Light Show
Every package includes an absolutely dazzling light show
(see FAQ’s for videos of some of the
lighting effects I incorporate into my performance). My light shows
include several
"sound-active" effects (i.e., the lights move to the beat of the music). Brides & Grooms, I know what you may be
thinking...No, I don't use anything tacky like police beacons, sirens, strobes,
or black lights for weddings. In fact, if you don't like multi-colored
effects, I can even scale back my light show to only white lighting but still
have the sound-active feature. And of course, if you don't want any lighting
effects at all, that is fine too.
Wireless Microphones
My performance includes both a wireless handheld microphone and a wireless
headset microphone. I furnish the handheld for guests proposing toasts,
making general announcements, and even singing. A wireless microphone is
most important for toasts at a wedding which is typically done just before the
cake cutting. Believe me, the photos will look much better with the cake
as a backdrop rather than the DJ table. Depending on your desired level of
interaction from me, I also use a wireless headset (similar to what aerobic
instructors wear) to lead in line dances, etc.
All my microphones are manufactured by Shure (absolutely the best brand in
the pro audio business). There are other makes and models that may
suffice, but if your DJ has a Shure brand (pronounced "sure"), then your DJ is
serious about assuring the best sound quality. Cheap brands are highly vulnerable to
drop-outs (where the microphone seems to cut on and off) due to RF interference.
Shure's patented True Diversity completely eliminates this problem.
Self-Amplified Speaker System
Depending
on the size of the venue where I'm playing, I use either 2 or 4 (i.e., one or
two pairs of) JBL EON15 G2 Bi-Amplified Speakers. Of all brand names in consumer
electronics, JBL is probably the only brand with an equally impressive record in
both consumer and professional grade equipment. Recently, another excellent
manufacturer, Mackie, has introduced a comparable product, the model SRM450.
Both of these speaker systems are "bi-amplified", a 100 Watt amp for the tweeter
horn and a 300 Watt amp for the woofer, that optimize the power for each
frequency transducer. Ok, this is getting over my head too. Bottom-line, the
sound is exceptionally powerful and crisp at the same time. Cheap speakers, even
with good amplifiers, are subject to a gross amount of distortion, and all the
wattage in the world won't make them sound any better. Which brings me to
another point, don't get too caught-up with the amount of Watts and the size of
speakers. The Mackie SRM450 has a tweeter horn and a single 12" woofer
(the JBL EON15 has a 15" woofer), but it will crank like you will not believe.
A pair of these speakers will easily produce music with deep, thumping bass to
fill a room of 300+ people.
State-Of-The-Art Mixers
For the average consumer, the
mixer is probably the least recognized and least understood component of a DJ's
system, but it is perhaps the most important component for obtaining high
quality sound. Everything goes through the mixer -- Everything. This is
primarily where distortion and noise (hissing and buzzing) can be generated.
Once again, I use only the finest pro audio equipment to avoid this problem. The
Mackie mixers are the best in the business. They are amazingly quiet (that's a
good thing for mixers) even when the volume levels across the board are at their
max. The pro audio experts refer to that as "headroom", and Mackie definitely
delivers on their promise in this area. For the mobile DJ, the only downside is
that Mackie does not currently design a mixer tailored for mobile DJ's. For
example, I've never seen a Mackie with a "crossfader" (a single slide control to
fade out of one channel/song and simultaneously fade into another). That's one
reason why I use 2 mixers, so I can get the best of both worlds! I have a DJ
mixer (a Stanton RM-80 to be exact) for all the DJ properties I'm looking for,
and I have it as a single input into my Mackie 1202 VLZ Pro. With my current
set-up the only item that actually goes through the DJ mixer is my traditional
dual-deck CD player. All microphones, laptops, DVD's, tapes, karaoke
players, etc. go straight into one of 12 channels on the Mackie.
Diverse and Comprehensive Music Library
I currently have over 15,000 songs in all genres of music ranging from the
classics to contemporary hits on CD and as digital audio files on a computer.
Some people are skeptical about the quality of music played from a computer, but
I can assure you all of my audio files were created with excellent quality.
You would not be able to distinguish the difference between songs played from my
laptop computer and those played from my traditional CD collection.
On-The-Spot Back-up Music and Equipment
One of the advantages of simultaneously using multiple self-amplified
speakers, 2 mixers, dual CD players and a laptop computer is that if one piece
of equipment decides to fail, then there is something else to fall back on
immediately on the spot. For example, if the computer crashes, then it's no big
deal. I'll use my traditional CD's while the computer reboots. I've never had
that happen by the way, but it's nice to know I'm prepared for it in such a
situation. Once again, I've never had this happen, but if one amplified speaker
cuts off, then all signals could be panned to the other speaker to pick up the
slack. Back-up scenarios are never optimal conditions, but the important thing
is that the show goes on. You might could compare it to a jet airliner that
loses an engine, but the plane can still fly with one engine (Thank, goodness!).
Highest Quality of Service, Experience and
Professionalism
Service - From A to Z, my quality of service is "second to none". I
aim for 100% complete satisfaction with each and every client. When potential
clients ask for references, I like to give them references from the 3 most
recent events, so they will know the references have not been cherry-picked. I'm
that confident that every client will put in a good word about me. I
provide a free face-to-face consultation with online and offline event guides. I
work hard to customize my performance to my clients' vision.
Experience - More important than the 8 years I've been playing is
the number of events I've done, especially wedding receptions. I've done over
300 weddings, and I believe I've seen just about everything. I understand the
flow and the art of "feeling out the crowd". I consider myself a master of fun.
Professionalism - In preparation for and during your event, my conduct
and appearance is always highly professional. You'll have a clear, written
contract from me. During the planning process, I work closely with you to
understand your preferences in music and the flow for your wedding reception. I
work hard to build and maintain a rapport with your caterer, photographer,
videographer, wedding coordinator, etc. to make sure everything flows smoothly
as you desire. With every formal event (and even most semi-formal events), I'm
dressed in a tuxedo. I give attention to fine details to make sure my set-up is
neat and sharp. Extension cords from my speakers are all black and wrapped
tightly around the tripods. Cords at the DJ table are tucked away and hidden
from view with table skirts, etc. I don't use any obnoxious signs advertising my
business. I do make my business cards available, but that's as far as I go when
it comes to advertising.
