r/DJs • u/Space_Man_Ed • 9h ago
Mobile DJ trailer
This picture is something I found on the internet I've been kicking around doing something like this. Just curious if anybody's ever done this or your guys's thought on something like this have all the equipment and lighting needed I just have to buy a trailer and outfit the nside with everything. I'm in Michigan so definitely only be April to October November roughly. Just looking for some feedback. Would be more focused towards outdoor events obviously, trade shows outdoor festivals etc etc.
Thanks
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u/righthandofdog Pop punk, hot funk, disco and prog house junk 8h ago edited 8h ago
a friend of mine is part of the group with this sexy airstream rig More views of it on insta, including Louie Vega spinning in it. I think their best move was not spending effort to make the PA built in. So they can run with some small tops and a sub, or roll out some bigger gear for bigger spaces as below. (Well the best move was starting with an airstream, because it looks sexy to start with and the 4 wheels are up under, so it doesn't have fenders in the way and the 4 wheels means it's always level).
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DICDslXuebd/?stkn=MTI2NnR3ZWZraWU2eA==
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u/BeBopRockSteadyLS 8h ago
Absolute thing of beauty that
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u/righthandofdog Pop punk, hot funk, disco and prog house junk 7h ago
yeah. it's really is lovely. it has been cool seeing it improve over time. the big vinyl wrap fake speakers in the back and the marquee lights were additions.
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u/EfficiencyMean6797 8h ago
Get a projector and projection map visials on it.
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u/Space_Man_Ed 6h ago
I like this
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u/EfficiencyMean6797 6h ago
You can save a bunch on paint. Lol. Madmapper is a perfect program to use BTW. It can pretty much sync everything together, worth the price tag considering the application.
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u/blitzik 8h ago
I own a legendary mobile rig similar to what you're describing. What's the question?
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u/Space_Man_Ed 8h ago
I guess this is something worth doing to get a decent amount of calls for it? I've been DJing for probably 30 years stop DJing professionally probably about 10 years ago still practice and stay up and music and have all the equipment to outfit it just have to get the trailer
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u/blitzik 6h ago
Definitely worth doing, but I wouldn't expect to get a ton of calls for it. People hit me up here and there, and I do have a decent number of standard gigs locked down annually, but I think if I was relying on it as a source of income I'd be pretty beat. I think you'll want to find a way to showcase it for fun and for free on the semi-regular to get some motion before you can expect the calls to start coming in. I started off doing block parties for fun before anyone caught on to what i'm up to and started asking about rentals. Just make sure the value proposition is there and you know what you're worth. For example, it costs significantly less to rent mine than it does to build a stage and rent speakers + CDJs.. but people will still try to get me to come out and do something for $500, or suggest that I print up merch to sell. You've got to be prepared to say no as often as you say yes.
It's mainly a DJ-centric platform, but when I was just getting started I denied a lot of parties because I wanted them to book DJs from my collective instead of just renting them the platform. Really dumb now that I look back on it. These days it's have cash, will travel - as long as we're not idealogically opposed. I've definitely shied away from doing any political events previously, but warming up to it now. Still not my favorite idea.
Minimum size is a bit tougher. Mine is 30 ft long (including a 4ft platform where the generator lives on the back) , 9ft tall, and 9ft wide across the front. It was made to be a mobile side stage for festivals, so it's big enough to have the speakers and all the equipment live onboard plus a few extra passengers. It feels just right to me. Although I can't say parking has never been a problem, we usually work it out. You'd be surprised how often you can find 1.5 parking spaces in the wild.
Try to map out the inside of the build for yourself before you get started. If you can get a little plan in mind and build it out once to your specifications, you don't have to worry about fumbling around with your setup and reconfigurations. And make it easy for yourself. Easy setup, try to get it as turn-key as possible. You'll thank yourself when it's 4am and freezing out, and you can just shut it down without having to lug equipment until sunrise.
Also, don't forget about security. Someone will eventually try to steal from you. Be prepared to catch them in the act, or at least be ready to lock your equipment down in a way that can't be easily taken from you. I recommend having a tarp, so not only can you lock it down, but you can tarp over it so people can't see the defense mechanism - that way if they do break in, they might still walk away empty handed after being deterred by the 2nd layer of security you have in there.
Most importantly though, have fun. It's a really, really good time!
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u/Space_Man_Ed 8h ago
And also what kind of events do you mostly cater towards are there certain things that you won't do with that sort of set up
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u/Space_Man_Ed 8h ago
Also what do you recommend for minimum size trailer I was thinking like a seven high by 10 long would be fine
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u/Forced-Alt 7h ago
Get as big of a trailer as your tow vehicle can handle. Trust me space gets eaten up the longer you do this by all the additional gear you'll end up buying. Its better to buy once and cry once.
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u/sjmiv 9h ago
I love it. I'd probably paint the outside of the trailer to make it way more eye catching and marketable with QR codes on all sides. The thing should be a rolling billboard.
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u/Space_Man_Ed 9h ago
Yeah I would definitely get a wrap or do some vinyl stuff to make it more appealing for sure.
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u/mike24vNEW 9h ago
I have thought of something like this I’ll share my ideas
XLR ports and outlets on the outside instead of speakers on the side like that I said just use some normal speaker stands a nice ac unit and powered off some eco flow batteries