Top 5 accessories a DJ should bring to gigs.

Being prepared for a gig is a priority a DJ must always make, as sometimes circumstances are beyond one’s control. Here are 5 accessories a DJ should own for gigs.

5. 1/4th Headphone Adapters

I cannot count the number of times (okay, maybe twenty or so) that I have needed to buy the 1/4th headphone adapters, especially after losing so many at gigs. Whether this is from a fellow DJ asking to borrow an adapter, to my niece adding it to her treasure box, missing adapters is a problem myself and I’m sure many other DJs have dealt with.

1/4th Headphone adapters can be purchased in bulk quantities on sites such as eBay, and are relatively cheap in price.

4. RCA/Optical Cables.

Expensive equipment such as CDJs and Controllers require audio and digital cables, which are then connected to the mixer. A common occurrence is the cables failing or breaking during a DJ set. Packing your own cables circumvents this problem, but remember to not forget your cables after you are done with your set. Unless of course you feel like staying around and letting the promotion borrow your cables.

3. Duplicate Flash Drive

Flash Drives

The wonderful advancement of DJ technology within the past decade has been tremendous, with equipment becoming cheaper and smaller yet technologically advanced. Gone are the days of lugging heavy crates of records to gigs, and this is now replaced by small flash drives that can easily store up to 1000 songs.

Most CDJs need one flash drive for your songs to be played on, and an ethernet cable to connect two or more CDJs together so you can share your musical library amongst the decks. But if the ethernet cable isn’t working, then what do you do? That’s where having a duplicate flash drive comes in handy, and this has saved my sets on more than one occasion. You can’t always rely on a nightclub on having equipment that is maintained, so making sure you have a flash drive copy of your songs is a preparation well worth getting used to.

2. Spare Headphones

Headphones are an absolute necessity for DJing, but unfortunately sometimes they break, as the everyday wear and tear does add up. If your headphones do break during your set, then you have a very big problem. A spare pair of headphones will alleviate this problem, and you’ll never know when your current headphones will break, be stolen, etc.

1. Toilet Paper

While this may seem like a joke entry, I highly recommend having an extra roll of toilet paper with you at all times. I have been to many venues that didn’t have toilet paper, and one must always be hygienic especially when dealing with venues with unsanitary bathrooms. Having hand sanitizer and tissue paper can be beneficial as well.

I have encountered these problems many times during my career, and owning these 5 accessories will help you to not only be prepared for your gigs, but will make your DJ life much more problem-free. #djtips #djaccessories