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Author Topic: New here - My first wedding DJ  (Read 8995 times)

Jeff Lelko

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Re: New here - My first wedding DJ
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2018, 04:51:35 PM »

Join a record pool to get legal, quality mp3s or Wavs. Promo Only has a great variety and selection geared for the Mobile DJ.

That's a good suggestion.  I have their Top 40 subscription which includes the monthly release of Mainstream Radio and Rhythm Radio plus various other singles.  That's all I've ever needed, but they have a wide variety of products that might be of interest to you.  The best part about it aside from keeping my music library up to date is that nearly all the tracks are the radio edits, so generally safe(ish) to play at most events.   
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Steve Garris

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Re: New here - My first wedding DJ
« Reply #11 on: July 24, 2018, 05:07:04 PM »

No worries.  What sold me on Virtual DJ is how it handles the "Auto DJ" feature, which is something I use heavily.  Traktor and Serato are the two other big ones, but they seem to cater more to the live DJ and not so much to someone like me who just cues up a song list based on the demands of the crowd.  My needs for beat matching, pitch bending, and creative crossfading are minimal. 

If the Martin Rush Wizard is a bit much, have a look at the ADJ Warlock, or a used Martin Wizard Extreme, or a Martin EFX500 or 600.  They're all the same basic effect.  Just like good speakers, even a single unit will outperform multiples of lesser fixtures.  My pair of EFX600s see regular use and they're about the closest you'll come to a real lightshow in a box (short of an ADJ Tempest 250, which I also have a few of, but they're heavy and bulky to move around).  It looks like there's even a new in box EFX500 on ebay right now.  I don't own a wizard, but I can vouch that the other units mentioned can do a simple sound active mode if you don't want to deal with DMX. 

Lasers get dicey, as you mentioned.  Aside from them causing artifacts in photos, most DJ lights with built-in lasers have them oriented to fire them into the crowd (which you're not supposed to do).   Chauvet GigBars are popular if you want something simple.  Chauvet also recently re-released another incarnation of their Line Dancer, which is actually quite tolerable for an LED effect.  I still prefer my halogen originals, but this might be something worth a look.  Good luck!

Thanks Jeff - will research all of those!
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Steve Garris

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Re: New here - My first wedding DJ
« Reply #12 on: July 28, 2018, 03:13:49 PM »

Thanks Jeff - will research all of those!

Jeff, I'm seeing (3) Wizards on the web. Wizard (original), Rush Wizard, and Wizard Extreme.
There's a beat-up but functioning original Wizard on Ebay for $170. I'm also seeing used Wizard Extremes in the low $400's. I'm assuming you recommend the Extreme?

It looks like ADJ was copying the Wizard for their Warlock - Except for the led light.

I'm going to get one Wizard-like light and put 2 cheap movers on either side for my light bar, then double that later as more funds become available.
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Jeff Lelko

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Re: New here - My first wedding DJ
« Reply #13 on: July 28, 2018, 04:50:27 PM »

Jeff, I'm seeing (3) Wizards on the web. Wizard (original), Rush Wizard, and Wizard Extreme.
There's a beat-up but functioning original Wizard on Ebay for $170. I'm also seeing used Wizard Extremes in the low $400's. I'm assuming you recommend the Extreme?

It looks like ADJ was copying the Wizard for their Warlock - Except for the led light.

I'm going to get one Wizard-like light and put 2 cheap movers on either side for my light bar, then double that later as more funds become available.

I'm happy to hear I convinced you!  You'll be very happy with it.  The Wizard and Wizard Extreme are very similar.  I've never A/B'd them, but supposedly the Extreme is a bit brighter despite using the same lamp (250w discharge).  I think the Extreme also has slightly better DMX control and a few preprogrammed macros.  I'd vote for the Extreme only due to the fact it's a newer fixture.  Depending on how patient you are you should be able to find one for $200-300 that's in decent shape.  Besides ebay, check gearsource, solarisnetwork, and usedlighting every few days to see what pops up.  I just saw one sell for a few hundred a couple of weeks ago, so they're out there!

The Rush Wizard and ADJ Warlock are the newest incarnations of this effect and should be able to be found without much trouble, but since they're newer they're still on the pricier side for what you're looking to spend.  Both use the 2R lamp and are a bit lighter.  Either way make sure you have a nice sturdy tripod for it.  When used on a tree I'll just clamp it straight to the center mast.  ST-132s work nicely for this.   

Unfortunately this (poor) picture seems to be the only thing I can find at the moment to put their output in perspective.  This is my pair of Martin EFX600s, so the 150w version of the effect seen during a sound check in a ~500 seat auditorium.  I prefer this look MUCH better than the cheap LED effects that most DJs use these days.  One of these days I'll get around to paying someone to properly photograph my work... 

 

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Steve Garris

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Re: New here - My first wedding DJ
« Reply #14 on: July 28, 2018, 09:12:46 PM »

I'm happy to hear I convinced you!  You'll be very happy with it.  The Wizard and Wizard Extreme are very similar.  I've never A/B'd them, but supposedly the Extreme is a bit brighter despite using the same lamp (250w discharge).  I think the Extreme also has slightly better DMX control and a few preprogrammed macros.  I'd vote for the Extreme only due to the fact it's a newer fixture.  Depending on how patient you are you should be able to find one for $200-300 that's in decent shape.  Besides ebay, check gearsource, solarisnetwork, and usedlighting every few days to see what pops up.  I just saw one sell for a few hundred a couple of weeks ago, so they're out there!

The Rush Wizard and ADJ Warlock are the newest incarnations of this effect and should be able to be found without much trouble, but since they're newer they're still on the pricier side for what you're looking to spend.  Both use the 2R lamp and are a bit lighter.  Either way make sure you have a nice sturdy tripod for it.  When used on a tree I'll just clamp it straight to the center mast.  ST-132s work nicely for this.   

Unfortunately this (poor) picture seems to be the only thing I can find at the moment to put their output in perspective.  This is my pair of Martin EFX600s, so the 150w version of the effect seen during a sound check in a ~500 seat auditorium.  I prefer this look MUCH better than the cheap LED effects that most DJs use these days.  One of these days I'll get around to paying someone to properly photograph my work... 



Thanks Jeff. I saw a vid comparing a Wizard and a Wizard Extreme, and the better optics and reflector on the Extreme were very noticeable - much brighter and sharper gobo's. Apparently they're lighter in weight as well. I think I'm on the right track. I'll place a bid on one of those Extreme's and see if I can get it at a lower price.
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Jeff Lelko

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Re: New here - My first wedding DJ
« Reply #15 on: July 28, 2018, 09:37:17 PM »

Thanks Jeff. I saw a vid comparing a Wizard and a Wizard Extreme, and the better optics and reflector on the Extreme were very noticeable - much brighter and sharper gobo's. Apparently they're lighter in weight as well. I think I'm on the right track. I'll place a bid on one of those Extreme's and see if I can get it at a lower price.

Awesome!  Best of luck and happy bidding!
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Randy Pence

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Re: New here - My first wedding DJ
« Reply #16 on: August 28, 2018, 06:26:43 PM »

mixxx is good, free, open source dj software.
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: New here - My first wedding DJ
« Reply #16 on: August 28, 2018, 06:26:43 PM »


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