My fiancee and I are getting married late this summer. Of course everyone knows how expensive weddings can get, so we are trying to save wherever we can. My future brother-in-law has offered to serve as DJ for us. He has a great laptop computer filled with a huge collection of music he’s collected over the years.
My question is - would we just need to get some speakers and a microphone (for any announcements he might need to make) and hook them directly to his laptop, or would some additional equipment be needed between the two, for example, to boost the signal into the speakers?
The reception hall is rather large - it’s capable of holding 300 people, just so you know how large of a room the sound needs to fill.
You need a power amplifier and fairly large speakers. If you have a decent home stereo (or know someone who does) you can use that. Depending on what you want to do, a mixing board might be useful, or at least some audio software on the laptop.
Visit a local music store to see what they rent. Smaller systems can have an integrated preamp/mixer and power amp. This allows you to balance the input from the laptop and the microphone.
You don’t say where you are but here’s an example, just the first one that came up on Google.
A home stereo system probably won’t handle a room with 300 people unless it is really beefy.
BTW how many people will you actually have? People absorb sound like crazy so 100 people in a room big enough for 300 is a different story than 300 people.
My brother made his own program for his wedding, and arranged it so that someone would just basically have to press ‘start’. He had to hire a PA to deliver the sound, and this was for a venue seemingly much smaller than yours. The kicker for him was that he just couldn’t find one that he could hire independently - it had to come with two (!) men to ‘dj’, despite the fact that he had done everything in advance. He had to pay the bods for the night, and feed them scrummy wedding food, in order to get them to bring the PA.
This was in a fairly rural part of the UK, which I suspect had an influence on facility availablity, but a warning in case it’s useful…
We did this, it was a huge success, I’ll have to get my husband to post in regards to what we actually used.
We bought our speakers, and though they are suitable for home use (ie they are not industrial grade) they did an excellent job of filling our large, strangely shaped space (a public aquarium).
Our rabbi requested amplification at the ceremony, so we used a guitar amp and a cordless mic, which worked great. We brought that set up inside for thank you speeches as well, so we wouldn’t have to fuss with the speakers after they were set up for music.
You can’t do this with anything but the best home stereos. You need lots of amplifier power and very large speakers. When you’re playing music at high volume you’d better be feeding the speakers lots of good, clean power. If the amplifiers and speakers aren’t up to the task people will literally be in pain.
The DJ we hired had two of everything. What if someone knocks the laptop down and breaks it? No music.
Another thing is that a DJ knows how to mix songs. Will there be dancing? You can’t just cue up one song after another. You have to mix them as one song transitions to the next. If you don’t, you end up with a bunch of people standing around waiting for something to dance to as a song fades out. A good DJ keeps the beat going.
In short, I don’t recommend this at all even if you can get your hands on the proper equipment. You still need to have someone who knows how to use it. Your brother-in-law and his laptop with MP3s of unknown quality is not the guy for the job.
Apparently you have never heard of an ITunes playlist? With crossfade? I promise you OP, this is NOT AT ALL DIFFICULT and anyone who tells you otherwise, probably has a DJ business.
In out RSVP cards, we invited song requests. This gave us a “feel for the room” in creating our playlist. We also
a)are not morons
b)have been to weddings
c)know our friends and family
and as a result, we did not play 3 straight hours of ukelele music or death metal whatever catastrophe DJ’s like to claim will happen. We had a playlist for dinner, and a playlist for dancing, and we pre-accomodated everyone’s requests if we were able to find the song. People were up and dancing all night, and no, there were no awkward lulls.
With rare exceptions, DJs add little of value, and are (in my experience) are QUITE likely to hijack the event in a way you do not want “because everyone plays [chickendance/macarena/its raining men/fill in here]”
I have actually been a to a wedding where all the professional DJ did was monitor an iTunes playlist (and, from where we sat, check the football scores all night). I actually was really mad for the couple; they got ripped off.
Actually, our reception hall will be much larger than we really need. We will have less than 100 guests.
As for my brother-in-law and his DJ talents…I have heard his collection…it is solid. I will make sure to confirm that he can perform transitions properly. I appreciate you pointing it out as something to consider.
For the person asking where we are located - Northeast Ohio, near Cleveland.
I just got married. We did the music on the cheap, actually on the free. We made four playlists (reception, meal, bride / groom dances, dance music) and switched between them when necessary. Really the music could not have been better and I would recommend this route to anybody who has a broad enough taste in music.
However, in a venue capable of holding 300 I would definitely test your equipment at least a few weeks in advance.
Is future BIL in the wedding? If he is, you’ll need to make sure there is someone other than him to run the show while he’s doing anything required of the wedding party.
Another thing a DJ might have that you won’t is some sort of lighting system to add to the mood. That might not be a big deal though.
No, our future BIL is not part of the wedding party. We are being a bit non-traditional in that area that there really isn’t a wedding party…no bridesmaids, groomsmen, maid of honor, or best man. Closest thing is a 3 yr old nephew who will be a ring bearer…
I did this and it worked out great. Granted I work in theatre and my husband works for a concert hall. So we borrowed professional gear and had friends who are sound guys set everything up. I had made my own playlist and had it on laptop and i-pod. It was great and I got compliments on the music selection.
There were people dancing all night long and was a great way to cut down on costs.
We had 2 speakers on stands with a small amp and a mic.
Now this was in a small dance area so we didn’t have much space to fill.
Technically, this is an illegal use of his recorded music.
When you buy music, you get a legal license to listen to it yourself. To play it amplified for a group of others at a public event is not allowed. You are supposed to buy a special license for that kind of thing, just like stores have to pay more for background music that they play.
But the RIAA are a disgusting bunch of jerks, so go ahead and do it!
Some venues include this in the rental fee. I know mine did. There was a price for no music, music but no dancing, and music with dancing. I think it was about $40.
A wedding is not really a public event, consisting of friends and family only. There also are going to be few people at the wedding. There aren’t any clear guidelines, but odds are this would fall on the side of allowed. I’m not aware of any case law on wedding, but I don’t have search abilities from here. Don’t pay any fees.
You’ll need to beef up the output of the computer. You should be able to rent a basic package from someplace in Cleveland for less than the cost of a DJ bringing in a system.
Of course, this would require you (or your BIL) to have the knowledge to hook it up correctly.
And, as has been noted, you’re on your own regarding any copyright issues.
If your BIL likes gadgets he might like to buy himself a USB DJ Mixer to play with. You will still need some sort of amplification and speakers; the laptop will not provide enough power.