What Spares should I carry?

Like any Electrical Equipment, Mobile Disco Equipment can go wrong. Maintaining and Servicing your gear is a must, however even serviced equipment can fail, so how can you prevent equipment failure from letting you and your client down?.

Carrying at least some form of back up equipment goes without saying. Having spare equipment at home will be of little use if the equipment fails at 10pm at a venue 30 miles away!. But exactly what should you carry?.

CD Players

Small, portable walkman style cd players are ideal for keeping with you in case your main cd players fail. Small enough to fit in your glove compartment, these will get you out of a tricky situation, and only cost around £30 each from your local Dixons!. You could also consider an MP3 Player to keep your frequently played CD's on, in case of CD Problems.

Laptop

If you use a Laptop for your music then at least keep your twin cd player and a case of CD's with you for use if the laptop should fail. Pro-Logic or similar cases are ideal for keeping a collection of CD's in for back up purposes. Remember to back up the content on your Laptop to either a DVD-R or another Hard-Drive in case of total hard drive failure. Hard Disc based MP3 Players are also an option.

Mixer

Invest in a 2 channel back up mixer. It doesn't have to have the bells and whistles of your main mixer, just a basic two channel design and a mic channel. Ideally it should also have EQ on both the music and mic channels. A basic mixer for back up purposes should cost you no more than £50. The more compact 10" versions will also occupy little space, and will fit behind the front seats in most cars or small vans.

Amplifier

Failure of one channel of a stereo amplifier will often mean that you can simply plug the speaker from the failed channel, into the working channel and carry on in mono, but with both speakers working. However it is wise to carry around a spare amplifier. Again, this doesn't have to be an expensive amplifier, and you can often pick up a Mono Cloud / NJD / Citronic / Carlsbro type Slave amplifier 2nd hand for under £100. This is all you need for back up purposes, after all some sound is better than no sound at all!.

Speakers

Passive (non powered) speakers rarely fail if used correctly. Unfortunately their size makes it difficult to carry spares. If you have the space then carry a back up, however the total faiure of speakers is very rare.

Radio Mics

Occasionally you may attend a venue with more than one function room and find another Dj using a radio mic on the same frequency as you. More commonly you attend a venue and find your mic battery is flat and you haven't got a spare. In either of these situations, or if your Radio mic should fail, its always a good idea to keep a reasonable quality wired mic to hand.

Other Items which should be carried by DJ's

Spare Cables, Lamps and Fuses

Take some water, or weak squash to keep that throat ready!

Use your own watch for timekeeping 

Ensure you have plenty of gaffer tape (you never know if *that* wire has to go across a fire exit)

Take a torch

Some may choose to take a fire extinguisher and first aid kit (I just carry plasters)

Get PLI and PAT and insurance

Carry all necessary legal stuff in a case (details of event, Terms and Conditions, Police Checks (school discos if needed), PAT certificate, PLI, insurance, strobe light warning

Take loads of business cards, posters

Glowsticks - Ideal for Childrens' Parties or to just giveaway to youngsters at family events.

Safety Pin - You've never burst a zip in front of 500 people then??.!!.

Why Spares are important

It's a common fact that one happy client will tell 5 of their friends and recommend your company to them. However an unhappy or dis-satisfied client will tell everybody they meet about how bad your service is. Equipment failure is beyond control, but it is unprofessional not to have some form of back up equipment on hand, just in case the unthinkable happens.

Article Sources:- http://www.dj-forum.co.uk