andythemusician

Man, I always hate those kinds of stages. Bullshit to get sound right - hate it when I'm DJing, and hate it when I'm mixing a band playing there! You want to get your speakers out in the other room as much as possible - don't waste any energy in the area you are in. If I was in there trying to get a solid and potentially loud sound, I would have subs on the floor of the actual hall (the floor the girls are standing on). I would have the mid high boxes on top of the subs - again in the same room. For you - I would recommend, if you are using your 15" boxes as makeshift subs, put them on the floor of the hall. Put your tops either with them (but on stands and high enough that standing on the hall floor has the bottom of the speaker box at your face) or, because I know sometimes this kind of real estate can be hard to get, on stage as close to the edge of stage that is safe (again at the same height).

Subs and low end works best when coupled against a wall or in a corner, as it uses the wall to reflect and amplify what it is putting out - basically. Since you were in a smaller room (the stage, which is almost 3 and a bit walls in the photo) the lower frequencies are resonating in that smaller room. Because you are trying to get as much volume you can, you are turning it up to the point that it is too loud for the room the speakers are in, which is why it sounds bad to you (because your system is not set up right for the space you are in). I realise you weren't using subs, but here's what you do: Subs go on the floor where you want the bass to be (ie/ same floor as the punters). If they go on the stage you are on, you will be shaking all night, but the punters won't feel much. Tops go above peoples head so they will carry down the room (not too high, and smaller rooms you don't need them as high), and in the same room as the punters.

Get a few LED par cans. The tri-colour units are really really bright, but cost a lot more. The one with 10mm LEDs is a lot cheaper, but not as bright. However, you could get more of them and spread them out for a similar effect. http://www.theoptimgroup.com.au/more3003.html http://www.theoptimgroup.com.au/moretriled.html http://www.nova-avgroup.com.au/image-vi ... ry24-1.jpg http://www.nova-avgroup.com.au/image-vi ... ry24-2.jpg (By the way, the prices listed are about double the price you can actually get them for. Just a sales thing, advertising them at a higher price)

Trailer FTW. Includes big ass lock on the door. Trailer lock over the front so you can't hook a car up. Either kept in a locked garage, or behind a gate behind cars. And if you reckon you can pick it up - you're joking right? Ever tried dead lifting your entire DJ kit in one? Some quick addition: 40KG sub, 20KG speakers, 25KG winchups, 20KG racks... plus all the schmeg. Plus the weight of the trailer itself! And failing that - it's all insured

This: And sometimes with this:

If you want to go for weddings, don't get the laser. You'd be better off with some LED wash fixtures, and couple of effects that don't require haze to be there to still have an effect (ie/ lasers).

It seems its already been covered, but Active = Powered. Active/powered and passive are your two options. At the end of the day, there is no difference - a power amplifier will be powering a speaker. The difference is whether that amp is enclosed in the same physical box as the speaker cone (active / powered box) or if it is seperate (passive box + separate amplifier). Main specs to consider - the higher the SPL rating, the louder they are. Forget the watts, and whatever else - RMS, peak, etc. All that is telling you is how much power it can draw at full output - which is useful to know, but tells you jack all about how loud it will be in the real world. Weight of the speaker - don't underestimate how important this is. Unless you have a friend or two to always help, keep in mind you will have to lug these bastards around, in and out of cars, on and off of stands. Your ears - go listen to them. I've heard 10" and horn boxes kick the ass of 15" and horn boxes in the bass department. It is all about how the speaker is put together, and the only real way to make a good decision about it is to listen to it, and ideally use it in the real world. If you can, consider hiring out the model you are thinking about, so you can try it before you buy it.

I like to keep a powered rig all powered, and a passive rig all passive. Becomes too confusing and in my mind makes more sense to keep it all the same. Really, if you mix a system with active and passive, you really defeat the pros from both categories - you still have to carry amps, and you still can't tune the system as finely as you want. I'm talking about mains and monitors as two separate systems by the way, not saying you need to go passive foldbacks if you go passive FOH.

There's nothing magical about smoke juice. Baby oil can be used in hazers for the same effect. Not that I take any responsibility when you guys start trying weird concoctions in your atmos machines and root them up

And yet promotors and clubs keep wanting paint parties, foam parties and beach parties. In addition to loud music and flashy lights. Should hunt down a picture of a hazer from work, after it came back from a gig we did in a club for a paint party. Bloody. Hell!

That is a really stupid idea. Some people... seriously... To the OP, there are such products as a single cable with 240v + signal cables built as one, and have the correct insulation. However, they are pretty expensive. As previously suggested, you can always cable tie two cables together - but at the end of the day, we're only talking about saving you running 1 lead per speaker. Not that much time will be saved!

Yeah, boxes have specific designs to resonate at the correct frequencies and all that... can get pretty hectic. Sure you can do it, but I wouldn't expect amazing results. Home system for your own parties, for sure though.

If you don't have an ABN and don't do it too often - you can fill out a form called 'ABN withholding' that notes you don't have an ABN because your doing it as a hobby, thus they dont have to withhold the 46% or whatever it is. Bad thing is each different employer that hires you needs to get this form from you and keep it in their paperwork. There is no $$ figure on the gap between what is a hobby and what is a job requiring an ABN - trust me I asked this many times as I used the ABN withholding for a while, and only changed when I felt it was becoming more of a job, dealing with more clients, etc. Makes it easier now IMO being able to invoice without worrying about ABN withholding documents. You don't need to register for GST, and it is a separate application to the ABN. You can if you like to, but you are not obliged to until you gross over $50,000 or thereabouts. I got my accountant to set it up. Much easier IMO, as I know bugger all about tax and all that crap (excluding what I just said, as I got that from an accountant!)

Static, sound activated, internal macros, DMX. These are the options, and only DMX gives you complete control over everything - blackout, strobing, colours, patterns, movements, speeds, etc... The cons are it gets expensive as the fixtures and controllers are more expensive. Plus it takes more setup than just plugging a light in and turning it on. But it sounds like you need to start venturing into DMX.

In the last two months, two gigs I have played for this demographic: - First gig had all pop electro/house, plus pop 80s - Second gig had requests of Tupac & Eminem, which meant more rap and hiphop, and I correctly judged that Aussie pub rock would go down a treat too Same age, wayyy different music. You need to make sure you have a wide selection of popular music if you are going in without any idea.

Mate, I would remove this from your brain as soon as possible. This is complete rubbish, spoken by someone who obviously hasn't had much audio experience. My $0.2: Powered speakers. If you are new to audio, go powered. If you can't be bothered setting up lots of gear, go powered. If you need quick solutions, go powered. Passive is still great - it still whips the ass of powered with the current technology available. I'm talking high end of course. And a lot of new people will go passive because it seems cheaper - however, they don't count the extra things such as crossovers and limiters, and sometimes don't even think about amplifiers! So yep. Powered. As its already been said, save your money, hire for the time being, then buy. I know it sucks when you want it now (trust me I know, I'm in the middle of the same thing with gear!) but in the long run, its much better.

Yeah solder it yourself. Failing that, go to a music shop or an audio shop. Basically get any cable that looks thicker than a shoelace, and without molded ends where the cable meets the connectors (as these are usually pretty crap!) +1 on using XLR instead of RCA for the reasons above.

Yeah, Gandy pretty much had it right! Channel one was the kick. Worked its way from the drums through the percussion to the rhythm section to the keyboards to the horns to the backing tracks to the vocals!

48 channel mixer... No crossfader sorry guys

I know Sol seems to have waved goodbye, but I'll throw in my 2c All in one: good because it is quicker to setup as everything is patched in, and laid out the exact same way each gig. Bad because it is hard to be mobile with it (because it usually means large and heavy cases) and you have less flexibility with your gear - in other words, if you had radio mics for your DJ kit, having them in your big rack with the mixer, decks, etc means if you needed to use them elsewhere, you either need to spend the time de-casing them or take the entire case with you. Individual - good because it is more modular, and you can build your system to suit the gig instead of having to take everything everywhere. Also good for sole operators, as its easier to carry in and lift up stairs, etc. Bad because it takes a bit longer to setup, and usually takes a bit more room because there are more cases. Although this might suit someone with a smaller car - instead of trying to fit a massive case in a car, a few smaller ones might be easier to squeeze in.

Yeah or any electrician with the equipment and qualification. Unfortunately its one of those things that now is starting to be needed in a lot of places. I mean, its a good thing if it saves lives, but a pain in the ass for people like myself who check gear for consistency and safety anyways before using it. An added expense for all, but hopefully catches those that aren't so careful. As Gandy said, anything that plugs into mains power. Extension leads, powerboards, speakers, lights, mixers, CD players, IEC leads ("kettle plugs"), laptops, dizzys, and so on.

The Dave Grohl way, haha I like it. A good trick I heard is to talk to the bouncers first up, and say that if they heard you cut the music for a split second, thats the cue to come over and see whats up. But yeah, just be upfront like Lurk6r said. A private party - a hard one. Need to make sure you know of any adults / security around (if its a young party). But calling the cops is totally acceptable if you feel shit is getting out of hand - after all, you don't want to get harassed to the point of being scared for your own security.

They are referred to as scrims. Generic term that relates to more than just speaker stands, but the idea and material is based on a scrim. Aren't you supposed to be putting together a mix so you can get a smoke machine? I'm either behind the times or you've got a lot of time up your sleeves to ask friggin random questions!

Depends on the room. Usually, underhung off a winch up or a truss line. Depends where you want them to be pointing to, the proximity between, and whether you are controlling via DMX or sound activated / macros.

Best to go with the smoke juice recommended by the manufacturer. Use anything else and you run the risk of having different consistency of fluid that won't heat up at the temperature the machine is designed to, and you'll root it up.