Do DJs Worry Too Much About Gear?
Beyond putting on a great performance, what else are your clients concerned about? Do they care what gear you are using or do they just want quality sound and some Abient lighting? Let us know what your thoughts on this are. Enjoy! www.djtutor.com
Tags: brian, briansredd, care, clients, disco, dj, do, effects, gear, lighting, lights, mobile, redd, sound, tutor, use, we, what
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I agree totally. As long as the job gets done,they could care less how much time,money, and trouble you went through to do it. I also appreciate your video tips about the chauvet colorsplash lights.
Thanks again,
and keep up the great work
Charles
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I agree with you, I always get possitive comments from my jbl’s VRX900.
not to mention modern gear is more compact = less speakers, draw less current = running less extension cords,
I had custumer that want you to bring the biggest speakers boxes you can get and there are custumer than dont want you to fill the hall or stage with too much equipment cause its going to look bad in the vid. etc…
I belive on keep it compact, neat, and make good.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
But also I will add, people might not care, but the user himself will perform best with equipment he can excel in.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I would like to add a comment on the un-necessary match of Pioneer CDJ-1000’s with Serato. The reason why I say this is the $400 more from the CDJ-800 is basically waisted (hot cues, larger LED display). Because of timecode latency imperfections, the onboard hot cues are almost useless, especially with a fast performer. It’s almost like people get the 1000 for the show when the 800 is all you really need. Plus the hot cues can be triggered using a controller or the TTM57
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I think you can go over the top, I once bought a A&H Zone 3D and never used it. went back to a hercules rmx. but at the same time I’ve had no luck with cheap light, speakers and amps. CD players n mixers you can get away with as long as the spec’s there.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I agree with you. Get the job done. Clients want something special or unique in a professional manner, and if you can achieve it with low end gear or used gear, or whatever it may be…then more props to you. As long as the job gets done, and the clients are impressed and pleased, then everyone will be happy.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I agree.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
IMO gear type doesn’t make a difference, get what you enjoy working on.
However when it comes to how the rig looks, people will judge on that. They don’t want a table in the room full of sodas, cables, and things falling off it…They want to see a neat setup which makes you look good and most of the time paid better.
Now some customers may not mind the mess but IMO it’s a good idea to keep a nice looking setup. It’s worth it in the end, even if it takes a few more minutes to set up.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I agree with you!
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
Djs should work with the gear that works best for them. is always a good thing to upgrade n keep up to date, u never know when old gear will crap out. yes professionals used professinal gear. a table skirt works great n easy to carry.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
Wish I COULD worry about having too much DJ gear,but I can’t. I’m not going into detail,but it involves relatives and their desire only for money.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I agree with Brian. The client’s concern is all about quality sound and doing a good job. BUT, in order to get quality sound, I believe that mobile DJs worry about their gear because they are concerned about sound and performance quality. Without quality gear, quality sound may be compromised. In conclusion, there should a balance between gear, gear setup, performance, functionality, presentation and your DJ skills.
Quality Gear + Quality skills = Quality Sound and Performance.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
a dj is paid to be professional. a sloppy setup is not. it looks like stuff thrown together. a clean setup looks like u go the extra mile and take pride in your work. for weddings the bride and groom spend alot of money for decorations & florists & for you to show up with wires hanging all over the place is just bad business. please the customers. ask your clients what they would prefer & i know what they would say. anyone that is there could give a crap less what ur doin.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
yea i like what u saying about hidding and being neat with your stuff. i’m a moblie dj and its good to look good and also sound good or best. every equipment i have has a case or cases, but not my speakers yet. my moto is keep clean and sounding good.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I feel your look is very important as well as quality. It kinda works in 2 ways, your customers see a well maintained and clean set-up They know you mean business and helps with promotion and future gigs. Also for yourself, You know you look good, boosts your confidence so in turn alows you to perform better. So I feel some attention does need to go to equipment.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I think in the first place the people want just a good evening/night, BUT dont show off with your fancy stuff. You need to be representative!
If you tell people that they can get a few PAR AND SCANNS, they don’t know what your talking about. They ask you what a Par Lamp is or why you need a scanner? We don’t need to scan paper… *confused*
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I am, of course talking about Mobile guys
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
Do keep in mind that I NEVER said you should get crap gear and hide it. In fact, if you have a look at my Youtube videos, you’ll see that my gear arsonal consists of some of the better names in Pro Audio. Most of it is the latest models as well.
The question I’m trying to raise here is weather or not DJs are worrying too much about gear. Our tools are not Rapper Bling. They are what we use to get the job done. Perhaps we need to worry more about THE JOB and less about our stuff
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
You can compare DJs to the Wizard of OZ. Behind the curtain, he’s just a little man controlling all kinds of pulleys and leavers, but in the front side, it’s creating a convincing effect.
However, it’s really important to protect your gear also. Getting cases, crossovers and compressors should be for functionality, not show.
DJs who want to show off their equipment all the time probably are the ones that can’t mix or cut very well. We call them “Bells and Whistles DJ”.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
for live bands the better the equipment usualy you have a better sound and light show. thats if you know how to use it. and usualy the best sounding band gets more gigs
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
Yeah thats cool, as long as a DJ can enjoy himself then thats all that matters ay?
Practise and N joy
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
Yeah club and mobile apps are very different. Typically, in a club application, things are installed very neatly. It’s put together FOR presentation purposes. With mobiles, often times it’s more of a make-shift set-up. Things are set up for functionality purposes. Wires can be visable, etc so this is more what I’m talking about here.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
if you cant see the DJ or the gear, you pay less attention to the DJ. If the DJ is in full view and they can see your gear then they pay more attention and may even like to learn the craft themselves. Although what you say is true in the case of just Mobile DJing, im more talking on behalf of club and event DJs.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
im not saying just lights it was just an example everyone would like a good light show
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I suppose you could be creating a bit of mystery by concealing your gear. That almost seems like more of a bi product rather than a modivation to do so.
This video has promopted some very intiresting discussion. Some feel it’s about hiding the DJ or taking attention away from the DJ. Thing is, if the attention isn’t on the gear, it would then be more ON the DJ, wouldn’t it? Products like DJ Skirts just cut down on clutter and clean things up to make the system blend nicer with the room