Dj's United > Gon missing

chrissyp

Dec 26 2003, 11:57 PM

We have been doing a regular weekly Karaoke at our local David Lloyd Leasure center.
We were booked for Christmas eve, so had aranged to store some equipment on site ready for Wednesday.
We turned up at about 7pm to find most of the stuff was missing. Worst thing was it was seen at 6.40pm intact by a staff member.
You guesed it, it was taken from a secure area.
4- Ohm RW3's Studiomaster Mixer/amp, 2 Lights and a bunch of CD's.
With no time to arange replacements, we had to pull out.
Christmas eve, a bar full of people and no music.. Bad ****..

This was taken from north London, so you get the picture.. If any one hears of anything going two cheape..an E-mail would be good

PS we need to replace the said items with similar, so if any one has or knows of any thing then please help. Same E-mail or post here.

Thanks...

ChrissyP..

mp3dj

Dec 27 2003, 12:12 AM

worse possibly thing is to have your cd's stolen.i own a bunch (well alot) of mastermix cd's, and as you may know these once been realeased for a few months are extreamly hard 2 replace. stealing my equipment would get me well

off, but stealing my cd's would put me out of business.

Loz

Dec 27 2003, 12:46 AM

Yeh I got a double cd nicked on Xmas Eve, the annoying thing as well was I hadn't even taken it out the bag!!

C.S

Dec 27 2003, 02:27 AM

Sorry to hear the bad news .What else can i say? Hope you get it all back.

chrissyp

Dec 27 2003, 11:22 AM

Thanks guy's but I cant see me getting it back. It would be a miracle if it's found, the old bill never even came out. Only good thing is I only lost a bundle of chart singles, I had all my music and 300 Karaoke disks in the car with me.
It was'nt a fun night, all the music and nought to play it on..

Never mind. Still open to offers of equipment...

Thanks again, ChrissyP..

Eskie

Dec 27 2003, 12:19 PM

QUOTE (chrissyp @ Dec 26 2003, 11:58 PM)

We have been doing a regular weekly Karaoke at our local David Lloyd Leasure center.

4- Ohm RW3's Studiomaster Mixer/amp, 2 Lights and a bunch of CD's.

This was taken from north London, so you get the picture.. If any one hears of anything going two cheape..an E-mail would be good

Is this the David Lloyds in Bushey/Watford?

You mention 2 lights; what type of lights were they? Do you know the serial numbers of any of the missing eqpt? I also live in north London (NW to be precise) and I know a lot of DJ's in north & west London so give me the details and I'll mention it to a few people. With a little luck maybe one of us will hear something

Chrispy

Dec 27 2003, 12:33 PM

QUOTE

the old bill never even came out

Well they wouldn't would they!....too many motorists to catch

This is the 2nd person who has had gear stolen in as many weeks please take care of your gear it is the tools of your trade and without them you are screwed!.

I hear (with horror) stories of D.J's here leaving gear, laptops and CD's set up and unattended at a venue for Days, this is asking for trouble, and leaving staff at the venue to keep an eye on it, is like putting Jaws in charge of a swimming pool, there can be just as much thieving going on from the inside as from the general public, who can vouch for the honesty of staff these days?, a police check is not needed to become a waitress or bar staff!.

Leaving gear set up for days is an open invitation, as is leaving it unattended even for 30 mins whilst you go to "freshen up", they say a thief can break into a car in 15 seconds, it won't be much of a challenge to swipe a laptop or a box of CD's.

Don't get me wrong, I do have sympathy for people in this situation, but what annoys me is that it so easily could have been avoided. You wouldn't leave your car doors open and key in the ignition in the car park, yet D.J's often leave £1000's of gear unattended in a public building without a single thought!.

My advice? - TRUST NO ONE!. If you must leave your gear at a venue, pack it away and insist that it goes into a locked storage room. Management telling you that only they have access to the function room between functions is a LIE!. Management do not clean tables and hoover up so that room will be open for hours in the morning!. And ALWAYS take your cd collection with you, whatever the storage arrangement!.

Always take out insurance - £130 a year is a bargain if you need to replace £5000 of gear in a rush!. If you can afford Pioneer Cd Players and top end gear you CAN afford the premium to protect it!.

Security mark all of your gear!. A UV pen costs £1 and may mean that if the police miles away ever recover the gear they can return it to you. Many dealers routinely check 2nd hand gear for UV marking before it's re-sold and using dealers is often the only way that thieves can offload stolen Disco Equipment - it is specialised equipment after all. Not many people have a use for PA Speakers and a Dual CD Player!. Mark it clearly with your house number and postcode - i.e (4) DE32 4TY

Don't leave your gear in an unlocked vehicle - even when paying for petrol make sure that your doors are locked. When travelling make sure that the rear door is also locked you'd be amazed at what can be stolen in seconds when waiting at traffic lights

Keep serial numbers and photographs of gear in case the worst should happen

If you hire gear out, or work in a high risk area, then consider asset marking your equipment with a Custom TAG which cannot be removed. These can be obtained from HERE

Consider "Smartmarking" your equipment. This is a unique DNA based product which is brushed on to each piece of equipment. More information can be found HERE

Ian Stewart

Dec 27 2003, 03:29 PM

Chris,

I agree with you, never leave equipment set up in a venue, a few years ago i was working at a particular venue, and on this particular day I had a lunch time & evening in the same room.

in the break between the 2 gigs, (about 3 hours) i went home to get changed haver a shower etc, up returning my amp had been nicked from the venue, nobody new anything about it of course, this was in a room that people were walking in & out of the whole time.

so never leave your equipment, even fo0r the shortest period of time

Chrispy

Dec 27 2003, 03:47 PM

Hotels often take on temporary staff over busy periods such as Xmas, often in a hurry with not even a reference check, let alone a police one!. Staff turnover in the hospitality industry is huge!, so don't think that just because you have known the manager or worked at a venue for years that your gear is safe, you may as well leave it all on offer at the local bus stop.

Sadly, all to often you find out, all about misplacing your trust the hard way, when gear goes walkies. So no matter how tempting it is to leave the gear overnight, either take it with you, or be 100% certain that it will be in a room locked and secure at all times with no staff or public wondering in/out.

As Ian as mentioned - hotels are often open and accessible 24/7 with large numbers of people wondering about. Nobody has ever questioned what business I was doing there, when I have literally walked in and made my way to the function areas, I could be anybody upto anything!. I have even passed hotel security carrying my own gear and never once been questioned - and why would I be?, it would be safe to assume that somebody carrying a Speaker was "The D.J" or employed by him / her, although it could also be somebody legging it with your expensive gear!.

The day I trust an hotel to chaperone my gear between gigs would be the day when they stop their own towels from being stolen!

Shaun M

Dec 27 2003, 10:27 PM

Also at the end of the night when de-rigging your setup, make sure you have a roadie or a friend inside the venue watching your stuff while you take your equipment to your van/car. Dont leave your stuff un-attended in a venue.

chrissyp

Dec 27 2003, 11:58 PM

Dont mean to snap back but I'v been doing this place for two years. Oh and it's Enfield, the one with the bowling center. all the equipment was in a secure area, only no one thought to tell me that the maintenance man had had his keys stolen the day before

Missing, Studiomaster 600 Amp/mixer (with four knobs missing)

Four Ome-RW3's speakers

Two Fantisy lights and one large bowl fronted light (dont know what
it's called)

One pile of chart singles CD's

If any one hears anything please let me know,

Thanks Chris..

Ian Stewart

Dec 28 2003, 12:18 PM

i understand, but my equipment was in a "secure area" but things change very quickly in these hotels, so now the only secure are is with me, I learnt the hard way.

if you need some equipment, Sharons PA is available

Chrispy

Dec 28 2003, 02:19 PM

QUOTE

Dont mean to snap back but I'v been doing this place for two years.

I'm not having a go. More of a let your own bad experience serve as a warning to others, so at least some good can come from your misfortune. However you missed that point in my post or the way in which it was written.

Obviously the hotel doesn't share your concern about your gear, if they had, then they would have alerted you to the security risk regarding the stolen keys, when there was still time!. However in common with most hotels...not our gear, not our responsibility....not our problem.

mp3dj

Dec 28 2003, 02:52 PM

wouldnt it of been a good idea to stay with youe gear? and not leave it alone for anyone to take it.

YourBigEvent

Dec 28 2003, 04:57 PM

Guilty of all the above.

Shaun M

Dec 28 2003, 06:41 PM

I have had only three CD's nicked before since I started Dj'ing at the age og 15. Im now 20. Im waiting for that day!

Dj_Kray

Dec 28 2003, 10:58 PM

Well i really hope something turns up the only thing i can add to the above is that its a sad sad world that the only real advice we can give is not to trust anybody but it is true.

Titan

Dec 30 2003, 07:40 PM

hello all ....

to give a little bit of humour (but also annoyance)

the other day i was in town buying cabling for my rig.

i stoped off at HMV to buy a cd.

i put my bags down in order to get to my wallet, and when i was ready to go, the bags were gone.

the end result, me having to march back to radio shack and pick up yet MORE cabling to replace the stolen ones.

i mean ... who would want to steal CABLING?????

oh well

take care

paula

Dec 31 2003, 08:30 AM

Radio Shack!!!

Wernt they Tandys? thought they'd gone

Gary

Dec 31 2003, 01:08 PM

The original advice about never leave anything, anywhere, at anytime, under any circumstances, for any reason, is ideal advice for 99% of DJ's, 99% of the time.

Occasionally, you will however get ideal situations. Although I lock my (still to large) collection of old vinyls away in a cupboard to which I have the only keys (I know this, since I was invited to buy the padlocks) and keep my 200CD case even more securely, I dont have any qualms/concerns over leaving my gear set up in the main function room of the hotel which I've been resident DJ at for 6 or 7 years now, and even longers for the same manager at his previous hotel.

Hotels are often given huge responsibilities with regards to valuable items, eg: the huge stack of Bride and Grooms presents etc,etc. It obviously varies from one venue to another how secure they run things. CCTV coverage also puts off wouldbe pilferers.

The only items that have ever gone walkies from my equipment over the years, has been DURING a gig. I had several 7inch singles raised up diagonally (EG: I'd pulled them up, as they'd got requested) and someone took their pick of about 6 or 7 of those tracks, I think they were choosen for re-sale value: EG: Beatles: Yesterday, Beatles: Twist and Shout etc.. also taken: Cher: Shoop Shoop Song, B52's: Love shack, Brian Adams: Everything I do....

Also, my Grease wig went walkies after someone playfully pulled it off my head and started wearing it (the wig, not my head)...this was fine until the trail got diluted by someone else pulling it off of the first persons head etc,etc....

Notice, all the lifted tracks were from artists starting "A" "B" or "C"...? Well, thats because my record table at the gig was to the side of (and flush to) the disco frontage, 90degrees onto the dancefloor...the A, B and C row of 7inch singles was within easy reach. I have a persepx panel which prevents such thieving now.

If you're not 100 (and 10%) sure of the security at a venue, then by all means take everything with you. If you've worked a venue for a while and get the feeling that security is tight enough for your needs, then you can make the decision.

stevemarshall

Jan 1 2004, 04:00 PM

QUOTE (Gary @ Dec 31 2003, 02:09 PM)

The original advice about never leave anything, anywhere, at anytime, under any circumstances, for any reason, is ideal advice for 99% of DJ's, 99% of the time.

Occasionally, you will however get ideal situations. Although I lock my (still to large) collection of old vinyls away in a cupboard to which I have the only keys (I know this, since I was invited to buy the padlocks) and keep my 200CD case even more securely, I dont have any qualms/concerns over leaving my gear set up in the main function room of the hotel which I've been resident DJ at for 6 or 7 years now, and even longers for the same manager at his previous hotel.

Hotels are often given huge responsibilities with regards to valuable items, eg: the huge stack of Bride and Grooms presents etc,etc. It obviously varies from one venue to another how secure they run things. CCTV coverage also puts off wouldbe pilferers.

The only items that have ever gone walkies from my equipment over the years, has been DURING a gig. I had several 7inch singles raised up diagonally (EG: I'd pulled them up, as they'd got requested) and someone took their pick of about 6 or 7 of those tracks, I think they were choosen for re-sale value: EG: Beatles: Yesterday, Beatles: Twist and Shout etc.. also taken: Cher: Shoop Shoop Song, B52's: Love shack, Brian Adams: Everything I do....

Also, my Grease wig went walkies after someone playfully pulled it off my head and started wearing it (the wig, not my head)...this was fine until the trail got diluted by someone else pulling it off of the first persons head etc,etc....

Notice, all the lifted tracks were from artists starting "A" "B" or "C"...? Well, thats because my record table at the gig was to the side of (and flush to) the disco frontage, 90degrees onto the dancefloor...the A, B and C row of 7inch singles was within easy reach. I have a persepx panel which prevents such thieving now.

If you're not 100 (and 10%) sure of the security at a venue, then by all means take everything with you. If you've worked a venue for a while and get the feeling that security is tight enough for your needs, then you can make the decision.

couple of tips re leaving stuff at venues......

1/ Don't after all its your work tools, no tools no work....
2/ Always pack up your CDs and Microphone/headphones first, they are the first things people look to pinch(always keep your boxes locked with padlocks!)
3/ never ever let a client/punter look through your CD/LP/12" collection, whilst you are cueing up another song, half your collection is on the move...
before you leave the venue check you have packed up everything of yours:)

smiles much safer that way:)

CK`s

Jan 29 2004, 05:25 PM

It can be difficult not to leave stuff set up, we have a lot of gigs in working mens clubs, social clubs and conservative/labour clubs.

The stewards area a strange lot, and usually you cant get in til 7pm and some of the functions start at 7 or 730, this doesnt give you any timne to set up, they do usually have a couple of hours in the day when they open for set up, so you have to leave your stuff and the ones we have done have been upstairs with locked rooms, I have however been known to sit outside in the car for two hours so that I can see if anyone is nicking the stuff.

We usually only leave the DJ stand though, as everyhting else is fairly quick to put up, so we end up with the DJ stand with its front cloth and sign and the two speaker stands set up ready to go.

As for loading unloading the van etc, theres two of us, and we are well rehearsed in marshalling the equipment, we move it all to the door with one of with it at all times then I load the van while my mate passes the stuff to me.