DJ Training Video

At DJ Cutt Entertainment, we manage so many different kinds of events in the Pacific Northwest, that we’ve had to streamline the various gear set ups according to the needs of the specific event. An indoor wedding will have very different requirements than an outdoor wedding, for instance. A dance party will require lighting, sound, and other visuals that are completely unlike what you need for a wedding or funeral ceremony. The following is a comprehensive overview of the various set ups we typically provide for our event clients, making it easy to understand what is involved with set ups and takedowns. Normally, this will be handled by our experienced on site staff, but we make this information available for anyone who might benefit from it.

‍Wedding Ceremony Audio Setup‍

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A wedding ceremony normally involves a mix of sound equipment, to cover a range of needs. It’s imperative that all of your guests, whether in the front row or all the way in the back, will be able to comfortably hear your wedding vows. This means you need microphones and speakers that make it possible for the officiant, bride, and groom all to be heard. But it’s also important that you don’t have any loud speakers that are blaring into the unfortunate guests positioned near them. That’s why we offer a wedding ceremony sound kit that is adaptable to a number of different scenarios.

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Our ceremony kit includes a table skirt, a three pronged extension cord, batteries and back up batteries, gaffing tape, wireless microphones, and lapel microphones. If you’re outside on a windy day, you’ll probably need to use the handheld microphones, but in most other cases, the lapel mics are preferred. There is one labeled for the officiant, and one for the groom. No lapel mic is placed on the bride (no bride wants a bunch of wires sticking out of her dress), as they will be close enough to the groom that one microphone is enough. The kit will also have multiple cables, including a jack and power cable for an iPad or other device.

When connecting the lapel mics, turn on the mic in question, press synch, and confirm on the display that the connection is good and it’s registering sound.

Wedding Reception DJ Audio Setup

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The gear needed for a proper wedding DJ setup can be quite involved. Of course, there will be the sound gear, including a mixer, speakers, at least one wireless microphone, and more. But there’s also the lighting, such as a spotlight, uplighting, led lights, and perhaps even an LED screen.

Our reception sound kit includes two wireless mics, cables, gaffing tape, connectors, plenty of spare batteries, and the sound unit. It’s important to make note of the main outlets, which is where you’ll need to connect the XLR cables.

When connecting the wireless mics, they need to be synched. Each mic is labelled. Turn on the first mic, hold it up to the synch unit, and press synch. Once it is synched, you’ll get a synch reading, and you’ll see the sound bars moving when you test the mic.

There will also be a separate box with the DDJ setup. This will need to be set up separately. It comes with the necessary cables and wires, as well as a table skirt to ensure a clean set up. The reception box is labelled, indicating where the DDJ plug needs to be plugged in. It’s also labelled indicating where an iPad would be plugged in. Finally, make sure that all the cables are taped down and as non-obtrusive as possible.

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Proper Audio And Power Cable Set Up

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AV cables tend to be long and easily get tangled or kinked. That’s why it’s so important to keep them orderly, and wrapped in a straight fashion. When wrapping cables up, they will probably naturally circle up at a certain length, maybe about an 18 inch diameter, that corresponds to how they have been wrapped in the past. Make sure when wrapping them that you don’t force them together, but you gently wrap them in a straight manner. Once wrapped, use the velcro attachment to secure them.

How to Connect a QSC K12 to a QSC K-8 Speaker Setup

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Another important aspect of any event set up, including weddings, is having high quality speakers to cover the entire room in sound, without overpowering any specific area. This is where QSC speaker come in.

When setting up a subwoofer to a speaker, there are a number of things you need to keep in mind. First of all, the gear that will be in our QSC kit includes the sub itself, as well as the cover. Inside the cover, you’ll find all the necessary cabling unit. There will be cables to go to the sub and the power unit, as well as XLR cables that go to the top unit.

When plugging in the cable to the power unit, it will be labelled blue, so it’s easy to identify. There will also be a XLR cable that divides into two plugs and connects to the line in. There will also be a cable that goes to the mixer. There is a pole that gently screws into the subwoofer. The smaller speaker unit will then get placed onto the top of the pole.

There is also a QSC K-8 speaker that can be daisy chained to the sub woofer. This will have an orange power cable that makes it easy to identify as well. We typically include another speaker that has separate 25’ cables to allow for greater diversity in your sound set up, should it be necessary.

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How to Setup Our DJ Lighting Package

No wedding DJ set up is complete without a lighting package to ensure that the dance floor is properly lit. We accomplish this with our DJ Lighting package. To set up our lighting kit, you need to attach the T-bar, and then add a light on either side. The key is that the back part of the light is facing the right direction (see video). Clamp the light snugly to the pole, and then repeat to process for the second light on the other side of the T-bar.

Next, you need to attach the power cables, which are already included in the T-bar. Get the power cable that runs to the wall ready, but don’t plug it in until the dance party is about to start, as the lights will go live as soon as they are plugged in. Generally, the lights get plugged in after the first dances, when the dance party is ready to begin. They also need to be raised up to about 7 or 8 feet high.

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Setting Up a Satellite QSC Speaker Wedding Reception

Finally, there is a QSC speaker that is part of our wedding reception package. This will come with the speaker, the stand, the cover, the speaker skirt, and the cables, which will be included in the bag.

When setting the speaker up, get the stand ready and slide the speaker skirt over the stand. Before putting the speaker on the tripod, make sure the skirt is extended over each of the legs. This makes it easier to attach the speaker. Once the speaker has been added, you can still adjust the stand to the desired height. Bring up the power cables and then tape the speaker skirt so it is aesthetically pleasing for photos.

It’s important to remember not to tape anything down until you have finished running your wiring and gotten the speaker in the proper location.

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