best bet is to try and scope out the dj booth early. i always bring a set of RCA to XLR cables, 2 extra 3ft RCAs and a surge protector. Sometimes they come in handy othertimes they take up space. i also take 2 volume control knobs just incase they are missing from the house mixer...lol. I've been made fun of for that, but when Victor Calderone came to town and i was playing next door and he needed one, guess who had one
the most important thing is if your playing after another DJ to let him know your there. introduce yourself, let them know what you need to setup and ask when would be a good time to invade their space to hook up your kit. Don't just go in there and start messing around while they are playing especially if they haven't noticed you yet. there is nothing worse than some dude coming up and just pushing his way into what i'm doing... wait a minute! lol
you can always ask the Dj if there is anything special about the mixer if your not familiar with it or recommended levels you should keep. most Djs are happy to help.
if your on your own and your the only DJ i suggest getting there early plugging everything in and doing a quick sound check. keep the volume low at first do a walk around and make sure everything is sounding ok. as people come in raise your gains a click at a time. maybe once you get a few clicks up take another quick lap and make sure its not ear piercing... you can usually tell though.
i hope this helps a bit.
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