Your guide
to DJ Equipment
to DJ Equipment
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DJ Equipment...
The Maplin DJ range is designed to cater for either the home user who wants that little bit of extra punch from their equipment or the professional who needs reliable and fully
featured equipment.
Sound sources
The sound source is the device that provides a sound that
needs to be reproduced on your speakers.
Common sound sources
CD player - anything from a standard portable CD player, to full-feature CD decks. Dedicated DJ CD player features include
pitch control, looping, cue points and the ability of seamlessly mixing between tracks on two separate CDs.
Record deck – much the same as found on older home hi-fi systems. DJ turntables feature high-torque direct drive motors
or belt drives that allow the platter of the player to keep on turning even when used for scratching.
MP3 player – similar to a CD player but uses digital MP3 files from a hard drive, memory stick or CD. (See our MP3 guide)
Microphone – a device that works in much the same way as your own ear. It’s capable of picking up acoustic sound like the
human voice and translating that into an electrical signal that can be taken into a mixer.
There are various types of microphone and the quality of sound produced can be quite subjective. Mics come in three main
types: handheld, tie clip and radio.
What you need to look for is:
Frequency response – the larger the response the more the mic picks up
Sensitivity – a higher sensitivity mic produces a better quality sound
CD player - anything from a standard portable CD player, to full-feature CD decks. Dedicated DJ CD player features include
pitch control, looping, cue points and the ability of seamlessly mixing between tracks on two separate CDs.
Record deck – much the same as found on older home hi-fi systems. DJ turntables feature high-torque direct drive motors
or belt drives that allow the platter of the player to keep on turning even when used for scratching.
MP3 player – similar to a CD player but uses digital MP3 files from a hard drive, memory stick or CD. (See our MP3 guide)
Microphone – a device that works in much the same way as your own ear. It’s capable of picking up acoustic sound like the
human voice and translating that into an electrical signal that can be taken into a mixer.
There are various types of microphone and the quality of sound produced can be quite subjective. Mics come in three main
types: handheld, tie clip and radio.
What you need to look for is:
Frequency response – the larger the response the more the mic picks up
Sensitivity – a higher sensitivity mic produces a better quality sound
Mixers Designed to sit between the equipment that provides the sound source and the power amplifier that drives the speakers. It allows multiple inputs to be taken and their signals mixed or adjusted. It then sends a single output to the amplifier to be reproduced through the speakers. There are many variants of mixer depending on your application, from DJ mixers with two channels to sixteen channels and above designed for band or theatre applications. Mixers are divided into three broad categories: DJ mixers - used to mix sounds from vinyl and CDs Theatre or stage mixers - use eight-sixteen channels to allow them to accept input from everything from mics and musical instruments to CD players General mixers - a hybrid of both DJ and theatre mixers Amplifiers These are used to increase the line level output of the mixer to the rated power of the unit. This then drives the speakers and gives the signal output. Speakers The speaker is the thing that physically produces sound so you can hear it. There are a huge number of different variants, with different power ratings, size of drivers, different tweeters etc. Some are dedicated to producing very specific frequencies such as ‘bass bins’ that produce only low-frequency bass sounds. |
Common speaker terms: Driver or Woofer – the large circular object usually in the front lower part of the speaker. This generally will produce bass and mid-level frequencies and provide the ‘kick’ you will feel from the bass part of the sound. Tweeter or Horn – the smaller, usually round or square object in the upper front part of the speaker. This produces high-frequency sound. There are two common types of tweeter, the first is a peizoelectic horn, the second is a compression driver. Generally speaking, a compression driver is capable of producing a higher quality sound. Top hat – the metal or plastic socket in the bottom of the speaker. It allows a pole or speaker mount to be used easily. |
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What to look for in a speaker There are two features you should look at first when purchasing speakers; size and power. Generally, the size of the speaker will often dictate the amount of bass response. The larger the diameter of the woofer in inches, the deeper the bass sound. Power measures the loudness of the speaker and can be measured in many ways. The most reliable is watts RMS (root mean squared). This should be used in conjunction with impedance, measured in ohms (Ω). For example, a 100 watt RMS speaker at 4Ω impedance is only half as loud as a 100 watt RMS speaker at 8Ω. Tweeters are used for producing high-frequency sounds. There are two main types; compression drivers produce high quality sound and Piezo electrical which are a lowercost alternative. |
Disco lighting Dichroic bulbs provide amazing beams of light; a special coating reflects heat backwards into the disco light and also projects a clear bright beam of light in various different angles out in to the room. Gobo wheels – Pre-punched stainless steel wheels that produce spectacular lighting effects. DMX – Synchronises your lights through switches on the unit to cycle through co-ordinated lighting programmes for a fully professional look. In order to control this, you will need a DMX controller and/or software. |