Single best and worst purchase decision...

Hey Everyone,

Over the years, I have made some awesome purchase decisions relating to my business. On the flip side, I've made some bonehead ones. I figured I would share mine here in hopes that you would too.

Please post the single best, and worst purchase you have made and why. This does not necessarily need to be gear related. Music, marketing materials etc. are all fair game.

What you may post just could help a fellow DJ.

Here's mine...

I my biggest purchase regret was the Behringer VMX1000 mixer. I was excited about getting that unit. If you dig up some of my older posts you could clearly see, I was one of the first in line.

Well, to make a long story short, the unit was designed and performed poorly. The unit was sent back a total of three times to get problems fixed with it. I even went to the top, speaking with Jim Savery, the Global Customer Support and Service manager about the issues. I was able to get a unit with the modifications needed to work satisfactorily. I use it as a back-up unit.

Last year I invested in a Matrix 2000 system. This has quickly become the best investment I have ever made.

To name a few of the benefits, setup time and complication was greatly reduced. Sound and versatility were greatly improved. I only wish this unit was available years ago.

Your Turn...

Thanks,
Groovielou

Worst purchase:
Chauvet Corona - Extremely heavy and underpowered light. Even tried putting in 300watt halogen bulbs to bump up the wattage v. the 150 watt bulbs and no dice. Cool effect, just underpowered and bulky.

Best Purchase:
Gator Case - Having a mac mini, screen, backup power supply, and lighting controller all in one makes setup an incredible breeze. Aside from being 60 pounds its plug and play I can have music up and running with the speakers going in 10 minutes.

I think my best purchase was a result of my worst. My first mixer was a Numark DM-1200. I had nothing but problems with it and it was in for repair more than I had it. Finally, after about 1.5 years of worrying about whether my mixer would work or not I broke down and bought a Rane MP-44. It was a few years ago so I can't remember the exact price but I want to say it was around $1400 (with tax). That was a lot to spend on a mixer, especially with only being in the business less than 2 years, but I realized you get what you pay for and if Rane was built as solidly as everyone said, I would never need another mixer.

6 years later I still have the MP44 and not a single problem. I expect to use this mixer for at least another 10 years. Upfront it was a lot of money but in the end I'm sure it will save me money over buying a new 'cheap' mixer every few years.

Worst purchase was a Numark 7020 (? I think that's the number). It was junk out of the box. sent it in 5 times. Sold it right after it came back the 6th time.
Not really the "Worst" but not promoted to it's full potential was GSM IV. Great piece of gear just have not returned my investment, but that was my fault.
Best......Going PC. Going on 8 years. NEVER looked back.
2nd best....My Bose PAS system. (Nuff said)

Me and my buddy Scott McKinney parallel on the good stuff.

Best: Digital Music paraphernalia (1999) and the BOSE L1 systems (2004).

Worst: Any and all lighting that was ineffective without fog/haze. Huge waste of money and time which is why lights have never been a business offering until recently with the evolution of the l.e.d. fixtures. Let's add bubble machines to this as well. Good Lord, was that a mess (and expensive to replace a stained silk dress).

Worst: As a karaoke host, any wireless mic that wasn't UHF ( got a boxful)
One exception- a no-name brand that I've used as drunk mics for 4 years. No problems, sound OK, virtually unbreakable, and CHEAP.



Best: Electro-Voice (EV) speakers. Any of 'em. GREAT product at a decent price. Even their little 10 inchers are awsome for their size. I use their 15s, but I've heard their 12s in a bar venue and LIKED it. They even come with built in limiters ( think karaoke and drunken screamers...)

Best purchase?

Computer rack mounted system from Carl at enlighten designs. Cut set up time, improved looks, flexibility, and more. 2nd would be the Bose. I love em both!

Worst?

Purchase wise would have to be spin and puke lighting. Like Cap said, with out fog, it is useless. Even with fog, very limited.

Worst decision, was to get back into djing after taking a "break" and not doing better research on how things had changed. Was told by friend "nothing had". Wrong answer.

Still would have got back into djing, but would have done many things differently.

Best: Megaseg and BPM
Worst: Club DJ Pro

best was bose L1's

worst pcdj fx with karaoke(to be fair, i bought it right when it came out). it would crash my computer on a regular basis while ots ran perfectly with a karaoke program also running. Never ended up ever using it at a gig.

OK...gotta give a thumbs down on VRM and FX myself. Never did get them to work for me. (I know some guys did)
Never used them once at a gig. Deleted them long ago and not even sure I know where the original discs are.
Bubble machine was a big loser here too.

Ditto on the Bubble machine. In fact, I lent it to a customer so they can bring it and assume the responsibility a a certain venue. They never used nor have they returned it. I think I will call them one day.

Best: Custom built computer running VDJ

Worst: Numark DVD-01 DVD players. Piece of junk. Been back to Numark a couple of times and it still does not work right.

Best: Laptop for DJing(dell) along with OTS and now VDJ(with TCV). It really takes your business and abilities to another level.

Worst: Bubble Machine and Chauvet Double Derby light.
...thx

Best: QSC RMX 1450 amp

Worst: Chauvet Double Derby

Worst: ADJ Vertigo
I told myself I wasn't going to buy one because every DJ on the face of the earth has one. I bought it on sale a couple of years ago and have since donated to my buddy's rec room.


Best: VDJ
Need I say more?

Worst: Engagement ring
Best: All My DJ Toys :D:D:D

Best: Pioneer CMX-5000. This unit does it all and makes it easy at the same time. I can beat on the case and it won't skip. :)

Worst: Radio Shack PA amps. Those things were the pits right out of the box. I was running a pair of 'em ~ it wasn't unusual for one to to take the night off. :(

Worst was each non coverage non visible without smoke light I used in the past and the Best was the purchase of just one Martin Acrobat.
In the future Im hoping to say Best ever (my current rack system by Denon courtesy of Northern Light FX and the future purchase of either the new Cerwyn Vega powered bottoms with RCF tops or complete top and bottoms by RCF. You got it courtesy of Northern Light FX. Ben you gonna hook up the Vegas?

Actually, I have to amend my "best". I realized it was a three way tie: EV Speakers, My Microboards QuicDisc, and KJ Pro software. The last two have paid for themselves 10s of times over, making them actual profit generators...

Best...BOSE L1's.... KJ Pro....Chevy Van that had over 200,000 miles on it that I sold when I moved to Maui. THAT was a great van!

Worst....Carver PM1.5 amp!! Junk

Best: Going digital by buying a new Dell laptop

Worst: Getting it with Windows Vista. Most DJ software is still behind the
times & are not up to 2007 level yet & don't support it.

I also agree with the others on the DJ "Junk"
I too got caught up in all the hype at the DJ conventions & bought the crap they try to convince you "gotta have" : Gyroball, Walla balla, flexible limbo stick, fog & haze machines, rope on a stick, Etc.

Gotta agree with Lou.... I LOVE my Matrix 2000!!!

Why all the Double Derby haters? It's not the best effect, but I sure like it.

The worst is my Chauvet bubble (mess) maker. If I ever use it again, I'll need to do some serious mods to it!

Non DJ Purchases

Worst: Brand New (then) 1978 Dodge Maxi Van (Green Metal-Flake paint job), looked great, but was a piece of crap. Repair, repair, repair...sold it after 2 years and bought a new Toyota Corolla. :thumbsup:

Best: Our current home. Fair price, great neighborhood in a bedroom community with a nice size yard.

Walla balla


Those are hard to find now; keep them for Antiques Roadshow! You could be $$$ one day...thx

Best purchase= Yorkville LS800p subs. "Good till the very last thump"
Worst purchase = Denon 2100. This thing skipped, one side would never play. Took it back for a Numark CDN 90.

Best...Peavey s15's
worst...mirror balls Shoulda went with starballs right away. Thought that going "retro" was the way to go. Now I realize it was just a waste of setup time.

Worst: Tie between Mackie SRM-450's and American DJ Party Pack 5.

Best: EV QRx Loudspeaker System

Best: JBL SRX718S. Adds so much to the music, even with the two dual JBL 15's. I use it even for small shows. I should also probably mention the BBE Sonic Maximizer. I'm still holding out on the dbx DriveRack (sigh). Argh, one more -- my Intimidator 2.0's. Should have skipped any/most of the spin & pukes and got these from the start too. Okay I'm going to cut myself off now.

Worst: Wish I would have gotten a better trussing system from the start, but don't completely regret what I have now -- for the money it's not bad, but leaves a lot to be desired.

I just want to add to my worst purchases my Yellow page ads. BAH

:sqmad:

Pound for pound and buck for buck Itruly forgot the most important and best choice ever.
My Rock N Roller Multi Cart.

Jon, just reminded me with the rock and roller cart... That has to be a close, VERY close second for the best purchase.

I should have bought one years ago. I just got mine last year. TO THIS DAY, I cant figure out how I lasted without one.

Groovielou

Another Best: Mackie 450s and 1500s
5 yrs and still going strong

Another Worst: Yellow page add

...thx

Best Purchases: Apple Laptop with MegaSeg

Worst: eBay Dual 15" Speakers and Pyramid amp

I love my SRM450s and my mirrored balls.

Best OTSDJ; without a doubt this has improved my show by leaps and bounds, been using it for about 6 or 7 years.

Worst; 3500.00 lighting system from colorado light and sound.

Among the tops of my best list would have to be:
Martin Wizard--would like more of those
Martin MX-4's--again, I'd take more....or better yet, MX-10's!
Sanyo & Eiki Projectors pay for themselves over and over again
Video screens pay for themselves over and over
Canon 5D camera--awesome
towards the top of the list would be road cases. We have few items not well cased right now. Props to Pelican for my camera and projector cases---AWESOME!!
And probably the best single purchase would have to be the truck (which is actually 2 purchases since truck and trailer were purchased separately).

About the only worst purchase I can think of is video cameras. We purchased 3 1/2 (1 for parts only) Ikegami tube cameras. They will have to be replaced I fear, for the quality just isn't good enough in high contrast or varied conditions. Add to that the calibrating & white balancing every time you power up and too much hassle. Now they need repair and probably aren't worth the expense.

Best - Yamaha P7000 and 5000 amps they really kick ass

Worst - Alto EQ. It does the job but its hard to calibrate

Best: DBX Driverack PA
Worst: Audio Technica headworn mic.

BEST: Was my base system,I had a "IN" at Guitar Center and bought 2 JBL 15's
2 Yamaha 12's,QSC amp,Yamaha Mixer and all the Monster cables I needed at 1/2 price.Gator cases are a back saver also.

Worst:PCDJ with KJ what a POS.
not all that crazy about my U46DJ sound card either.

why do you not like you U46DJ. I swear by mine.

why do you not like you U46DJ. I swear by mine.

I've had issues with it since vdj 4.x,tried different drivers and different settings within vdj.I haven't touched it for a while,need to look into again.

P@40

odd, no issues here with VDJ. It has actually been one of the more stable sound cards I have used on it.

Best: Martin Acrobat, Rock and Roller Cart, Otsdj

Worst: Eliminator Barrel Scan (didn't realize that it didn't swivel like the acrobat), AMDJ Black I Truss system, Almost anything Gemini I have purchased (think I would have learned my lesson earlier)

Best: OtsDJ, Rock & Roller cart

Worst: Lighting truss (It sat unused, taking up space in my garage for years until I gave it away a month ago)

Worst: Lighting truss (It sat unused, taking up space in my garage for years until I gave it away a month ago)

Bryan,

What kind of light truss was it? I have several types of trussing and the only one that I really don't like is the black 10' I truss with the 2 tri-pod bases. It's not pretty, its hard to set up, and its poorly made. Other then that its great ;)

Yep, Kelly -- that's what I had. It was an American DJ trussing system. I just hadn't anticipated how much of a hassle setup and teardown would be for me when I bought it! With my problems with my left side, it was just too much of a pain to deal with.

http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/images/cart/LTS50T.jpg

Bryan,

If you decide to make lights more of your show, I would recommend either getting the Global Truss Goal Post system or just use light trees. Both have advantages, but both will also do the job. I'm looking forward to seeing you again at the CPSDJ Summit. I can't believe that I still haven't taken the time or effort to optimize Ots for autobeat matching. I'm hoping I can get hands on tutoring. If you have an evening, I'll buy dinner :)

Thanks for the lighting advice. Kelly, don't worry about a dinner. I'll have you correctly setting ABM points in a matter of minutes!

Odd, i have the same kind and the light truss has paid for itself over and over!
Every now and then spray a little paint on em and we're set.

Thanks Bryan, I'm really looking forward to it :)

Travis, I'm sure that it works for lots of people, I just wasn't one of them. I had used mine (years ago) quite a bit, but it was always a major pain. Once I got the Global Truss set up, I can't imagine going back.

Odd, i have the same kind and the light truss has paid for itself over and over!
Every now and then spray a little paint on em and we're set.

I used to use this trussing for HS dances until I bought a bunch of global trussing. Now I use the old ADJ truss for a frame for my sillouette screen. A piece of 9X12 projection fabric with a couple old Par cans about 15 feet behind. The two positions of the pars casts a shadow on the dancing teens that looks pretty cool and the ADJ truss still gets to go along to the show and have fun despite it's much cooler global truss friends getting all the phone numbers......okay time to go to bed.

Oh yeah....

Best: I think I'm buying it tomorrow. 6 X 12 enclosed trailer and a tow package for my '06 Honda Odyssey.

Worst: My old lighting that wasn't DMX controlled.

Thanks Bryan, I'm really looking forward to it :)

Travis, I'm sure that it works for lots of people, I just wasn't one of them. I had used mine (years ago) quite a bit, but it was always a major pain. Once I got the Global Truss set up, I can't imagine going back.

Don't get me wrong, our setup still requires two to setup, and if it wants to assemble correctly ;) no real road worthy... In contrast. I have used professional truss, and for a larger setup than what I am doing, a most definite yes to pro truss!