F.A.Q’s

Q: Do you setup a sign or banner with your equipment?

A:

No, I find shamless self-promotion such as this to be tasteless and tacky.  I do however carry business cards with me and should a guest ask for one I will give them one.

Q: Do you have a light show?

A:

Yes, we do offer dance floor lighting options and in some of our packages they are included in some configuration or another.  If you choose one of our packages that includes lighting of some sort we will cover what lights in particular suit your tastes and needs.

Q: Do you have a wireless microphone?

A:

Any professional DJ in this day and age really has no excuse for not having wireless microphones available for their clients use.  In fact we employ two, one handheld and one that can be used as either a headset (typically my microphone) or as a lapel microphone for use during ceremonies in order to mic the officiant for larger ceremonies.

Q: Do you bring backup equipment?

A:

As mentioned in the, “What equipment do you bring?” question,  yes we do bring additional backup equipment with us.  This not only includes backups for sound gear but also backups in regards to computers and digital music libraries.  Plus there is built in redundancies in my equipment setup that allows me to remove items from the equipment chain and still be able to provide satisfactory sound reinforcement.

Q: What kind of equipment do you use?

A:

We employ multiple brands of equipment, here’s a list of the equipment we do have or use on a regular basis:

Main System:

• Electro-Voice Tour-X 15″ Full Range Main Speakers x 2
• Electro-Voice Tour-X 18″ Subwoofer x 2
• QSC RMX2450 Power Amp for Main Speakers
• Electro-Voice Q99 Power Amp for Subwoofers
• DBX Drive Rack PA DSP Processor/Crossover
• Denon MC6000 USB Controller/Mixer
• Laptop PC w/ Virtual DJ Software
• Electro-Voice RE-2 Wireless Headset/Lapel Microphone
• Shure PGX/SM58 Wireless handheld microphone
• Shure SM58 Wired Microphone
• Shure Super 55 Classic Elvis Style Wired Microphone

Backup/Ceremony System

• Behringer D312A 550 Watt Powered Full Range Speaker x 2
•  Denon MC6000 USB Controller/Mixer
• Laptop PC w/ Virtual DJ Software
• Shure SM58 Wired Microphone

Available Lighting Options

• Chauvet Color Pallets x 2
• Chauvet LEDRain 56 Par Cans for Venue Up-lighting
• MinSpot LED Moving Head Fixtures x 2
• Chauvet Vue III Moonflower
• ADJ MicroGalaxian Laser
• DLP Projector for Custom Monograms or Video Projection on a 4′ x 6′ Screen

Q: What is your policy on alcohol or smoking during events?

A:

Drinking alcohol or taking smoke breaks is not allowed by any person performing DJ services for your event.  There is absolutely no rational reason why a DJ should need a drink in order to perform and they should be able to abstain from smoking for the duration of your event.

Q: Do you take or require breaks?

A:

Although I may take a short restroom break or time to eat a meal (in another room if required by the venue), there is no break in the music.  Any time I may need to take away from my equipment is generally very short and usually no more than 5-15 minutes at most.

Q: Are you insured?

A:

Yes, we do maintain liability insurance in order to protect ourselves and our equipment should something unfortunate happens in the performance of our services.  Any professional DJ service should carry such insurance not only to cover themselves but, also it serves to protect your venue.

Q: Do you require a meal?

A:

While a meal provided by you is not a required item for us to perform, it is however very much appreciated when offered.

Q: What do you require from us?

A:

Indoor Setups

In most cases for indoor events I only require a minimum area of 10′ wide by 6′ deep and if possible a small area on either side of your dancefloor or room for speaker placement.  As for electrical we do require a minimum of 2 independant 15-20 amp circuits, check with the venue for availability.

Outdoor Setups

For outdoor setups we do require shelter in the form of a tent with sides on at least 3 sides to protect equipment against most weather conditions includeing rain and direct sunlight.  Our setup area and electrical requirements are the same as for our indoor setup.

Q: How much would you charge for overtime?

A:

Over time is charged at $150.00 per hour in half hour increments at the top of each additional half hour.  Before adding time to the end of your event be sure to check with the venue as they may have a charge for overtime or may not permit it at all.

Q: How much do you charge to book our event?

A:

We charge a non-refundable Booking Fee of $250.00 to secure your event date.  This Booking Fee is applied to the final event total with the balance being due thirty (30) days prior to your event date.  If your event is less than thirty (30) days away then the full balance is due at booking and is completely non-refundable.

Q: What will you wear to our event?

A:

My attire depends on how formal your event is.  Typically I wear a dress shirt, tie, dress slacks and dress shoes.  For less formal events I will wear a company logo’d polo shirt, dress kacki’s and dress shoes.

Q: What will you wear while setting up and tearing down?

A:

I wear a company logo’d polo shirt and nice jeans or kacki’s pants.  I do my best to maintain a professional look from start to finish.

Q: When will you arrive to setup for our event?

A:

That will depend on what package and options you have elected for your event or wedding.  Typcially I would arrive approximately 2-3 hours prior to the expected arrival of your guests.

This gives me ample time to setup, do sound checks and prep for initial guest arrival.

Q: Do you take requests from our guests?

A:

Yes, we can and do take requests from your guests at your event and in fact can setup an online request system they can use prior to your event to make requests.  Plus, you are able to view their requests right along with your own and let us know if you approve or disapprove of any songs.

Q: When do we need to submit our music requests and event details?

A:

I provide online tools for providing your music requests up to 24 hours prior to your event.  For more eclectic tastes in music it may be prudent to provide those titles at least a week prior to allow for finding and purchasing of the more unique tunes on your list.

You are provided with four music request lists to work with:

1. Top 10 – Use this to request your 10 most favorite songs that definately need to be played at some point in the event.
2. Requets – This list is limited to 40 songs.  It is by it’s title, just a request list, music you’d like played if possible.
3. Do Not Play – This list as the title insinuates is a list of music that you do not want us to play.  It is limited to 10 songs as well.
4. Custom Plays – Sometimes certain songs are either not found while you search my online database or are very unique to you.  For that reason you are able to list these songs by manually entering the Artist and Title along with any other details you may have for finding a song.

Q: How involved can we be in selecting the music to be played?

A:

I’m pretty flexible with music selection.  Although I prefer small lists to work with such as a Top 10 and a short request list, some clients prefer complete control over their playlists and that is fine too, but requires a lot more work on your part in trying to figure out what your guests will enjoy instead of letting the DJ read your crowd and play music that the majority will enjoy.

Q: How do you keep your music selection up-to-date?

A:

Not only do I obtain my music through typical means such as purchaseing CD’s or LP, I also subscribe to several promotional services such as ERG, RPM, Promo Only and PrimeCuts.  Each of these services provide radio friendly music to Professioinal DJ’s only and this music comes to us sometimes before it starts charting which means we get what might be hits and what will be hits before they are hits.  It also means that I will have a wide variety of the most popular radio friendly music possible.

Q: May I speak with any of your references?

A:

Absolutely!  This is a great way for you to get an idea from an un-biased source how easy it is to work with us.  I would be more than happy to provide you a list of 4-5 past clients upon request.

Q: Can we visit you at a performance?

A:

A private event is just that, private.  I don’t feel it’s appropriate to invite outside guests into what may be a very personal and private event.  I’m equally sure that if it were your event that you’d appreciate your privacy just as much.

Q: Will we meet again before the event?

A:

I strongly encourage a finalization meeting at least one week prior to your event to iron out all details and to answer any last minute questions you may have.

Q: What happens if something happens and you can’t make it to my event?

A:

I would love to tell you that no matter what, someone will be there to perform at your wedding and given ample time to arrange a replacement that is exactly what will happen.

There are situations that can occur instantaneously and without any way to predict.  An automobile accident on the way to the event can happen and there is no way to plan for it.

If for some reason something that is completely out of my control, “an act of God” if you will, then appropriate action will be taken to reschedule if possible or other resolutions will be found.

Q: What do you do to motivate a crowd that isn’t dancing?

A:

There are many different kinds of crowds that come to weddings:

There is the “party” crowd, these are the ones that came to dance, drink and generally have a great time.  They are also the easiest to motivate as they will usually dance to almost anything.

There is the “slow dance” crowd, these folks will dance to the energetic music but, mostly they like the slow songs.  This usually happens when there are more couples than singles in the crowd.   They are fun and sentimental.

There is also the “talkers”,  sometimes when your guests have traveled from a long distance or haven’t seen each other in a long time they just simply prefer to catch up.  Many times there is no way to motivate them to dance but, if you sit back and watch you’ll see that they are dancing.  It could be as sutle as tapping a foot or finger to bobbing their heads to the beat and smiling.

The key is to know your crowd some will respond to the music selection while others may need a little proding over the microphone to initially encourage dancing.  The best way to encourage your crowd to dance is that you be on the dance floor too.

Q: How would you define your style when making announcements?

A:

Style of announcements and such can vary greatly from one event to another it just all depends on you and what you desire your event to be like.

If you are looking for a DJ that is energetic and really enjoys getting a crowd excited about your event, then I am that DJ.  I do this in a professional yet entertaining manor.

Q: Do you act as “Emcee” and make all of the announcements?

A:

Yes, not only will we make all of the announcements, letting your guests know what is happening, we also will work with your other vendors on-site to let them know ahead of time what is planned and when it will occur.  We do all this to ensure that none of your guests or other vendors miss any important moments and capture those precious memories.

Q: What makes your services different from your competitors?

A:

Working directly with my clients to build an event that is as unique as they are is very important long before the first song is played.  Any DJ can play music and promise that everyone will have a good time.  I promise that too, but what makes my services different is the planning.

Not only are you able to plan everything from your diner music to your final dance, your guests will be able to make music requests before they even get on a plane or check into their hotel.  This makes knowing what music to play that both you and your guests will enjoy very easy.

Beyond the right music, there is also my ability to see your vision and bringing it to life for you and your guests, which allows you to be able to sit back and enjoy your evening with the peace of mind knowing all will be handled professionally.

Q: Do you perform more than one event in a day?

A:

The simple answer is, yes.

Only a few times a year am I asked to provide sound reinforcement for early morning events, but I never take on more than one event unless I have plenty of time to travel, setup and be properly prepared for each event.

Q: How many other types of events do you do per year?

A:

While weddings are my main source of business throughout the year, I do offer services for other types of events.  On average these probably make up about 10% or less of my yearly total events booked.

Q: How many weddings to your perform at per year?

A:

The total number of weddings vary from year to year as we do more than just weddings.  On average I perform at approximately 20 or more per year.

Q: How long have you been a DJ and how many weddings have you done?

A:

I have been a DJ since 2004.  When I started this company I wanted to provide my clients a unique experience both in the planning process and the event itself.

Initially the plan was to provide the ultimate karaoke experience, which has since bloomed into the ultimate wedding experience.   As my company has evolved I have performed at hundreds of weddings and many other non-wedding events.

Q: How long will you hold my date?

A:

While dates are a first come, first serve I will hold your date for a reasonable amount of time in order to schedule a meeting or to give you a chance to discuss things with another party if needed.  This time is not unlimited and your date does remain available to new inquiries, but is held away from being bookable.

After you have had a chance to discuss things with any other interested parties a meeting or phone conference should be scheduled ASAP.  Once this has occured and a contract has been drawn up I will hold your date as pending for five (5) days before placing it back as available to book by any other inquiries.

Q: May we meet with you in person before signing the contract?

A:

I am more than happy to schedule a face-to-face meeting with all clients prior to signing the contract.  It is a great way to get to know one another on a more personal basis.

Sometimes this isn’t convenient for one or both parties and therefore the online tools provided by me on this website make it easy for clients who have either very busy schedules or may live to far away to make driving in to meet convenient.  In those cases I still encourage at least one face-to-face meeting to finalize the event details at least a week prior to the event date.

Q: Will you be the DJ at my event?

A:

Yes, as I am a single operator I am not only the owner of the company but it’s sole DJ.  I also have a network of other DJ companies that in the event of an emergency or sudden illness I can call upon should the unthinkable happen.

Q: Do you offer a written contract?

A:

The simple answer to this is, yes.  As with any profession it is a must to offer clients some sort of written agreement that encompasses what is verbally discussed and agreed upon.  This is how you and the DJ you hire know what is expected from each other in the performance of the services offered.

Q: What kind of music do you play?

A:

Music selection is as different and unique as the client or guest(s) of honor.  It’s also a combination of your tastes and the tastes of the guests you invite to your party or event.

It is my job to take these tastes and arrive at a balance of music that motivates your unique crowd to dance and have a good time.