need help

[daripper]

I have a gig in oct. the venue holds about 375 ppl, there will also be a dj there. My current set up is a 400 watt fender bassman head or a hartke 3500a head and a 2x12 4ohm avatar cab. the band im playing with has a keyboard player, drummer, percussion, and 3 singers. I know the dj has several speakers and amps including subwoofers, problem is we dont have a mixer board. I do have one that i can get hold of but it only has 10 channels. My first question is should i even try to run through a board with a venue that size or will my rig surfice. Secondly how could run the dj and the instruments i need?

[GregShadoan]

Yup. Hire a sound guy, who has a console,wire and mic pack, and let him do that work for ya. That's what I would do anyways.

[tobie]

Originally Posted by GregShadoan

Hire a sound guy ... and let him do that work for ya

++1

[MNAirHead]

As a first gig, the replies above are solid.

Dumb question.. have you gotten approval from Mr DJ to use his gear and/or a budget.

I'd hate to read a "first gig.. forgot the PA" thread.

Your first gig shoud be soley focused on ignoring mistakes, smiles, eye contact and groove (and just getting through it.)

[Stumbo]

Note: sometimes it's helpful to breakdown your facts/observations:

Originally Posted by daripper

I know the dj has several speakers and amps including subwoofers, problem is we dont have a mixer board.

I do have one that i can get hold of but it only has 10 channels.

My first question is should i even try to run through a board with a venue that size or will my rig surfice.

Secondly how could run the dj and the instruments i need?

IME, your first gig is not the place to test any type of PA equipment, especially if you have no experience in setting up/running FOH.

You also didn't state if you have microphones/stands, DI's, cables, snakes and such. I assume you don't. Unless you're planning on doing a lot of gigging, it won't be worth buying all the equipment you need to run a proper setup. Learning to run it properly is a different matter all together.

IMO, attempting to integrate a mixer you don't own/have experience running with a DJ's setup(amps/speakers) is a recipe for disaster. The DJ knows his/her equipment. If I was the DJ and someone approached me with this type of proposition I'd veto it. Especially since you want to use the DJ's amps and speakers with an unknown mixer.

However, maybe the DJ is also a sound "guy" and can run FOH for you. Maybe he has a mixer/mics available. I'd call and ask.

If not, +1 on hiring a PA/sound guy because unless you get someone experienced FOH, your audience won't appreciate an amateur attempt at running the PA from the stage, first gig or not.

Good luck on your gig.

[Stingray5]

First of all, IS this your first gig? What about the rest of the band? Who booked the gig?

Next, what is this venue? You say it holds 374 people, will there be that many people there? Is it a club? Does anyone know if they already have a sound system and soundman?

Either way, it sounds like your current setup should be sufficient for stage volume, and you'll need to go thru a sound system with subs for FOH. If the venue does not have a sound system, based on your post my opinion is you MUST hire a soundman. You mention a DJ with speakers and that mixer.. but is it even a powered mixer? Don't take any chances..