Disc Jockey News

Do you start sounding like a broken record? Do you play the same songs over and over? What can you do?

Recently on the "Knights of the Worth Table" the subject of how do you keep your events fresh was the topic. Along with some great laughs there was plenty of great information passed on. I had to write to Jim Cerone, the creator of "The Perfect Host" a member of the "Knights" and my favorite DJA Radio hosts to let him in on a little of my insite. He is what I posted on his blog.

Jim,
You were talking about keeping a reception fresh and not getting stale on the Knights of the worth table episode #10.
Recently I did a wedding where there were three other couples that in the last few years I had entertained for. I did not know ahead of time that these couples would be there, it was just my referral program working at its best. As each couple came up to speak with me I did get there names and played their first dance song special for each. I try to create a unique reception for each of my couples but still rely on those great classic sets of music to keep the dance flowing. At one point I saw a young lady dancing that I have seen at many of my events and over the microphone said “Hay, you’ve been at ten of my dances” She yelled back, “No you’ve been to ten of our dances!” At he end of the night one of the mothers came up and said she looks forward to the next time I come to their dance”
It is with the special songs and special events scheduled by the couple that helps to make each party different. The more time spent pre planning the event, the music and the special little things that help make each reception different enough so that no one gets board with the things that they might have heard before. You can also say the same lines (jokes) in a different way or different content that makes them new.
Keep up the great work!

Jeff Richards: Party Time Productions

http://www.PartyTimeProductions.biz

Posted by Jeff Richards at 03:06 PM | Permalink

BIll Hermann of DJA Radio did an interview with our Sunday night speaker Michael Port.

Deep Probe Episode 009 at DiscJockeyAmerica Radio™

Posted by John Young at 12:23 PM | Permalink

Sometimes guest can be so ignorant and abusive to us entertainers.

Have you ever had a night like this?

The party is going great, you’re in the last few minutes and coming down to the last song of the night. The dance floor is packed with guests dancing to Hip Hop, Rap and today’s top hits. Then out from nowhere a person comes up and wants to hear a POLKA!

When you nicely tell them that you have one or two more songs left to play and you're done, then apologize to them because you can't play a polka, they get all in your face and upset. I did play two polkas earlier in the dance and only a few select guests danced. Why would I stop the fun with a full dance floor to play another polka?

At another reception I was at the end of the night and had a smokin’ Hip Hop set going when a ten year old girl asked for a country song that I had played earlier for her. I told her that I was unable to play it because it was time to go home. She went back to her parents crying. (Dad was a groomsman) He proceeded to come up to me and in a very angry voice insist that I play the song for the kid or else he would tell his all of his friends not to hire my services.

I explained to him that I had already played it, the dance is almost over and that we are in a Hip Hop set. He then got angry called me names and stormed off. The rest of the night and all during my teardown he just starred at me like he wanted to rip off my head, yelled out the name of the song the kid wanted to hear, point at me and give me the finger or thumbs down sign.

Let’s think about this, you want to hear a particular song, you ask the DJ and then get very angry, make threats and him call names. Yes! That will make a person want to do what you have asked of them!

Try that in a fancy restaurant. Tell the chief how bad you think he is, call him names and then send the food back. You really won’t want to eat the food after that!

Sometimes guests can be so ignorant and so abusive to us entertainers and they don’t even realize it. All for what? Not playing a song. Try that with your favorite radio station and see what it gets you.

Jeff Richards: Party Time Productions

http://www.PartyTimeProductions.biz

Executive Vice President of the Midwest Association of Professional Disc Jockeys.
http://www.mapj.com

Posted by Jeff Richards at 12:48 PM | Permalink

Here is a new twist on a old scam. Beware!

You all know of the scam where a person sends you an e-mail saying they want to hire you as the DJ for a wedding.

They are from some other country and want you to be the point person in America and arrange for you to handle the money and the other people involved with the wedding.

You deposit the money order from the client into your account, send money orders to the others involved and send the client back the extra. Some days later you find out from your bank the money order the client sent was a "FAKE" and the addresses would send your money orders back to the scam artists and now you are responsible for all the cash layout. If you fall for this your out a lot of money.

Today at 5:30 pm I received a phone call. It was an operator who explained that they have a person using a computer to send me a phone call and that she would read the print to me and then type back what I wanted to reply.

I thought at first it was maybe a person who is unable to speak (the deaf use this system to communicate with others) so I worked with the operator.

As the conversation went on, things began to sound fishy. I realized that it was that same e-mail scam but with a new twist.

The wedding was to be in Georgia. I explained I lived in MN and it was thousands of miles away.

They still wanted only me to DJ and wanted to know how much I would charge.

I pulled this figure out of my as#$%&)&%@ and replied:

$10,000 dollars.

They asked again how much?

I said $10,000 dollars

They said "OKAY". They then informed me he would send me a money order and wanted me to pay the photographer and caterer by sending money orders to addresses he would provide. I would subtract my fee and send the extra in a form of a money order, back to him.

I said "Sure, but I only accept bank issued cashiers checks"

They then said no thanks and immediately hung up.

WATCH OUT FOR THIS ALL NEW SPIN ON AN OLD SCAM!!!!!

Jeff Richards: Party Time Productions

http://www.PartyTimeProductions.biz

Executive Vice President of the Midwest Association of Professional Disc Jockeys.
http://www.mapj.com

Columnist for the Disc Jockey News. “Starting from Scratch”
http://www.discjockeynews.com

Posted by Jeff Richards at 11:03 PM | Permalink

A turd by any other name is still a turd!

As you may have already heard, there are individuals in our industry who want to find a new word to use to describe and establish themselves as something other then a bottom feeder Disc Jockey. (See part #1 of this bog for more details)

This “new word” idea isn’t just taking place in our industry. If you watch TV commercials you might have seen two different phone companies, both telling you not to call it a “PHONE.” They tell you it’s not a “PHONE” but yet what is it…..a PHONE with extras.

These two phone makers are trying to establish themselves as something unique and superior to all the other phones being made. In actuality it is nothing more then a fancy phone.

Everyone wants to find a way to tell the world “we don’t suck” like the others. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. (Remember Pepsi Free?) The new word, new description didn’t work. They ended up going back to saying “Caffeine free, diet” and it sells wonderfully.

No matter what we call ourselves, the general public will only think of us as a DJ.
If you’re a great DJ then you will do well, if your not, eventually you will disappear.

A turd by any other name is still a turd.

Jeff Richards: Party Time Productions

http://www.PartyTimeProductions.biz

Executive Vice President of the Midwest Association of Professional Disc Jockeys.
http://www.mapj.com

Columnist for the Disc Jockey News. “Starting from Scratch”
http://www.discjockeynews.com

Posted by Jeff Richards at 11:52 AM | Permalink

The new BOSE P.A.S. B1 L1 sound system BLOWS everyone else out of the water!

I’m not a salesman for, I’m not trying to sell you a pair, but I feel I have to inform all of you about my experience with the latest and greatest improvement in a DJ sound system.

BOSE PART #1

At the 2005 MAPDJ Convention in Minnesota, I saw for the first time a presentation for the new Bose P.A.S. B1 L1 sound system. I thought to myself: It didn't seem real, it could have that kind of quality, and it just couldn't be that good! I listened to the two men displaying the system give their presentation a total of three times in three days before I could even grasp this all new concept in sound technology. I called my wife with such great excitement and spewed out the information that I had memorized from their presentation. Before that convention was over I had purchased this new marvel in sound!
Two days later it arrived on my door step. I immediately opened the boxes and began to put it all together. In less then a half hour I had this system pumping out the tunes and rocking my neighborhood. This was and still is the greatest thing I have ever purchased to improve my business.

I have read and spoken with other DJs who do not care for the BOSE. They have all kinds of misconceptions, complaints of quality, performance and an overall dislike for them, but for every complaint they had I was able to counter it with actual proof and experience with the BOSE. Even with that, some DJs just are stuck in the past and will not even consider this all new way to hear sound. To me it’s like listening in HI DEFINITION. I hope to continue this Blog all about the BOSE and also get your feed back.

Jeff Richards: Party Time Productions

http://www.PartyTimeProductions.biz

Executive Vice President of the Midwest Association of Professional Disc Jockeys.
http://www.mapj.com

Columnist for the Disc Jockey News. “Starting from Scratch”
http://www.discjockeynews.com

Posted by Jeff Richards at 07:00 AM | Permalink

Pioneer Press tells Brides not to hire a Band or DJ, just load up an ipod

On August 9th the Pioneer Press ran an article about making a wedding unique for Brides. There were all kinds of great information about everything except the entertainment. This section was only two sentences long and it basically said to not hire a band (DJ) but just to load up an ipod with your favorite songs.

I immediately sent a three page letter to the editor explaining why this was such bad information to give to Brides and explained the importance of the entertainment. The editor e-mailed me and replied that if I cut it down to 150 words or less she would print it. So I did and here is my reply that ran on Friday August 11th in the letter to the editor area.

Can an ipod do any of this?

Your article “Vow to be Different” has a major flaw concerning the entertainment portion of the article. You suggest a Bridal Couple should not hire a Band; Disc Jockey is implied, but instead just load up an ipod with their favorite songs. The entertainment; be it a DJ, Band or other form is the most important item to the success of the any reception. They do more then just show up and play music. Their skills and talents include: Master of ceremonies, organization of the event, controlling the flow of the party, playing the appropriate songs at the correct time in a variety of musical styles, which ALL the guests will dance to. They create an atmosphere of fun with interactive activities while keeping the energy level up and the dance floor filled. Can an ipod do any of this? It would be as much fun as watching the radio.

Jeff Richards: Party Time Productions

http://www.PartyTimeProductions.biz

Executive Vice President of the Midwest Association of Professional Disc Jockeys.
http://www.mapj.com

Columnist for the Disc Jockey News. “Starting from Scratch”
http://www.discjockeynews.com

Posted by Jeff Richards at 04:18 PM | Permalink

You wouldn't believe what other Wedding Vendors think about Disc Jockeys and what we do!

I am presently putting together a seminar for the Northern Disc Jockey Convention held in Oct. of 2006 at the Mystic Lake Casino. I wanted to know what vendors who are not a Disc Jockey but are in the wedding industry thought of the Disc Jockey industry. I sent out a questionnaire by e-mail, snail mail and with phone conversations to Photographers, Videographers, Caterers, Wedding Planners, Banquet Hall Managers and Hotel Captains in hopes of getting their point of view. I asked them about what makes for a good DJ, what problems they have with DJs and how we could help them in making their jobs easier. I wanted to know if they think there are “Professional” Disc Jockeys and what qualifies them as a “Professional” DJ. Attend my seminar to find out the answers, you might not like what you hear. Then I’ll share a ten part session that will help you qualify yourself as a “Professional” Disc Jockey.

Jeff Richards: Party Time Productions

http://www.PartyTimeProductions.biz

Executive Vice President of the Midwest Association of Professional Disc Jockeys.
http://www.mapj.com

Columnist for the Disc Jockey News. “Starting from Scratch”
http://www.discjockeynews.com

Posted by Jeff Richards at 05:11 PM | Permalink

The new JET Nightclub at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas offers a sound reinforcement system featuring EAW Avalon Series loudspeakers, which were specifically designed to meet the high demands of premium nightclub sound.

Within a 15,000-square-foot space, JET is outfitted with high-end entertainment technology in each of its three distinct rooms, which are discretely fed hip-hop, rock and house music. As he's done with numerous cutting-edge club sound designs, John Lyons, president of design/build firm John Lyons Systems, chose to head the JET system with EAW Avalon Series loudspeakers, which he originally co-designed with the EAW engineering team.

In light of unique sonic challenges presented at JET, the two entities again teamed up on a hybrid custom loudspeaker design called the Avalon DCX. Specifically, the DCX marries elements of standard Avalon DC1 and DC2 models with EAW's revolutionary Concentric Summation Array (CSA) technology that employs several patented concepts - including precise low- to mid-pattern control matching and the Radial Phase Plug - to deliver symmetrical off-axis response that's extremely smooth and predictable in both vertical and horizontal planes. The DCX also offers a new enclosure shape and grille.

At JET, a total of six DCX boxes are flown alongside the main dance floor, accompanied by eight EAW Avalon DCS2 dual-12-inch-loaded subwoofers that provide pulsing low-frequency energy. Built into soffits, the DSC2 subwoofers are arranged in banks of four that are positioned on each long side of the dance floor.

Off the dance floor, 36 EAW custom JL12 custom 12-inch coaxial ceiling loudspeakers are installed over the two bar areas to provide distributed coverage in the main room, and they're also used as the main PA in both of the club's side rooms. The main room DJ booth monitoring system includes two Avalon DC4s and an EAW SB250 subwoofer, as well as a new Mackie d.2 DJ mixer .

JET joins an impressive Las Vegas nightclub roster that also feature Lyons-designed systems headed by Avalon Series loudspeakers, including Light and Caramel at the Bellagio, TAO at the Venetian and Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel.

For more information visit: www.eaw.com

Posted by DJN Blog Admin at 04:39 PM | Permalink

Now, mobile DJs can stay grounded while setting up their high-flying lighting systems.

With the introduction of the new SQ-CP1 Mobile Crank-Up System, Global Truss America has made it possible for lighting users to keep their feet on the floor as they assemble professional-quality overhead rigs of hanging effects and fixtures.

The SQ-CP1 Mobile Crank-Up System is a cost-saving, all-in-one package that includes two square pieces of truss, the necessary support bars and two crank stands — everything you need to erect a fully loaded, stable rig without ever having to climb a ladder.

“You can stand there and hang your lights at eye level, then crank ’er up,” said Ken Kahn, general manager of Global Truss America. “That’s why crank stands make it so much easier to rig your lighting, especially if you’re a solo act. Plus, the SQ-CP1 Mobile Crank-Up System’s super-strong lightweight aluminum trussing is simple to assemble — no tools are required, and all the connector pins you need come included.”

The two 6.5' square sections of SQ-4112 truss go across the top of the rig. The STSB-005 Support Bars attach to the tops of the ST-132 Crank Stands and hold the truss securely in place. The entire SQ-CP1 Mobile Crank-Up System snaps together so quickly, one person can set it up in about 15 minutes.

Global Truss’ TUV-approved trussing is made from the high-strength 6082-T6 aluminum alloy, a durable and corrosion-resistant material used by the aviation industry. This alloy offers the highest tensile strength currently available and is three times lighter than steel, so the system components are incredibly durable yet easy to transport. The alloy is also easily finished, allowing Global Truss customers to special-order a variety of attractive colors and powder-coat finishes.

Like all Global Truss rigs, the SQ-CP1 Mobile Crank-Up System is extremely flexible, so you can expand and re-configure it for use at different venues. In fact, you can use the company’s full range of trussing products and conical connectors to build whatever structure your lighting system requires.

Each of the ST-132 Crank Stands is rated at 220 lbs., so the entire SQ-CP1 Mobile Crank-Up System can hold a maximum load of 440 lbs. — enough to include about four to six moving heads plus several plug-and-play lights. Since the stands are just 63" high at their lowest point, the average person can assemble the rig and crank it up to as high as 158" by raising each side a little bit at a time.

The STSB-005 Support Bars measure 120" wide by 95" high and have a diameter of 40mm. Their 18"-wide secure latches are adjustable from 4.5" to 16"/8".

For more information, contact Global Truss America, 5659 Mansfield Way Bell, CA 90201; Phone: 323-415-6225; Fax 323-415-6226 Web: www.globaltruss.com Email: info@globaltruss.com

Posted by DJN Blog Admin at 04:38 PM | Permalink

The new LED-fitted COLORtubeTM EQ offers users the unique possibility of mounting a 32-band, real-time audio spectrum visualizer, ideal for any venue where a highly visible display is wanted.

Each tube can be addressed to respond to one of 32 frequencies, in the pulsating manner of a graphic equalizer on your stereo.

The tubes are sold in packs of four. Using just four tubes and selecting the first four addresses would display the four lower frequencies in the band. If you wanted to spread the band across the entire sound wave with just four tubes, you would need to spread addresses in eight-digit increments. To do the same with 8 tubes, you would need to spread it in four-digit increments, and in 2-digit increments with 16 tubes.
The tubes are water resistant, sustain wide temperature changes and are a snap to install, perfect for outdoor events and mobile functions. Operation is silent and there is no duty cycle. They are power-linkable.

Posted by DJN Blog Admin at 04:10 PM | Permalink

Peavey proudly introduces the powered PVi 8B and PVi 4B mixers to its renowned PV® Series, the benchmark for performance and value in sound reinforcement.

These new rugged, powered mixers from Peavey are remarkably easy to use and feature both XLR and ¼" inputs on each channel, as well as rotary controls to adjust level, reverb, treble and bass (a single tone knob on the PVi 4B) and additional equalization on the master section. Power
amplifier ratings are 150 watts RMS into 4 ohms on the PVi 8B and 100 watts RMS into 4 ohms on the PVi 4B.

The PVi 8B features a master effects section with echo, reverb and level adjustments, while both models include a master level and Tape In/Tape Out section. PVi powered mixers are built solid with a steel chassis in a sturdy wooden cabinet enclosure with tough vinyl covering and protective corners.

The PV Series product line includes every link in the audio chain, from loudspeakers, mixers and power amplifiers to processors, cables, microphones and accessories.

The Peavey PVi 8B and PVi 4B will be available from authorized Peavey retailers in Q4 2006.

PVi 8B
· 150 watts into 4-ohm (2 x 8 ohm) speakers
· Eight balanced microphone inputs
· Eight ¼" TRS inputs
· Tape/CD input w/level
· Five-band master graphic EQ
· Master effects: echo and delay with level
· Treble, bass, reverb and level on each channel
· Line Out for connection to external amplifiers
· Return input for connection of external effects processors
· Record Out
· RF interference protection on all inputs
· 27.5 lbs.

PVi 4B
· 100 watts into 4-ohm (2x8 ohm) speakers
· Four balanced microphone inputs
· Four ¼" TRS inputs
· Tape/CD input w/ level
· Tone, reverb and level on each channel
· Line Out for connection to external amplifiers
· Record Out
· RF interference protection on all inputs
· 18 lbs.

Founded in 1965, Peavey® is one of the world's largest manufacturers of musical instruments and professional sound equipment. Peavey holds more than 130 patents and produces more than 2,000 products, which are
distributed throughout the United States and to 136 other countries.

To find out more, visit www.peavey.com.

Posted by DJN Blog Admin at 05:42 PM | Permalink