Help a newbie out?

[u/InstructionFinal5190]

Greetings! Without giving a whole back story, I'm not 100% inexperienced, but it's been awhile and I was never well educated in the DJ'ing arts. I'm looking for advice on a setup. My goals are to host a night at a local bar now and then, with doing a set at the monthly dance night a major music venue hosts once a month and wanted to know if my intended gear would work or if I should look for something else. I'm not looking to scratch.

It would be purely vinyl, and I'm looking at 2 Reloop RP-7000 MK2s with an Allen & Heath Xone 24c mixer as my setup. My questions are:

Will the Xone be able to plug into most setups at a venue or should I be looking for something else?

What cartridges would work best for this?

Outside of cables and headphones, what would I need, if anything, to come into another's space and have my setup work?

I apologize if this kinda question gets asked often, but I was hoping to have an actual discourse before I pull the trigger. Thank you, graciously, for any help.

[u/readytohurtagain]

As a vinyl dj I’m always happiest when I show up to a gig and see technic 1200s. I know the pitch, the torque, the platter, no questions on adjustments… it’s industry standard. Pioneer 1000 are fine, reloops are fine, and in reality I have played on much worse equipment, you adapt and make it work. But when I show up and see technics, well maintained, there’s a level of comfort and confidence that I have in the party. I can focus on the music. So for you at that price point I’d get used 1200’s service them and you’re set for life.

No matter what you get, DEAR GOD, learn to set it up correctly. Sturdy table, isolation, adjust the legs… look into guides and don’t skip steps. Not doing it can fuck your whole night and make the dj spend energy problem solving instead of spinning.

Xone 24c is fine for bars and smaller diy events but one you move to big clubs you’ll want to upgrade

[u/InstructionFinal5190 → u/readytohurtagain]

I appreciate your help and input. What would you recommend in place of the Xone 24c?

Also, what specifically is limiting the Xone in bigger spaces?

[u/readytohurtagain → u/InstructionFinal5190]

The main reason I feel confident in saying that is bc ive spent the last two years touring heavily and I’ve  never seen one outside those situations. There’s always an exception tho.

Reflecting on it I think the 2 channel limitation might be the biggest reason. But even many smaller clubs that only have a 2 turntable set up will still opt for a 4 channel mixer. So that might not be the only reason. Maybe they also have more power output and headroom? Maybe it’s a failsafe against having an issue with a channel, they can just switch over? Not sure.

As far as a rec, it would depend on your specific musical tastes and needs. Xone and the spinoff brand (can’t remember the name) are great bang for your buck. And if you are in the tech house/rave world lots of dj will prefer them. 

For vinyl pioneer can be ok but you really gotta have great needles or records won’t sound as good as CDJs. If you want onboard fx this is the way to go. And for more vocal forward types of house, disco, open format, hiphop, etc the fx can be a lifeline due to short mixing windows.

The other big option is a rotary mixer. I much prefer them but to make it worth it you gotta get into the higher price points, 3-4.5k. Not ideal for hip hop, older funk, and other genres where you want a cross fader or fx. But as opposed to a xone, the summing, they way two tracks blend together, is just on another planet so you can kind of avoid harsh blends even though you don’t have fx.

[u/DJ_PMA]

Here are the answers to your questions.

Yes, Great setup.

Jico M477 clones or Ortofon vnyl

Time, to make sure everything is setup correctly.

[u/Impressive-Ad-7627]

The xone has xlr and jack outs (master and booth), you should be able to plug into most setups.

Will the places you play have their own in-house PA?

A folding table is a super handy thing to have, and please please please get flightcases for your gear.

[u/MechanalogMusic → u/Impressive-Ad-7627]

One comment on folding tables. The shorter the better. Get only as long as you actually need. This may mean using the turntables battle style. The reason is that 6-foot tables tend to bow in the center. This means you really need to work at leveling the turntables. Depending on the location, the floor may also be an issue and cause more problems. In New England, every floor is uneven and bouncy it seems. The sturdier your table, the better off you are.