Cheap DJ’s vs. Professional DJ’s

When I get a phone call from a customer, most of the time I will be asked about availability and how much to perform at their event. I know a lot of people have no experience at hiring a DJ but there are some other things to consider.

1. I can almost guarantee that every professional DJ will supply you with a written contract confirming the booking. It should state the required information (venue, date, times, service’s etc) and a formal understanding of the service to be provided. If a DJ does not confirm a booking by contract, alarms bells should ring and you should run! Imagine the worst case scenario, the DJ does not make an appearance at your Wedding or other event and there is no contract to confirm that he should even be there, it would be your word against his! I have been called and rescued events for no-show DJ’s. Let me explain how this works. Mr. no-contract DJ books your event at $200 with no contract. He then books another event the same day as your for $300. He takes the higher paying event and you are left waiting for your no-show DJ. Make sure you always have a contract with your DJ.

2. You have to ask yourself would a DJ who charges so little money be able to afford quality DJ standard equipment, a professional light show and legal music. Now you may say to yourself, who cares if the music is legal or not but it is the quality of the music that suffers. The music may skip and most of the time downloaded music is low bit rate. The bit rate is the quality of the song(.mp3). When a song with a low bit rate is used it may sound fine in headphones and home stereos but play that same song in an amplified PA system there will be distortion. Also, since we are talking about equipment ask yourself this. Do you want your DJ showing up with home stereo equipment to your event. Yes, I have seen this! Will he have a large enough PA system if your event is large? Ask the DJ what equipment they will use for your event.

3. Here are some other things to consider. How long has your DJ been in business? Newer DJ’s may not be comfortable using a microphone. Ask them if they are. What experience do they have in doing your type of event? Do they help you in planning your wedding? I personally have a wedding worksheet that I send out to all my customers that breaks down all the events at their reception. Do they have the experience to create a timeline so all the activities at your event are coordinated with the other vendors at your event? For example, if the photographer at your reception is only hired for 3 hours, you have to make sure all formal dances and cake cutting is completed before the photographer leaves. Do you take requests? This is very important because it gets your guest involved at your event. What kind of music will he bring to your event and how much? Just because he has does not mean your DJ will bring it.

Speaking on behalf of all the professional DJ’s, we realize it is a privilege to be included in your event and take personal pride in helping to enhance that moment. Most of us automatically do what is possible to make sure your are very satisfied to thrilled with the job we do for you.

Steve Ney the DJ Guy

Using an Ipod instead of hiring a DJ

While this may sound like a good idea, there is a quite a few conditions you may have to deal with.

1.Newlyweds who try to save money by having an iPod provide their reception entertainment may be in for a rude awakening. Glitches and full blown technical difficulties that create temporary or permanent “dead air” (silence) are likely to occur. Preprogrammed song choices may not always connect with the crowd and volume levels may fluctuate wildly.

2.Trusting a “non-professional” to “keep an eye on the crowd’s mood.” This may sound very simple, but did you know that there is a science to what most DJ’s do, how they arrange song sets, and how they get both young and older guests on the dance floor?

3.You might think that you’re saving money by using your iPod, but unless you already own a great sound system, you’re going to have to rent one. Some of the equipment you will need to rent includes speakers, speaker stands, amplifiers, a subwoofer, cables and a mixer. In addition to the iPod you should have at least one backup iPod and probably a person to run the iPod and make sure no one messes with the equipment.

4.Lighting equipment is another important part to any event—without it you will have no ambience on the dance floor!

5.You will also need wireless microphones for toasts and speeches, otherwise the guests will be unable to hear these things and that will be very awkward. It’s hard to grab the attention of a crowd when your voice isn’t amplified.

6.When you do-it-yourself as a DJ, you will be responsible for moving all the equipment, setting it up, taking it down, and it is a lot of work! Do you know how to set up and take down DJ equipment and a PA system?

7.With an iPod, you don’t get the timing or beat-mixing and fading that a professional DJ does. This can lead to awkward moments on the dance floor as people have to stop dancing to wait for the next song. A professional DJ fades the songs together and makes sure the beat and the energy keeps going no matter what. An iPod can’t tell the mood of the crowd or know how to create atmosphere.

8.The DJ serves as a master of ceremonies of sorts—who are you going to get to fill this role? Without it, your wedding reception will be a disorganized mess. Some other things you get with a DJ are timing of different parts of the night—DJs coordinate with other vendors to ensure that things run smoothly throughout your entire event.The DJ serves as a master of ceremonies of sorts—who are you going to get to fill this role? Without it, your wedding reception will be a disorganized mess. Some other things you get with a DJ are timing of different parts of the night—DJs coordinate with other vendors to ensure that things run smoothly throughout your entire event.

9.Are you going to have all the songs that your guests from both sides of the familiy might request? No, of course not! They generally don’ t even know in advance what they will want to hear. And who is going to play those requests? Are you going to have silence while someone is searching the ipod for the song?

These just a few things to consider when planning your event.
Steve Ney the DJ Guy