Entra:     

Forum: General Discussion

Topic: Transition from Bar / Club DJ to Mobile DJ - Page: 1

Questa parte dell'argomento è obsoleta e potrebbe contenere informazioni obsolete o errate

Hi guys, just wondered if anybody had done this and if so how did you find it, what pitfalls and difficulties were there and ultimately did you find it to be the right decision.

Bit of background, I've been DJing since around 1990, starting out doing gigs for friends bars, a bit of mobile stuff etc, but for probably the last 15 years or so I have been working the bar / club scene playing commercial funky house, vocal dance, RnB, etc, and for the last 8 - 9 years been working Yates type bars but still keeping the music fairly clubby. I have a good reputation in the bars where I work so I guess I do a good job and I'm currently working 3 nights a week, Thursday, Friday and Saturday as well as having a 'day job'.

For the last couple of years or so I have been getting pretty disillusioned with this whole scene and tbh I am now a couple of years the wrong side of 40 so looking to maybe take a change of direction. I already have a small sound system (pair of Alto TS115A's) but would need to possibly boost this a bit and pick up some lighting. I cant go too large as I only really have a hatchback car to transport it all and dont intend changing vehicle for it. I have a mobile agency who are very keen to take me on.

The main problem would be that I would have to give up at least one of my nights to start doing mobile stuff.

The main things that concern me is the loss of regular income on the hope that I will get consistent mobile work, and the change in music direction as I would assume mobile stuff will be more parties etc with more commercial and cheesy music required.

So, anybody else do this and how did you find it?
 
Inviato Fri 10 Aug 12 @ 3:24 am
I would use caution here. You don't want to give up income.

Your best bet is to get your mobile rig together while holding onto your club jobs. Then start marketing yourself to birthday parties, school dances, wedding receptions... etc. You'll be taking on the job of salesperson.

Train a backup DJ for the club so when you take the night off, there will be no issue with management and crowd. Hopefully the mobile gig will earn you much more than what the club pays.

It's a lot of work doing mobiles. It's not like carrying in your laptop and plugging into the air conditioned dj booth. You'll be dealing with weather and all type of challanges. But that is part of the dedication of being a mobile DJ.

Try to juggle the two businesses. The best is to have a mobile early in the day and then play the club at night. $$$$$$$$$$


Good Luck.

Jimmy of the Jam
 
First off you don't want to use a cheap sound system that Alto TS115A's you have is not that good. Look into getting two JBL PRX615M http://www.pssl.com/JBL-PRX615M-15-2-Way-Powered-Speaker- and maybe a oneJBL PRX618 http://www.pssl.com/JBL-PRX618-S-Compact-18-Portable-Subwoofer- yes it's more money but this is a way better sound system you don't have to get the sub or start out with two top then later add the sub.. Also you will find your little car won't cut it look into a dodge caravan with stow n go seating you can fold the seat flat in to the floor and easy to load. As far as lighting LED is the way to go and dmx is a good idea.
 
Thanks for your input customsounddj, I use the Alto's already at another venue because the house system is poor and they sound pretty good tbh, might need a sub but thats all really. I'm not looking into getting into this big style and certainly not to the point where I'm going to buy a new vehicle. The seats drop in our family sized hatchback which gives a fair amount of space.

I have seen some of the rigs that some of you guys have and they are very impressive and probably way out of the league that I am aiming for, I would say I'm looking at venues of up to say 200 people...
 
I can give a little perspective on the sound system planning here. I bought my tops (Wharfedale EVP-X15s) three years ago with the idea of 15" mains should be good enough for 200 people indoors (and for the most part, they are). At the time I had no intention of getting a sub because space was tight...

Well, after using a friend's sub at a gig...I bought a sub, and now my space issue is that my 15" tops are unnecessarily large!

If I had to do it over again, 10-12" tops and a compact sub would be a perfect mobile setup for most gigs!

Probably a good idea for the first few gigs to just use your current tops, and see if you enjoy mobile work. Then pick up a couple LED wash lights (colorbar minis, or par/slim pars) and an LED fx light or two.

Don't sweat the gear too much! A mobile dj who is personable, professional, and is good with announcements and music will do better than a dj who sucks at those skills but has crazy gear!
 
In my opinion (I'm a mobile DJ) weddings is where the money is at. However, in that industry, you will see that being a "DJ" is only about 25% of what you'll be doing.

I've become more of a wedding planner and Master of Ceremony. I get $1200 to $1500 per wedding (not doing uplighting or crazy lights), but you have to have a serious sound system, be great on the Mic, speak 2 languages, dress very formal, meet clients, improve your phone skills and the list goes on.

So, if you want to keep your current setup, you'll need to be great in other areas to be able to compete (I don't know where you live, so I don't know your market and competition)

Before you spend on lighting, you should do something about your setup. Make it look nice. Tuck away cables and be neat. Nothing screams "amateur" louder than seeing a DJ with a pic-nick table and cables all over the place.

Also, if you are in the States, get liability insurance. Some venues will not let you play unless you have it. (again, this is depending where you live)
 
schmidi_0 wrote :
I bought my tops (Wharfedale EVP-X15s) three years ago with the idea of 15" mains should be good enough for 200 people indoors (and for the most part, they are). At the time I had no intention of getting a sub because space was tight...

Well, after using a friend's sub at a gig...I bought a sub, and now my space issue is that my 15" tops are unnecessarily large!

If I had to do it over again, 10-12" tops and a compact sub would be a perfect mobile setup for most gigs!


This is what most people realise after a while, I certainly did.
 
You do need a sub of some sort. The likes of the Mackie powered full range cabs sound great close up but have no bass whatsoever further out.

2 or 4 x 12" powered tops and one or two compact subs should do it.

Keith
 
so, basically I have the wrong speakers lol :D
 
I thought this might happen!

Those of you who've been saying he needs a sub, what you need to bear in mind is that first of all he's only got a car.

That car will need to hold all the other DJ paraphernalia as well as speakers - his source equipment (dunno what this is), a stand of some sort, a selection of lighting....

Secondly a sub is (IMO) well down on the list of priorities for getting started as a mobile DJ. Yes of course it'll improve the sound, but it's not essential for him at this stage i.e. starting out.

There are lots of DJs out there who use just a pair of 15" or even 12" speakers.

The average customer won't give a damn whether there's a sub or not, as long as the music is loud enough and the DJ is playing what they want to hear.

FYI I use a pair of 15" subs when people book me for their event, but I also play regularly at a local bar using their speakers - not a sub in sight and people still dance and have a great time!
 
A couple of years the wrong side of 40? :-p

Music direction will vary no doubt, you'll definitely need to vary it up a bit from what you're doing now although that may not be a bad thing as it can keep things interesting.

Your Alto's will be fine - they are among the best speakers in their price bracket IMHO. They would absolutely be enhanced with a sub but you would get by for now. In fact if you get stuck I've got a pair of Martin Audio spare subs and and amp you can borrow to drive them - pole mount the Altos on top, job done. Failing that keep the Alto's on tripods and stuck a single sub out of the way somewhere. Either rig will fit in a hatchback with a bit of origami - I managed to fit a complete rig with two subs, two tops, lighting, amps, stand and source gear in my old Mk4 Supra and that's not exactly renowned for load space.

I've got a few other bits kicking around you're welcome to - I've got a 4ft stand with overhead bars you can have as I bought a new DJ booth. I've even got a black cloth to go around it to look a bit tidier you could have.

Lighting won't be as expensive as you think - a couple of moving heads, a couple of flowers and a couple of LED PARs and you'll have a lighting rig suitable for most purposes (please please please DMX it though, S2L is my pet hate!).

Happy to help you out with anything you need mate, just give me a shout.
 
Cheers Scott, got your text.

By the way this isn't the other Friday I was talking about...
 
...ant you know you love the S2L at Watford lol
 
That wasn't S2L, it was fixed rate DMX. Even worse than S2L!

Seriously if you need anything - even if temporarily - then give me a shout.
 
groovindj wrote :
I thought this might happen!

Those of you who've been saying he needs a sub, what you need to bear in mind is that first of all he's only got a car.

That car will need to hold all the other DJ paraphernalia as well as speakers - his source equipment (dunno what this is), a stand of some sort, a selection of lighting....



I disagree.

I've done a full video Gig , screen, stands, Projector, 2X15 compact subs, 2X10 tops, and lighting.
All transported in and on top of a 1996 Ford Taurus Wagon. (Lighting stands and Trussing in a roof-mounted cargo box.)
My Old Van finally died after 674 000 kms and I needed a vehicle FAST!. I bought the Old wagon for a song on Kijiji, used it for a month while Locating a suitable Van.

You can do a Proper Gig with Proper equipment in a small vehicle. I bet I could do a full mobile video show with a Ford Focus Wagon if I had to. With Roof Cargo box.

As for a Needing a Sub, I completely Agree.
10s for tops and 15s for subs is my favorite system for a mobile DJ.
 
Ticoindamix wrote :
In my opinion (I'm a mobile DJ) weddings is where the money is at. However, in that industry, you will see that being a "DJ" is only about 25% of what you'll be doing.

I've become more of a wedding planner and Master of Ceremony. I get $1200 to $1500 per wedding (not doing uplighting or crazy lights), but you have to have a serious sound system, be great on the Mic, speak 2 languages, dress very formal, meet clients, improve your phone skills and the list goes on.



It's generally a very different situation here in the UK though - a UK wedding DJ is not a party planner. Yes, we'll spreak to the client beforehand to get a flavour of what is wanted musically, we may even lend a mic to a drunken best man at some point in the proceedings, but for the most part, we're there to play the music - presumably this is why we don't get paid anywhere near as much as our american cousins! From what I've read on these forums, the american definition of the wedding dj's job is very different to the UK one.
 
djsherz wrote :
a UK wedding DJ is not a party planner


That's a sweeping statement!

There are certainly some DJs in the UK that are heading in that direction - and charging accordingly.

Specialist wedding DJs may only be a small % compared to the thousands of pub/bar/party DJs who treat weddings as "just another gig", but they are out there and they are growing.
 
djsherz wrote :
Ticoindamix wrote :
In my opinion (I'm a mobile DJ) weddings is where the money is at. However, in that industry, you will see that being a "DJ" is only about 25% of what you'll be doing.

I've become more of a wedding planner and Master of Ceremony. I get $1200 to $1500 per wedding (not doing uplighting or crazy lights), but you have to have a serious sound system, be great on the Mic, speak 2 languages, dress very formal, meet clients, improve your phone skills and the list goes on.



It's generally a very different situation here in the UK though - a UK wedding DJ is not a party planner. Yes, we'll spreak to the client beforehand to get a flavour of what is wanted musically, we may even lend a mic to a drunken best man at some point in the proceedings, but for the most part, we're there to play the music - presumably this is why we don't get paid anywhere near as much as our american cousins! From what I've read on these forums, the american definition of the wedding dj's job is very different to the UK one.


Maybe it has evolved. I don't know how it "used" to be here in the states, since I've only been doing this for about 5 years.

I do know that things change over time, and who knows, maybe if you start to implement those things you'll be able to charge more.

Here, the DJ is becoming a "one stop shop" for a lot of things ie "planning" , "photography" "videography" even hall rentals. Yes, that means you'll work a little more, but it's properly compensated.
 
Hence why I said "generally" - there are a few wedding specialists out there that do the whole thing on a grand scale, I know of one who provides the marquee, dancefloor and uplighting, as well as a singer and some photography into the package. Sweeping statement or not, I think it would be fair comment to say that in the states, there is more expected from the DJ for wedding gigs, and it's probably a sign of the direction things are heading in over here too. Let's face it, rightly or wrongly, mobile discos over here are still associated with twin deck turntable consoles, flashing traffic-light boxes, flowery shirts, radio mikes and cheesy music. Most of us that are still in the game have left all that behind and do a professional job - but that old stereotypical image still lingers in the public consciousness - how many times have you taken a booking and been told, "we don't want any Agadoo or Birdie Song stuff." Please...
 


[/quote]
Here, the DJ is becoming a "one stop shop" for a lot of things ie "planning" , "photography" "videography" even hall rentals. Yes, that means you'll work a little more, but it's properly compensated.[/quote]
 
59%