The Pitfalls of DIY Wedding Reception Music
In order to save a few dollars some couples decide to take the Do It Yourself (DI) approach the music at their wedding receptions. Those considering DIY music should be aware that it is not as easy as they think and there are a number of pitfalls they have probably not even considered.
SONG SLECTIONS
Who needs a DJ? All you do is burn a compilation CD or put together a playlist on your iPod or laptop right? Well, its not quite as simple as that. Let's start with the art of song selection - and it is indeed an art. The following article addresses this point in detail:
http://www.gonnagetmarried.com.au/page/dj-music--picking-the-right-songs
SOUND SYSTEM & LIGHTING
Even if you think you can put together a good collection of songs, what are equipment are you going to use to amplify the music? Some venues do have in-house sound systems but they are usually only good enough for background music, certainly not dance music.
The following article discusses what equipment is required to provide a decent sonic and visual experience at a wedding reception:
http://www.gonnagetmarried.com.au/page/sound--lighting-equipment-explained
If you do decide to hire equipment to play your music through then you can expect to pay a few hundred dollars to get something basic that will do the job. That's about half the cost of hiring a cheap DJ for the night that has a decent system. Then you have to find someone to operate it throughout the night and change CDs etc.
Then there is the lighting. You can spend an awful lot on hiring effects lighting. When you hire a DJ lighting is almost always included in their set ups.
USING A LAPTOP
if you know what you are doing you can use a laptop to play music but there are some major problems with using a laptop. Laptop sound cards are not designed for public address (PA) systems and the audio/mini-jack output does not usually have the right impedance. Laptop soundcards can barely drive 32 Ohms. PA mixing desks usually require inputs over 50 Ohms. Whatsmore laptop sound cards are cheap and nasty – OK for PC speakers but not PA systems. I use a laptop but I bypass the sound card altogether and use a high quality USB direct injection box which alone costs almost $300. You have to use something like this or an external sound card to eliminate this problem.
Using a laptop sound card and running a mini-jack output into a mixing desk also creates a ground loop hum.. A laptop is earthed via its mains plug, so as soon as you connect equipment with an audio lead you create a loop which acts like a single-turn transformer and can pick up mains hum and other noises. Some people cut the earth pin off a double adapter plug and use that to connect their laptop but this is NOT recommended. This can be a dangerous solution to eliminating earth hums and you can not use the butchered double adapter with any other equipment that requires earthing. Putting it simply unearthed equipment can kill you. Using an external pro audio card or a USB direct injection box will safely solve the ground loop hum problem.
DEAD AIR & VOLUME MATCHING
Dead air, or silence/gaps between songs, is a cardinal sin for DJ music. The risk of this is greatest when couples decide not to use a DJ and play the music themselves with an ipod or compilation CDs. For those DIY couples playing music on a laptop or a PC will enable this problem to be eliminated with software that will allow cross-fading of tracks. iTunes, the most commonly used music playback software, has this facility. Individual tracks can also be mixed and EQ'd separately on iTunes to enable a 'set and forget' playback without having to adjust volumes on the fly. MP3s do vary a lot in volume, or 'perceived' volume mainly due to the normalisation process used to master recordings.
YOUR TIME IS PRECIOUS
With everything else you need to do in the lead up to your wedding, do you really want the added pressure of organising the music and equipment etc? It takes time to compile DJ music and source equipment etc. Perhaps it's best to leave all that to an expert.
SUMMARY
DIY wedding reception music is fraught with problems. Music can make or break a wedding reception. Cutting corners and compromising when it comes to entertaining your guests can be disastrous. People may not remember what the cake looked like, or what the floral centrepieces looked like, or what the bride was wearing, but they will always remember the music and entertainment. If the music selections are poor, or the sound system is sub-standard, then your guests will have reason to gripe! Is that really worth the risk?
Earl Cole
Singer, entertainer, DJ & MC
www.earlcolemusic.com
SONG SLECTIONS
Who needs a DJ? All you do is burn a compilation CD or put together a playlist on your iPod or laptop right? Well, its not quite as simple as that. Let's start with the art of song selection - and it is indeed an art. The following article addresses this point in detail:
http://www.gonnagetmarried.com.au/page/dj-music--picking-the-right-songs
SOUND SYSTEM & LIGHTING
Even if you think you can put together a good collection of songs, what are equipment are you going to use to amplify the music? Some venues do have in-house sound systems but they are usually only good enough for background music, certainly not dance music.
The following article discusses what equipment is required to provide a decent sonic and visual experience at a wedding reception:
http://www.gonnagetmarried.com.au/page/sound--lighting-equipment-explained
If you do decide to hire equipment to play your music through then you can expect to pay a few hundred dollars to get something basic that will do the job. That's about half the cost of hiring a cheap DJ for the night that has a decent system. Then you have to find someone to operate it throughout the night and change CDs etc.
Then there is the lighting. You can spend an awful lot on hiring effects lighting. When you hire a DJ lighting is almost always included in their set ups.
USING A LAPTOP
if you know what you are doing you can use a laptop to play music but there are some major problems with using a laptop. Laptop sound cards are not designed for public address (PA) systems and the audio/mini-jack output does not usually have the right impedance. Laptop soundcards can barely drive 32 Ohms. PA mixing desks usually require inputs over 50 Ohms. Whatsmore laptop sound cards are cheap and nasty – OK for PC speakers but not PA systems. I use a laptop but I bypass the sound card altogether and use a high quality USB direct injection box which alone costs almost $300. You have to use something like this or an external sound card to eliminate this problem.
Using a laptop sound card and running a mini-jack output into a mixing desk also creates a ground loop hum.. A laptop is earthed via its mains plug, so as soon as you connect equipment with an audio lead you create a loop which acts like a single-turn transformer and can pick up mains hum and other noises. Some people cut the earth pin off a double adapter plug and use that to connect their laptop but this is NOT recommended. This can be a dangerous solution to eliminating earth hums and you can not use the butchered double adapter with any other equipment that requires earthing. Putting it simply unearthed equipment can kill you. Using an external pro audio card or a USB direct injection box will safely solve the ground loop hum problem.
DEAD AIR & VOLUME MATCHING
Dead air, or silence/gaps between songs, is a cardinal sin for DJ music. The risk of this is greatest when couples decide not to use a DJ and play the music themselves with an ipod or compilation CDs. For those DIY couples playing music on a laptop or a PC will enable this problem to be eliminated with software that will allow cross-fading of tracks. iTunes, the most commonly used music playback software, has this facility. Individual tracks can also be mixed and EQ'd separately on iTunes to enable a 'set and forget' playback without having to adjust volumes on the fly. MP3s do vary a lot in volume, or 'perceived' volume mainly due to the normalisation process used to master recordings.
YOUR TIME IS PRECIOUS
With everything else you need to do in the lead up to your wedding, do you really want the added pressure of organising the music and equipment etc? It takes time to compile DJ music and source equipment etc. Perhaps it's best to leave all that to an expert.
SUMMARY
DIY wedding reception music is fraught with problems. Music can make or break a wedding reception. Cutting corners and compromising when it comes to entertaining your guests can be disastrous. People may not remember what the cake looked like, or what the floral centrepieces looked like, or what the bride was wearing, but they will always remember the music and entertainment. If the music selections are poor, or the sound system is sub-standard, then your guests will have reason to gripe! Is that really worth the risk?
Earl Cole
Singer, entertainer, DJ & MC
www.earlcolemusic.com
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