A Beginners Dj Setup to Use Magic Visuals (at college)

[wsobeats]

Hello,

My son is a sophomore at Penn State. He is a startup DJ. He has used the Magic program during the summer when he worked with my music production company. I told him if he wants to blow up on campus --- he needs to become the DJ with light show. He's in college so he's broke. What is an el cheapo setup where he can take advantage of the Magic music visuals program? I will help him out but I'm trying to teach him how to run his own startup.

[TanookiMonk]

This is an awesome project and a also a very good question. It depends on how far he want to push magic to its limit. If i was you, I would consider asking him wich type of visuals he would like to make. That way maybe you could be able to prerender some more high details scene. And maybe if we could know a moreprecisely his needs we could approximate the strenght of the computer you need !

But hey, you are an amazing dad, keep going !

[Magic]

Does your son have a projector? Besides a computer, it's probably the most important thing. He could probably get a used one for a good price.

[wsobeats]

Does your son have a projector? Besides a computer, it's probably the most important thing. He could probably get a used one for a good price.

He has the computer. The projector is probably what I'm asking about. The size -- the cost --- what's the best style for a mobile DJ and do we just start looking on Amazon? Also if we get a projector --- I did start looking on Amazon. Do we just shine it off the wall? or do we need a screen setup as well? Or do you just shine the projector in the air?

[Magic]

do we just start looking on Amazon?

I'd suggest that he first look at local used listings such as Craigslist. That way he can go try out the projector and see if he likes it before he buys it. I wouldn't recommend a brand new one until he is familiar with how projectors work and what exactly he needs.

The size -- the cost --- what's the best style for a mobile DJ

When you're just starting, I wouldn't worry too much about size/cost. As long as it's light enough to carry around and bright enough in a dark room, an inexpensive used one will be fine.

Do we just shine it off the wall? or do we need a screen setup as well?

Yeah the wall is probably the best place to start. Also the cheapest .

If there's no wall to use, a screen of some kind would be necessary. But a good cheap solution is a white bedsheet.

[tomwhite]

For the beginning even a used beamer from ebay will do. But before you buy, be sure to check the cost of the replecement lamps! They might cost you more than the beamer itself if you take the wrong choice
I can highly recommend the Acer H6517ST (I´ve got two of them and use them regularly in all kinds of different locations).
It´s a short distance model that´s highly flexible in use and has a good light output for its price.
Recently I threw my visuals on a 100m² white ceiling (with both beamers routed through an HDMI-splitter) and the crowd loved it.
Anyway, I wish you both good luck for your startup and most of all, have fun!

[mikeymalone]

I would also suggest looking at some of the LED projectors that are available on Amazon, etc. While the entry level ones aren't great for text-oriented presentation, they are perfectly suitable for visuals/movies. I picked up one for about $100 and it works great for displaying visuals on the wall. In a dark rook it caries well, in a brighter room it passes, but isn't ideal. The trade-off with costs is the actual lumens the projects puts out.