Mobile Disco set up, part 2, Setting up the audio and PA.

0:00 Hold up and now we'll set the speakers up

All to do with the audio. Right, hold up and now we'll set the speakers up. Okay, we've plugged the actual amp in. Now these particular plugs are XLR. Now notice they're running the same way as all of the other plugs and again it just looks like a little bit neater. Down again, the same sort of direction. Alright, it looks a little bit like spaghetti junction there but that's because I haven't got a cable tie to actually attach that particular plug. There. So that would be over there and bearing in mind, you know, you don't really want to have cables like that. They need to be a little bit more secure and out of the way because at the end of the day you've got to remember your feet are going to be running about all over the place under there. OK, so we've got that plugged in. Now what we'll do is we'll go and set up the actual speakers. Right, what we're going to do, I'm going to actually show you two ways of, well when I say two ways of setting up speakers...

The basic floor standing like so and then also the ones on tripods. Now they're very, very slightly different there because you have to be wary about basically where you put the tripod. Now again if your speakers are too close you're going to get something what's known as feedback. Now basically feedback is when you get that horrible buzzing sound when you use a microphone but more importantly if you actually have vinyl turntables and your speakers are too close to your system You'll get this rumbling sound, basically quite often it's with bass and of course modern day music you have a lot of bass. So if you have big speakers with a lot of bass, ideally you need to have those away from you slightly more. Now again what I highly recommend, if you're going to have big speakers...

2:32 In front of your actual DJ setup

And you want to get a lot of bass, ideally you need to have them in corners of rooms. What will happen, two things actually, one is that if you put the speakers in the corner of a room it will actually increase the sound and also you want to get to the stage where no one can go behind the speakers and also if someone does walk into them they're not going to fall over backwards, they're going to actually have something... In front of your actual DJ setup. Now again, you have to deal and you have to think about the scenario of being idiot proof because when people are drunk they don't give a monkeys. They don't look, they don't watch, they don't pay actual attention. So someone comes along and they'll trip over that and you've got a lot of trouble on your hands and I mean forget the fact that you've got to maybe buy another speaker. The more important thing is that someone could end up suing you so just be careful. Right, again what you need to do

4:07 We've made sure the power cables are set up

Now you'll notice now that the actual legs are actually behind the table. So here's the table and they're away from people. Now again, you've got to think logically. You've got to work around the basis that if you're in the corner of a room, try and imagine here's the corner of the room like this and you've got your table actually set up. So your back is right against the corner, and then the table is set up across there. You've got a speaker on a tripod there, a speaker on a tripod there, and you're concealed. You're in an area so no one can actually get to you. Now also, there is another very important consideration whereby actually setting up the speakers.

Right, if we bung this particular speaker here on his tripod now, like so. Now you find a lot of DJs, what they'll do, they will actually move the speaker. If you're on that microphone, you could start getting whistles and whatnot. That's the last thing you want. So in essence, you need to move that speaker maybe either directly in front of the crowd or maybe a slight angle away from you because you'll actually find you can turn it up a little bit more because you're not going to get feedback. Right, now then, let's say we have set all the gear up. We've made sure the power cables are set up. The system, all the speakers are set up. Right now what is the first thing we need to do?

Not go to the bar and enjoy ourselves because we've got to do the lights, but we need to do something very important, it's called a sound check. This is very important. You need to check two things. One is you need to make sure every single item is working, every single CDJ is working, make sure your mix is working and also your amplifier. Then you need to check it logically, just play a particular track.

Play the same track in each individual CDJ. Don't play different tracks because they may sound the same but all of a sudden one could be lower than the other. If you play the same track it means you can tell if one is lower than the other. Also your microphone, what you need to do if you can that is always make sure go to the management say excuse me do you mind if I have a sound check? I will be playing loud music for 20 seconds but only 20 seconds. Then you can play loud music for 20 seconds. If all of a sudden you blast the room, people are going to wonder what the hell's going on and they're going to think you're an absolute idiot. If you've asked beforehand, then they'll think you're professional. OK, so what do you do? Check, make sure you have the levels at an audible... Is that right? Yeah. At a good sound. And also your microphone. Check it. 1-2-1-2.

Because how many people have thought, yeah the microphone's fine, and then they've gone to the venue, they've turned everything up, and they're there going 1-2-1-2-2-1-2 just before they're about to say good evening ladies and gentlemen. Because they'll look at you, well they'll think you're an absolute idiot. Check it first because what you need to do, you need to have background music playing when the guests are arriving. And also, when you're ready to play, you need to be able to put the music up and go, good evening ladies and gentlemen! Not one, two, three... Whistles and goodness knows what, alright? Now I hope this has been a help, a little, hopefully, well maybe a little bigger than that, insight into setting up the actual PA, well we're going to do lighting soon sorry, we've set up the mixer, the actual CDJs and bearing in mind

Turn tables apply as well. It's just a different way of utilizing, well it's a different form of music isn't it? And then we've set up the actual amplifier and speakers. Always make sure your amplifier is quite low down because you don't want to get that too hot. The higher up it is, the higher basically, remember heat travels up so if it's going to be way up here when it gets hot... That amplifier is going to get hot. If it's low down on the ground, it's going to be a lot cooler. I hope this has been a help. This is video number one, video number two coming shortly. Practice and enjoy.

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