Okay you DJ Gurus

[Ryan Sober]

If old mate (thanks Grant ) turns up with a HDD full of MP3s, they may be surprised/confused by anything less than a pair of CDJ900s on offer
No doubt they'll want to plug the drive in to one CDJ, link the two via LAN, and probably expect a DJM in the middle too

If you don't want to risk the "headliner" incapable/refusing to play, don't chance it with anything else

This!
He misspoke when he said cdj9000.... what he meant was cdj900.
They're everywhere, for dirt cheap.

[jimbo7]

A "hot rod" DJ who only carries around a hard drive???.............................This sounds contradictory to everything I know about Dj'ing. You'd think he'd have his own gear. Sounds like a playlist DJ to me. If it's a charity event, why even bother catering to this guy? I'd find someone who'd be more than happy to get out of the bedroom and get them self noticed for their skill .

[dswpro]

I usually ask that whatever I am amplifying with my PA system actually generate sound.
The onus for the DJ equipment is usually on the DJ.
If the guy is too cheap to buy a laptop and copy of Traktor, how much of a "hot-rod" can he be?
Tell the promoter a Spotify playlist is much cheaper

[SoundInMotionDJ]

A "hot rod" DJ who only carries around a hard drive???.............................This sounds contradictory to everything I know about Dj'ing. You'd think he'd have his own gear. Sounds like a playlist DJ to me.

Think of it as a concert pianist who wants the event/venue to supply the Grand Piano they will be using. Or a drummer who doesn't travel with a full drum kit when flying in for a gig.

Even a modest "full DJ setup" exceeds the carry-on baggage limit. Add in two to six flight cases, and the price of the ticket doubles. FedEx your gear and you're "down" for 10 days end to end...AND you have to have someone receive that gear and get it to the venue in time.

A "headliner" DJ will be using "industry standard" gear that can be MUCH more easily supplied and setup by the event. Pioneer CDJ900's and a DJM900 mixer are the "common" tools of the trade. This allows the DJ the same "look and feel" they would be getting with their standard setup...and only the need to plug in their music collection. The traveling DJ also avoids the baggage hassle (including customs for international events), baggage fees, coordination of setup and sound check....it's likely a LOT easier on everyone to have the venue provide the decks.

Given typical fees, the "rental" of "two decks and a mixer" even at Pioneer levels is typically in the range of 5%-10% of the headliner DJs fee.

As a "local" and "mobile DJ"....I do provide everything I need from soup to nuts. Even so, when I do travel, I am VERY clear about where the gear in my carry-on ends, and where I expect the event/venue to pick up the signal.

[bitSmasher]

A "hot rod" DJ who only carries around a hard drive???.............................This sounds contradictory to everything I know about Dj'ing

A poor analogy to make... but, think of it like a band and their PA
Would you write off a touring band for not bringing their own system? Especially when they're playing venues where it's assumed sound and engineer will be provided.

It's a lot simpler in the DJ world, with "industry standard" expectations prevail, and a DJs job is to bring music and plays it.
Beginner DJs and the man & a van shows will cart all their own gear, but once you're above that level it opens up - everyone expects a set of Pioneer when they turn up to a venue.
It's so common, and cheap to hire, that it's an assumption it'll be available.

I was at a gig where someone turned up with their iphone and USB cable, expecting to plug in. They were shocked when a set of CDJ800s were on offer. Oldschool! Who plays off CDs these days... They needed the newer Pioneer that can pull the digital files off the phone and share them across decks for playback.
DJ bringing a HDD or pair of USB drives is standard now, from those stepping out of the bedroom, to those stepping off a plane. Makes perfect sense once you understand what they're expecting, and it's silly not to provide it.

[LelandCrooks]

I get you guys point. But I'm not in the production business. I build speakers, sell parts, and happen to have a fairly formidable PA. Racks and stacks is about as far as I'll go. I got the promoter on it. He knows squat about it, but I pretty clearly defined what was needed.

Resources can be difficult in small town America for this kind of stuff

[SoundInMotionDJ]

I get you guys point. But I'm not in the production business. I build speakers, sell parts, and happen to have a fairly formidable PA. Racks and stacks is about as far as I'll go. I got the promoter on it. He knows squat about it, but I pretty clearly defined what was needed.

You've involved the promoter....that's the right answer.

You could also let the DJ know that you're don't have and can't rent locally the gear they need. They might have a suggestion for a rental place that will ship, or they might be willing to ship gear to you for their use.

Either way, this is not an unusual request for a touring DJ to make....so try not to take it out on them. It is entirely possible that the promoter did not mention the nature of the event to the DJ in clear terms (shocking, I know...).

[CoronaOperator]

http://www.kansasav.com/dj-equipment-rentals

These guys have nice cdj decks, although their mixer really isn't an industry standard. 128 miles isn't too far away. We drive 186 miles just to pick up our talent from the airport .

[jimbo7]

Jesus Christ. I just learned a hard lesson about DJing. I'd never think that's the way it is. I can see not bringing your own pa for obvious reasons, but your own "instrument"!? Would Stevie Ray Vaughn ever play a house guitar? I'm just disappointed now

[SoundInMotionDJ]

I can see not bringing your own pa for obvious reasons, but your own "instrument"!? Would Stevie Ray Vaughn ever play a house guitar? I'm just disappointed now

SRV would likely have brought his own guitar(s), a guitar roadie, a couple semis with the rest of the stage gear and light show, several tour buses for the rest of the band, a few opening acts, and 30 stage hands to handle the load in/out of the show.

There is no reason to be disappointed. This is just how the "industry standard practice" has evolved. The thing that is "unique" about a DJ is the music that gets played...not the gear it gets played on. DJ equipment (in general) is "neutral" in terms of the "tone" that is imparted to the music. Unlike a guitar, if my mixer goes down I could pull a new one out of the box and have "the same" sound coming out the PA.

Club settings tend to have the PA, and a DJ mixer & "decks" (CDJ's and/or 1200's). Booth space is at a PREMIUM at all but the BIGGEST clubs. It would be "annoying" for the club to set aside their gear in favor of whatever the "DJ of the hour" happened to bring. For clubs that host 2 or 3 or 4 or more DJs in a night, even setting up a laptop and a couple MIDI controllers to change out DJs is a "bother."

Festivals tend to provide either "mixer + decks" or "empty"...depending on the preference of the DJ. MIDI controllers, when used, tend to be provided by the DJ.

Also, DJs don't share needles....ever. But that doesn't mean your turntables shouldn't have some.

[LelandCrooks]

http://www.kansasav.com/dj-equipment-rentals

These guys have nice cdj decks, although their mixer really isn't an industry standard. 128 miles isn't too far away. We drive 186 miles just to pick up our talent from the airport .

Your Google fu is stronger than mine. I thought I searched through everybody in wichita. Thanks.

[88h88]

As mentioned by a few people now, DJ gear is just DJ gear. One CDJ is no different from another in terms of how they're used, they don't affect the music being pumped out of them. This means we've arrived at a point in time thanks to technology that enables a DJ to travel the world with a USB stick or two and pop it into a CDJ at virtually any decent sized club and be able to perform at the same level as they did a night or two before.

If a DJ uses a particular controller or software instead then they'll likely either bring a laptop and the controller orrrrr they'll bring the laptop and a USB soundcard and use the CDJs that way via Serato DJ.

Events we've set up most people just use CDJs and bring a USB stick, others have requested 1210s and a few use Serato via a soundcard and the CDJs.

...........but it's real annoying if you don't have access to the goods to enable a DJ to play.

[CoronaOperator]

That's why you have openers. They bring the gear, spread the word, hand out flyers, do set up, tear down, bring friends, etc.

... just don't give them free access to the bar, you won't have any money left over to pay the headliner.

[88h88]

You're assuming that a local DJ is going to have top end kit when Pioneer overcharges because they're 'industry standard'. CDJ 900s are $1400 apiece and an equivalent mixer about the same. You're looking at $4500 for a setup.

Some guys go out and spend it, a friend of mine opted for CDJ2000s and a DJM900 because he was in the business but that's an awful lot of cash if you're not making bank.

And yes, never give the DJ free access to the bar.