What makes an outdoor DJ gig possible for an everyday DJ without a massive budget, a crew, or a great relationship with the local permitting officials? Today, DJTT founder Ean Golden is back with a fresh new video sharing his insights from throwing a socially-distanced dance party in Santa Barbara, California.
As is often the challenge with mobile DJing, knowing what gear will be portable, affordable, and easy-to-use can be a challenge without real on-the-ground testing experience.
Here’s the gear that Ean mentions in the video:
- Silent Disco Headphones (now available in the DJTT store): Making it a lot easier to get your permits, silent disco headphones eliminate projected sound and instead give each dancer their own world of audio to control. We’ve started selling packages in the DJTT store of battery-powered transmitters, headphones, and charging stations so that you can get a basic setup right away.
- A USB-powered DJ controller: Ean’s using a Traktor Kontrol S2 in this video – but you can use any controller – or even a battery-powered standalone unit like the Denon DJ Prime Go. There are many options here, and we’ll have a future article about some alternate ideas as well.
- A cart and table: Ean’s using a beach cart (similar to this one on Amazon) as both his gear carrying case and DJ table (which works pretty well since he’s sitting down while DJing!). No, we don’t sell Ean’s two-pieces-of-wood-with-a-hinge tabletop – a trip to your local hardware store will solve that 🙂
- A permit: This isn’t gear, but being legit by your local permitting city / town / etc will mean it’s much more likely a gig that you’re hosting can be repeated in the future, and it avoids the likelihood of an unexpected fine. Obviously there are tons of opportunities to do something more renegade, but if you wanted to gather people responsibly in one of the main parks or outdoor spaces in your area, your event could easily be highly visible and subject to enforcement.
With silent disco headphones and attention paid to local ordinances around outdoor gatherings (especially during a pandemic – make sure attendees know what’s up!), permitting can often be much smoother.
Have your own experiences hosting an outdoor gig and some must-have gear related to it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
