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Total Ripoff Pioneer Spares
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Gareth Magennis
Feb 19, 2015, 3:25:44 PM2/19/15
to
I'm sick of this shit.
Someone brings me a Pioneer mixer or CDJ to repair, and I need to order
spares.
Get this. A KNOB costs £15.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pioneer-DJM-700-EQ-Grey-White-Rotary-Knob-DJM700-Low-Mid-Hi-DAA1219-/161064841103?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2580366f8f
How do they get away with this?
I have just placed an order for some DJM and CDJ Pioneer spares with a
company I used to work for, and THEY quoted me £57.24 for 4 of the above
knobs, so this really is the real price.
The switches and pots I need cost more than this.
Seethe, seethe.
I've looked at 3D printers as an alternative, but from the few samples I've
seen, the plastic is rock hard and not suitable for a comfy knob, and I
don't think its possible to produce a grey knob with a white line pointer
anyway.
The Pioneer ones I want are squidgy.
Gareth.
Upset.
Someone brings me a Pioneer mixer or CDJ to repair, and I need to order
spares.
Get this. A KNOB costs £15.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pioneer-DJM-700-EQ-Grey-White-Rotary-Knob-DJM700-Low-Mid-Hi-DAA1219-/161064841103?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2580366f8f
How do they get away with this?
I have just placed an order for some DJM and CDJ Pioneer spares with a
company I used to work for, and THEY quoted me £57.24 for 4 of the above
knobs, so this really is the real price.
The switches and pots I need cost more than this.
Seethe, seethe.
I've looked at 3D printers as an alternative, but from the few samples I've
seen, the plastic is rock hard and not suitable for a comfy knob, and I
don't think its possible to produce a grey knob with a white line pointer
anyway.
The Pioneer ones I want are squidgy.
Gareth.
Upset.
jurb...@gmail.com
Feb 19, 2015, 4:09:05 PM2/19/15
to
Yeah, we live in a society in which you get paid more to play than to work, and in which things are worth one tenth the sum of their parts.
They gougya. I DO understand business and that they are paying rent on these things and that boxes and all kinds of administrative costs make part cost more apart than when the unit is mass produced. But fifteen bucks is out of line for a knob.
Unless the customer is persnickety I would consider replacing them all with sometbing that matches well enough and is a bunch cheaper, maybe even used off a junk unit somewhere. However that doesn't cut it for a bona fide restoration or things like that. And sopme people/shops have a policy that everything is according to the manufacturer.
Well they have their clientele and I have mine. Except for the esoteric audiophile type most of them don't give a shit much as long as they can turn the knob. Nice if the all match.
They gougya. I DO understand business and that they are paying rent on these things and that boxes and all kinds of administrative costs make part cost more apart than when the unit is mass produced. But fifteen bucks is out of line for a knob.
Unless the customer is persnickety I would consider replacing them all with sometbing that matches well enough and is a bunch cheaper, maybe even used off a junk unit somewhere. However that doesn't cut it for a bona fide restoration or things like that. And sopme people/shops have a policy that everything is according to the manufacturer.
Well they have their clientele and I have mine. Except for the esoteric audiophile type most of them don't give a shit much as long as they can turn the knob. Nice if the all match.
Gareth Magennis
Feb 19, 2015, 4:52:48 PM2/19/15
to
wrote in message
news:6a868e6b-80ad-412a...@googlegroups.com...
Trust me, I've been long down this line of replacing knobs/switches etc with
stuff you can buy of the shelf, but you just can't, and it just doesn't
work, cos the DJ and me can spot the subterfuge a mile off.
And this is not some old Pioneer hi-fi, this is Current production Pioneer
High End DJ gear for clubs/tours etc.
This is the package I have in my workshop right now I need spares for:
http://www.djanddiscostuff.com/dj-equipment-c25/multi-format-cdj-c38/single-cdj-c39/cdj-2000-nexus-pair-multi-format-player-with-pioneer-djm-900-nexus-p1497/s1541?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=pioneer-cdj-2000-nexus-pair-multi-format-player-with-pioneer-djm-900-n&utm_campaign=product%2Blisting%2Bads&gclid=CJ3emtX-7sMCFQLMtAodWy0A5A
The fact is, Pioneer have ensured that their parts are the only ones you can
use on their products, and can and do charge what they want.
Nice work if you can get it.
Gareth.
Jeff Layman
Feb 20, 2015, 3:09:30 AM2/20/15
to
http://www.espares.co.uk/product/es1612383/hob-control-knob?PartTypeId=1599&ManufacturerId=254
And you thought the Pioneer knob was expensive! A dozen years ago it
cost me over £70 to replace the 6 knobs on a Stoves unit (all the
markings had worn off, and a couple were loose).
--
Jeff
John-Del
Feb 20, 2015, 7:27:07 AM2/20/15
to
On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 4:52:48 PM UTC-5, Gareth Magennis wrote:
> And this is not some old Pioneer hi-fi, this is Current production Pioneer
> High End DJ gear for clubs/tours etc.
>
>
> Gareth.
> And this is not some old Pioneer hi-fi, this is Current production Pioneer
> High End DJ gear for clubs/tours etc.
>
>
At least you have the advantage of the unit being a "high end" product. Imagine the fun of dealing with the same garbage on a low end unit..
I have a 50" Proscan LED TV only a few months old (2014 Black Friday POS) that has corrupted firmware. I have a dozen files from various brands that use the same basic mainboard but can't find the exact one that will give me a normal picture, or remote functions, etc.
I called Proscan, and they won't send me the firmware (had to explain to the phone dunce what firmware was). So I asked for the eeprom; they don't sell ICs. I asked for a price on the main, and they said they don't sell those either. Their solution is to pack up the TV and send it to Michigan for repair.
Of course, the customer abandoned this toilet for a problem that could be solved with an email. So the TV is junk unless and until I get another one like it in the shop with an intact firmware that I can copy.
Trevor Wilson
Feb 20, 2015, 7:20:27 PM2/20/15
to
had to service a commercial microwave oven. The bearing for the stirrer
had failed and we had to replace the stirrer and bearing as an assembly
(along with the magnetron). The bearing was some kind of nylon material
and the stirrer was, as usual, a light piece of bent aluminium. My
estimated cost was about 5 Bucks (given the estimated manufactured cost
would have been about $0.20). Actual cost of the stirrer was $140.00!
All because it was a commercial MO.
--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au
---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
http://www.avast.com
Arfa Daily
Feb 20, 2015, 9:19:03 PM2/20/15
to
"Gareth Magennis" <gareth....@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:9FrFw.650657$4b6.3...@fx44.am4...
> I'm sick of this shit.
>
>
> Someone brings me a Pioneer mixer or CDJ to repair, and I need to order
> spares.
>
> Get this. A KNOB costs £15.
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pioneer-DJM-700-EQ-Grey-White-Rotary-Knob-DJM700-Low-Mid-Hi-DAA1219-/161064841103?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2580366f8f
>
> How do they get away with this?
>
>
I repair quite a few of the CDJ and DJM units, and they are expensive to
>
>
> Someone brings me a Pioneer mixer or CDJ to repair, and I need to order
> spares.
>
> Get this. A KNOB costs £15.
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pioneer-DJM-700-EQ-Grey-White-Rotary-Knob-DJM700-Low-Mid-Hi-DAA1219-/161064841103?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2580366f8f
>
> How do they get away with this?
>
>
buy in the first place, but everyone that owns them loves them to bits. And
because of this, I've found that they don't bat an eyelid at the cost of
parts or the total repair costs. And the thing is that as you say yourself,
it might just be a knob, but it's a unique knob that has that right 'feel'
to it, so I suppose in some ways you can expect it to be expensive. The
people that own these things are generally professional DJs, so these units
are their tools that allow them, in some cases, to earn large amounts of
money, so they expect to pay a premium to get them repaired.
Arfa
Phil Allison
Feb 20, 2015, 10:35:44 PM2/20/15
to
Arfa Daily wrote:
> I repair quite a few of the CDJ and DJM units, and they are expensive to
> buy in the first place, but everyone that owns them loves them to bits. And
> because of this, I've found that they don't bat an eyelid at the cost of
> parts or the total repair costs. And the thing is that as you say yourself,
> it might just be a knob, but it's a unique knob that has that right 'feel'
> to it, so I suppose in some ways you can expect it to be expensive. The
> people that own these things are generally professional DJs, so these units
> are their tools that allow them, in some cases, to earn large amounts of
> money, so they expect to pay a premium to get them repaired.
>
** Crikey !!!
> I repair quite a few of the CDJ and DJM units, and they are expensive to
> buy in the first place, but everyone that owns them loves them to bits. And
> because of this, I've found that they don't bat an eyelid at the cost of
> parts or the total repair costs. And the thing is that as you say yourself,
> it might just be a knob, but it's a unique knob that has that right 'feel'
> to it, so I suppose in some ways you can expect it to be expensive. The
> people that own these things are generally professional DJs, so these units
> are their tools that allow them, in some cases, to earn large amounts of
> money, so they expect to pay a premium to get them repaired.
>
AD must deal with a whole different kind of "DJ" to the ones I come across.
Words like "tight-arse", "con-artist", "hassler" and "whinger" cover most of them while the rest are straight out crims or drug dealers.
... Phil
Martin Crossley
Feb 20, 2015, 11:12:01 PM2/20/15
to
The knobs are indeed very dear for what they are, but at least they
are available and not so outrageously expensive as to render the units
Beyond Economical Repair for a fair charge for obtaining and fitting a
couple of them.
Martin.
Mark Zacharias
Feb 21, 2015, 6:27:41 AM2/21/15
to
"Arfa Daily" <arfa....@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:lWRFw.772331$551.5...@fx43.am4...
Geoff.
I don't work on many CD-J units, but I've got a CD-J800mkII in right now and
having trouble nailing down the problem.
Basically it acts like the clamper magnet is much too strong. When the mech
goes to lift up the disc off the clamper, it encounters too much resistance
and the white nylon rack gear at the top slips and ratchets. The disc cannot
eject until I help it by lifting up the clamper with my finger. Requires
quite a bit of extra "help".
Sometimes the laser assy also acts gummed up at the inside circumference and
cannot contact the limit switch. It's not the stepper motor, and I cannot
confirm bad lube.
Any ideas?
The Pioneer guy I talked to was clueless.
Mark Z.
news:lWRFw.772331$551.5...@fx43.am4...
I don't work on many CD-J units, but I've got a CD-J800mkII in right now and
having trouble nailing down the problem.
Basically it acts like the clamper magnet is much too strong. When the mech
goes to lift up the disc off the clamper, it encounters too much resistance
and the white nylon rack gear at the top slips and ratchets. The disc cannot
eject until I help it by lifting up the clamper with my finger. Requires
quite a bit of extra "help".
Sometimes the laser assy also acts gummed up at the inside circumference and
cannot contact the limit switch. It's not the stepper motor, and I cannot
confirm bad lube.
Any ideas?
The Pioneer guy I talked to was clueless.
Mark Z.
Gareth Magennis
Feb 21, 2015, 7:48:04 AM2/21/15
to
"Mark Zacharias" wrote in message
news:54e86bab$0$7706$4c5e...@fastusenet.org...
Gareth.
Mark Zacharias
Feb 21, 2015, 8:31:34 AM2/21/15
to
"Gareth Magennis" <gareth....@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:38%Fw.782006$551.1...@fx43.am4...
stuff in there, but I have carefully cleaned the affected parts and at least
so far as the clamper issue is concerned, I do not think this is my issue.
The pickup sometimes sticking near the inner circumference on the other
hand...
Mark Z.
Arfa Daily
Feb 21, 2015, 9:24:04 AM2/21/15
to
"Phil Allison" <palli...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:8d8db8d8-d6b8-4d01...@googlegroups.com...
However, that said, there are of course DJs like that here, BUT, they are
not proper professionals that make their primary living at it. These are
builders and plumbers and truck drivers that 'do a bit of DJ-ing' on the
side at night for pin money. They often are the buyers of cheapo Maplin DJ
units and the like though, not owners of expensive Pioneer pro units. It's a
bit like if you look at the tools *we* use. My workshop side cutters for
instance, are Lindstroms costing 45 quid a pop. I could easily have a 10
quid pair from eBay, and if I was a hobbyist, I would, but these are for
professional use, and as far as I'm concerned, they are worth every penny,
and I don't begrudge the money spent on them. They help me make my living,
and that's the same with pro owners of Pioneer DJ equipment.
Arfa
Arfa Daily
Feb 21, 2015, 9:41:06 AM2/21/15
to
"Mark Zacharias" <mark_za...@labolgcbs.net> wrote in message
news:54e888b1$0$23852$4c5e...@fastusenet.org...
mechanically. Beer / Coke ingression is very common for all sorts of nasty
little problems on them. If there are signs of something like that having
gone in there, it would still be the place that I think I would be looking
for the problem. The motors are very light duty things, relying for their
'power' on the gearing behind them. If anything offers any resistance to
that gearing, then there is just not enough power in the motor to overcome
it.
Do you have the manual for it ? The exploded view of the deck shows all the
lube points and the type of lube that should be used.
When you get it all going, check all of the tactile switches. The ones most
used like "Play" and "Cue", have a habit of collapsing and losing their
'click'. They are easily replaced on most models. Also, check that the
springs on the Jog Wheel have not collapsed. The turntable should have a
distinct - but light - movement of probably 3/4 mm. When the springs that
keep it raised collapse, you only have to blow on it to make it do its
thing, and that is then close to the time where it can 'make' the ring of
foil switches under it, almost under its own weight. The jog wheel assembly
is easily removed and serviced. The springs can either be replaced, or
gently re-stretched until they just support the weight of the turntable
again.
Arfa
Gareth Magennis
Feb 21, 2015, 3:05:14 PM2/21/15
to
"Martin Crossley" wrote in message
news:ssmdnf28SYQTmHXJ...@brightview.co.uk...
1 pot, 1 SMD CAT5 socket and 4 knobs.
The total was well over £100 - that's well over $150 of your dollars if you
live in North America, and well over $200 if you descend from a criminal and
live in Australia and hate DJ's.
I think it was actually in the £130's so add about 30%.
So after adding a reasonable mark up on parts and a couple of hours labour,
you have a fairly hefty bill for what seems like simply replacing 3
obviously physically broken things and 4 knobs.
Not much brains required to diagnose the faults even.
I don't like that much cos it looks like I am ripping them off when I
certainly am not. Pioneer are.
Harrumph.
Gareth.
Gareth Magennis
Feb 21, 2015, 3:18:57 PM2/21/15
to
Oh, and even the CAT5 socket is non standard. It is considerably longer
than any you can buy from Farnell etc.
I know, I spent a long time trying to find one.
Cuh.
Gareth.
than any you can buy from Farnell etc.
I know, I spent a long time trying to find one.
Cuh.
Gareth.
Trevor Wilson
Feb 21, 2015, 4:07:39 PM2/21/15
to
them, I have felt an uncontrollable need to check my valuables and have
a good bath.
John-Del
Feb 21, 2015, 4:48:56 PM2/21/15
to
On Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 6:27:41 AM UTC-5, Mark Zacharias wrote:
>
> Basically it acts like the clamper magnet is much too strong. When the mech
> goes to lift up the disc off the clamper, it encounters too much resistance
> and the white nylon rack gear at the top slips and ratchets. The disc cannot
> eject until I help it by lifting up the clamper with my finger. Requires
> quite a bit of extra "help".
Any chance a spacer is missing on the clamper or turntable? Years ago I ran into something similar to this and I think a stick-on rubber disc slipped off the turntable allowing the space between the clamper magnet and the turntable to be reduced increasing the clamping force.
>
> Basically it acts like the clamper magnet is much too strong. When the mech
> goes to lift up the disc off the clamper, it encounters too much resistance
> and the white nylon rack gear at the top slips and ratchets. The disc cannot
> eject until I help it by lifting up the clamper with my finger. Requires
> quite a bit of extra "help".
Arfa Daily
Feb 21, 2015, 5:13:12 PM2/21/15
to
>>
>> ** Crikey !!!
>>
>> AD must deal with a whole different kind of "DJ" to the ones I come
>> across.
>>
>> Words like "tight-arse", "con-artist", "hassler" and "whinger" cover most
>> of them while the rest are straight out crims or drug dealers.
>
> **That has been my experience with these scum too. When I've dealt with
> them, I have felt an uncontrollable need to check my valuables and have a
> good bath.
>
>
> --
> Trevor Wilson
country. I have found them to be nothing of the sort here. Either that, or
we're not talking about the same group of people ...
Arfa
Gareth Magennis
Feb 21, 2015, 5:37:27 PM2/21/15
to
"Arfa Daily" wrote in message news:Vp7Gw.918734$ci4.8...@fx39.am4...
I've been working within the Pro DJ/Club community since 1991. I understand
it, and love a great deal about it.
It's a shame that so many are prepared to label DJ's with that "scum of the
earth" tag, whilst never actually knowing how that part of the Universe
actually operates.
Gareth.
Trevor Wilson
Feb 21, 2015, 5:47:25 PM2/21/15
to
Drugs are inextricably intertwined with discos here. The money in drugs
far exceeds that of how much professional DJs are paid. Still, I am well
out of that scene at my stage in life. My dealings with DJs has been at
what i would term 'serious amateur' level only. IOW: The people have a
weekday job and DJ at night or on weekends for a bit of extra cash. I
have seen the odd Pommy DJ turn up on the nightly news and they are
treated at rock stars by the young fools who imagine they have talent
(musicians are the ones who generally have the talent, not the guys who
play their music). Then again, maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy.
[ASIDE]: I recall visiting a trendy disco about 2 decades ago. Curious
about the music, I asked the DJ what it was (I could sorta recognise
it). "Oh, that's a 45RPM Visage single. We're playing it at 33. Cool, huh?"
It's a very weird industry.
Gareth Magennis
Feb 21, 2015, 5:57:19 PM2/21/15
to
Look, here's a GIRL!
Doing some stuff on that, there, Pioneer things!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU0wTLnsSXU
Blimey.
Gareth.
Phil Allison
Feb 21, 2015, 6:06:34 PM2/21/15
to
Trevor Wilson wrote:
The failure rate of the amplifiers was very high and so I got plenty of repair work on SAE 2200s & 2400s, Phase Linear 400s & 700s and Yamaha 2200 power amplifiers and many others.
I even designed a good quality DJ mixer that was produced in quantity and sold as JAI Sound.
When the disco craze started to wane in the late 80s, things turned nasty and a lot of crims entered the business - mostly as DJs who has bought their own gear.
One of my regular customers disposed of all his DJ hire stock cos he was getting constant death threats from competitors. It was that nasty.
Disco use is the hardest use of amps and speakers I know of - add take away hire to almost anyone and you have a disaster looing for somewhere to happen.
IME, DJs are equipment wreckers and thoroughly nasty people.
.... Phil
>
> Phil Allison wrote:
> >
> > ** Crikey !!!
> >
> > AD must deal with a whole different kind of "DJ" to the ones I come across.
> >
> > Words like "tight-arse", "con-artist", "hassler" and "whinger" cover most of them while the rest are straight out crims or drug dealers.
>
> **That has been my experience with these scum too. When I've dealt with
> them, I have felt an uncontrollable need to check my valuables and have
> a good bath.
** Back in the mid 70s when disco took off in Australia, I had quite a few customers who hired out DJ equipment - some of these systems were large enough to double as a PA for bands.
> Phil Allison wrote:
> >
> > ** Crikey !!!
> >
> > AD must deal with a whole different kind of "DJ" to the ones I come across.
> >
> > Words like "tight-arse", "con-artist", "hassler" and "whinger" cover most of them while the rest are straight out crims or drug dealers.
>
> **That has been my experience with these scum too. When I've dealt with
> them, I have felt an uncontrollable need to check my valuables and have
> a good bath.
The failure rate of the amplifiers was very high and so I got plenty of repair work on SAE 2200s & 2400s, Phase Linear 400s & 700s and Yamaha 2200 power amplifiers and many others.
I even designed a good quality DJ mixer that was produced in quantity and sold as JAI Sound.
When the disco craze started to wane in the late 80s, things turned nasty and a lot of crims entered the business - mostly as DJs who has bought their own gear.
One of my regular customers disposed of all his DJ hire stock cos he was getting constant death threats from competitors. It was that nasty.
Disco use is the hardest use of amps and speakers I know of - add take away hire to almost anyone and you have a disaster looing for somewhere to happen.
IME, DJs are equipment wreckers and thoroughly nasty people.
.... Phil
Arfa Daily
Feb 21, 2015, 9:03:43 PM2/21/15
to
"Trevor Wilson" <tre...@SPAMBLOCKrageaudio.com.au> wrote in message
news:cksg7q...@mid.individual.net...
'discos' and part time people standing behind a pair of decks at a birthday
party at all when referring to the pro DJ community. These are not 'record
spinners' but professional entertainers on the club scene. You clearly don't
understand what they do, or how much they get paid for doing it. A friend of
mine's son is one such DJ, and quite famous. He is most certainly not any
kind of "scum" , "con artist", "hassler" or any of the other derogatory
terms that you are leveling at these people. They are not "crims" or "drug
dealers" either. The amount of money that he can command for a single spot
during an evening, is eye watering compared to what the likes of you and I
can earn in a week.
And they do not just play other people's music, and to suggest that they
have no talent is just your total misunderstanding talking. They actually
create new and unique tracks 'on the fly' and out of their own heads using a
combination of two or more existing sources, sampling, mixing, looping and
many other techniques. If you think that they have no talent, then I suggest
that you try watching one at work. I would defy you to even work out what
they are doing, let alone be able to reproduce it. The reason that they are
treated as 'rock stars' is because, in their own sphere of entertainment,
they are ...
Arfa
Arfa Daily
Feb 21, 2015, 9:32:05 PM2/21/15
to
news:a52d1b28-264b-4e9e...@googlegroups.com...
Wrong type of "DJs" Phil. The proper pros are not part time 'record
spinners' in discos. They are entertainers that create tracks 'on the fly'
and inhabit the club scene. The mixers that they use are altogether
different from the sorts of items that are used by bands or disco DJs. The
Pioneer CDJs are nothing at all like a conventional CD player, or anything
that a disco or birthday party DJ would use. They have buttons and features
that I wouldn't pretend to understand properly. Some systems even make use
of time-code CDs that drive external software to allow digitally recorded
material stored as MP3 (or whatever) files on the computer to be scratched
and mixed and beat synchronised as though they were physical media -
specifically vinyl records.
You are even out of date - at least in this country, anyway - with the way
that the disco scene that you are talking about works. Most 'proper' DJs of
the 'record spinner' variety that work the mobile disco scene for parties
and weddings and so on, are these days older people, not kids or drug
dealers. The better ones don't even use CD players any more, let alone
conventional phono decks, which are of course still used by the pro club
DJs, Technics SL1200 series decks being the norm for that work.
I have a colleague that has been doing mobile disco work for more than 30
years. All of his source material is now carried on a laptop, and is
controlled by very expensive professional software that was originally
written for use by radio stations. He can compile playlists off-line based
on what the client requests in advance, and the type of gig that it is -
birthday, wedding etc. When 'live' requests are made, just like when people
phone in to radio shows, he can select the requested track from the massive
archive that he has, and drag it into the playlist in seconds. It's all way
way more sophisticated than it was back in the 80s and 90s.
Arfa
spinners' in discos. They are entertainers that create tracks 'on the fly'
and inhabit the club scene. The mixers that they use are altogether
different from the sorts of items that are used by bands or disco DJs. The
Pioneer CDJs are nothing at all like a conventional CD player, or anything
that a disco or birthday party DJ would use. They have buttons and features
that I wouldn't pretend to understand properly. Some systems even make use
of time-code CDs that drive external software to allow digitally recorded
material stored as MP3 (or whatever) files on the computer to be scratched
and mixed and beat synchronised as though they were physical media -
specifically vinyl records.
You are even out of date - at least in this country, anyway - with the way
that the disco scene that you are talking about works. Most 'proper' DJs of
the 'record spinner' variety that work the mobile disco scene for parties
and weddings and so on, are these days older people, not kids or drug
dealers. The better ones don't even use CD players any more, let alone
conventional phono decks, which are of course still used by the pro club
DJs, Technics SL1200 series decks being the norm for that work.
I have a colleague that has been doing mobile disco work for more than 30
years. All of his source material is now carried on a laptop, and is
controlled by very expensive professional software that was originally
written for use by radio stations. He can compile playlists off-line based
on what the client requests in advance, and the type of gig that it is -
birthday, wedding etc. When 'live' requests are made, just like when people
phone in to radio shows, he can select the requested track from the massive
archive that he has, and drag it into the playlist in seconds. It's all way
way more sophisticated than it was back in the 80s and 90s.
Arfa
Phil Allison
Feb 21, 2015, 10:14:39 PM2/21/15
to
Arfa Daily wrote:
> >
> > ** Back in the mid 70s when disco took off in Australia, I had quite a few
> > customers who hired out DJ equipment - some of these systems were large
> > enough to double as a PA for bands.
> >
> > The failure rate of the amplifiers was very high and so I got plenty of
> > repair work on SAE 2200s & 2400s, Phase Linear 400s & 700s and Yamaha 2200
> > power amplifiers and many others.
> >
> > I even designed a good quality DJ mixer that was produced in quantity and
> > sold as JAI Sound.
> >
> > When the disco craze started to wane in the late 80s, things turned nasty
> > and a lot of crims entered the business - mostly as DJs who has bought
> > their own gear.
> >
> > One of my regular customers disposed of all his DJ hire stock cos he was
> > getting constant death threats from competitors. It was that nasty.
> >
> > Disco use is the hardest use of amps and speakers I know of - add take
> > away hire to almost anyone and you have a disaster looing for somewhere to
> > happen.
> >
> > IME, DJs are equipment wreckers and thoroughly nasty people.
> >
> >
>
> >
> > ** Back in the mid 70s when disco took off in Australia, I had quite a few
> > customers who hired out DJ equipment - some of these systems were large
> > enough to double as a PA for bands.
> >
> > The failure rate of the amplifiers was very high and so I got plenty of
> > repair work on SAE 2200s & 2400s, Phase Linear 400s & 700s and Yamaha 2200
> > power amplifiers and many others.
> >
> > I even designed a good quality DJ mixer that was produced in quantity and
> > sold as JAI Sound.
> >
> > When the disco craze started to wane in the late 80s, things turned nasty
> > and a lot of crims entered the business - mostly as DJs who has bought
> > their own gear.
> >
> > One of my regular customers disposed of all his DJ hire stock cos he was
> > getting constant death threats from competitors. It was that nasty.
> >
> > Disco use is the hardest use of amps and speakers I know of - add take
> > away hire to almost anyone and you have a disaster looing for somewhere to
> > happen.
> >
> > IME, DJs are equipment wreckers and thoroughly nasty people.
> >
> >
>
> The
> Pioneer CDJs are nothing at all like a conventional CD player,
** I have seen and done work on Pioneer CDJ850s and a few similar units. Also rather nice disco mixers made by Allen & Heath - which, despite being built in China, avoid using SMD and are easy to access work on.
> Pioneer CDJs are nothing at all like a conventional CD player,
> You are even out of date - at least in this country,
My most recent disco hire customer sold and rented out the exact sort of gear you mention plus a range of dB Tech powered speakers - mainly Opera and Fifty series. The failure rates with these was frightening, as they were never engineered for such hard use.
I no longer deal with DJs (since the mid 1990s) as so few of them own any sound equipment. All Sydney's nightclubs have elaborate, installed systems and I get their power amps brought to me for service from time to time - usually in the worst condition I have ever seen power amps get into.
And the venue operators invariably expect to pay next to nothing for repairs.
... Phil
Mark Zacharias
Feb 22, 2015, 9:27:18 AM2/22/15
to
"John-Del" <ohg...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:7633b5f5-a349-4ef1...@googlegroups.com...
I looked for any missing or damaged felt spacer - no such luck. I'll have to
get back into it - what a time-waster. Maybe I'll get lucky.
mz
news:7633b5f5-a349-4ef1...@googlegroups.com...
get back into it - what a time-waster. Maybe I'll get lucky.
mz
Gareth Magennis
Feb 22, 2015, 12:51:18 PM2/22/15
to
"Arfa Daily" wrote in message news:BcbGw.697349$gq5.5...@fx46.am4...
I am the Sound Engineer in a club in London. The main DJ now has his 8
hour sets on hard drive, using a rack mount hardware controller to select,
start and stop each track.
(There are two identical drives and 2 controllers in case something breaks)
We also have DJ's come in to play a small chillout set after the main event.
The majority of these now bring a Laptop with their music onboard, and
Traktor installed to play it.
The CDJ's and DJM's do indeed have a lot of features, particularly if you
want to Scratch, and add the onboard effects and filters, and have USB and
SD card sockets to read your entire music collection from a card, stick or
hard drive. Or you can actually put a CD in if you're really old skool!
(Could be a CD of mp3's, meaning a lot more than the 80 minutes of music
available on a CD)
Our club doesn't really play that kind of Scratchy stuff, so we don't have
CDJ's, but when we put live acts on, we will hire some in if requested along
with the digital mixing desk and wedge monitor system.
I control the desk with an ipad - that is well cool and a damn sight quicker
and easier than navigating the layers, controls and parameters on the desk
itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0hOXqMgcAU
Gareth.
jurb...@gmail.com
Feb 22, 2015, 3:55:25 PM2/22/15
to
A buddy of mine, we call him the Colonel, is a high end DJ. We call him the Colonel after Colonel Flagg on MASH because he is nuts. His olady finally left him, but years ago other buddy asks her "Why don't you leave him then ?" and she said "Are you kidding ? I can see him on top of garage roofs with binoculars and shit". Ex marine, and works for the post office. (I shit you not) Twenty years ago he was getting like $800 a night to DJ, and most of the time it as cash so it was tax free.
He had my other buddy simply watch the van. He did all the loading and unloading himself, considered it a good workout. (yup, Colonel Flagg) Then Jack, technically "working security" got free drinks at the wedding or whatever event it was. But really, it would be impractical to relock the van with every trip up the elevator or whatever.
The Colonel used to have thousands of CD, and literally sat there and ripped them all, put in all the info like genre and all that and put it on TWO PCs. One ran, the other was an exact duplicate and even loaded with that night's playlists. And he didn't use a DJ machine, he didn't to it like that. Some of these jobs were for the wealthy, weddings and such and it might be all classical music, or polkas (ugh) or whatever.
For a DJ, probably the best thing you can do is put all that shit on PC. In fact Karaoke as well. I've seen that done. It's just a bit different software that's all. I saw it done on a laptop, and I was thinking about how some laptops have shit sound (mine does) but then I thought again - THIS IS KARAOKE, good sound and Karaoke are in two different universes.
Of course he had the LASERs and the fog machines. And this guy is like, well he is very gregarious and outgoing, but when you get to know him he a kind of obtuse. He is good at getting the little old Ladies up and dancing though, the crowd loves him, but then again, you know when he is in like that mode ? Well that's not a mode. Sometimes you want to shoot the guy.
Never got any audio work off him, he takes his stuff to Empirical downtown here. Little does he know that I now might have an in there and might just work there someday.
What I am finding right now is that people don't seem to understand what "line level" is in that business. Other day I got this reverb unit. Complaint is something wrong with the switches. Makes noise when switchihg modes etc. I get it on the bench and I KNOW what I am doing by just playing a guitar through it, it is going to be noisy. Talk to the boss, then I found a mahual, just an owner's manual for it and there are lights, Like ay -40 dB or someting it lights green, changes to yellow at 0 and goes red if over, something like that. The guitar doesn't even light the light. I had to SHOW HIM. Grabbed an amp that has a proper effects loop and showed him.
I can see education is going to be part of this job.
And those two amps blowing at the same time, I am almost sure they did not disconnect one before connecting the other.
But then again I can't bitch, this sort of thing generates work for me. Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't push the education too much...
He had my other buddy simply watch the van. He did all the loading and unloading himself, considered it a good workout. (yup, Colonel Flagg) Then Jack, technically "working security" got free drinks at the wedding or whatever event it was. But really, it would be impractical to relock the van with every trip up the elevator or whatever.
The Colonel used to have thousands of CD, and literally sat there and ripped them all, put in all the info like genre and all that and put it on TWO PCs. One ran, the other was an exact duplicate and even loaded with that night's playlists. And he didn't use a DJ machine, he didn't to it like that. Some of these jobs were for the wealthy, weddings and such and it might be all classical music, or polkas (ugh) or whatever.
For a DJ, probably the best thing you can do is put all that shit on PC. In fact Karaoke as well. I've seen that done. It's just a bit different software that's all. I saw it done on a laptop, and I was thinking about how some laptops have shit sound (mine does) but then I thought again - THIS IS KARAOKE, good sound and Karaoke are in two different universes.
Of course he had the LASERs and the fog machines. And this guy is like, well he is very gregarious and outgoing, but when you get to know him he a kind of obtuse. He is good at getting the little old Ladies up and dancing though, the crowd loves him, but then again, you know when he is in like that mode ? Well that's not a mode. Sometimes you want to shoot the guy.
Never got any audio work off him, he takes his stuff to Empirical downtown here. Little does he know that I now might have an in there and might just work there someday.
What I am finding right now is that people don't seem to understand what "line level" is in that business. Other day I got this reverb unit. Complaint is something wrong with the switches. Makes noise when switchihg modes etc. I get it on the bench and I KNOW what I am doing by just playing a guitar through it, it is going to be noisy. Talk to the boss, then I found a mahual, just an owner's manual for it and there are lights, Like ay -40 dB or someting it lights green, changes to yellow at 0 and goes red if over, something like that. The guitar doesn't even light the light. I had to SHOW HIM. Grabbed an amp that has a proper effects loop and showed him.
I can see education is going to be part of this job.
And those two amps blowing at the same time, I am almost sure they did not disconnect one before connecting the other.
But then again I can't bitch, this sort of thing generates work for me. Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't push the education too much...
Gareth Magennis
Feb 22, 2015, 4:07:26 PM2/22/15
to
wrote in message
news:98af54a1-136d-4dd1...@googlegroups.com...
system.
If you know nothing about running a Sound System, and most DJ's don't,
because they are DJ's, not Sound Engineers, you will usually make it sound
shite before blowing it up a lot.
Unfortunately trying to educate them how to stop making it sound shite and
blowing stuff up is usually futile.
Gareth.
Arfa Daily
Feb 22, 2015, 9:32:09 PM2/22/15
to
>
> But then again I can't bitch, this sort of thing generates work for me.
> Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't push the education too much...
>
>
uses Pioneer DJ equipment ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tm_ijdgsJ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH5mfHrtiXU
>
>
> You do tend to get a problem when amateur DJ's try and run their own sound
> system.
> If you know nothing about running a Sound System, and most DJ's don't,
> because they are DJ's, not Sound Engineers, you will usually make it
> sound shite before blowing it up a lot.
>
> Unfortunately trying to educate them how to stop making it sound shite and
> blowing stuff up is usually futile.
>
>
>
>
> Gareth.
>
>
difference between input level and master level, and many amplifiers and
bass drivers are wrecked by them being square-waved as a result. On the
other hand, it's not so much of a problem on the club DJ scene where the PA
that's being jacked into by the resident or guest DJs, is being looked after
by a sound man like yourself, who knows far more about this stuff than them,
or probably most of us ...
Arfa
ten...@gmail.com
Feb 23, 2015, 7:25:25 PM2/23/15
to
Heya,
On Thursday, 19 February 2015 20:25:44 UTC, Gareth Magennis wrote:
> I'm sick of this shit.
I suggest switching it off for a while, let if cool down, if it
continues to behave erratically hit something with it ;)
> Someone brings me a Pioneer mixer or CDJ to repair, and I need to order
> spares. Get this. A KNOB costs £15.
you've lost that lovin' feelin':
http://knobfeel.co.uk/
erotic, yet safe for work!
> I've looked at 3D printers as an alternative, but from the few samples I've
> seen, the plastic is rock hard and not suitable for a comfy knob, and I
> don't think its possible to produce a grey knob with a white line pointer
> anyway.
> The Pioneer ones I want are squidgy.
and they won't even go up to 11!? for the hobbyist a layer of Sugru might do the trick, but I think the "scum bag djs" below would probably send round their biggest bouncer to explain how "sensitive" their "business associate" was, finger by finger ;)
and for a thread that starts "ISotS", I'd like to re-harsh your mellows by suggesting that "selectors" leave their knobs alone and just play some nice tunes. . .
you fightin? I'm asking! ;P
--
http://tenyen.net/
On Thursday, 19 February 2015 20:25:44 UTC, Gareth Magennis wrote:
> I'm sick of this shit.
continues to behave erratically hit something with it ;)
> Someone brings me a Pioneer mixer or CDJ to repair, and I need to order
> spares. Get this. A KNOB costs £15.
> How do they get away with this?
> The switches and pots I need cost more than this.
you've lost that lovin' feelin':
http://knobfeel.co.uk/
erotic, yet safe for work!
> I've looked at 3D printers as an alternative, but from the few samples I've
> seen, the plastic is rock hard and not suitable for a comfy knob, and I
> don't think its possible to produce a grey knob with a white line pointer
> anyway.
> The Pioneer ones I want are squidgy.
and they won't even go up to 11!? for the hobbyist a layer of Sugru might do the trick, but I think the "scum bag djs" below would probably send round their biggest bouncer to explain how "sensitive" their "business associate" was, finger by finger ;)
and for a thread that starts "ISotS", I'd like to re-harsh your mellows by suggesting that "selectors" leave their knobs alone and just play some nice tunes. . .
you fightin? I'm asking! ;P
--
http://tenyen.net/
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