When you meet you DJ, you’ll want a list of questions to ask. This way you’ll understand how this DJ operates and are they the right DJ for you. As your potential DJ, I’d encourage you to interview other DJ’s in the area. In fact, I’ll provide links and contacts to them. I want to be sure that we are compatible before booking. If we cannot provide the service that you seek, then we will encourage you to contract a DJ that can ensure your needs and vision
Understanding what a DJ is:
DJ’s have a strong understanding of music and crowds. There are many knowledgable musicians and radio DJ’s. The key here is they must also understand crowds. If they do not, they could easily play what they consider great music and leave your guest sitting at a table. There is a flair to understanding how people react to music. There is a sequence that experienced DJ’s understand and follow. Don’t pick a DJ who has a great depth of musical knowledge without understanding crowd motivation.
A DJ is a performer. They find speaking into a microphone and leading groups of people exciting and a pleasure. It does take years to develop this kind of confidence. Many feel sick at the thought of speaking into an amplified microphone in front of friends and family, Dj’s should feel elated. When DJ’s develop microphone skills, they slowly transition to become an Emcee.
Why do you need an Emcee too?
When DJ’s build a name, they will become a natural Emcee; hopefully you were referred to this site by a quality experience. As a DJ that has Emcee’d events of of 1400 guest, can contest, it’s not easy to speak clearly and articulately. It’s imperative that you have a DJ with experience who can handle announcements, conduct games or lead groups with poise and grace. This quality does come at a price. When you pay a lower premium, often you’re paying for less experience. Do you really want a DJ learning at your event?
DJ’s regardless of the contracted hours in a week DJ’s have a lot invested in their equipment (gear). This gear is incredibly expensive. For example one quality compact disc play will easily cost $700-$1,200. Multiply that by two and then look at the other gear. Case, mixers, amplifiers, equalizers, cables, speakers, stands, truss, lighting, computers will easily put the DJ’s expenses in the many thousands of dollars. Also, the music is at a premium too. Many DJ’s will spend hundreds of dollars each month to continue their collection and have the current music; not to mention the tens of thousands of dollars spent older music. DJ’s must recoup these expenses with wages.
DJ’s will want to represent themselves. A good DJ will not want to DJ for another company, since his investment in equipment and performance will only bring more business to that contracted DJ company. Be weary of Companies that subcontract their entertainers (DJs). When a subcontract happens, the subcontracted DJ usually lacks ability to market, meet the needs of clients (generating repeat business in their own name) and/or they lack equipment needed to complete the event request. Companies that Subcontract will gladly take you money at a premium and pay another DJ less to perform at your event.
An experienced DJ will want to meet with you several times for the following reasons. First, to be sure you and they are compatible. You don’t want a hip-hop DJ trying to Emcee a Big Band era event. Meeting more than once shows commitment from your DJ, even if the meeting is 5-10 minutes to review plans. You DJ will be available daily to answer questions. A DJ should be able to answer questions anytime of day without hesitation. The exception to this would be custom work, which might require unique items that might be on a limited inventory.
A good DJ must also be a good planner. He should be on time for meetings, offer assistance with planning and timelines. A good DJ should also be willing to assist you in this process of planning or work with your wedding planner. This willingness to collaborate, and plan will ensure an amazing event.
Does your DJ have liability insurance?
Many venues will not allow a DJ to enter without it. Ask your DJ about his/her liability insurance. Liability insurance protects you, your guests, the venue and the DJ. If an accident occurs, you could be held liable. What if a speaker fell on a guest?
When does a DJ setup?
Many people do not understand the importance of DJ setup time. I’ve heard of stories in the DJ community when a venue was rented without the planning of setup. The DJ showed up and sat at a closed door only to find that he could not enter. This DJ was still setting up gear while guest were standing in the venue.
A good DJ should be willing to negotiate the setup time. Depending on the event, this time can fluctuate. Factors that cause elongated time are: larger venues, specialty lighting, small entrances, stairs, fences, parking, running of electrical power sources, hiding wiring and building custom lighting shows. Your DJ should be willing to arrive at least an hour or more before the guest arrive. Wedding reception arrival times should be 2-3 hours before the reception, to be sure testing of lighting and sound does not interfere with the ceremony. You want to be sure your DJ will have everything setup and secured before guest arrive.
Why worry about setup and testing.
Your DJ should be willing to test and show you the equipment prior to your event. DJ’s should have adequate time to setup and test all their prior to any guest arrival. Dj’s will need time to ensure all wires, equipment and lighting are working appropriately and have enough time to change these out in the case of a faulty unit. This also includes “masking” or hiding all wires, tables and gear. Quality DJ’s will have skirts, facades and screens to help in hiding ugly wires and gear. Wires should also be taped down to ensure guest will not trip or fall over equipment. Ask if your DJ is willing to conduct a “walk-through” to show your planner or caterers where cables and equipment lay.
At this time your DJ should be changed into appropriate attire for your event. If you are having a wedding, they should be in attire that compliments your wedding party. Don’t settle for a DJ who will wear jeans and a t-shirt. It’s important that the DJ wait to change to be sure their attire will remain clean and wrinkle free.
How much music do I need?
The music access is a noticeable factor of hiring your DJ. Many DJ’s have large collections, but are those selections your style of music? The DJ might have a large collection of country music, but is that going to work for a disco party? Your DJ should have a sizable collection of music. The minimum would be a few thousand songs. A strong collection would be in the 20,000 plus range. You’ll want access to a selection of popular songs that meet your event needs.
Is having a large collection imperative? No, you wan’t need a DJ to bring 50,000 tracks to a 4-5 hour event. On average, you’ll hear 15-20 songs an hour. A five hour event, you’ll hear approximately 100 songs or .o2% of that 50,000 title collection. Most likely, you’ll be paying a lot more for the extra titles you won’t hear. Most DJ’s will have the most popular songs, ranging around 2,000 titles. If you too the top 100 songs of each year for the last half century, that would only be 600 songs. Beyond that, it becomes specialty music
What music format should DJ’s use?
There are several formats that music is recorded. Tape, Vinyl, and Digital. Tapes include cassette, reel-to-reel and 8-track. This format is subject to damage with heat, wear and stretching. Vinyl “Records” proved valuable in their day, but they too are subject to the same factors as tape, but scratches can also affect the sound. Digital is the way to go.
Compact disc has over taken the business. Compact disc provide excellent digital copies of the music that sound the same every time they are played. MP3 has begun to replace the compact disc. If songs are recorded at a rate of 128 kps per second, you will not notice a sound quality difference. MP3 also allows immediate access to tens of thousands of songs for play; no more waiting for a DJ to find the song. Many DJ’s can download a song durning an event. Inquire about how DJ’s ensure they will have the music your guest want.
Start time is the first impression.
As your event begins and guest arrive, you’ll want some form of receiving music. DJ’s should provide a selection of music for each stage of your event. Cocktail, reception, dinner music all require tact and easy listening. You don’t want people to shout over music while trying to converse.
Why are microphones important?
Microphones are imperative at your event. Wireless has become the standard, but your DJ should have a wired microphone to backup the wireless in the case of equipment failure. Wireless microphones will allow your DJ to move to your guest, rather than having your guest move up to the DJ. If people can stay at their table, they will feel more comfortable speaking.
Lighting can make the difference.
On factor that is often overlooked is lighting. Failure to provide appropriate lighting for your event can make or ruin the event. Adding lighting will change the mood of your guest. Good DJ’s should have the ability to cast sold colors in the room and add effects per music selection. Slow songs cry for soft gentle light, while dance and disco scream for bouncing light. This light should be confide to the dance floor area, to ensure it won’t affect the viewing of seated guest. Much of this can be done with a programming language called DMX 512. With this language, DJ’s can custom build and modify the lighting to your taste. Without this option, you’ll have static effects that have limited control or options.
The sound system need for your event.
Quality equipment must include bi-amping. This separates the bass (low end) from the highs (Treble). Speakers have range. Few speakers can play quality through full range. By separating and splitting the signal, you’ll have a clearer sound with punch (beat). Amateur DJ’s will try to sneak by with just two speakers. Requiring your DJ to provide a sub woofer separate from the main speakers will ensure better quality that your guest will feel.
Cost, why so high?
Professional DJ’s will charge what the market warrants. They will rarely drop their prices due to the need for quality equipment and music. DJ’s who charge less are often inexperienced and cannot obtain repeat performances. If you meet a DJ that has rates that differ from most, you should proceed with caution, there is a reason. Ask the questions listed below to compare DJ's on equal ground.
Again, music quality, equiptment and time investment will pay huge dividiends for your event. If you want an amazing day, you must expect to pay the going rate. This rate varies within Maine, but averages about $1,000.00 for planning, setup, programming, testing, modfiying, scripting, Emcee, ensuring cues are met at the correct time and that your day is a hit.
It's my personal experience that with a 5 hour contracted wedding, I'll invest approximately 20 hours of work. These hours of work do not account for the cost of music, sound equiptment, transportation, lighitng equiptment and etc. The break down looks like this:
Inital Consult: 1-2 hours
Contracting Consult: 1 hours
2nd Consult: 1-2 hours
Site Visit: 1-3 hours (depending on travel)
Pre-Wedding Consult: 1-2 hours
Travel & Loading Equiptment: 1-2 hours
Wedding Setup: 2-6 hours (depeding on sound & lighting)
Wedding Event/Ceremony: 4-7 hours
Equiptment Break Down: 1-2 hours
Return Travel & Unloading: 1-2 hours
As you can see, the hours invested are: 14 - 29 hours. This averages to 21.5 hours. Obviously, there are many factors to consider when figures hours. Understanding the amount of time a DJ will invest is important when meeting your DJ. Inexpensive DJ's will not invest time in planning your event!
Here are the questions to ask your potential DJ.
Will you personally be the DJ for our reception?
If the answer is no:
When can we meet the DJ who will work at my reception so I can see if I feel comfortable with that person/ see if we are on the same page?
If you are not talking to the disc jockey, also ask:
If the disc jockey we want no longer works for your company when our wedding comes up, what will you do?
If you are talking to the disc jockey that will work at your reception:
What do you do the rest of the week?
What kind of experience, background, and education do you have?
Have you received any formal classroom training or live training as a disc jockey?
How long have you been a disc jockey, and how many weddings have you performed at?
Have you handled events of my type and size before?
What are the reasons you think we should hire you?
Do you also Emcee the reception?
How many consultations do you provide in your package prices?
Do you provide an entertainment planner?
Do you meet in person to go over the entertainment planner?
Do you carry liability insurance?
What time do you arrive to setup your equipment?
Hours of service:
Do you wear a suit and tie?
How many songs do you have in your library?
What format is your music in? (i.e. records, cassettes, CD)
Do you provide cocktail/ dinner music?
Do you provide a wireless microphone for speeches?
Do you bring backup equipment with you?
Are basic effects lighting included?
Do you program lighting?
Do you offer lighting and sound upgrades?
How many people will cover the event?
Is a deposit required? If so, how much?
When is the deposit due?
May I make partial payments?
When is the final payment due?
If not, what is the percentage of the service charge?
What is the tax rate?
What is the overtime charge?
Are there any additional charges not mentioned? (i.e. travel, setup, teardown)
Do you provide a written contract and guarantee?
What are the refunds/cancellation terms?
These questions were taken from modernbride.com, theknot.com, weddings.com and a variety of other websites and books.
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