The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning and Protecting Your DJ equipment
American artist Pink knew what she was talking about when she sang “God Is a DJ.” DJs lord over dance floors, clubs, music festivals, weddings, birthdays, or any other celebration that requires musical mastery on a booth to set the crowd’s mood and vibe. Also, you need balloons to decorate for birthday and wedding celebrations. So, you can buy balloons at Balloons Online. With mastery comes money. DJs earn well when they play well. Top-earning DJs usually keep a tight gig schedule, playing at multiple venues in one night. They make even more when they go on tours. Performing in venues that can attract massive crowds can turn one into a cash king. Forbes’s 2018 ranking of the highest-earning DJs went to Calvin Harris, a spot he’s been occupying for the last six years, with estimated earnings of $48 million.
The rest of them on the list, the top fifteen, earned more than $10 million each. With that amount of haul, it’s not hard to imagine the costs that come with pulling off great shows and being part of the techno glory. A beginner’s rig includes a turntable, CDs or vinyl records, mixer, controller, cartridges, a laptop, and software and audio interface. You’ll need additional accessories and equipment for your basic setup, like headphones, cables, slipmats, as you move forward with your career.
Cleaning Your Gear
Whether you’ve been doing it for quite some time or you’re just starting out, you can never get your hands on that rather-large seven-digit-figure, DJ-millionaire pie unless you learn to push your gear to maximum performance. You can only do that if you do your part in cleaning and maintaining them. No matter how expensive your gear is, they don’t have an autocleaning feature. Before gunk and grime affect their capability to transport audiences into bump-and-grind mode, here are a few cleaning tips you need to remember and make a habit of doing before, during, and after each gig:
Know Your Fibers, and Use Them Well
Cloths have different textures and functions. If you want to wipe away the dirt on any surface, you can use any soft fabrics. The fibers in them can absorb moisture coming from sweat and get rid of the gunk. But don’t forget that they don’t actually pick up filth; they can only push them down so you would have to tilt your gear to a specific position in which the dirt can come out from an opening. When dealing with sensitive equipment, those with glass or LED screens, or those that are prone to hairline scratches, you need to use cleaning cloths with microfiber. They are more efficient in picking up dust and other kinds of gunk, including those with oily textures. Make sure that you wash and clean your microfibers before using them again on another surface as they have the tendency to absorb.
Invest in Stands
You can also extend the overall lifespan of your equipment by investing in stands and air compressors. Stands can elevate your gear while you are in a gig, which will lessen the chances of them absorbing dirty elements. Laptops screens and keyboards are susceptible to sweaty palms and liquor droplets during events. The more elevated these gadgets are the fewer chances of getting more action from the crowd. They also work well on clubs or venues that don’t have a sturdy booth where you can fit your setup.
Air Compressors Are Your Best Friends Hard-to-reach compartments in your gear are better off with air compressors. Faders, jog wheels, gaining knobs, and other parts of your controllers have the most sensitive areas that are prone to breakage. Adding a snooze will help you get the dirt out on those tight spaces. Specks of dust stay longer in oily surfaces. And if you don’t get them cleaned or if they pile up on certain parts deep enough, it may cause them to insulate and make them prone to overheating. Unless you are confident enough to open up your gear’s casing, best to rely on air compressors and leave the peering inside task to the pros. Though you can only do so much with surface cleaning, better to stick with it than to cause permanent damage to your gear and end up buying another set.
Protecting Your Gear
The best practices start with consistency. If you want to get the maximum performance from your gear at all times, you need to develop standard handling procedures. As you work on building and adding up to your DJ crates from your own pocket, start with these money-saving steps. Get an Extended Warranty for Your Gear There’s probably a local store near you that sells the gear you’ve been keeping an eye out for. But there aren’t many physical stores out there where you can buy everything you need in one go. Chances are, you’ll probably end up purchasing your gear piecemeal and online. Buying online gives you the benefit of convenience. Factor in the logistics, handling, shipment, and not to mention, force majeure, the best form of protection you can give to your gear is getting an extended warranty, if possible. You’ll get more than convenience for your Owned DJ equipment when you purchase extended warranties.
You can get instant access to expert advice from your vendor’s support team. If anything happens to them, you can file for claims or have them replaced or repaired by professionals. This kind of protection can give you that blanket of security and the peace of mind that you deserve so you can focus on pouring your energy in doing what you do best. Don’t Let Anyone in the Booth Not to sound like a party pooper, but if the choice is between keeping your gear dry and safe from spillage and ruin or choosing to carry on with that epitome of cool DJ vibe and let rum-Coke-sipping people in, that’s a risk you’ll have to take on your own accord. Risking boring in this scenario is way better than suffering the consequences later. DJ gear is both metallic and electronic—you should always keep it far from liquid forms whatever the situation may be. Make Sure You’re Always Packing Packing means precisely that—keep your gear packed. Don’t ever leave your equipment out in the open. If you can carry them with you, like in thief-resistant backpacks, that would be much better.
Remember that your pieces of equipment have exposed compartments on them that are vulnerable without any kind of proofing. Also, most of them are not shockproof, so if anyone passes by and accidentally trips them over on your booth, there’s no coming back from that. You won’t know what the damages are unless you test them out and observe the difference. Always Leave Your Gear in a Secure Place If there’s a locker at your gig venue or a place where you can temporarily store your gear, make sure it’s 100 percent secure. Your equipment comes with a price, and if you lose them, you’ll have to start again from scratch, which will cost you even more money. You have to be absolutely sure that your gear will not become a target by some Random facts onlooker. Exercising discreetness and keeping your equipment out of the public’s eye by putting them in reliable DJ bags or storage units are the best way to go. Maintaining a light paranoia when it comes to your gear is, in a way, beneficial for your future as a DJ.
Get Ready with Your Smash Hit
To slowly climb your way up the money tree as a DJ, you need gear you can rely on to produce your best sound. Be smart when you choose your DJ gear; keep it at a minimum. Take only those that you absolutely need as you learn the ropes of the digital craft. And when you’ve done that, you need to do the work and make sure that you are knowledgeable about how to extend the life of your hard-earned investments and keep them producing professional electronic sound every time.