1. What's your coverage area?
Based in Central New York, we cover several surrounding counties within 1.5 hours of Syracuse, NY. Events at a great distance from Syracuse, NY may incur a travel charge.
2. Do you offer a written contract?
Absolutely. Our contract outlines and establishes our every obligation to you and your event. If you'd like to view it prior to reserving your date, just let us know and we'll be glad to send you a copy.
3. Can we meet with you in person before we decide?
Sure! We're glad to meet in person. Sometimes distance and schedules make it difficult, so we're glad to have phone and/or Facetime or Skype meetings as well.
4. Can we make payments in installments?
Sure! Your retainer payment is usually 1/3rd the total amount of your event to reserve the date, after that's applied to your balance, you're welcome to pay the remainder over time leading up to your wedding in thirds, or in Easy Automatic Monthly Payments.
5. Do you perform for more than one event in a day?
For most dates, we focus on one event per date. That said, since the Covid-19 pandemic forced so many clients to shift their dates due to governmental restrictions, we've made adjustments to accomodate multiple events per date. In April 2020, we fortified and expanded our staff to serve more clients, as well as provide valuable backup talent in the event of another wave of Covid 19.
6. What makes you different from your competitors? Also see 'Why We're Different' and 'About'
There are many competent and professional Disc Jockeys in Central New York. All have their own strong points. We can simply tell you what we do best; We keep a low-profile, and when appropriate- open the dancefloor and kick start the party into action, make well spoken announcements on an as-needed basis, and do it all with a professional demeanor. You may want a DJ with a shiny bow-tie who'll lead the Chicken Dance, that's not us. We're not going to bash any DJ who fits that criteria, but it's simply not our style.
7. Have you played at our reception site before?
It's very likely. We've played at most of the top venues in CNY. That said, if we haven't been to yours, be assured we'll adequately prepare prior to your event by visiting the venue and/or speaking with the site contact and familiarizing ourselves with the floor plan. Every site poses different challenges – different load-in and security procedures, different room sizes and configurations, different acoustics etc. We'll always ensure familiarity with your site so that you won’t have any surprises on your wedding day
8. What's your "style" when making announcements? Also see 'Why We're Different' and 'About'
This is an important question to determine whether a DJ is a good match for your guests and the atmosphere you’re trying to create. A cheesy "radio" DJ can destroy the mood at an elegant, understated wedding. On the same token, public speaking skills are important, and a DJ who's not comfortable on the microphone, is probably in the wrong field. We try to strike a balance, by making professional, brief but well spoken announcements at the appropriate times. We're not convinced your guests are there to see and hear us.
9. How will you motivate the crowd if nobody is dancing?
Careful song selection is our #1 motivator. We're glad to announce that the dance floor is open and welcome your guests to make requests. That said, we've never needed to resort to begging people to dance on the microphone. People dance to the music they love. We're great at finding just the right song to get people motivated. Sometimes it's a classic, sometimes it's something brand new. Reading the crowd is just one of the important abilities a good DJ can bring to your event.
10. What if something happens to you and you can’t make it to our event?
While the situation has never arisen, as responsible professionals, we have a backup strategy in place in the unlikely event of an emergency. For most Weddings we work as a 2 person team, with either DJ or MC able to step in the either role. We're also active members of the Syracuse DJ community and have relationships with many professionals in the area. We have an entire network of DJs to choose from, and would match you with a like-minded DJ who is fully abreast of your musical tastes, and complete itinerary for the day. It's never happened, but rest assured regardless of any tragic circumstances, you will have a qualified, prepared DJ. This is outlined in our contract as well.
11. Do you take requests from our guests?
If you wish, we'll gladly take guest requests, while keeping with your musical tastes and playlist preferences.
12. Can we submit a “Do Not Play” list?
Yes. We'll adhere as strictly to your list as you'd like, and avoid any songs or styles of music you'd prefer not to hear at your event.
13. When do you arrive to set up for our event?
We aim to arrive at least a 1.5-2 hours before our scheduled start time. This allows time for equipment setup, which varies greatly from one event to another, and extra time organizing, neatly wrapping cabling the stands and ensuring the presentation of our equipment is clean and uncluttered.
14. How much would you charge for overtime?
Should you decide you'd like to extend to time of your event, our overtime rate is $200 per hour. Unfortunately, overtime cannot be guaranteed available, but it's usually no problem, and we always do our best to try to accommodate. If you suspect your event may go into overtime, please notify us asap, or within an hour of the scheduled end time.
15. What do you require from us?
Our needs are pretty basic. We require adequate shelter, electricity, and a 4-6' table. This is usually provided by the venue, and dressed with a table cloth that drapes to the floor to hide unsightly wires. If no table is available, or there is an additional charge, just let us know in advance and we can bring one, and use a basic black table-cloth. Sometimes we also use a black facade to create a DJ booth area.
16. Do you require a meal at our wedding reception?
While it's not a "requirement", because most weddings are 8-12 hour days, we'll gratefully accept it as a gesture of good will. Most clients do, since events are often celebrated during dinner hours.
17. Are gratuities expected?
Although most clients offer a gratuity, we never expect a tip for our services. We appreciate any tip that is offered based on our performance. The nicest thing you can do for us is to write a glowing review and recommend us to others. Regardless, be assured we'll give it our all every time.
18. Are you insured?
Absolutely. We're insured with a one million dollar liability coverage ($2,000,000 aggregate) policy underwritten by the top A+ rated insurance carrier in the country for mobile entertainers.
Many venues require this in the Facility Rental Agreement, also requesting proof of the venue's addition directly to the DJ's policy. We're happy to add your venue to our policy, and provide a certificate of proof in preparation for your event. Just ask.
19. What kind of equipment do you use?
We use only professional-grade equipment. Our gear is 100% digital and capable of rich, full sound. We prefer to sound great over sounding loud. Some of the brands we use are; Bose, Electro Voice, Denon, Shure & more. For software based mixing & music management we use Native Instruments Traktor Pro. All music is backed up redundantly on internal and external hard drives and we always have a backup method of playing music in the unlikely event of a failure.
20. Do you set up a sign or banner with your equipment?
No. We will not use a sign, banner, printed tablecloth etc. to advertise our business at your Wedding or other private event.
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What makes you different from your competitors? Also see 'Why We're Different' and 'About'
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What's your "style" when making announcements? Also see 'About'
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What if something happens to you and you can’t make it to our event?
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.