How to Be a Mobile DJ: The Essential Gear You Need
Great mobile DJ gear from Denon DJ, Electro-Voice, Soundboks, and more!
Trying to figure out how to be a mobile DJ? Start here with advice on controllers, speakers, lighting, and more.
How to Be a Mobile DJ
How to Be a Mobile DJ: The Gear You Need
Is there any more noble profession than mobile DJ? I’m being very serious here. Everyone wants to be the superstar DJ, dropping bangers from a raised DJ booth at the front of the club. But the mobile DJ? No one’s paying attention to them. They’re just there to make sure the people at the event are having a good time. And I think that’s beautiful.
If you’ve been wondering how to be a mobile DJ, we can help you out with gear advice. (For legal stuff, like setting up a business and any permits you might need, you’ll have to check your local listings.) While we can’t recommend everything under the sun, here are five recommendations for pieces of gear that you’ll need to get started: a standalone controller, speakers, lighting, a microphone, and a DJ table. Think of these as starting points. You can always get more of anything – and if you find yourself booked for a really big gig, don’t forget that you can hire gear too.
OK, let’s get started: here’s the gear you need if you’re wondering how to be a mobile DJ.
How to Be a Mobile DJ: Denon DJ PRIME GO+
Unless you’re planning to go old school and spin vinyl, you’re going to want some kind of a controller to play digital audio files. While you could opt for a low-cost controller and laptop setup, having a standalone device will make things much easier. Quick setup and teardown. No muss no fuss.
My choice for the best controller for a mobile DJ is Denon DJ’s PRIME GO+. Fully standalone, this battery-powered device lets you set up anywhere you need to provide music for an event: a park, outdoor space, even a disused warehouse if you’re feeling renegade enough.
As mobile DJs need access to all the hits, PRIME GO+ has Wi-Fi and supports streamers like Amazon Music and Tidal. Of course, you can also play music from your own collection using tracks and playlists stored on an SD card or USB drive.
You also get two nice jog dials, effects, a multi-gesture screen, and even a Day Mode for outdoor events in bright sunlight.
How to Be a Mobile DJ: Electro-Voice EVERSE 8
Along with your battery-powered controller, you’re probably going to want similarly powered PA speakers. That’s where the EVERSE 8 from Electro-Voice come in. The long-running company’s first foray into battery-powered speakers, they offer eight-inch woofers with the company’s SST waveguide technology, plus one-inch titanium dome tweeters and 400 watts of Class-D amplifier power with an SPL of 121dB.
You also get an onboard four-channel Dynacord digital mixer, 12 hours-plus of battery life, stereo Bluetooth streaming if you need to run to the bathroom and want to pipe in your phone, wireless stereo connection between two units, and two XLR/jack combo jacks and one 3.5mm mini jack input. Available in black and white colors.
Not sold on the EVERSE 8’s? Check out this article on the best battery-powered speakers for DJs for other options.
- Electro-Voice EVERSE 8 homepage
- More about Electro-Voice
How to Be a Mobile DJ: Soundboks Lightboks
So you’ve got a controller and speakers. The next step in how to be a mobile DJ is lighting. This can get as extravagant as you are rich, but if you need something clever that will get the job done and not take up a lot of space, check out Lightboks from Soundboks.
Essentially an LED spotlight, Lightboks comes to life when you start playing music. The built-in microphone listens to your selection and synchronizes light shows to the beat. Pretty cool. It also offers different levels of intensity, it has an app for deeper control, and you can pair multiple Lightboks together for in-sync displays. And of course it’s battery powered, with up to 13 hours of operation per charge.
How to Be a Mobile DJ: Shure SM58
Some club DJs like to get on the mic, some don’t. However, if you’re a mobile DJ, you can bet that making announcements is part of the gig. With that in mind, you’re going to need a decent microphone and one that can survive the dangers of the party. Your aunt Brenda can get pretty wild when she’s had a couple of glasses of wine, for sure.
While there are plenty of options out there, you can’t go wrong with the workhorse of the industry, the Shure SM58. Available in two models, switch and no switch, it has a frequency response tailored for vocals, a uniform cardioid pickup pattern for minimizing background noise, a pneumatic shock-mount system to cut down on handling noise, and a very rugged build.
And it’s cheap! Microphone problem solved. No more talking into your headphone cups, OK?
How to Be a Mobile DJ: Roadworx DJ Table
Lastly, how about a nice DJ table to put all your fancy new gear on?
Roadworx makes a variety of affordable, sturdy and lightweight tables to put your controller and other stuff on. Many come with covers for creating an air of mystery, and you can add on shelves later as you need.
So now you know how to be a mobile DJ. All you need are some gigs. Good luck!
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