sandysounds...

Hi Karen.....I'm always around...usually check in once a day.

Re the piccy.....good quality set up from what I can see. I love star cloths (a cloth round the front of the deck hiding a multitude of sins with either pea lights or leds that twinkle). Floor floods colour wash the dance floor (me love floods mucho....ideal for first dance as you don't want flashy disco lights while you're having a romantic smooch). One thing I did notice was that his floor floods (sitting on the stage) are the bulb variety (mine are LED so are always cold to the touch)......so they get very hot so mustn't be in reach of any children.

But I have a bug bear. Anyone can have the right equipment, its what they do with it thats important. Things like driving it too hard such that people feel they have to leave the room to be able to converse, playing what you and your guests want, conducting themselves (including dress code) in a manner which is in keeping with the wedding environment.

Here's a couple of must dos...oh well....a few......

1. Make sure you have a copy of the contract with both yours and their signature and all timings, venue, date are detailed on it.

2. Meet with DJ beforehand. He/she is going to be part of your day for 5 hours or more, so it is important that you get on with him/her and you can easily judge whether someone has the right attitude when you meet them face to face. Are they willing to accomodate all your requests and requirements. I put a few questions to ask your DJ on this thread which you might find useful https://www.hitched.co.uk/Chat/forums/p/146227/1495323.aspx#1495323

3. Read client comments/testimonials. You can guage the callibre of someone from what others say. Look for trends in the comments too. eg on my own i've got so many that mention attention to detail, accomodating, going the extra mile, friendly and easy to communicate with.

4. Check they have PLI & PAT certificates....some venues insist on this.

Hope that helps

To summarise that ramble....nice rig there.....but its how its used thats more important.

Thanks Sandy!! We're trying to decide between 2 Dj's and they both seem really nice and friendly.

Comapny A the guy is going to do it himself (but he does employ other people)

Comapny B do dosco's and lots of others but seem really helpful too...

Im edging towards A ( rig shown ) as It appears we'll have direct contact with him ( he said going through play lists would certainly be something he would need to do with us.

Company B it appears I'll be sending things into the office and then they get sent to the DJ.

Its far better to deal directly with the person who will be there on the night. With the best will in the world messages get lost etc and your DJ could turn up without your first dance song. A sounds the better option to be honest.

Totally agree.

But ask him if he can tidy his cables up a little.. he he he, my pet hate is seeing any cables at all.

The one thing I think about when running cables is photographs and Video. Once captured on film untidy cables will be seen forever. (unless you're good with photoshop or premier)

Okay update here.

Sandy I sent you a message just now but have no idea how to retreive my msg's.

I told the guy (A) last night that we'd book him and to send me booking forms etc only to get a mail this morning saying he's just been booked out to someone else argh!!! he did add though that if he had got hit by a meteorite (what is it with the DJ's I speak to!) that I would be let down ? He went on to say anyone as im booked I do know other DJ's that can do it.

This left me worried!!

Company B got back to me and advised their DJ's are hard to contact sometimes due to working normal day jobs etc.. thats why it goes through the office and they pass on the info. However im looking at having the company owner so have cnotact with him.

I did get one response from the DJ enquiry through you but I think her wanted £375 for 7pm til 12pm with $425 to match the hours that we'd already been quoted for - thats a bit out of our budget. [:'(]

Having seen the set up of A below

im concerned about B (below)

Its basically has 2 speakers versus the 4 from A It also has 4 lights versus more with A plus the floor lighting and lasers???

However here is a picture of my room

Given that max capacity is 115 im wondering if A's set up would have been too over powering?

The set up offered by B with 2 speakers is for up to 100 people with the spec below:

Package Consists of Experienced DJ c/w

Minimum 1kw Power Amp, 2 x 600 watt EV Speakers, 4 x Lighting Effects, Table Dressed In star Cloth, All Relevant Metal Stands. Delivery, Set Up and Collection

Useless post really but am feeling stressed

Right....didn't like to say before but four cabs as in picture A was definitely over kill. For a room your size and 115 people I would put in my Lem set up which is 2 x 400 watt speakers (800 in total).....and I would only be running them on half power. The industry guideline is allow 4 watts a person....so for 115 people you only need just over 400 watts......so don't worry about DJ B only having two cabs. Sometimes I only take out one speaker.....a Bose L1....which has the capability of filling a room with over 150 people in!

As for lights....I generally take out 2 lighting affects, a laser for the ceiling, a colour wash for the dance floor and a star cloth for the frontage....which is more than enough. Set up B looks ideal..... take a deep breath....it'll be fine.

I've seen some....mmmm.....amusing set ups in my time and to be honest both A and B look perfectly adequate and are both particularly neat.

No system is over powering if used correctly.

However I find the speakers in A's setup would be "in your face", those horns are not very forgiving when at or below head height. When caught on Axis it's like having your ears drilled out.

Can you not see your proposed DJ working? As with most part time DJs (those in full time employment during the day) most will take any booking and not specialise in weddings, so I don't see a problem being able to view them during a function.

Definitely worth asking if that is an option.

Also about the budget.. as per the old fairy liquid advert, "A few more pence, makes a lot more sense"

Something that holds very true, especially where weddings are concerned.

Nicely put Phil.

Also....did you notice that the 4 cabs in A are all tops......no bins?

So cabs = speakers?

tops and bins? im confused!! )

I spoke to the guy with set up B and he was really nice was on the phone for nearly an hour talking about the day arrangements music styles etc..

He said he will bring 4 speakers instead of 2 but may not use them depending etc..

Yes I noticed that.

The 4 horns stood out being at chest and face level.

Karen,

Tops are speakers that go higher up and have a midrange and high range driver fitted, some tops can also be full range.

Bins are woofers, or subwoofers and only provide bass.

Ideally any sized room should make use of a "bin" or subwoofer.

People often wrongly assume that they have to be loud, do you have a surround sound system on your TV / DVD? if so it will probably have a subwoofer, try listening to a film with the woofer turned off, even at lounge levels they add a whole lot to the audio mix, they simply re-enforce the other speakers so they do not have do as much work, so you get a smoother sound.

QSC are good amplifiers, if I had to use them I would be happy enough to do so knowing they have the quality required.

EV speakers to me personally can be very toppy that is slightly shrill, but then sound can be somewhat a personal taste issue.

With EV I would always look at using at least one subwoofer.

Volume controls are very easy to use

Hope this helps.

It's not easy getting techincal without getting technical,, I opted out of mentioning standing waves if two subs are used opposed in a small room. hehe

Karen.......don't worry about the equipment. (of course it needs to be professional grade and both have that)...its more important how you get on with them and what kind of night they are going to give you. You want to start your evening reception relaxed and knowing that you have full trust and confidence in the DJ you have hired.

Quick analogy here....would you choose a decorator based on the type of paint brushes and paint he uses or is it more important how a person uses the tools of his trade to produce a good end result?

Analogy reply:

I wouldn't want my skirting boards full of dead bristles

At the end of the day you get what you pay for. There are the few exceptions to that rule in which cases you are either lucky or unlucky.

sandy thanks! The guy from set up A emailed me back last night to say that he in fact had not decided to take the booking so was free again ?

However - given this email response when he advised me he was booked 15mins after I mailed him to say send me the forms we're on! - I thought he was taking the micky a bit about the stray meterite!

Hi Karen,

Hi Karen,

Do not worry about the EV speakers, my comments about them being "toppy or Shrill" were my own personal findings, I probably did not make myself clear enough in my earlier post about that.

I am sure the DJ is well versed in EQing his system for any venue.

By shrill yes I did mean higher pitched, it's how the speakers are made using horns which tend to have a narrow angle and can sound very sharp when caught on Axis - this is why I pointed out the speakers on Setup A being too low.

As for that email response I would NEVER reply to a client or a quote request in that manner, Meteorite??? erm ok, I hope Staurns Rings don't get in my way next time I go to work

I guess it was his way of saying that he has never missed a booking, just an odd analogy to use for business communications.

But to ensure you don't worry EV are better than average speakers they just require careful placement and setting up as I have found them, but then I do try to be a perfectionist (read as over the top).

I never did see Setup B's photo as it hasn't worked for me yet, but Setup A had some issues I was not happy about, for mundane functions I would not be bothered but a Wedding is something special and requires a special amount of forethought and effort.

I'm sure you will have a great day / night

Oh wow, karen you must be so confused now. I got lost in the first reply. Why do disco people all try to baffel you with science. I know it's early days for me, but I just want a good boogie and want all my friends and mates to enjoy themselves. Not sure I would even understand the difference between two Ev's or whatever they are called, let alone care.

We've been to a few weddings in the last year and I think I'm going to ask some of my mates who they booked as we had such a good night at a couple of them. Maybe rather than getting into all the numbers and types of lights it would be better to ask some of your mates that have got married who they used and if they were any good. I get the feeling you haven't seen these disco's you mentioned working. Maybe it would be better to ask them for some references than worrying about whether the lights and sound is any good or go to some of the wedding shows (we're going to our first on Sunday, I'm SO excited) and see if you can talk to someone there. The venue we are thinking about has a couple of discos they recomend, so maybe your venue does too.

Don't worry, I didn't understand the replies either!

I do feel quite strongly that a Dj Shouldn't be discussing his equipment with you (whoops...that sounds naughty) and I wouldn't expect any of my brides to know the difference between my LEMs, L1s and DB Operas....but I do (and of course Phil does too!!!) and I also know which system to use and how to set it up for best effect. What the DJ should be discussing with you is how you want the evening to go, what kind of atmosphere do you want creating, what kind of music, any special songs or moments during the proceedings, any music you want avoiding.

In other words, they should be discussing how they can make your evening unique and personal and exactly what you want. As a professional.....they should be able to put in the right equipment to achieve this.

B is sounding the better option....especially after reading the email from A.

Well for what it's worth, I wouldn't book A or B. Talk to your friends who have got married latey or find some companies who will talk to you rather than sending emails.

It's meant to be your big day, so make sure you find someone YOU like! I think I will. Let you know how the show is on sunday. Can't wait!

Sandy - I think he was telling me to put me at ease! I told him I was a real worry pants. In fact Im pretty sure I asked him about his speakers ) im a techy girl so was interested ) He also gave me corporate references (his company (that he owns) has a couple of contracts with very reputable hotels for wedding work etc..he's given me the details to speak to them too.)

We spent 50 mins on the phone going through how he usually runs the night and what I would like etc.. music styles etc.. I have a booking form to outline what we like but will have contact with him again to ensure that we have the finer details once booked.

HWS - set up B was the one in the dark on the first page?

andcounting - We dont have any friends in the local area that have got married in the last 10 years (

The venue recommended people but they were real dodgy with similar comments to A with regards to back up's and meteorites!! lol! very scary!

What a shame. I think recomendations are by far the nicest way to be a little happier about most things. I have two disco's in mind at the moment and thankfully we saw them at friends weddings last year. Not the cheapest based on what others say they are paying but the disco is important to me and I think you get what you pay for sometimes. Interestingly one of them has 3 DJ's working for them and I really like the idea of booking a company rather than a one man band. I mean with all the will in the world, a one man band can't give you quite the same reasurance a bigger company can.

Have I asked where you are based (or am I just being blonde?)

Karen.... if you're still worried i can help you privately. I may be out in NI....but there's not many people I haven't heard of. email addy is here... ....i'll take the email addy off later as it could get harveted! (email addy deleted....but can be found on my website)

Set up A looked a bit 'industrial' to me - particularly for the sytle of room shown - you definately wouldn't need those 4 speakers for 150 people.

Set up B is a bit dark to see how neat his set up is - I would discuss with him the lighting required for your first dance - I generally use slowly moving white circles of light - like spotlights - on the happy couple for their first dance - I'm not sure that type of effect, if you want it, can be recreated with the lights he is using in the picture. Many couples like slowly moving lights of one colour, or very slowly changing colours for their first dance and other 'formal' dances to set a romantic mood rather than rapidly moving shapes and colours that are used when the disco really starts.

If your not entirely happy with either there are other Dj's around that could help that maybe more suitable.

Well folks, I went to the wedding show. OH MY GOD! We were there for hours, my fella was SO bored! Booked the venue as it was stunning and great views, so it's all very real now. I was excited before I went, but now! WOW!

Anyway, I did get to talk to the DJ we were thinking of and it was really refreshing. I was starting to get a bit worried and confused reading everything on theis forum. How much to pay, how much not to pay, four light or six, indusrial and how many speakers and something called subs.

The guy I spoke to didn't confuse me or bore me at all. He just listened to me and reasured me and everything I said I like or wanted he was able to do or offer advice. I really felt like he was interested in our wedding AND he does it as a full time job, so he's going to look after me well! There was another disco at the show and it was huge - a little like the first picture and it looked so out of place in such a lovely room. So my advice (from a newbie) is talk to everyone and be happy with them. The guy I met had worked at the venue before, the venue said he was a recomended supplier and everything. I am SO excited. Maybe I need a dress now, it al seems to be going in the wrong order.

Oh it was the A & M Events one I mentioned in case anyone is interested - I think sandy said something about them, but he didn't mention you, sorry. They had the most amazing Baileys fountain at the show, I'm trying to see if I can afford it!