Nixing the laptop...
- Thread starter BigDawG Productions
- Start date
Not needed in my setup.
You would be glad it was there if your laptop battery dies.
.I use an external drive for music - so it goes to the UPS as well.
It's a long story - but this particular individual has several sets of equipment and can configure almost anything for any situation. 'Bertha' is a SOB.
Still... 700 pounds is seriously heavy for a mobile DJ rack. That's even too heavy to lift up onto a curb. That's more than I could push up a ramp into my minivan. It must have had several amps mounted in it or something. I can't imagine how you could get enough stuff into a rack to make it weigh 700 pounds, but it would be totally impractical for a DJ who works alone!
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His trailer gave him a little help - floor mounted winch.
Like I said, he had enough stuff .. he could have been configured for anything, tiny, small, medium, large and extra large. For whatever reason, Bertha was the system of choice the majority of the time. I like the idea of rolling in and being 'set up' - but not with that much weight. To get onto a stage, it took 2 people lifting one side at a time.
Like I said, he had enough stuff .. he could have been configured for anything, tiny, small, medium, large and extra large. For whatever reason, Bertha was the system of choice the majority of the time. I like the idea of rolling in and being 'set up' - but not with that much weight. To get onto a stage, it took 2 people lifting one side at a time.
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You know... even with a pre-wired rack, there's still some setup required once you get to the venue. With my racks, the most complex stuff is pre-wired inside the rack and all those wires are hidden. But I still have to hook my controller to the back of the rack. I have 2 monitors to hook up, speakers, subs, audio monitors, light controller, projector and/or video camera if I'm using them, WiFi router, etc. Except for XLR cables for my speakers, for most of these connections I'm running Cat5 cables into RJ45 jacks on a panel on the back of my rack, and all the conversion is going on inside the rack. It makes the setup pretty quick, but it still takes a little time.
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Yes, you are correct - there's always power and speaker (and other accessory / add ons) considerations.
Even the power here isn't great... I have two voltage regulators in my rack just to be on the safe side. Occasionally I'll plug speakers or lights into an outlet at a venue, but usually everything is run back to my rack and plugs into one of the power regulators. Maybe it just makes me feel better; might not even be necessary. [emoji4]
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These are the venues where a site pre visit is paramount and hiring strapping young men to the lifting is important, price you gigs accordingly, I have venues I refuse to work at do to accessibility issues
"Strapping young men"??? (LOL)... I don't know any! Where do you find them? [emoji4]
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At the strapping young men store - duh.
I agree, a site visit ALWAYS helps. You learn the room, the path you will have to take (or path options), power availability, etc.
I agree, a site visit ALWAYS helps. You learn the room, the path you will have to take (or path options), power availability, etc.
I guess we don't have one of those in Oklahoma City... probably a good thing; my wife would be spending all her time shopping there. [emoji4]
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If I was to go the rm route it would be with a totally integrated mb with no expansion cards and the only replaceable/upgradeable parts being processor and ram.
Something that either has at least 2gb of dedicated on board video ram or that will allow you to allocate same from system memory.
Would also go with an ssd.
Most DJ's are not going to spend the extra money for shockmount cases so having the fewest moving and installable parts as possible becomes even more important.
As the trend is always moving towards gear being lighter and more portable however, I think that rm solutions for the mobile jock are counter intuitive. Even the laptop's days are somewhat numbered with the proliferation of touchscreen tablets and apps.
Something that either has at least 2gb of dedicated on board video ram or that will allow you to allocate same from system memory.
Would also go with an ssd.
Most DJ's are not going to spend the extra money for shockmount cases so having the fewest moving and installable parts as possible becomes even more important.
As the trend is always moving towards gear being lighter and more portable however, I think that rm solutions for the mobile jock are counter intuitive. Even the laptop's days are somewhat numbered with the proliferation of touchscreen tablets and apps.
Yeah...I did the same thing Scott back in 2002 when I first went digital.
Back then, it was a steel case with a Raid configuration - really heavy but it looked impressive.
I went this route because at that time, laptops were not considered "road worthy" enough for the rigors of DJ use.
On my how times have changed.
I much rather prefer to have a system that's easy to transport and move that may require a little work once it's there. The rolling set up loses its luster very quickly when stairs or tight situations occur.
The stairs are the biggest issue... tight situations, not so much. My rack is less than 24" wide, so it will go anywhere I go. It's also very maneuverable. My rack is the Gator Cases rack, and it's lighter than most racks the same size (14U). For a noob like me, having everything pre-wired in the rack is extremely beneficial, as it simplifies setup and allows me to concentrate on performance preparation. I'm getting ready to add DMX light control, and having the audio side set allows me to add a little more complexity. For me, having too much to set up and think about prior to the gig is NOT a good thing.[emoji4]
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Totally agree. I'm more modular - and against this system, I'm also more 'mobile'.