What DJ equiptment do you need to have a good, but cheap, party?

Question

Willing to spend up to $2500.

Answer 1

Main Unit: Numark CD Mix II or III.
Reason1: as an amateur you will find hooking up the wires a pain, even pros mess it up when we are tired or in a hurry.
Reason2: It's small and tidy when you are not using it.
Reason3: The CD Mix, aka CD Mix I has no anti-shock...parties are full of drunk people...trust me you NEED antishock. Don't go for the CD Mix I, go for the II or III only.


Grundorf CD Mix Series Case:
Reason 1: No matter what ANYBODY says, you need to case equipment. Disco gear is NOT made strong and durable, frequently Sony domestic stuff is stronger.
Reason 2: Numark's case for the CD Mix is a joke, you are more likely to damage the case than the machine. Get the Grundorf one.
NOTE: Having a case does not mean you can slam the unit around in the case. It just gives extra protection.

Behringer EP2500 Amplifier
Reason One: Behringer don't make cheap amps, they make amps cheap. They are unbelievable for the price point nothing comes remotely close.
Reason Two: They come with a two year swop out no quibble warranty, once the unit isn't physically damaged. I can't think of another company that swops out for two years. Some have a return to base warranty for two years.

American DJ Plastic 2U amp case:
Reason One: Behringer amps don't need THAT much protection, but have lots of funny little plastic switches and connectors on the back just begging to be snapped off. If they snap, you just lost your no-quibble warranty.
Reason Two: The Behringer is so well made it doesn't need "breathing space". It's a 2U high amp, but some 2U amps need freespace at the top and bottom for ventilation. The behringer does just fine in a case exactly 2U.
NOTE: NEVER operate an amp without removing completely the front and back covers of a case. Some people think it's cool to leave the front cover on. It's not cool, it's cooking! Not even a Behringer will survive this.

Speakers:
Behringer B1220 Pro/B1220/E1220 or better again if you have the room to store them B1520/B1520Pro/E1520.
Chose the size you can house first then spend as much money on the speakers as you feel comfortable with. All are good, the B1520Pros are awesome
Reason One: Some speakers are like iPods, if you look at them they cry and grow scratches. The Behringers keep their appearance really well.
Reason Two: Warranty, see above

American DJ Radio Mike UHF selectable frequency
-Waaaay more fun than a normal microphone
-Gotta be UHF to avoid static
-Gotta have selectable frequency. Otherwise, the crucial point of the party is the exact point you discover that your neighbor is also a DJ and is using a mike on the same frequency...and he always hated you...and he knows the story of what you did that summer :o


Cables:
2x XLR(M) to XLR(F)
-connect CD Mix to Amp
-Jack Plugs and RCA plugs (the other options for linking CD Mix to Amp) magically fall out having decided painstakingly the most crucial and embarrassing time to do so. Try to avoid them.
1x Power Cable
-for amp, comes in box, just DON'T FORGET IT, happens a lot even with pro DJs.
1x PSU for CD Mix...as above
2x Speakon to Speakon speaker cables
-Learn how to connect a speakon cable to the amp. Get a DJ or dealer to show you, they are safe, they don't short out amps like bare wire connections that work loose do.
-They don't fall out like banana plugs or jack plugs do when the music is pumping.
-They don't overheat like XLR connectors do when carrying the kind of currents that speakers require (XLRs are fine for connecting mixers to amps because they are dealing with much less current on that connection)
1x XLR(M)-XLR(F)
-This connects your microphone to your CD Mix unit.
-I have listed it separately to avoid confusion but it is actually the same type of lead as you used to connect the CD Mix to the amp.
-So that is 3xXLR(M)-XLR(F) needed in total
-Don't use jack to jack, see above
1xPSU for Radio Mike
-DON'T FORGET THAT EITHER!!!

Some people use powered speakers. These have amps built into them. They are neater to use. However because of the pumping associated with disco bass, the components tend to knock loose. Behringer plan on releasing a new range of powered speakers shortly, once they pass Quality Control. It's taking a long time. That says a lot.
They do have one powered unit, the B300, it's great. But it needs 20 men to lift it. It's full of steel and bracing and heavy plastic to protect the amp inside. Not worth the hassle.

Lights:
-American DJ make great lights for this price range. Period.
-Anything that uses a bulb that is rated at more than 24v is gonna blow the second the power line spikes or drops. Avoid
-Anything with a bulb less than 12V is going to be like a flashlight. Avoid
-All the American DJ effects that take bulbs between 15 & 24v are great though.

NOTE: DJ CD players are NOTORIOUSLY unreliable for some reason. They are frequently faulty from new. No, it's not your CD is too scratched...no, it's not your brand of CD media, no, it's not that the lens is dirty...it's that all manufacturers from Gemsound to Pioneer seem to have issues making things work...CDs that play on one machine don't on another. That is because it is F-A-U-L-T-Y. Some dealers are hell to deal with on a faulty unit. They say they have their own repair "technician", most probably they don't...they have the local bright schoolkid tweaking an already horrible laser trying to get the wretched thing to work...if he does it's only a temporary fix.
When you get the unit, try it out with a lot of different CDs. If some don't read, it's a sign of more trouble to come, trust me. Check the discs in a normal machine, if they play trouble free in that, INSIST on a replacement. Don't mess around, because they will mess you around. Don't buy from a store that doesn't have a replace-if-faulty-from-new policy. All this stuff is made in China and if the boat is leaving tomorrow, QC just doesn't happen the last batch.


Have a great party.

Answer 2

provided you already have someone with some turn tables, or are just planning to play off cd's or other sources, i can't say enough for owning a small pa system...mine has come in handy on so many occasions i can't even remember. i'm using and highly recommend the yamaha emx 640 or one of its newer versions, and a couple of fender pa speakers, i think i'm using the 115xp made by them. it is very loud, the mixer has a built in amp, but can accept an external one, is very versatile, and relatively portable. it also falls well inside your price range with room to spare. everyone should really own a pa system anyway...

Answer 3

Wine is the main inexpensive alcohol you ought to purchase. White wine, lemonade and gingerale blended jointly in a great field with ice works properly. the excellent difficulty approximately this drink is that's not significant how decrease priced the wine is which you employ. purple wine, sprite and orange juice all blended which incorporate ice is a sturdy option too. yet another difficulty you're able to do, is hire a cooler complete of orange drink from Mcdonald's then upload an entire botle of vodka to it and supply it a stir. in case you're finding for decrease priced beer, it quite is maximum inexpensive to purchase in a keg.

Answer 4

of course you're gonna have to have a turntable. some loud speakers and lots of Discs for requests, if any. and you need a headset, and a Microphone, and a laptop. The laptop monitors your tuntable with this program, I know, because I saw how those guys did it. Hope that helps.

Answer 5

If you want to spin records or cds....

2 turntables (for vinyl records or cd's), a decent mixer, some sort of amp, speakers, headphones, records, record needles, maybe a microphone if you want, the necessary cords required to hook up.