Having Your Own Gear

[God_Is_A_DJ]

I was just wondering is it worth buying your own mixing desk and sound system if your a sound engineer or doing live sound?

 

I am thinking about getting a mixing desk etc but not sure if I am going to waste my money.

 

Do you guys have your own stuff and do you use it a lot?

[Rich newby]

I am only 14 and have just got my own full pa system. Its brilliant, advantage, its yours, you know it well, and so you don't have to get equated with other gear which saves time. Also if there is a problem you will better know what it is on your system than on some system you have never seen before. Disadvantage would be people breaking it, and of course having to pay for it in the first place.

 

 

There is no substitute of having your own gear. I will also make you as a technician look more professional.

 

I would say yes it is defiantly worth having. But only if you have the budget don't but cheap, because there is no point at all in having worse equipment than the gear you could be using.

 

Cheers

Rich

[God_Is_A_DJ]

cool, what do you have in your PA setup?

[misterbassman]

It really depends on the sort of jobs you are doing.

If you are working as a freelance engineer, then I would say it is a waste of time buying a console as most venues will already have them in place. Typical pieces of kit for a freelance engineer would be particular mics that you favour, or posisbly pieces of outboard that are unlikely to be part of a typical setup but you find essential.

 

Dan

[paulears]

Financially, it is often NOT worth having your own gear. The trouble is that when you spend your own money in advance, it's too late to realise that the few extra quid for another 8 channels on the desk would have been worth it. The plus points, on the other hand are many, putting aside costs. You get to know the kit inside out, you really know how to squeeze the last bit of performance. Very often, it can be put to good use at home. As you grow, space becomes a major headache. What do you do with it when it isn't in use. I tend to buy kit I'm going to use often - this works for the accountant, but hire in the one-off stuff. I've got an LX7 in my studio doing not a lot - I bought it for a short series of jobs, but this project grew and I had to buy another bigger one. Total waste of money - and I always use the big one on jobs because I like it better. I won't sell the lx7 because what I'd get isn't worth it.

 

So it all boils down to money. If youhave the cash spare - BUY, if you have to borrow, then don't - rent as required.

[God_Is_A_DJ]

Ah I see, its just that I have been doing a couple of theatre gigs, also may do a couple of music gigs for mates etc and I usualy get there and I am sometimes not keen on the mixing desk mainly, So would it be worth buying a mixing desk rather then all the PA so when I do jobs just replace the mixing desk thats there with my own?

[Light Console]

Well, I have a lighting and sound system, big enough for a small theatre! However the use it gets is minimal. I find I get asked to "do" disco's most often, but I have no DJ skills. However I recently took on a job where I was going to travel by train and operate a show, which turned into me driving up with my own kit. Having the right kit for the job impressed not only the person that asked me to help, but the hotel I was working in. This in turn has led to the possibility of work all over the UK with my kit! (hence the recent van purchase!)

None of this would have been possible, if the theatre I was working in hadn't closed down, when I was in a position to buy the kit from them. As other posters have said, start with the kit you need the most. It is great to have lots of kit to play with, but space becomes an issue.

 

Edit: more to add: Some venues don't like you plugging into their system with your mixing desk. Depends on which small desk you are thinking of. I quite like the look of the Allen and Heath MixWizzard, but I like A&H desks!

[God_Is_A_DJ]

I am still looking around for a mixing desk, but although some places wont like you using your own desk I believe some places would be ok with it so a mixing desk might be worth getting as it would get used quite often.

 

 

 

:blink: - Utterly pointless repeat of entire previous post removed from THREE posts by this poster. Come on, people - it ain't exactly rocket science.

[Dave W]

I have been doing a couple of theatre gigs, also may do a couple of music gigs

 

For music gigs I would always prefer to have my own kit as there is less time if things go wrong in rehearsals and you need to know whats what to sort problems quickly. It does however as stated before, depend on space. I have a large collection of sound and lighting equipment from my days as a Mobile DJ and I've nowhere to put it! I don't want to sell as it isn't worth it but all of my cupboards are completely full of gear even after lending a PA system to the local panto. It really depends on what you are using it for, how often you will use it, and how much money you have floating around. Don't be tempted to go for a cheaper option just so that you can own your own kit though, as it is more likely to go wrong and venues may well have better kit anyway.

[Rich newby]

Yes the next problem is now arising, storage and transport. This is one thing I overlooked and payed the consequence's. I have to do 2 trips any ware I go to take down my full pa, that's 2 trips in an estate car with a trailer the same size as the boot with the seats down, it twin Axel and massive, but not big enough.

 

Always get your storage space sorted out first. However with only a desk it will not be too much of a problem.

 

 

I think you can see the overall outcome is varied, its preference to how much you will use your gear. I use mine for discos and for theatre and live performances, so the cost is quickly covered. However with only a few theatre performances the cost will not justify its self.

 

Happy Christmas

Rich

[Chris_R]

I've got a few bits and pieces of sound gear which have various amounts of usage. I had the money there and thought "which items am I most regularly hiring" and went from there. As I do mainly church sound and youth events, my gear is mainly used there as a well as the installed gear. It really depends on how much use its going to get, Whether you have the money and whether its worth paying out £XXX for the convenience of having your own gear.

[Hambone]

It's a buyer's market. Decent equipment has never been more affordable. If you're doing your own show, I can't see the logic in rental. It just eats into your profit.

 

Unfortunately, a lot of the lower-end equipment isn't very good. Thorough internet research, recommendations, and buying from a reputable dealer help in determining what to buy, and you've got fallback if something goes wrong. I tend to go for middle-of-the-range equipment, but not until I've thoroughly tested it. Many dealers will let you try the equipment out before you buy. My last purchase was a laser, and the dealer sent me three to test for a week. I send the two back I didn't want. I would rather pay more for dealer support than buy from a no-support box shifter. It's false economy if something goes wrong.

 

Owning your own equipment means you can learn it inside out. Not only can you wring every bit of productivity out of it, but you learn how to use it by second nature, and if something goes wrong, you can usually sort it.

[Jivemaster]

Established techs accumulate gear as it gets thrown out by (eg) closing or refitting venues. This means that the kit is old and past its prime but still functional. This means that you have to wait for kit to come your way but it usually comes at very good prices.

 

When buying new kit be sure that you have enough business to pay it off several times.

Hiring or leasing is tax advantagous if you can find someone to hire to you, also you can hire the next model up at the end of the hire period.

 

Buying expensive kit as a start to a business is a big risk unless you have more than that of spare cash.

[paulears]

The problem for most people who want to move into 'doing shows/gigs/events' is that there is more than one reason for doing it. First reason - you need kit. You can charge a bit and recoup some of it, and you can do it again, and keep all the money. Second reason - you like kit, the charge and do it again bit is just an excuse for gear lust.

 

I've bought loads of kit over the years, the most beneficial money wise, are the boring, dull, stick 'em in a rack style things. A set of 6 radio mics paid for themselves in 6 hires. Equally, I have bought loads of really nice kit that has never paid for itself - these should have been hired in, not bought.

 

Gear lust messes up your cash flow. Hiring in is the best thing to do if you are not certain you will use the kit again. Everyday use items need buying.

[Russ]

Gear lust messes up your cash flow. Hiring in is the best thing to do if you are not certain you will use the kit again. Everyday use items need buying.

 

Can't repeat this enough - I've lost count of the stuff I've bought and never really used.