Witnessed my first really bad wedding DJ last night

[loudsubz]

Was at a friends wedding last night, and had my first experience with a really lack lustre DJ setup

I had offered my services to them free of charge but I guess they figured because this guy did this as a side gig and not just for fun, made him a better choice or something.

-Showed up with 2 8" Yorkville PA speakers on stands, no sub, no low end what so ever from this setup
-His "light show" consisted of 1 Chauvet LED mushroom
-His music mixing consisted of a laptop with mixer and microphone, no DJ controller or no actual "mixing" of songs (aka pauses between some songs and really interesting beat matching)

Needless to say all night I was complaining about the ear piercing highs coming from the Yorkville speakers all night, his "universal" light that did the same pattern all night for both slow and fast dances.

Most of all I was let down by the audio. When you can't enjoy the music because your ears are bleeding it really puts a damper on things.

[Harley]

That's sad for the couple and their guests.

Why didn't the couple request a gear list and some references beforehand though?

[loudsubz]

It was indeed. I'm in no way saying I am gods gift to audio, but at least I have common sense to check how everything sounds and make sure the audio isn't "fatiguing" to the guests on the dance floor. I applaud those that put in 110% and make sure both the audio and video is top notch. I also understand that not everyone can afford that type of "service" but no matter what package you go with, you should never have to sacrifice anything for your special day.

[Harley]

The gaps in between songs/music are a killer though, especially for DJ'ing.

That was one of the things that really pissed me off in the band Deja Vu I was in ( I left it recently ). All the practice was thrown into getting the vocals right and how smart we dressed, but no practice ( or even discussion ) about how to go from one song to the next without a perceived break.

Any DJ worth his salt would surely practice "no more gaps"

[loudsubz]

Agreed gaps are a sure sign of people leaving the dance floor, also changing up the mood/bpm to keep them going all night. If nobody is dancing to the current music don't keep playing untill the song is done, find a new genre/mood and mix it in to see what works and go from there.

[wounded horse]

In my experience, when it comes to choosing a band/DJ for a wedding function, the bride and groom and/or their advisors, haven't a clue. Our band, now sadly broken up, were put forward for a bash last year. We sent a CD and an invitation to come and watch us at a bar gig where we rocked the place with a re-booking during the interval. We learned later that they had booked another band who are probably the worst local band in town. Tuning their instruments is a big Meh to them. They truly suck, big time. Song choice useless, singer useless, guitar player useless, the whole 9 yards. But they were cheap and that is what swung it. And the guests probably thought they were great. I am having a big problem with the whole local music scene and the sheer laziness of bands. Bad songs, same as every other band is doing, rotten gear, bad sound, big backline, rubbish PA, tinny, busy, horrible drumming. I may take a break for a while. Still got my pair of T39s, otop 12s, 2496 and QSC power amps though.

[Bryce]

In my experience, when it comes to choosing a band/DJ for a wedding function, the bride and groom and/or their advisors, haven't a clue.

This. The couple hasn't a clue when choosing a DJ. The past two weddings I've gone two this month used QSC K-series speakers. Oddly, the larger venue used K8s, and the small venue used K12s, both without subs. At the 3rd most recent wedding I went to, the 'DJ' placed a single EON below the mixing table. I asked him why he decided to place it on the floor. He said 'for the SPL'. I feel like I could make a killing in this business, but I lack the musical taste.

[Patrick Mos]

Different country, same story.

A friend of mine asked me if i could help out a friend of his. Low on funds, still wanted to get married. you know the drill. It wasnt a freebee, but i would get just enough for the gas and some smokes. The couple decided 2 weeks for the wedding that they would let a nephew to do the dance.

My friend send me a picture of the dj: No table, a crappy controller, 2 DAP audio tops, no subs, a moonflower on the ground and a strobo...

[Charles Jenkinson]

I wrestle with the DJ issue from time to time, not being a big music purchaser or someone with a large party personality. But I reckon that people who want a decent disco/dance can do a lot worse than hire someone with a decent sound system who will play the music they want. The first part (i.e. decent sound system) is dealt with on this forum; the second part is a no nonsense conversation between the BF system owner and the person wanting the party. IMO, people disserting a dance floor has more to do with the crap music being played and peoples insecurities rather than gaps diffusing the energy. That, and working at it, would be my strategy for tackling DJ opportunities. And if you can't help but take the piss with a few "Yo, Yo"s and "Aceeed!", make sure you ham it up big style. The punters will love it.

[SoundInMotionDJ]

Any DJ worth his salt would surely practice "no more gaps"

Beatmixing, or even "slam transitions" are one way to do it. In a club environment...the music should be "continuous"...or there should be an announcement going - no "dead air."

But "gaps"....when used correctly can be a very powerful tool in the DJs bag of tricks....especially at weddings. Because of the wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide range of music that is played, a "gap" can be a very effective way to transition between two very dissimilar tempos and/or genres of music.

For the record, I have been a part-time mobile DJ for over 15 years. It's not about the gear. Most people are more likely to know "Bose" than "JBL" or "Funktion 1" or even "Pyle Pro." I have yet to meet someone who knows what a BFD system is... Basically, beware any DJ who advertises based on their gear. I could match any gear list in 7 to 10 days if I were willing to torture my credit card into submission. BFD! (<--- not a brand of speakers. )

Controllers are a (relatively) new bit of gear. I have used one (or another) for the last few years...it's "close" to being the same controls that a dual CD player and external mixer offer. That's nice. With practice, beatmixing is possible....where it was *really* tough with just a laptop & mouse. Some are good, some are cheesy...and the line between them is a point of debate within the community.

The real change of dynamics for the "digital DJ" is coming with "controllerism" and techniques like cue point juggling, and some of the new 4 deck techniques that are coming. The issue at this point is that the specific techniques generally work better with a LOT of pre-planning and pre-staging of songs & clips. This is much more akin to a live band's "extended performance with solos" on a particular song in their setlist....as opposed to a "spontaneous" mix of songs that was not pre-planned. I like the direction things are going...but I am not clear that there is a settled "standard" for performance quite yet.

[loudsubz]

Any DJ worth his salt would surely practice "no more gaps"

Beatmixing, or even "slam transitions" are one way to do it. In a club environment...the music should be "continuous"...or there should be an announcement going - no "dead air."

But "gaps"....when used correctly can be a very powerful tool in the DJs bag of tricks....especially at weddings. Because of the wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide range of music that is played, a "gap" can be a very effective way to transition between two very dissimilar tempos and/or genres of music.

Agreed, if your trying to beat match Stayling alive and Deadmau5 but there was a point where 3 to 4 of the tracks in a row where of similar genre, yet there was some silence.

For the record, I have been a part-time mobile DJ for over 15 years. It's not about the gear. Most people are more likely to know "Bose" than "JBL" or "Funktion 1" or even "Pyle Pro." I have yet to meet someone who knows what a BFD system is... Basically, beware any DJ who advertises based on their gear. I could match any gear list in 7 to 10 days if I were willing to torture my credit card into submission. BFD! (<--- not a brand of speakers. )

Noticed how I didn't even mention BFD once in my first post. I would have said the same thing if the guy had DR250 and Tuba 60 and had them setup like crap. Its nice to have great gear but like you mentioned the client is likely to have no clue on what gear is good/bad so its not really a point to push.

Controllers are a (relatively) new bit of gear. I have used one (or another) for the last few years...it's "close" to being the same controls that a dual CD player and external mixer offer. That's nice. With practice, beatmixing is possible....where it was *really* tough with just a laptop & mouse. Some are good, some are cheesy...and the line between them is a point of debate within the community.

The real change of dynamics for the "digital DJ" is coming with "controllerism" and techniques like cue point juggling, and some of the new 4 deck techniques that are coming. The issue at this point is that the specific techniques generally work better with a LOT of pre-planning and pre-staging of songs & clips. This is much more akin to a live band's "extended performance with solos" on a particular song in their setlist....as opposed to a "spontaneous" mix of songs that was not pre-planned. I like the direction things are going...but I am not clear that there is a settled "standard" for performance quite yet.

I still am not sure how well dual cds would compare to a controller, there is just more features on a controller and you have more control. I agree with the wide range of controllers though. So many ads I see for wedding DJ's on the local online ads show a guy on a table with a controller and laptop thats it, and most of the time its a Numark Mixtrack (which is fine, but its built at a price point, you drop that at a club and your going to have a really hard time getting through the night)

[88h88]

My friend send me a picture of the dj: No table, a crappy controller, 2 DAP audio tops, no subs, a moonflower on the ground and a strobo...

I have a pair of DAP tops that work were getting rid of so I brought them home. They sound truly awful.

I also have a nightmare wedding DJ story, one of my friends got married to another of my friends recently and the kit that myself and my housemate put together (2x OT12s and 2x T39s along with an entire rack of goodies) was offered to them both, free of charge, we even said we'd set it up for the DJ. We were told it wasn't needed, the DJ and the band playing had their own kit.

We rolled up to the evening 'do' and were greeted by 2x12" tops on poles aaaaaaaaand nothing else. The sound as you can probably imagine wasn't exactly great and it felt like the songs were burrowing into my skull via my eardrums. My housemate looked at me and was most disappointed, even a single OT12 would've done better than this. Then the feedback started, I've no idea how seeing as the speakers were in front of the mic but concentrated blasts of feedback. Constantly. After 10 minutes of that I left the room followed by the 8/9 people I was there with.

Woeful. I can kinda understand crappy speakers but the feedback was intolerable. I left for the sake of my hearing.