Monthly Archives: November 2011

3 Simple Rules for a Pro DJ

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-written by David Pickett, owner of A 2 Z DJ Service in Memphis, Tenn.

Every month, I see new DJ’s appear on Craigslist. Some are amateurs; some are pros seeking a new place to advertise. This post is mostly for the amateurs…but even pros need to ‘brush up their Shakespeare’ from time to time.

How to be a pro DJ in three simple rules:

1. Act professional
Before you have the right sound or the right lights, you must be professional in appearance and attitude. It starts with simple things. Be prompt. Return emails and phone calls. Smile. If things go wrong, offer to fix them. When things go right, don’t gloat. Always let your client take the whole spotlight. Never talk bad about your competition. Don’t get on the mic and make jokes for the sake of making jokes. Don’t drink to excess. Don’t expect tips. Bottom line, ‘if in doubt, don’t.’

2. Look professional
Before people will look at your gear…they will look at you.  Remember Kohl’s is your friend.  Look nicer than the clients who attend your gig.  Don’t wear flip-flops – even to a pool party. Find a few polo shirts and comfortable khakis. For wedding and fancy gigs, find a few long sleeved dress shirts and ties. Get a pair of Rockports. (Yes, they are more expensive than something at a discount shoe store, but they last and last). Save the sneakers for school dances (and pool parties). Keep your hair groomed, your pits clean and your teeth brushed. When you have the money, create a good website. Most of your business will come from it so make it stand out from the garbage that’s out there.

3. Sound professional
This isn’t really about gear. It’s about how you carry yourself when you speak. Speak with confidence. Take toastmaster or public speaking courses if you’re nervous about speaking in front of crowds. Learn your gear—their assets as well as limitations BEFORE taking a paying gig. Learn how to read a crowd—playing hiphop all night may make the kids happy but won’t impress Grandma. Remember your client owns the volume knob.

If there are a large number of professional DJ’s in the area, the happier clients will be. This leads to more success for all of us. And it’s as easy as one, two three.

20 Reasons to Create Custom Gobos

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by Allan Reiss, CHAUVET® DJ Product Manager

Gobos add a personal touch to events. Brides are willing to pay extra to see their new initials projected on the dance floor, graduating classes love seeing their year displayed brightly on the wall and corporations are proud to see their logo. Ordering gobos, especially custom gobos, can be a time consuming and expensive process. Have you considered creating custom gobos? They are inexpensive to make (print your own on transparency film at home), easy to work with and reusable at other events. Need more reasons? How about 20. Read on.

DJ University is an online resource for the DJ/mobile performer sponsored by CHAUVET®.

MiN™ on the Move

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Justin Polachek is a 19-year-old who spends a lot of time and money on his car. He cruises the streets of Oregon in a black, tricked out 2010 Scion xB fully equipped with a bass-pumpin’system, black-and-brushed steel rims and a laser show. Yes, you read correctly — Polachek created a laser show in his car by permanently installing a MiN™ Laser RGX and a MiN™ Laser FX.

Polachek is part of the West Coast car show scene. He has been to many car shows in the last eight months and while attending evening shows became fascinated by the custom lighting displays. The cars with these elaborate lighting displays received a lot of attention, but he noticed none of them used lasers. He also noticed lasers were never a topic discussed on the Scion forums he follows either. He wanted to do something unique to his car that would also represent him as a DJ and thought a laser system would be the perfect addition. *Note: the laser show is only functioning when Polachek’s car is on display at car shows — he does not operate the vehicle and the laser show at the same time.

“I wanted to do a more advanced set-up with a DMX-controlled laser and run DMX 512 throughout my car but those laser systems were just way too big,” Polachek said. “The MiN™ series fit the bill by having the widest spread, the brightest output, the most functionality and the most aesthetically pleasing case. I am very happy with this product and I can’t wait to pick up the MiN™ Laser Star soon.”

Polachek is a member of Street Art Revolution, an active member within the West Coast Scion community and regularly participates in several related forums (ScionLife, Clubxb.com, NewScionxB, and Hela Fass Dooo) all at only 19. Within two years, Polachek would like to show his car at SEMA, one of the industry’s biggest shows. He would like a Digital Air ride system, custom body kit and high-end, 20-inch wheels. Oh, and he would also like to add two MiN™ Spot RGBW moving heads on his rear hatch because they will be a great addition to the slide-out DJ table he wants!


Disclaimer: All lasers, including MiN™ lasers, are designed to be temporarily installed on rigs or permanently installed in venues and are for entertainment purposes only and should be operated using extreme caution.

CHAUVET® Rocks Halloween Bash

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Photo by Steph Kaiser

CHAUVET® lit a happy crowd of about 100 people gathered in a barn for the “Camp Kill Halloween Bash” featuring live band performances and a costume party.

Photo by Steph Kaiser

Photo by Steph Kaiser

Rod Reusch of event lighting company Saturday Night Lights, specified about a dozen CHAUVET® fixtures. The back of the stage was against the barn door, and Reusch wanted to “fly” the lights above. Made of a solid laminated wood beam, the header over the barn door was the ideal location to install the lighting. Reusch’s challenge was to build a truss that would hold all the lights. He made brackets of 8-inch steel plates and used two 2-inch-diameter pipes to slide them into the brackets. The improvised truss was solid and held over 400 pounds of gear. Hung from the custom-made truss, two Intimidator™ Spot 250 moving heads flanked the stage, lighting the musicians. Reusch ran a MiN™ Laser RGX in sound mode to project red and green beams and a Scorpion™ Storm RGX laser in DMX mode for random strobing as well as in sound mode. Perched 12 feet in the air, the lasers filled the barn with sharp, colorful beams while two Hurricane™ Haze 2 water-based haze machines directed haze toward and above the performing bands. A Cyborg™ effect light spread flower-like crisscrossing and rotating rays towards the audience from the front center stage. Instead of running cables, Reusch saved time and used three D-Fi™ PLUS transmitter/receiver units placed between 20 and 40 feet apart inside the barn. A Stage Designer™ 48 controlled the two hazers and the lasers, while an Obey™ 70 controlled the rest of the lights.

Photo by Steph Kaiser

Simple Tips for Cleaning Effect Lights

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by Allan Reiss, CHAUVET Club/DJ Product Manager

You have to tend to your lighting gear the same way you care for your vinyl records, slipmats and turntable platters. The effect lights you use all the time collect dust and residue from the environment, so remember to include them in your cleaning session. Click here and find out simple tips for cleaning effect lights.

Click here to learn how to clean moving heads and here for tips on how to clean scanners.

DJ University is an online resource for the DJ/mobile performer sponsored by CHAUVET®.

DJ Profile: DJ Fierce

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DJ Fierce, aka Juan Rodriguez, grew up in Carson City, Nev. and became the youngest DJ in Reno at the age of 14. In 1993, he was Reno’s youngest on-air radio personality (part time of course). DJ Fierce worked as a DJ in the nightclub scene for 10 years before he started his own, part-time mobile DJ company (Fierce Entertainment).  He caters to the northern Nevada area and has also provided his DJ expertise in the northern California area.

1.  How and when did you get started as a DJ?
I got started in Carson City in the late 80s. I primarily DJ school dances, weddings, sweet 16’s, anniversaries, corporate and holiday parties, and any other event. We have had the opportunity to provide mobile entertainment at a birthday party for someone in their late 90s and a 60th wedding anniversary—which were both a privilege to DJ for.

2.  Is this a full-time job or something you do on the side?
I work for AT&T full time and work as a DJ and on-air radio personality part time. I hope and pray that one day it will turn from part time to full time.

3. What CHAUVET® fixtures are included in your setup?
My setup includes the following: four Dynamo scanners, Techno Strobe™ 2000S , two LX5™, Derby™X, Kinta™X, two LEDrain™ 56C  and Swarm™. Eventually I would like add Cubix™, some very impressive lasers and a couple of moving heads.

4. What is your favorite fixture and why?
I have a real niche for scanners. I really enjoy their movability, effects and brightness. Moving heads are even better!

5. Best advice you can give someone just getting started in the DJ industry?
Focus on practice, professionalism, and client satisfaction. The customer comes first, not what you can do, but what you will do for the customer. They are the true word of your business. If you’re in the club, concentrate on your crowd and don’t let them leave the dance floor. You may rotate them, but don’t lose them.

6. What are your top three most requested songs?
Currently they are LMFAO “Party Rock Anthem,” Ke$HA “Blow,” and Maroon5 featuring Christina Aguilera “Moves Like Jagger.”

Wise Tips for Clean Scanners

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by Allan Reiss, CHAUVET Club/DJ Product Manager

Cleaning your scanners periodically can give them a longer life and you less to worry about in the end. The buildup of dust and dirt can overheat units or clog fans, which translates into fixture failure sooner than you expected. Click here and follow these tips to save money and avoid frustration.

For squeaky-clean moving heads click here, and to learn how to clean effect lights read here.

DJ University is an online resource for the DJ/mobile performer sponsored by CHAUVET®.

Pros and cons of battery-powered lighting

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By Allan Reiss, Product Manager for CHAUVET® Club/DJ

You may have noticed that lighting manufacturers are starting to add battery-operated fixtures to their product lines. Designed to simplify our lives as mobile DJs and add flexibility to our setup, these fixtures also save us time and money. We no longer have to worry about spending time running and taping down power cords, whether or not there will be enough outlets at the venue, or paying for electricity. However, like everything else, battery-operated fixtures have their pros and cons. Click here to read on and see if these fixtures are right for you.

DJ University is an online resource for the DJ/mobile performer sponsored by CHAUVET®.

South9 in South Florida

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Dave Patten and David Ricks of South9 Entertainment took a tour of CHAUVET® HQ to learn more about lights, ShowXpress™ and how to use both in their video and film work. South9 has since incorporated 4BAR™ Tri wash lights in at least two of their music videos. One for the Wale (f. Meek Mill) song “100 Hunnit” (which has nearly two million hits on YouTube!) and one for the Dave Patten song “Think!”. Watch the behind the scenes short about the latter video, as well as the entire video, below. Also, while they were here, they shot a video of their experience, check it out.

Dave Patten Tours CHAUVET® from Dave Patten on Vimeo.

Dave Patten filming at CHAUVET® HQ.

David Ricks taking sound while shooting at CHAUVET® HQ.

Behind the scenes video shot while shooting music video “Think!”.

BTS “Think!” Music Video – The CHAUVET® 4BAR™ Tri from Dave Patten on Vimeo.

The music finished music video below.

Strip Lights…A Big Misunderstanding

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Written by guest blogger Larz Hanson, Detour DJ & Audio (and former Facebook Fan of the Month!)

I told my wife I’m trying out a killer new “strip” light at some upcoming gigs. She paused, furrowed her eyebrows a little then told me she didn’t mind me being a DJ and working with bands, but she had a real problem with me setting up lights just for strippers at parties. She left the room in a huff before I could explain…

Maybe you’ll understand better. I’m talking about the new CHAUVET® COLORrail™ IRC fixture. I have several older CHAUVET® COLORstrip™ lights, and they’ve served me well for a number of years. They’re bright, and have some nice features, especially when linked in multiples for “runway” effects.

The new COLORrail™ IRC, on the other hand, picks up where the COLORstrip™ leaves off and improves several aspects. The COLORrail™ IRC is made with a stout, extruded-aluminum shell. At first glance, it simply looks better than the COLORstrip™…which can be important for some of the intended buyers of the COLORrail™ IRC. A nice feature is the choice of a single mount point, so the light can be hung from truss with just one clamp (the COLORstrip™ takes two), or dual “feet” that double as mount points too.

Enough about the impressive construction though. It’s a light fixture, so you wanna know about the light. Without a doubt, the COLORrail™ IRC is BRIGHT! Loaded with 320 tightly packed 10mm LED’s, the COLORrail™ IRC has a strong output. A smart design feature is the way the LED’s are arranged along the length. As opposed to the COLORstrip™’s repeating blocks of four by four similarly colored LEDs, the COLORrail™ IRC spreads them out evenly.

This results in very smooth color mixing without multicolored shadows or “color banding”…something easily appreciated when being used for uplighting at elegant events. Like the COLORstrip™, the COLORrail™ IRC is loaded with interesting automatic programs for colors and effects that look great in singles, or linked together for continuous, multi-fixture effects. Using DMX, the COLORrail™ IRC allows many ways to access those colors and programs, or design your own using from two to 26 channels!

But wait! There’s more! This is the “IRC” version of the COLORrail™, which stands for “Infrared Remote Control”. Many CHAUVET® customers will LOVE this feature because it allows simple access to the light’s options via an inexpensive optional remote without having to understand DMX or even touch the fixture. By just pointing the remote at the front of the light and pressing a couple buttons, a user can access one-touch dimmable colors, color mixing, auto programs, strobing, and more! This feature is ideal for event lighting contractors who want a neat, clean array of uplights and don’t need DMX control. A wide variety of customers use modern lights in so many different ways, the IRC option is an ingenious way to solve several issues, and the COLORrail™ IRC is an excellent light to team with it.

I can’t even explain all the features packed into the COLORrail™ IRC in this brief blog. In short, it’s brighter and whiter than the COLORstrip™, smoother looking with beautiful fades and effects that work well alone or linked in lines or shapes. The IRC version appeals to an even wider customer base, and the whole thing is built like a baseball bat! Kudos, CHAUVET®!

Once I show my wife what I was talking about, I’m hoping she’ll talk to me again…