Vendor Interview
Certified DJs
Interview Transcript
What makes a professional DJ?
Music Machine
I believe a professional DJ is somebody that understands the wedding business.
DJ Corey Young
Experience, lots of experience
DJ Valentina
What makes a professional DJ is the way that they act, the way they dress, the way they present themselves. It's more about someone who truly gets it outside of just the music itself.
DJ Corey Young
It takes time and experience and that’s not something you learn overnight.
Xtreme Soundz
We’re going to keep it organized, but at the end of the day you have somebody that’s going to lead and that’s what we are.
What kind of equipment should a professional DJ have?
DJ Corey Young
A professional DJ should have multiple systems, some small, some large. Reliable equipment, you want to stay up to date.
DJ Valentina
One that is able to provide the correct sound in the correct space.
Music Machine
We deal with computers that could have a hiccup but having a professional DJ with professional equipment would make the event run a lot smoother.
DJ Corey Young
Being a DJ today is like having and iPhone. You need to upgrade your equipment every 2 years.
What about experience?
Music Machine
I would say a professional DJ should have a lot of experience, especially in weddings.
Xtreme Soundz
They have the actual experience of all those years of what not to do, what to do.
DJ Valentina
Its more about the caliber. The more events you’ve done, the more experience you’ve had, the more polished you become.
DJ Corey Young
A professional DJ should have the ability to take on weddings, private parties, corporate events, and the ability to adapt to all situations.
Music Machine
A wedding is a one-time thing. You can’t mess anything up. You can’t get back a first dance or a parent dance, and so on, so forth. So I would say do your homework and making sure that DJ has a number of years in the wedding experience.
How much preparation goes into an event?
DJ Corey Young
The amount of preparation that goes into a professional DJ event varies. It could be 5 hours, could be 10 hours, depends on the size of a DJs library.
Xtreme Soundz
The preparation starts right from the beginning. As soon as we meet with you. Trying to go through all the actual pronunciations.
Music Machine
A couple planning a wedding a year to two years in advance is a lot of work on their end, same thing with the DJ. There’s a lot of preparation. Every wedding is different.
DJ Valentina
It takes hours to put together songs, put together a library based on the vibe that you think it’s going to be. You have to think about the client, and the guests, and what kind of equipment you’re going to use based on the venue and so on.
Music Machine
It just makes our job a lot easier on our end when the couples give us as much information on what they’re looking for for the night of the wedding. So a lot of preparation is leading up to the wedding.
How should a professional DJ respond to a technical malfunction?
DJ Valentina
So a professional DJ would respond by one, having a backup.
Xtreme Soundz
They should stay calm. They should be confident that they’re going to fix it.
DJ Corey Young
You should be ready for them at all times cause things do happen with electronics. Understanding that, you should have more than one piece of equipment on your truck.
DJ Valentina
If you don’t have a backup then you have others in the network who are able and willing to be there for you if anything were to go wrong, they are at your beck and call.
How should a professional DJ read a room?
DJ Corey Young
Reading a room as a professional DJ takes a lot of experience. The ability to understand if the dance floor is getting tired, if they need to change it up a little bit, if you need to pick things up, if you really need to get them going.
Xtreme Soundz
And by doing that, you’re making the family, the friends happy.
DJ Valentina
Reading the room is a gift. It’s a feeling. And you either have it, or you don’t.
Music Machine
The job as a DJ is to please all generations while you’re there. So understanding what you’re dealing with, what type of music is going to get them on the dance floor, or motivated.
DJ Corey Young
So as a professional, my job is to make sure that I’m playing the right songs that they asked for while they’re in the room.
DJ Valentina
So finding the right one does take research and does take a little bit of work in order to make sure that you’re getting the person that fits the vibe that you’re looking for.
Music Machine
Understanding your crowd, understanding the music, knowing what to play to get people on the dance floor, that is our job as a DJ.
