Not So Fast

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Ausumm

Gold Plated Productions
Oct 21, 2008
12,208
15,520
60
Bethlehem PA
Saw this on a local wedding page on Facebook. At first I thought it was someone looking for an old skool vinyl spinner. But read on.

"Hey all, my fiancé and I are looking for a DJ, bonus points if they are have a double mixer that is able to play vinyl. We have quite the collection.( and would love to put on our wedding website our guests could bring a vinyl to play for the bride and groom) "
 
Absolutely hilarious, so you want guests to bring their old records so the DJ can play them. So we get pass very likely the records will sound like crap. Playing someone else’s records, hum, if I did still play records I won’t want to go that route. Personally I don’t care what they do if they have the money but I’d rent them a system and they could go to town. Been there & done that. I saw the world worst wedding DJ one time to bad I didn’t have my video camera. I was on the phone with my wife giving her a blow by blow description of what was going on. She told me to leave and come back when it was over. It was like accident where you know you’re not supposed to look but you just have to. The reception ended in less 3hrs right after dinner. Yes, it was that bad.
 
I won't ever do records for a wedding or any event. No thank you. Mt first gig in 1995 at 13 yrs old helping my Dad out as a 2nd DJ for a 3 level house party I was using CDs with two single disc cd players, and a radio shack mixer. My Dad had retired using tapes about 3 years before that, and he had been using CDs for 8 years at that point.

I imagine any one willing to take this event is going to be an older hobbyist age 60+ who loves playing records at home. OR it will be a scratch DJ who usually just utilizes a turn table for effects, but sees an opportunity to charge a premium to this couple for what they want to do since they will have very few prospective DJs willing to do this.

I do remember as a child watching my Dad load and unload his station wagon with milk crates full of records. I think he was completely out of records by 1987 as he went all in on tapes, and CDs within a year after going all in on tapes. I don't think he used Tapes after 1992. He always told me how much work records were back then not to mention the very heavy amps and speakers
 
I would absolutely do this.

Most of their guests probably aren't going to actually bring vinyl. But if they do it would be fun to piece it together. Play the rest of the set on Serato and give them the vinyl look that they'd enjoy.
 
He always told me how much work records were back then not to mention the very heavy amps and speakers

He wasn't lying to you LOL. Back in the day my crates of vinyl took up more space than the speakers and the speakers took up a lot of space. As a guess each crate was about 50 Lbs and I was carrying 6 by the end of the vinyl days. I still have my vinyl here in my studio and in several other places in the house.

I'd love to do a vinyl night somewhere but not at a wedding and not with someone else's vinyl
 
He wasn't lying to you LOL. Back in the day my crates of vinyl took up more space than the speakers and the speakers took up a lot of space. As a guess each crate was about 50 Lbs and I was carrying 6 by the end of the vinyl days. I still have my vinyl here in my studio and in several other places in the house.

When I used to supply DJ systems to to other DJs I could move the whole DJ system by myself faster than the DJs could their get the records to the cars. I stopped using records 1992 when we had a job on top of building in NYC and the wind was blowing so hard we couldn’t play records. I used my Numark 5020 dual CD player and my limited CD collection to spin for the whole event. I looked at all the cases of records and said we don’t need them anymore. Not a popular decision with the guys but this was business. That Numark player didn’t have instant start but it had pitch. It took about a year for the full change over. But I had a Ace up my sleeve I could edit music & burn CDs with my computer. It will be a cold day in hell before I play/move any vinyl. Just thinking about it makes my back hurt. Really I can’t say I miss CDs either as those cases got pretty heavy.too.
 
I do remember as a child watching my Dad load and unload his station wagon with milk crates full of records. I think he was completely out of records by 1987 as he went all in on tapes, and CDs within a year after going all in on tapes. I don't think he used Tapes after 1992. He always told me how much work records were back then not to mention the very heavy amps and speakers.

Over the last say 10 years, we have to admit doing all this has become a lot easier...especially physically.
 
Over the last say 10 years, we have to admit doing all this has become a lot easier...especially physically.

I think it depends on how we have adjusted to some of the basics getting easier.

In my early days of DJing, I did lots of community events, birthday parties, basic sort of gigs. Two speakers on sticks, a console, a power amp, and my CD books were the standard.

If I were simply trying to recreate that, I can skip the amp, and the laptop replaces the CDs. So it's lighter an easier.

But my average gig these days is running a 3 mic setup and music during ceremony, a separate cocktail hour location, reception music with subs and maybe wireless speakers. Add in totems, uplights, now getting into cold spark... It's far more taxing than it ever used to be.

That isn't a complaint, I'm being compensated for the additional production. But I've used the additional capacity to expand what I can do, not just make the basics easier.
 
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Honestly, I didn't post this as a way to debate the value of vinyl or how much it would cost the client to do such a thing, or how much extra effort it would require from us. I just thought it was a unique example of how Brides get an idea, trying to be different, without realizing how awful of an idea it may be.
 
. I just thought it was a unique example of how Brides get an idea, trying to be different, without realizing how awful of an idea it may be.
I’m willing to bet when you boil in down major part of what they want might be they think it will save them money & also give them control of what music is played.. I have dealt with these people want unique music and other things. It isn’t cheaper, easier & requires much more effort, planning & therefore will be more expensive.

Now, you know DJs love talk about Vinyl Whether they love it or hate it. There’s going be a big conversation.
 
I just thought it was a unique example of how Brides get an idea, trying to be different, without realizing how awful of an idea it may be.

I guess I'm different... but like Albatross, If I had the equipment to play vinyl, I'd be happy to do this event. I think it's a cool idea. I love the sound of old vinyl and even break out some of my own vinyl at Christmas time (It's nostalgic for me to play Christmas music on vinyl). I dig it.
 
I guess I'm different... but like Albatross, If I had the equipment to play vinyl, I'd be happy to do this event.
Oh, if I had turntables, I would do the gig as well. But I'm sure you would agree that none of us would do the gig if the price wasn't right. And just because the idea is cool, doesn't mean it would be entertaining for all of the guests.
 
Honestly, I didn't post this as a way to debate the value of vinyl or how much it would cost the client to do such a thing, or how much extra effort it would require from us. I just thought it was a unique example of how Brides get an idea, trying to be different, without realizing how awful of an idea it may be.

I'll just add, I think there is a big difference between doing this during dinner or cocktail hour, and dance time.

To have a queue of some favorite old records to play during dinner would be pretty easy to cue them up and have people feel involved in the process is a unique way.

If I'm having to mix music I don't know particularly well, or not have cue points set during dance time, it's a problem. So if this were my client, I'd guide them to doing a handful of tunes during dinner played off vinyl, and letting the rest of the night flow organically as it should.
 
Honestly, I didn't post this as a way to debate the value of vinyl or how much it would cost the client to do such a thing, or how much extra effort it would require from us. I just thought it was a unique example of how Brides get an idea, trying to be different, without realizing how awful of an idea it may be.

Nail, meet head. As a venue owner, I'm now seeing this even more than when I was only a DJ. So many of these girls are young and have stars in their eyes over their wedding day and they get it in their head that they MUST have everything THEIR way. Add to that the mentality that they all want to come up with something(s) unique and different than everybody else has at their wedding, and here we vendors are trying to politely explain "Lady, that's a stupid idea. Drop it."
 
Over the last say 10 years, we have to admit doing all this has become a lot easier...especially physically.

Yes. The biggest difference these days is exactly what Ross described. I'm a one man show 95% of my events, and I will set up for ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, and tear it all down. I usually tear down ceremony set up during cocktail hour. 20 years ago I was setting up my Numark CD Mix 1 then the 2 around 2004. I started with 5 travel CD cases with 30 CDs in their jewel case in each case. So 150 CDs, then I eventually had a 6th one plus a binder style CD case. I had two speakers on stands...the speakers weighed 70 lbs until I got the 12" SE12 Yamahas that weighed maybe 45 lbs each. I purchased a JBL 18" Sub in 2004. It was the least used speaker I ever owned. I hated transporting that thing around. Used it 5 times at events until I got rid of it.

No Up Lights back then. I didn't have to set up a sound system for a ceremony in a different location until 2007. Most ceremonies were in the same room, OR I would be able to run a speaker cord with a speaker right outside of a door to blast music towards the ceremony area LOL. (But it worked back then!).

No laptops. Now I bring two plus a tablet!

Some events today are still a single sound system set up, but not the norm for me.

I would take today over back then though. I spend much less time downloading music typically. I don't have to go to a music store to search for music, or buy a whole album. We have way more options for lighting today compared to back then too.

Today, I don't have a single piece of gear or bag that weigh over 45 lbs. Although, I bring about 340 lbs worth of equipment, bags and tables with me to the typical wedding today with no up lights. 20 years ago, I had less equipment, but weight wise for the equipment was probably around 325 lbs (with the subwoofer) and I didn't have tables with me back then, and that was for a single set up (with back up amplifier) vs 3 set ups today. with multiple speakers.