What capabilities do I have with my setup?

[DJ ViViD]

I've been screwing with my friends turntables for a long time now, and I finaly decided to invest in my own stuff....I want to be a mobile DJ, I want to be the life of parties, and bringin some cash from weddings, but I"m wondering, what exactly is my set-up capable of?

I'm mainly worried about my speakers, I just got 2 Numark CD-X's, a decent Numark mixer with some decent headphones, and a Yamaha Stagepas 300. Here is the breakdown of the speakers...

Features:
Two non-powered speakers with a built-in powered mixer
Speaker cables
2-way bass reflex speakers suitable as mains or monitors
8-channel powered mixer features 4 mic and 2 line inputs
150 watts per channel
1-bit modulation digital reverb
Mixer and speakers are stand mountable with optional adaptors
Integrated accessories compartment for cables, mics, etc.

So, what exactly can I do? Like I said, I'd love to do house parties as well as weddings, birthday parties, block parties, all that stuff. Now my question is is the stagepas 300 strong enough to handle that? Any feedback would be awesome...thankx

ps...
details about the stagepas 300 (http://www.pssl.com/bitemdetail.tpl?waGroup1datarq=Stagepas%20300&eqint_KeyIDdata=40182&UID=2005061918450578&newproduct=T&itemNumber=STAGEPAS-300%2001)

[DJ Doc Martin]

eh i think you need some more gear. You'll probably want more than 300 watts of power.

For house parties, on the other hand, pretty much anything will be better than the POS home stereo or computer speakers that you ussually find.

I think if you're serious, you should get a powered sub or something to add some low end.

Go somewhere where DJ's play and see what their setup sounds like.

[jdiddy]

You might be able to do house parties, but you can forget about weddings. You'll need alot more power and atleast one sub for the low end. I used to run my sound at 800 watts for my two 18" subs and 550 watts for my tops and even that wasn't loud enough for weddings with more than 150 people. Now I run 1000 watts to each of my Peavey dual 18" subs and 700 watts to each of my tops for a total or 3,400 watts. I have 8,350 available if I wanted to bridge my amps.

[DJ ViViD]

Hmm, I was worried that my PA system would be too weak...thankx for the replies btw.

What are some good brands of PAs out there that can get the job done? And to start off, to get my name out there, would it be better that I rent a PA system for gigs or just straight up return my stagepas 300 (I haven't opened it yet), choke on the 15% restocking, and upgrade my PA right now. My budget is a lil tight atm since I just picket up all this gear at once, but advice from more seasoned DJs is always better than anything my brain can cook up.

Thankx, awesome forums btw, hope this site keeps taking off.

[DJ Doc Martin]

What budget are you workign with? People will have a lot of ideas if you come up with a dollar figure.

[DJ ViViD]

Well, if I return my stagepas 300 I should get around a lil above $500 back..and then optop of that I may be able to put together $250 - $500...so I'd say I may have anywhere from $600 to 1k

[DJ D3CIB3L]

1k will not really get you far to tell the truth. To get a full dj setup will cost you $2500 to $3000 at least. But, for audio only, it depends on what you want. Look into jbl and electro voice, b-52, and cerwin vega and yamaha.

You will need 2x 15in monitors and one or two subs. Look into systems- like the jbl jrx system, which consists of 2 jrx115 15inch monitors and 2 jrx118 subs. But, that alone runs over $1000, not to mention you have to buy amps.

Forget about weddings for now. you will have to work your way up to those. As for now, even with 2 15's and one or two subs, you would only be able to do birthday parties, house parties, small (100 people) school dances, mid (maybe 200 people) sweet 16s, and the such. Weddings maybe you could do with really really high wattage monitors with a matching amp. you could probably do weddings with a set of 15inch eaw's and a qsc plx or a crown powertech amp. But, that would cost way over $1000.

For now, you will have to save up big time or get a loan of some kind. Oh yes, make sure you are serious about dj'ing before you drop big money on gear. Dj'ing is quite an expensive hobby. Till next time. Peace.

[Rabid Wombat]

at the wedding i was at, the guy did it on a total of two "made in china" speakers (i believe 15's) and one 3k watt amp :uhoh:

sounded like poop

[DJ ViViD]

Alright so I take it the Yamaha Stagepas 300 isn't going to get me into many decent house parties, birthdays, or small dances then. I guess I'll be returning those...as well as forgetting about weddings for a while.

DJ D3CIB3L, I believe this is, or similar, to the set-up you refered to in your 2nd paragraph

JRX 115's (http://www.pssl.com/bitemdetail.tpl?waGroup1datarq=jrx115&eqint_KeyIDdata=38864&UID=2005061918450578&newproduct=T&itemNumber=JRX115%2001)
1 JRX 118 (http://www.pssl.com/bitemdetail.tpl?waGroup1datarq=jrx118&eqint_KeyIDdata=37425&UID=2005061918450578&newproduct=T&itemNumber=JRX118S%2001)
and then I'd need an amp like you said yeah? Or would it be better for me to go with one of the packages listed on this page (http://www.pssl.com/csearchresults.tpl?command=search&command=search&command=search&db=search/maindb.txt&wostr_Categorydata=PRSA&int_Ordertype=num&int_Ordersort=1&int_Ordersdir=as&uid=2005061918450578&max=10&startAt=1) . Would you go for one of the packages or would it be better to build my set-up speaker by speaker as listed above with the goal of doing house parties, birthdays, and maybe mid-size events (100-150ish ppl). The downside to most of the packages is they don't seem to include woofers, would is be a good idea for me to add one on, or would I be able to get away at this gigs without one for a while.

Thankx a million again, this has all been quite helpful. I thought I'd be able to handle a lot with my stagepas...lol....glad I found these forums.

[DJ Doc Martin]

I think 1000$ will get you a setup that will allow you to play out, but yea, like decibel said you won't be up to par with the "big boys". The B52 matrix system can be had for like 800 dollars (?), and it will put out a lot of sound for the money.

Otherwise, you could hang onto your yamaha PA and get a powered sub. you'll probably want to spend atleast 500 on that sub, however. Bass is expensive :(

If i were you, I'd open that yamaha system up and start practicing in your room and try to spin at some house parties. Just because youhave the gear doesn't mean you can get the gigs. If you have connections and a suit, there's a good chance you could do weddings with that yamaha system (sad but true).

[DJ D3CIB3L]

Your welcome for the help. It makes me feel good that someone can thank us for what we post here.

Anyway, yes, the first 2 links to the jrx115 and the jrx118 sub are correct. that is what you will need to look into. Dont get a package. Most of the packages there are not worth it and those with jbl in them come with bad amps.

You will be able to tackle mid size events with 2 jbl jrx115's and a jrx118 sub. It depends on the music you play too. you may not need a sub right now if you only play line dances and dance numbers. but, nevertheless, a sub would be a great addition to your setup. Also, the 118 is great because it can form a system with the 115 and you can mount the 115 with a pole to the jrx118. Not to mention that you can buy one now and then just get another in the future to complete your setup.

Go for the jrx115 and the 118. They are great. For the amps, you should look into the crown xls series or the qsc rmx series. the qsc will run you a few hundred more than the crown. You could buy a crown xls602B for the jrx115's and then a qsc rmx1450 for the sub.

If you are looking into the crown- make sure you get the XLS602B-not the older, larger 602A. In the link below, the picture is of a 602B but it says that an A is for sale. So, you should call pssl before you order it.

www.pssl.com/bitemdetail.tpl?waGroup1datarq=[waGroup1datarq]&eqint_KeyIDdata=34273&itemNumber=[item_number]&UID=2005061918450578&disp_IMG=Y&catgroup=%5BcatGroup%5D

www.pssl.com/bitemdetail.tpl?waGroup1datarq=[waGroup1datarq]&eqint_KeyIDdata=12965&itemNumber=[item_number]&UID=2005061918450578&disp_IMG=Y&catgroup=%5BcatGroup%5D

You will also need stands for your speakers. I suggest you get the Ultimate Telelock Ts-90B stands. I know they are expensive, but you might as well buy solid stands due to the fact that you dont want your investment to fall to the ground, literally.

Ultimate ts90B (http://www.pssl.com/bitemdetail.tpl?waGroup1datarq=ULT01&eqint_KeyIDdata=12838&UID=2005061918450578&newproduct=T&itemNumber=TS90B%2001)

I noticed you put the b52/behringer package in your cart. Dont buy that package. Behringer is no brand you want to buy. Stay away from behringer. B52 is a good manufacturer but those speakers may not suit you.

All the prices above are over priced. Look around all over the place before you jump to buy your gear. I know how you feel, anxious to get your gear, but it pays to look around. See those jrx115's? I bought a pair brand new, shipped straight from JBL in northridge, CA for only $440. That xls602B? I got it for only $340 shipped. Those stands? I paid $145 shipped with a pricematch from another dealer. Look around and haggle with sellers. Who knows? you might just get a good deal.

On those 2 amp links at the top, sorry i couldnt hyperlink them. I tried but it didnt work.

If i missed anything, dont be afraid to ask. Like i said, we are here to help because we have all been where you are. Have fun. Till next time. Peace.

[DJ ViViD]

I shopped around, checked out a few internet sites, yellowpaged some stores, froogled the items...and I got two places (pssl.com and guitar center) that are offing me two 115s, two stands, all the cords I need, but the amp they are willing to shell out is a Crown CE 1000, and they quoted me @ $1075, so like $1150 w/tax...

How is this amp, the CE 1000, should I push for the XLS602B? I pushed em on the package and they dropped the price a few hundred and threw in my cables.

The only real good deal I was able to find was on the XLS602, it was being offered for $359 from baystereo.com. They have the 115's too, but they are the same price range as all the others I've found $299. I checked out the JBL website, and they don't offer them for sale themselves (which sucks, I was hoping maybe I could get a deal from 'em).

So yeah, I shopped around, and this was the best I was able to come up with (can't believe you got some of those prices deciable, those were some nice ass finds). So should I go for this package, the 115s, Ultimate Ts-90b stands, all cabels, and the crown CE 1000 amp for $1150 w/tax? I was told by them, as well as you guys, that that should cover me for a mid-sized gig so thats cool and what I'm looking for.

Thoughts? You guys know your shit and aren't trying to sell me soemthing, so your advice is key in my decisions.

Thankx again for the help as always, I'll be sure to send a shout out to you guys and djforums.com when I go big :dance:

[DJ Doc Martin]

DJ Decibel is giving some good advice! I have the JRX speakers and sub and they are great. That sounds like an awesome deal If you have the money-i wish i would have started out like that, but i didn't and still don't have any money.

[DJ D3CIB3L]

thanks doc for the appreciation. Dont worry about the fianiancial thing. We are all down under with debt. im not done paying things off and there is gear that still needs to be purchased and gear that needs to be replaced. Oh well. we just might get out of the whole one day. Thanks again for the appreciation. Till next time. Peace.

[DJ D3CIB3L]

oh- i forgot respond to that last post. Dont buy from baystereo. they overcharge for shipping.

It would be much much better to go with the xls602 (if you havnt already), but the ce will hold you down. (just hope that it dosnt fry like some ce's ive seen).

Yes, the ultimate stands will be great- they hold firm and require no annoying pin. the 115s speak for themselves.

About the cables- if they arent Neutrik Speakon already- make them. Go to Sam Ash or guitar center and get 4 pole neutrik speakon connectors (they should be in a small plastic bag in multiple peices inside with a blue plastic peice that comes with them) and then replace the 1/4 jacks and banana (i suppose) that are on your cables. But, only go out and buy the connectors if you dont have them now.

Anyway, i hope you first gig goes well as you posted in your other thread. till next time. bye.

[DJ ViViD]

I suppose to conclude this thread...I got hooked up with all the equipment above, 2 115s (now all I need is some low end, but I'm going to have to wait till I get some more $$), the 90B stands, XLS602 B(the smaller one was b right?) amp, and I still have my 2 orignal Numark CDXs...and they cut my a nice deal since i was picking up a lot of stuff from em, plus they had to price match another place, so it worked out nicely, plus the guy thought I was a pro cause I went in there and knew exactly what I needed, lol, it was awesome...so yeah, needless to say I'm very happy with my set-up, it almost blew the roof off the one house party I did even though my DJ skills were lacking, everyone still love the fact that there was a DJ (well...I'm not really a DJ yet, but have the gear :) ) there and they loved it.

It was hard to Dj though since everyone kept asking my questions and trying to scratch on the damn turntable that was live, so I had one hell of a time trying to cue up the next record, and then they asked for fast paced techno, which I couldn't beat match at all, so I just let it play out, lol, and they still loved it.

I've also come to realize there is something about DJs and women, like girls I know but dont talk to were all of a sudden sitting right next to me and trying to become my new best friend...ah the power of a DJ is amazing.

Now just to sharpen my skills, I'm already having a blast being a DJ. Just the sheer fact of having the gear has already earned me a lot of respect in lots of circles, and ppl show off pics of my set-up even when I'm not around.

Anyways...got a lil off track, lol, I'm off to go spin for a lil while longer tonight, thankx agian.