It Ain't Just iPods.......

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Deejay Dan said:
I'm always looking for the perfect mix, what songs goes with this one, whats in the same BPM range.. Cindy just requested a techno song and I'm in the middle of a hip-hop set, how am I going to work her song in? what am I going to play after her song? Is this going to kill or attract people to my floor? Are the old folks sitting at the bar going to have a conniption fit?
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You don't think wedding jocks do this? I assure you we do. Again...a good jock is doing everything you said NO MATTER WHAT TECHNOLOGY THEY'RE USING! Just because they may have two ipods and an ipod controller do you not think that music programming is still important to us?

I've been a dj for many years in both weddings and club and I can assure you the amount of work and live music programming is much more intensive at a wedding.
 
This whole argument kind of reminds me about things back in the day when I was a youth pastor. Yeah, shocking I know.

Even then (which wasn't that long ago) people would complain about "christian rock music" or some would even complain that television is evil. What they missed (and I think is missing here) is that the instruments themselves, drums, guitar, etc OR the television was merely a tool. That just standing alone there was nothing evil, negative or postive about it.

The same with the different tools we use. Turntables, cassette decks, cd players, computers, iPods...they mean nothing until someone gets behind the booth and operates them.

I just cannot believe we're still having this argument. I thought it would've ended with cd players but that's not the case. It's been mentioned before numerous times but don't you people realize that the client may have thought the same thing years ago when a guy pulled out his turntables at a wedding. Don't you think they might've thought...."gee, I have records at home! I could've done this myself!" Or the same with cassettes, etc etc etc. Did any of that stuff affect the wedding entertainment business as a whole or in the long run?

No...for those of you that are merely "dj's" then it might affect you. For the rest of us that are "entertainers" (dare i say wedding entertainment directors?) it means nothing.
 
Kevin:

Just wait till they invent the Telepathic DJ Console. All you'll have to do is stand there and think.



Man, some of us will be in big trouble then...
 
djdawg said:
You don't think wedding jocks do this? I assure you we do. Again...a good jock is doing everything you said NO MATTER WHAT TECHNOLOGY THEY'RE USING! Just because they may have two ipods and an ipod controller do you not think that music programming is still important to us?

I've been a dj for many years in both weddings and club and I can assure you the amount of work and live music programming is much more intensive at a wedding.
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You guys do that too? :sqwink: I was just using that as an analogy, my boss sees me just changing CDs and punching in track numbers on the keypad. It looks very easy to him. What most don't realize is there a lot of thought process behind it.

Another for instance: I always get my tires rotated at my mechanic instead of going to wal-mart to have it done. Why? Because my mechanic knows what he's doing, and if he sees something fishy on the wheel when it takes off the tire he will let me know. A teenager at wal-mart is less likely to catch something out of whack.

Bottom line: Experience pays. No matter what equipment you use, it's your experience as a DJ and entertainer that makes the party great.

For me personally, I don't like computers for DJing. As much as I use computers during the day, it's just not for me, I like using CDs.
 
GoodKnightDJ said:
Kevin:

Just wait till they invent the Telepathic DJ Console. All you'll have to do is stand there and think.



Man, some of us will be in big trouble then...
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OMG...you are so right. I think I saw in a movie once, or it might have been a beer commercial but everyone had an earpiece that they wore and all the music was wirelessly beamed to the earpiece. If you were standing in the room without an earpiece, you would hear nothing other then people moving about...no speakers, nothing. Weird...who knows how far we're from that huh? And then everyone will be complaining about that! EVERYONE'S WEARING BLACKBERRY DEVICES ON THEIR EARS! I COULD'VE DONE THIS RECEPTION! :sqbiggrin:
 
Deejay Dan said:
You guys do that too? :sqwink: I was just using that as an analogy, my boss sees me just changing CDs and punching in track numbers on the keypad. It looks very easy to him. What most don't realize is there a lot of thought process behind it.

Another for instance: I always get my tires rotated at my mechanic instead of going to wal-mart to have it done. Why? Because my mechanic knows what he's doing, and if he sees something fishy on the wheel when it takes off the tire he will let me know. A teenager at wal-mart is less likely to catch something out of whack.

Bottom line: Experience pays. No matter what equipment you use, it's your experience as a DJ and entertainer that makes the party great.

For me personally, I don't like computers for DJing. As much as I use computers during the day, it's just not for me, I like using CDs.
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You're so right...isn't that how it is with everything? The best make it look easy and we all go, "gee, I can do that!"
 
For me personally, I don't like computers for DJing. As much as I use computers during the day, it's just not for me, I like using CDs
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no dan....you MUST use computers!!!!:sqwink:
 
Making it appear easy is the trademark of experience. If you've been doing something every day (or every weekend) for several years and you can do it with your eyes closed, it would appear easy to the casual observer.

Setting up our systems is a piece of cake for most of us. We've done it so often that it's routine. It is easy for us. The same could be said for mixing music and MCing. We make it appear easy.

The casual observer may think it's as easy as we make it seem. He or she may try to do it on his or her own and find out PDQ that it ain't easy after all. Some will continue to try and practice. Others will fall by the wayside. When they fall, there you have bargains on slightly used equipment. :)

Musicians have always fascinated me. I've observed several bands who make it look easy. The keys, bass and rhythm guitar are in a huddle, BSing with one another and playing at the same time. They never miss a beat.

Yet, I know full well that I could not simply buy a keyboard or guitar and do that. :eek:
 
Fred, that is so true. A few of my brothers are excellent musicians, and i sit in awe watching them play like it was nothing.
 
Well, I for one am not going back to carrying a clumsy, over-sized "music system" just to validate what I do. Mainly, because anyone judging me only by the format in which my music is played is most likely not a prospect and serves as no threat to me.

I'm sure that all of us at one time watched a DJ working and said "That's it? ...I could do that."

If an event only requires a large music library and speakers, then that's not and event that requires a professional DJ. The only industry the "ipodders" are hurting is the sound rental one.

Technology is here to stay. A person no longer has to be a wealthy record collector to own 1000s of songs. $1 a track vs. the old $17-$20 a disc or LP is a huge leap. A thousand dollars now buys a thousand playable songs instead of two hundred. If they can play their own music, let them. Don't sweat it.

If you've done your job at the end of the function, you'll be judged by your skills and not your laptop.


.
 
Tomorrow we're going over a friend's to relax for the 4th. I am taking along one powered speaker, speaker stand, and an iPod. I'll synch the tunes tonight and have more than enough.

Last year I took my Peavey Escort and laptop/mixer setup. It took me 20 minutes to set up. The laptop was on autoplay all day.

This year it will take me less than 10 minutes to set up and the iPod will be on shuffle all day.

In three weeks I am doing a last minute ceremony. The church (across the street from the venue) wasn't handling the music arrangements to the bride's liking and the bride dismissed them from that obligation. I am going to use the same set up I am using tomorrow. I'll have my Nano in hand and select the songs straight from there. No mic is needed although I'll have one ready. When I told the bride my plan she said, "Cool". She's paying me my ceremony system fee for this.

Again I say, it is not the delivery system, it is the delivery itself that counts.
 
Fred Stewart said:
Making it appear easy is the trademark of experience.
The casual observer may think it's as easy as we make it seem. He or she may try to do it on his or her own and find out PDQ that it ain't easy after all. that.
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We take for granted the little things like no dead air, playing the appropiate song for a garter pull, reading the crowd and catering to that vibe. The "Ipod-ers" have no comprehension of these things and we do them in our sleep.

I agree that we do need to keep up with the changing technology because even though it doesn't convey our actual talent, it displays our current knowledge of the changing times. I would think that if a person is going to pay for my current services, they would want to see that they are getting what they paid for visually as well as ability...thx
 
Improvements in technology have helped this industry immensely.

The biggest advantage has been in overall weight and size of equipment. CDs are smaller and lighter than LPs. Laptops are smaller and lighter than CDs (and the dually CD deck system). IPods are smaller and lighter than laptops.

Mid-high and sub cabinets are molded poly and are lighter, smaller and easier to load and set up than their plywood bretheren. And they're active, too. You don't have to load amp racks.

Speakin' of amps, they're not left out. Class H amps have improved over the years. They're smaller, lighter and more dependable than their predecessors. And the switching noise issue has been eliminated as I understand.

These improvements in business equipment have helped this industry in several ways, most notably in load in, setup and load out time. Plus, the person or persons doing the work isn't beat to death before the show starts.

That said, all the technological advances in the world won't be able to replace that personality and love for entertaining. As Stu Chisolm has said, it may be music but it ain't me. Nothing can substitute for a professional entertainer. Jukes, ipods, rented PAs, what-have-you are machines. They're not entertainers.

It was once predicted that radio would replace public musical performances.

It was once thought that television would be the death of radio.

Some folks thought VHS units and rental tapes would make movie theaters obsolete.

People once thought that newspapers and books would be replaced by the Internet.

In each of these circumstances, new technology has melded with old to bring greater things to the consumer's doorstep.

We're currently wonderin' if iPods will replace paid mobile entertainers.

Predictions often turn out to be wrong. :)
 
Fred Stewart said:
Some folks thought VHS units and rental tapes would make movie theaters obsolete.
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Although the VHS units didn't kill theaters they did help kill the drive ins in most places (Although we still have one here)

Mabye this is the weakest link theory. Technology won't do any real damage to the strong but the weak will be killed off from it.

Dont be the weakest link
 
Scott Hanna said:
rather than bringing in useless equipment that you are not going to use...just to make it LOOK more difficult...how about finding additional equipment that will help make the show better.
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As long as it adds to the mystique......:sqwink:
 
Deejay Dan said:
I'm actually thankful for iPods.

I'll tell you why, at my bar gig we get lots of camp conselours in from all over the world. Lots of times people want to hear "their" music what ever that maybe. In genre's I know absolutely nothing about such as salsa merenge, I'm darn glad for iPods. We have a group of about 20 camp counselors from Columbia, who don't dance much to "our" music and they happen to be the camp which stays out the latest. Towards the end of the night one of the girls will come up and hand me her iPod with a playlist all ready to go. I bring my patch cable with me, I plug it into one of the alternate channels, change the crossfader assignment, and am ready to go
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For the cost of a $10 cable, I made customers happy that I wouldn't have other wise. It doesn't sound that great but they're happy and if they're happy my boss is happy.
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Nothing wrong with that at all, keeps 'em happy. My original rant was about pro's who make it LOOK too easy- completely different....
 
Request Line Productions said:
If you've done your job at the end of the function, you'll be judged by your skills and not your laptop.
.
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I agree. However, going back to my original rant, that's ONLY IF YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THE JOB IN THE FIRST PLACE
as opposed to not getting the job because some one THOUGHT it was easy enough to do themselves. Please see post #1.
 
GoodKnightDJ said:
Tomorrow we're going over a friend's to relax for the 4th. I am taking along one powered speaker, speaker stand, and an iPod.............................

This year it will take me less than 10 minutes to set up and the iPod will be on shuffle all day.........

In three weeks I am doing a last minute ceremony ( I'm assuming this is a wedding-Joe)......I am going to use the same set up I am using tomorrow. I'll have my Nano in hand and select the songs straight from there. No mic is needed although I'll have one ready. She's paying me my ceremony system fee for this.......

Again I say, it is not the delivery system, it is the delivery itself that counts.
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I would like people reading this thread to go back, read my original post (#1), re-read this one, and comment. BUSINESS -RELATED comments only. Please avoid personalization.. On this and the first post only. Thanks in advance for your input.
 
Joe,

To the extent of only considering the two posts in application and comprehension of client and guests.

I think it honestly comes down to what is or will be the expectations and requirements of...

1. the client of the dj,
2. the expectations of the guests in attendance of the dj.
3. Does the equipment used (technology) lower, meet or exceed the expectations of both?

Do they expect music (or sound reinforcement).
Do they expect a dj (as entertainment).

1. The client's expectations.

In this specific case, music alone (basic sound reinforcement) appears to be all that is expected of the client of the dj.

Should be successfully attained. I doubt that the client is looking for "super quality" reproduction of voice and music. Just understandable reproduction and support.

2. The guests expectations

In this specific case, I would think it would be more pleasing to the guests.

Quality sound reproduction. I can hear the music, but not looking for or expecting to be "entertained". I want to hear, but not see you mr dj! I am here for the wedding ceremony. Not to see your big speakers, subs, and a large distracting dj setup.

In this specific case, I honestly think the "new smaller" technology works better than the "big, look at me" setups.
 
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