Skipping the DJ - any experiences?

I have only on my time as a Dj seen two hotels that have fitted large sound systems into the function room, (Cavan and Wicklow)

The basic Hotel system will not be able to manage the bass frequencies at high volume, this will lead to sound distortion or the amp will cut out if fitted with overload protection.

This idea has been going around for many years and gets the same response all the time.

Wedding Djs are not expensive for the service they provide.

Full evening Djs €350 - €450

After band Djs €200 - €300

Fees up or down depends on playing time, travel and amount of equipment required.

Argument for DJ only savings - Dj only against average wedding band savings would be around €1000. (saving of 2K for high end bands)

Bands and DJ combinations are really down to the couple, some use it to give a varied entertainment experience on the evening.

When looking at the Dj only option.

Experience of the DJ is essential

Sound and lighting, 2 speakers,2 lights in a room of 200 - 300 people would not be suitable
(Bass bins and tops with enough lighting to give good atmosphere and a stage presence).

Back up equipment for all essential parts of the system.

A bit off topic I know but a DJ is there to create a party atmosphere by selecting and playing tracks that will work at the right time of the night, a pre recorded set or preset/preloaded playlist do not have the option to change direction if music is not working.

After a day of attention to detail to WOW the guests eg. Dress,cars,flowers,Dinner, singers etc, the last thing your guests will experience will be the DJ, so a bad one could ruin the memory of your wedding.

Food for thought,

Mobile DJ

(This is post is not an advertisement for my services nor is it intended to be as there are no
website links,email address or numbers listed, All points listed are from personal
experience)

Mobile Dj wrote: »

I have only on my time as a Dj seen two hotels that have fitted large sound systems into the function room, (Cavan and Wicklow)

The basic Hotel system will not be able to manage the bass frequencies at high volume, this will lead to sound distortion or the amp will cut out if fitted with overload protection.

Cabra castle in cavan I think has one as they run dances and need it? where in wicklow?

old setanta house in celbridge used to have one but thats gone a while, Near the end of their existence I had a gig there, manager told me I had to play through their sound system as he didnt trust any DJ to manage his own levels but then tried to charge me 50e for the privilege. :D:D

2 months later they were gone.

clint_silver wrote: »

Cabra castle in cavan I think has one as they run dances and need it? where in wicklow?

old setanta house in celbridge used to have one but thats gone a while, Near the end of their existence I had a gig there, manager told me I had to play through their sound system as he didnt trust any DJ to manage his own levels but then tried to charge me 50e for the privilege. :D:D

2 months later they were gone.

Forgot about Setanta.

It's been a while since I've been to Cabra Castle, from memory there was Bose 802 speakers and again where under powered for the room (may have changed since I've been there)

Cavan Crystal & Amber springs were the two I remember , Wicklow hotel even had moving heads installed.

@color_girl The key points in your post

"I have about 4/5 mates who are DJ's, while I didn't want to ask them to DJ at our wedding cause they are guests"

"they have offered to set up the system for me, get all my music into playlists & can take over if the dancefloor dies!"

The fact is they will be there and more than likely they will step up and help if playlist is failing, this is not an option available to all couples getting married.

Our fee for a local wedding with 60 guests would be €250, so a saving of €100 would have been made here.

looking at the time spent collecting & setting up equipment,checking levels,compiling playlists,talking equipment out at end of night and returning it to the hire company, it is not a huge saving.Also is there a back up amp or speaker should the unthinkable happen.

HTH's

color_girl wrote: »

I know - I'm very lucky My chief witness (not doing bridesmaids or bridal party) is also a sound engineer!! Since she has no other bridesmaid-y style duties, her main duty was get a PA suitable & hook it up!

I know its not a huge saving but our budget was penny tight... so €100 was MASSIVE to us plus no one will have the music we like haha!

Point to note to all brides make sure to invite a DJ, sound engineer and the owner of a PA hire shop.(LOL comment not meant to offend)

"no one will have the music we like" you think... I've had some unique music lists in my time..

You have my attention, Give us an example of your music tastes

colorgirl, thats a great example of if youre on a very tight budget, do as much yourself as possible. And if you need to save 100e, then why not and we'll help as much as possible to make it work if you need any help. to save you 150 on the sound, you could spend 500e on 2 decent full range speakers from adverts, they hold their resale value pretty well, sell them on for same price afterwards.

Im with my Mobile DJ friend on one thing, Youd be surprised what pro guys have in their collection. Any time I hear someone say "ah I bet you wouldnt have a partiuclar song" its kind like asking a professional chef that he wouldnt be able to cook a steak a particular way. I had LCD soundsystem, white stripes and christy moore and tavares requested in a row last saturday night, eclectic crowd, no problem. DJs get a bad rap as theres an image of a guy playing any old songs from a playlist off a laptop, half the couples have friends who've download a free version of PCDJ or a cracked version of traktor and think this is it, Im a DJ. Sort of like saying I can cook a steak at home, Im a chef.

I was down in amber springs 3 times in the last month, I didnt recollect seeing the house system but I know they run dances and the local DJ brings his own rig in for it.

Mobile Dj wrote: »

Think I have mixed the names up Amber is on the left on the way out of the town,

The one I am thinking of is further down and had a huge function room with 15 inch tops and moving heads in roof.

If I think of it and where it is I will let you know, It's been a while since I've been down that direction.

@color_girl . yip music taste now added to my unique list of music styles.

That's probably the seafield. They've got the moving heads permanently installed. Was only down there last week and hadn't been there in a couple years. Didn't see the 15s though. Back again next month, must check that out.

Mobile Dj wrote: »

Wedding Djs are not expensive for the service they provide.

Full evening Djs €350 - €450

We paid double this in 2008, otherwise known as the rip off years :mad:

Karen23 wrote: »

We paid double this in 2008, otherwise known as the rip off years :mad:

€900, I was never that expensive and I'm sure you were quoted a lot less by other Djs and either went for most expensive DJ bracket as you were probably like many others at the time with the "why are they cheaper" question

Full day or long playing times & Travel/accommodation costs would be the only reason for high fees at the time.

Our DJ wasn't very expensive but I think with hindsight I wouldn't have bothered having one and would have asked the band to play an extra half hour. We didn't have a hotel wedding so there was no residents' bar planned and I was about ready to call it a night by 1am. DJ was grand but wouldn't have been missed if we'd wrapped the party up earlier with the band alone. I've never been bowled over by a wedding DJ, I'm usually ready for bed after the long day by the time the band finishes up.

Mobile Dj wrote: »

Question here is simple, when it came down to price does the default setting go to more expensive "must be better".

not at all but the same as when you book a room in a 5star hotel compared to a 3star hotel, you will expect more from the provider across the board, and someone charging 1k while technically may not be any better than someone charging less, they charge what he/she does for a reason or maybe a sum of many reasons.

If they were charging 1k a gig and were terrible, im pretty sure they wouldnt be in business too long.

Was at a wedding where there was no dj and no one bothered getting up to dance other than me and my partner. It seemed a bit silly just plugging in an Ipod with no one to alter the music. That's the great thing about a DJ - they can adapt to what's going on on the dance floor.

clint_silver wrote: »

most definitely.
Theres a business principle that exists (has a name that I cant remember) that if something costs more then it must be better but that would only last so long. You'd have to actually be better to justify it.

.

spent a while looking for this:

The Veblen effect or conspicuous consumption

Abnormal market behavior where consumers purchase the higher-priced goods whereas similar low-priced (but not identical) substitutes are available. It is caused either by the belief that higher price means higher quality, or by the desire for conspicuous consumption (to be seen as buying an expensive, prestige item). Named after its discoverer, the US social-critic Thorstein Bunde Veblen (1857-1929).

Heckler wrote: »

Got married in a country house with a small guest list (around 40 or so). Kinda place full of small interconnected rooms (apart from the main dining area) so a band made no sense. We used a fine sound system to play quiet music during the meal and ramped it up when things got going all through an ipod.

Everyone seemed to have a great time and years later was still getting compliments on how much people enjoyed it, that it was different to the usual hotel function room/band/dj. Not that theres anything wrong with that. We just had a limited budget and this worked for us. Even if we could have afforded a band we wouldn't have had one i'd say because the venue didn't suit.

Our style of wedding probably wouldn't have worked in a large hotel environment but it was perfect for where it was.

Separated now but thats incidental. She still agrees the venue was brilliant :pac:

Sorry to hear ye are separated hope twasnt nasty or anything....

Your wedding sounds something similar to our own and after going to a wedding at the weekend and hearing another loud band and DJ I am back to thinking that for something like this there is no need for a band.. Think they would be lost, and I know people enjoy them but half of the people I spoke to recently have said bands are just not worth it.

Milly33 wrote: »

Sorry to hear ye are separated hope twasnt nasty or anything....

Your wedding sounds something similar to our own and after going to a wedding at the weekend and hearing another loud band and DJ I am back to thinking that for something like this there is no need for a band.. Think they would be lost, and I know people enjoy them but half of the people I spoke to recently have said bands are just not worth it.

Nothing nasty at all. Just didn't work out. Meet up for coffee every now and again. Get on better than ever ! Lifes strange.........Miss her like crazy but wasn't meant to be. She's an amazing woman and will always be the love of my life and I wish her nothing but the best.

So went to a wedding recently and have to say all arrows point towards skip the band not the DJ...Although you can DJ yourself if you need to cut down costs.. But defo let the band go before the DJ. Same ding dong, too loud and just really made a downer on the hourish they played even the kids didn't want to dance..