Building A Mobile DJ Party Set-Up For £2,000 [Ask Phil]

One of our Access All Areas subscribers needs to take their bedroom set-up on the road for a 50th birthday party (and, we strongly suspect, more where that came from).

We see this question all the time: how do you convert a bedroom set-up into something you can actually use for DJing parties? This marks the shift from bedroom mixing to actual performance – the moment you play for real people, you need gear that can handle it. So here’s exactly what we told our student…

Obligatory reminder: This DJ school and website is funded 100% by its students. We take no kickback from these companies or stores, we don’t care where you buy your DJ gear, or what you end up choosing. You do you.

The question

Hi Phil – I am an Access All Areas subscriber looking for some quick advice on getting sorted out with a basic DJ set-up/kit for playing out at parties.

A number of my friends are turning 50 next year and I am being asked about my availability to DJ. Great news obviously – except they all understandably want a “turnkey” solution and my current set up is an XDJ-AZ connected to a monitor speaker in my bedroom!

So I’m looking for an easy-to-self-assemble DJ stand (to house my XDJ-AZ and maybe a monitor), a couple of speakers with detachable poles/stands and some basic lighting (eg small swivel desktop houses on the stand) for small-ish/pub-type venues playing to up to 100 people – all pieces to be easily transportable.

Not sure if you have written articles on this in the past but I would be hugely grateful for any pointers in the right direction for this type of kit that won’t break the bank (say £1-2k outlay, if doable)?

The answer

This is a common question where you’re trying to convert whatever it is you use at home to something you can use out and about. While there’s no correct answer to this, this is what I’d do if I were in your shoes right now.

First, I would forget about the £1000 end of your price bracket and expect to spend around £2000. When you’ve got so little to spend on public, professional equipment, every penny counts.

Luckily, you’ve already got a perfectly professional DJ unit. So we need to add a DJ table, speakers, lighting, and – I would argue – a microphone. (It’s guaranteed that when you’re DJing in public and playing at parties, you’re going to need one at some point.) Take your existing monitor with you if you think you’ll need it – you may not if you’re DJing near your PA.

Building Your First Mobile DJ Party Set-Up

Right, let’s get specific. You’ve got the XDJ-AZ sorted, which is the expensive bit. Now you need four things: something to put it on, something for people to hear you through, some basic lighting so it doesn’t look like a bedroom set-up, and a microphone.

Budget for this is £2,000 and don’t scrimp – cheap gear at parties is how you learn expensive lessons about reliability. With that in mind, here’s exactly what I’d buy:

DJ table: a solid foundation

The one I use is the UDG Ultimate Fold Out Stand Mk2. It’s around £200, it folds flat, it’s well made, and while it’s heavy, it’s got wheels and a handle. It looks very smart, and when it’s set up, there’s lots of storage space underneath it as well. All in all, it’s a very smart solution.

Lighting: keep it simple

Any new lighting set-up should start with wash lights, which get you the most bang for your buck. Avoid the all-in-one lighting units – they don’t do anything particularly well.

Go for a lighting bar with four LED PAR lights that work sound-to-light and support DMX (in case you want to get fancy someday). A tripod stand with four wash lights on a bar, such as the Stairville CLB5 RGB (a brand of European music retailer Thomann), has all you need for about £350.

There are lots of variations on this, so just go for a well-rated one, and don’t buy the very cheapest (lots of DJs like the Chauvet DJ 4Bar range, for instance). Make sure you buy a pack that includes a stand and foot pedal remote control.

Don’t forget the microphone

You’re probably going to want a microphone as well. A microphone is something you buy once and keep for life, so to cut straight to the chase, just buy a Shure SM58. It’s a dynamic vocal mic with slightly enhanced mid-range and treble, built like a tank, and a proven industry stalwart. It’s the Technics turntable of the microphone world, and it’ll set you back around £100 with a cable.

The PA system: where your money really goes

We’ve deliberately left as much money as possible for the PA system because this is going to make or break your set-up, and £2,000 isn’t really a big budget. For around £1350, you can buy a Mackie Thump bundle with two 210 cabinets, a 115s sub, stands, and cables. This will be fine for your 100-person venues, and it’s from a reputable brand that, for the money, delivers good design, great sound, and reliability.

An upgrade from this would be to add a second 115S sub, but that’s for later (and you wanted portable – subwoofers are the big, heavy bit of your set-up).

Get the skills to rock ANY gig: The Complete DJ Course

How to buy

Try and buy all of this from the same retailer if you can. We priced it up at Thomann, because you’re in the UK, and they’re pan-Europe, including where you are. Again, we have no relationship with them – buy where you want.

Wherever you buy, ask them directly whether what you’re buying has all the cables, stands etc you need and whether they’ll throw in anything else like carrying bags, a heavy-duty power extension cable, a roll of gaffer tape (for securing cables to the floor), and so on. Even online retailers will sometimes take a call or email to barter a little.

What about a controller case?

One last thing: Your XDJ-AZ is a delicate piece of equipment. It’s also big and heavy. Ideally you’re going to want this to be in a case of some kind. A hard flight case would make it even bigger and even heavier, but there are soft case options available as well.

For now, the best bet is just to put it back into the box it came from and tape it shut for transport. But do bear this in mind for the future if you get the bug and want to take your gear out more regularly.

Finally…

So there you have it – a complete mobile party DJ set-up that prioritises reliability over flash. We’ve deliberately left as much budget as possible for the PA system because that’s what’ll make or break your gigs, and we’ve chosen brands with solid reputations for a reason. Here’s how it all breaks down:

• DJ stand: £200
• Lighting rig: £350
• Microphone: £100
• PA system: £1,350

That’s your £2,000, and you’re ready to play your friend’s birthday party and, we suspect, more gigs in the future (you’ll get the bug again, for sure, and it sounds like you’re in demand!).

Read this next: What DJ Gear Is Worth Spending Extra Money On?

One last thing: when you’re just starting out playing parties, it’s tempting to go cheaper on gear. Don’t. The difference between equipment that works reliably and gear that lets you down isn’t about snobbery – it’s about making sure your PA doesn’t cut halfway through someone’s 50th birthday party.

Buy once, buy right.