DJing from a balcony...

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djcrazychris

DJ Extraordinaire
Jun 12, 2018
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Just booked a wedding for this summer... the venue is one ive done dozens of times... but the bride and groom want me to perform from the balcony... ive been put all over the place in this venue...once even in the closet where they keep the chairs...but not yet performed from the balcony...lol... im really dreading that location... ive done balconies before at other venues...and found it much harder to read the crowd...harder to control the time line...and receive any sort of verbal cues or hand signals from coordinators ... i guess one perk is i will not need a facade...

At any rate...i will make it work... just wondered if you guys have any input...

i was debating about possibly putting my lights down on the stage and link up wirelessly to them... rather than the lights coming from my location....but im still undecided...

any ideas on speaker placement... the acoustics in this room are quite bizarre to begin with...

here is a couple picks of the balcony...and of the VIEW from the balcony

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Can you still put the speakers down below? I don't think it would sound that good if you had them up n the balcony.
 
There is a venue a tad north of Baltimore (Greyrock Mansion) that has a smaller room with tables and a small 2 X 4 opening that looks down on the main area.

Many times, that's where you would be with a small table next to that small opening along with a half dozen or so tables with guests.

From there, you have to drop cables down 10 feet against a wall to your speakers- your only option - AND use that opening to monitor stuff happening on the floor below...

Simply Elegant Catering | Pikesville, MD | Photo Gallery - (http://www.simplyelegantcatering.com/photo-gallery.php)

You can see the room in the entryway pic on the right side and that small window...
 
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I actually tel clients that I have to be on the floor. Completely changed the dynamic, especially as a dj who does announcements from the center of the dance floor. Venues always seemed to accommodate the request.

i still do my announcements behind the booth... since i rarely wear pants...lol

i think they are simply trying to fit way too many tables on the floor.... plus... the room u see behind my dj booth in the pic is where all the tables are coming out of immediately following the ceremony....so if im set up there im in big trouble... im really torn on whether to demand to be down there... part of me is interested to see how it plays out from the balcony... requests from children will be averted (my last wedding i was bombarded by the nieces of the bride wanting obscure 21 pilots b sides all nite)

i think i can deal with the location as far as reading the crowd... my dj booth at a club i worked at was a crows nest style...so i can handle that... my biggest concern is lighting and speaker placement... but my hands may be tied with that as well due to zero space down there and their desire to keep the stage clean for pictures

cc
 
Put the speakers under the balcony (if possible) and run wired.

i fear that would be tricky ... the kitchen entrance is on the left...main entrance in the middle... amd its about a 5 foot overhang

one positive is that i am being allowed to set up on the friday night beforehand...so i will have the option of changing and tweaking

cc
 
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Just consider it a test case and explain the limitations you'd have to the client .. then experiment.

Aside, I'd personally prefer playing Twenty One Pilots B sides over anything Post Malone ...
 
Im a bit timid of running wireless all that time...

cc
You shouldn't be afraid of going wireless. 2 friends of mine do it and never an issue. Just check how far away can the speakers be from the base unit. Did you ask why the couple wanted you on the balcony? If I could be on the floor that's where I would want to be.
 
I did one earlier this year with similar logistics. I put main speakers on the ground, and brought a monitor up to the balcony so I could hear my mix. I don't do announcements from the dance floor so that wasn't a big deal. But I did have an assistant on hand to help with load in, and getting the wireless mic to the right people for toasts. Also it helped to have a second set of ears in the room to judge volume and things like that better.

172-candid-wedding-reception.jpg

I dropped an XLR behind one of those columns to send a signal to the speakers. You could do something similar for a DMX cable if you're concerned about the wireless.
 
Did you ask why the couple wanted you on the balcony? If I could be on the floor that's where I would want to be.

As stated above they are having both ceremony and reception downstairs...on stage.. they are also trying to keep the stage free of ugly stuff like speakers and lights... the area im set up in the above picture is where the tables and chairs will come out of in a fury between ceremony and reception. There is essentially zero space for set up downstairs according to their floorplan.

I dropped an XLR behind one of those columns to send a signal to the speakers. You could do something similar for a DMX cable if you're concerned about the wireless.

I use wireless dmx at all times.... my worry was wireless audio

but all the downstairs stuff is moot now because i spoke to her this afternoon and the floorplan simply will not allow any room for any equipment downstairs...they are optimizing every inch for tables

cc
 
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