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My 2025 Wedding DJ Setup Breakdown

The Wedding DJ Setup Through My Eyes

This kind of blog post and video I started some years back, with the last one being filmed in 2019, another in 2022. There has been a lot of changes through each phase, and some things that have stayed the same. This is how I do events in 2025 (any beyond).

There are a lot of things to consider when building out your Mobile DJ rig. I know personally since I have tried out a whole lot of options from controllers to coffins to big rolling cases. My brain is constantly working overtime to find better ways to store, transport, and setup for weddings. Through all the concepts, all the purchases, through all the doubting and reassurances; I have been most satisfied with keeping things modular, pre-wired, and ready to setup and strike as quickly as possible.

This blog post is a summarization of all the equipment for the video above. Some items are no longer available from what I use so I’ve updated to a modern equivalent in the video (noted in each item). I’m putting this all in the order that you see in the video (or should see if I accidentally skipped over something).

A Note On My Sources

Yes you will see a lot of links in here for NLFX Professional. I have had an incredible experience with Ben Stowe and company over the years and they have earned every penny I can afford them.

No where else will you find the expertise and actual partnership in helping to build and grow your company.

They are there to help your business, not just upsell or sell you things that you don’t need or can’t afford. They will take the time to hear what your use cases are and formulate options to consider and exercise on.

So give Ben, Kat, Linnea, Kyle, and the crew your time. 🙂

Ben Stowe / NLFX

The Big Breakdown

These are all links and pricing as of May 3rd, 2025. Given the potential of tariffs, changing products, and the like, they may change by the time you read this.

Cameras

I used to just bring one camera to an event, but I have found more and more a single angle through the night gets a little stale. So I have bumped up my count to two, one at the booth and one on a stick that grabs an angle typically from the opposite angle.

For the ZV1, I can record in 4K or better so I can crop my shots, I can record till the battery dies or when my card gets full, it’s very lightweight, and it has great low-light performance with its 1″ sensor.

For my booth cam I just included the Osmo Pro 3 to the mix. It too has a 1″ sensor to grab low-light shots. It’s a gimble so it helps to stabilize when I want to go on the move. And for this year I want to try to snag more “in the crowd” shots when I can. I’ve tried it with other solutions before but they were a bit clunky. This really seems to simply the process some.

Sony ZV1 and Osmo Pro 3

Trailer

I have gone back and forth on debating on a trailer, but now after a few trips I am very very happy with the choice. I may not be happy with the current pricing of things in 2022 but it is what it is. I selected a 5×8′ trailer one because of the maximum width I could accommodate in my driveway but also a 5×10′ would have taken months to come in. You can see my video on the breakdown of this.

In 2025 I made a modest change and added a hinged door plate.

Vehicle

And while I am certainly not happy with 2022 prices in the car market, the whole reason for the trailer was that I couldn’t find a suitable replacement for my 2011 Town & Country minivan that was just getting past it’s life. So I sucked it up and leased a 2022 Honda Passport. I am actually very happy with the car, just not the price. It also took over 2 months to get the proper towing parts for it.

  • Vehicle: 2022 Honda Passport Elite + Tow Package: $55,000 (2022)

Security

A quick note on security. Security is always a deterrent and never some guarantee. So just remember that you are trying to combat theft at different levels. If a thief really wanted to steal stuff from the trailer there are ways to avoid locks and all. But that being said it’s ideal to deter people from stealing as much as possible.

I decided on Proven Industries puck locks. They are difficult to pick, the are durable but light, and overall seem to be the best of the best right now.

Batteries

I’ve invested in two battery solutions that helps me manage a combination of power needs to condition and plan for interruptions. They are still going very strong. And let’s not forget the other assortment of batteries that makes this all go as smoothly as possible.

UPS

The “Digital Boxes”

For many years now I have ran a combination of a digital mixer, Mics, and IEM and this year is no different. I have flirted with times going with larger 10U rolling cases, but modularity reigns supreme and I went back to my SKB shallow cases.

I’ve built these out to be interchangeable so if push comes to shove and something inside a box does not work, I have a fallback always on hand.

Wireless Mics

Microphones are such a critical aspect to my services that I do not take any shorts. After having an embarrassing ceremony very early in my wedding career made the plunge into Sennheiser G3 microphones. And while they were still in great shape I wanted to reduce the density in my cases and have 8 channels in a single box ready to go. The Sennheiser EW-DX was the absolute route to go, making a single 8-channel box and another 2-channel box for my reception needs. And if at any time I need more channels at reception, or expand up to 10 channels, I have it on hand.

Oh and why a 3U rack and not a 2U? I still had a 3U not used from an older project. Recycle, reuse!

Wireless Kit Accessories

I love organization. Maybe it’s my ADHD brain, or maybe it’s because one day I lost a $500 IEM pack. But I want to make sure at a glance I know what is in my cases, and what is not. As Alton Brown would say “organization will set you free”

Cart

It’s sad to report my original Muver6/AMG 750 finally caught some flat spots on it’s smaller wheels and had to be retired. But no worries, I replaced it with the AMG 750 All-Terrain with even bigger tires to navigate. Zero turn radius, solid, just works well. While I don’t have to collapse it anymore inside of the trailer it’s still good to know it can be done if needed.

AMG 750 All-Terrain

Primary Event Speakers

2024 was a very interesting year running the Speaker Shootout at the Harvest of Sound. This allowed me to hear for the first time (or anyone for that matter) the new lineup of “Skinny Speakers” from RCF, the NXL 14A along with it’s counterpart the 15AX sub. WOW what a combination this is at 4300W per stack. I teamed up with DJ Rachel and compared it to the new Evolve 70s and I ultimately decided to keep my 50s for smaller events and rock this new RCF lineup.

RCF NXL 14A + 15AX

Smaller Event Speakers

The EV Evolve 50 column arrays are still one great speaker. They have served me well as a primary speaker for 6 years and they will continue to serve as my speaker of choice for smaller events, more challenging load ins and the like.

EV Evolve 50s

Reinforcement Speakers

For my ceremony, cocktail, and dinner fills I have a trio of Maui 5 Gos that are perfect for my applications. Now take a note that the Maui 5 Gos now only come with a smaller battery option. Apparently LD Systems were getting hit hard with shipping costs with the total mAh of the original batteries. I now have the “100” version of this as my third speaker.

EV Everse 8

The Two Rigs

I spent many moons contemplating building my own rolling rig, and kept on stalling to make it. I was so worried about the precision needed to make sure everything fell into place properly. But lucky for me the Toadmatic Performancematic 43″ exists and it’s the perfect fit for my needs. It was small enough to even fit in my Town and Country when I had it, and of course has found a home in the new trailer.

I made some changes to the workspace of the Toad, crafting a surface out of sandy pine and adding a custom connection panel from NLFX.

And let’s not forget that I also have the DIY booth at my disposal. Now I don’t use it nearly as much but it still is at the ready whenever I do need it, be it a difficult load in with something like stairs. Yes it would cost more to build now in 2022 than I did early on in 2021 when prices of lumber were just starting to rise. But it’s still a great investment and a unique asset in my arsenal.

  • Rig: The DIY Booth: $500-750 (today’s prices)

Keeping the Vinyl Feel

When the Rane One came out I was ecstatic and had to jump right on it and did an extensive review of it. And now that I have had it for some time, and even own a second unit, it’s safe to say that this thing is built like a tank. And yes even with the mk2 out I am still keeping my mk1s.

Laptops

I run a cycle of updating my primary laptop every few years and cycling my previous model as my single-purpose gig laptop for some time. I am in the middle of my cycle right now with all M-series MacBook Pros.

I definitely recommend and M-series because it will churn through STEMS like butter.16GB recommended minimums. And I’d stay away from the MacBook Air because they don’t have the same cooling capabilities as the MBPs.

MacBook Pro

Storage

Some years back I was relying on internal storage and managing a lean library of music with that while also managing a much larger external drive of songs. I got a bit tired of the micromanagement and after 86ing a bunch of older inferior rips of music over the years, re-ripping my entire CD collection to lossless, and some more management, I keep everything now on these SSDs. I also used symlinks in MacOS (you can do this in Windows as well) to store all my VDJ and Serato files on the external drive. So everything is always in sync on the drives.

Crucial X10 Pro

Cables & Panels & Bags

Virtually every single cable I have is a custom made cable from NFLX. With their beyond lifetime warranty and focus on craftsmanship and quality, honestly, I would not trust anyone else.

Backpacks

There is always the need to store all the loose things. Laptops, headphones, business cards, and the like. And for the past few years I have been very satisfied with the JetPack Remix.

Lighting

I’ve simplified my lighting offerings to straight up uplighting options with my ApeLabs Maxis. I wanted something with the same feel and consistency of my offerings and the Maxis truly feel like a premium product. At some point I will upgrade to the Maxi v2 Minis since they are just as bright as the Maxi v1s.

ApeLabs Maxi

Conclusion

So what does this do in the end? It allows me for super quick setup times and strikes. It helps to keep a uniform design so you always know what to expect. It allows me to swap out pieces as needed for repair. It allows me just a massive peace of mind and confidence in my services I offer.