in mainstream music. I have 12 years of experience dj-ing in bars (country, dance, hip-hop and strip clubs) and also the occasional wedding and I'm finally biting the bullet and buying my own system.
Here's a breakdown. I'm on a limited budget so I'm getting something fairly modest to start with but at the same time, I want to show up with something that says I'm legit. After much research, I'm set on getting two JBL PRX615M's and one Yorkville LS801P subwoofer. I'm thinking that will have me sounding good for indoor gigs up to 300 people. I don't know much about mixers so I'm just planning on getting a basic 4 channel thing. Since everything is powered, I'm not planning on having anything rack mounted...no EQ or anything at first.
I dJ on a laptop with Virtual DJ software.
I'm planning on getting a lighting truss that goes over my head with two trees on the ends so I'll have 4 cams on each of those and some specialty lights in the middle along with your standard strobe and smoke machine. For most weddings I don't plan on going crazy with lights but it's obviously good to have them. I definitely see myself upgrading lights as my business hopefully progresses.
I'm planning on charging somewhere between $500-$800 a gig to start. Again as I progress, I'll tweak that as I go along.
I plan on a couple mics to start (Shures) and will get some wirelesses in the future.
Things like photobooths possibly in the future as well.
I plan on starting a website to advertise but I'm thinking that most of my business will come from referrals. I will have business cards at every gig.

So how does all this sound?

I've calculated that I'm going to have to invest approximately $4000 to get started.

Any advice? Obviously businesses are always a gamble and like I said, this is a side business where I hope to just get some occasional gigs at first.
Any advice is appreciated!

windspeed36
03-07-2012, 02:45 AM
Here's an excerpt out of a guide i'm writing at the moment.

2. Transport
When selecting equipment you will also need to consider how you are going to transport your system? Active 2-way and 3-way cabs can along with a subwoofer or 2 can normally be squeezed into a standard sedan. However when you factor in: processing(EQ's, comps, power conditioning act) as well as lighting, table, cabling ect you will quickly find yourself running out of space, and if your equipment is passive then you've still got the damn amp rack to fit in. Some people use box trailers or trucks - I personally use a Ford Transit Van and a much larger truck for festivals.

3. Power Supply
"….well i've got 4 tops that output 2,200w constant and 8 dual 18 subs that are 4000w each…." Great for you mate, but how do you plan on getting that off a wall socket feeding only 2400w.
When selecting equipment keep in mind about the venues you are playing or likely to encounter. I know here in Australia i normally have 2 or 3 circuits of 2400v 10a and sometimes i'm lucky enough to get 1 or 2 16Kw 32amp 3phase sockets.

4. Budget
Another very important part: just say you had a budget of $3000 USD, you already had say an S4 with the X1 effects and a MBP but you wanted to get started in doing some mobile work either for your friends or for high school dances. Not only out of that $3k do you want speakers, but think about: stands, cabling, microphones, lighting, protection/covers ect. It can really start to add up. Also consider: do you need a council license or music license?, what about tax? business insurance?

5. Setup time:
A big point that came into account when I was selecting new equipment - how long does it take to get the entire system ready to go? A wedding may not take very long - 2 speakers on sticks, 2 subs coupled in the middle, table with a cover and decks + some lights on a small truss and perhaps some uplighting around the room = maybe 2-3hrs? What about if your doing a high school dance: Speakers+subs, entire lighting rig - programming it!, cabling act: 4-5hrs.

6. Safety:
One point that isn't talked about very often. If your doing an event have you considered your safety and the audiences safety? Things like cable guards and carpet to lay over cables. Safety lines for your lights on their stands. A fire extinguisher near by your amps or anything using large amounts of electricity.

I haven't quite finished writing it, so also insurance? music licenses? council legal stuff? Also your going to need wireless mics for weddings. No exceptions