Higher Level Sound

50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, Acoustic, Big Band, Classic Rock, Classical, Country, Dance, Folk, Funk, Gospel, Hip Hop, Jazz, Motown, Oldies, Orchestra, Pop, Punk Rock, R&B, Rock, Soul, Strings, Swing, World

Yes

Below are the most frequently asked and more important questions and their answers. Because each wedding is unique to each couple, these answers are more of a guideline than they are policy. If you need answers to your specific situation, or need clarification please don’t hesitate to ask.

Are you the person that will be the DJ/MC at my wedding reception?

Yes, I’ll also be the point of contact for any questions you may have, and will respond via e-mail or telephone, usually within 24 hours.

Do you DJ full-time? And what do you do the rest of the week?

Yes, I have been a professional DJ full-time since 1989. When I’m not doing events on the weekends the rest of my time is filled with event and music preparation, industry research, and performance evaluation.

How many weddings have you performed? Have you handled weddings of my size and caliber?

I have performed over 500 weddings at all levels. To date, the smallest wedding I have performed had 50 guests and my largest had over 900 guests. I have performed at small, intimate backyard weddings with close friends and family. I have also performed 3 platinum weddings where the total event cost exceeded $100,000.

What kind of experience, formal training, background and education do you have?

I started my entertainment and event production career professionally, at a very young age. In addition to weddings, I have done corporate events, night clubs, on-air radio work, audio visual production, concert sound and lighting and event management. I have gone to radio broadcasting school to learn how to announce and communicate effectively. Less than 5% of the entertainers doing weddings nationally have as much education, skills and entertainment experience as I do.

Companies like Glaxo Smith Kline, McKesson, Pfizer and many others, have trusted me to provide entertainment and production support for sales training, tradeshow exhibitions, and product launches worth millions of dollars.

I have worked directly with major multiplatinum artists such as Beyoncé, N-Sync, Earth Wind and Fire, Ricky Martin, Janet Jackson, Vicente Fernandez, the Black-Eyed Peas and many more. I’m excited to see your wedding through, to its success.

How many consultations do you do for a typical wedding?

We schedule 2. The 1st is a meet and greet presentation. It’s a chance to get to know each other and an opportunity for us to present what we have, see pictures and you can also ask as many questions as you like. The 2nd meeting is a preparation meeting and usually takes place 4 to 6 weeks prior to the wedding date.

If you feel we need to meet a 2nd time to go over all the details we can do so, but sometimes we can get together over the phone. We go over the details of the event like the timeline itinerary, music selections, style details and more. The 2nd meeting may seem a little redundant, but for us It’s about paying attention to the details and making sure that things have not changed in the months that we spoke last. By then all the music should be selected and the timeline finalized at the end of the meeting.

Where are you located? And where should we meet?

Our equipment warehouse is located in Santee. We try and meet potential clients somewhere that is centrally located, usually Mission Valley.

Are you licensed and insured?

Absolutely, our business is licensed through the County of San Diego. We also carry a $1 million liability and a $2 million aggregate insurance policy through Lexington Insurance Company in Boston, Massachusetts.

Do you provide an entertainment planner?

We do! It will help you with music planning and selection, wedding timeline creation, and more.

What time to you arrive to set up your equipment?

We arrive 2 hours prior to the beginning of the event. We may need extra time for larger event production equipment, difficult load in’s or other logistics.

Is there a charge for setup and breakdown of your equipment?

Absolutely not. There is no charge for setup or breakdown of our equipment. You are paying only for performance time. We will be in place and ready to play 15 minutes prior to start time.

We have never, ever started a show late.

What is your typical wedding attire?

We try and blend in with the guests. Unless otherwise specified, we usually wear button-down shirt, slacks, black shoes and socks. It’s not as formal as a tux or suit, and it helps the guest warm up to me.

Will you work with my wedding coordinator?

Absolutely! An experienced, professional wedding coordinator is invaluable. They will coordinate things like; dress fittings, hotel reservations, room layouts, guestbook, name place cards, vender check-in, floral and décor details, linen and table settings, bridal party, parents and much more. Our role is to help manage the event; lining the bridal party up for the grand entrance, making sure the best man is in the room for his toasts, keeping the other vendors in the know, letting dad know his dance is next, making the event flow seamlessly and much more. Your wedding reception is an entertainment driven event. One of my jobs is to keep the guests focused and entertained, follow the timeline that we have created and maintained the ability to be proactive.

What format is your music in?

I use MP3s as my primary source of audio playback. We also carry compact discs as a backup to that audio source. When it comes to the music for your formalities, there will be 3 generations of redundancy.

How many songs do you have in your music library?

We have over 50,000 songs in our music library, that’s almost 400 GB of music. We are also adding to that every month. We have a music subscription service that sends us a disc of music every month, much like a magazine subscription.

Eventhough we have thousands of songs in our music library, executing the perfect wedding is about playing the right songs at the right time. We plan an average of 15 songs per hour, and in a four-hour wedding event that is about 60 songs. Every song I play has to have some sort of impact. I don’t have the luxury of playing a “filler” song because I don’t have that much time. I need to play the perfect songs for your guests at the time, even if I just want you to sit and eat.

Do you provide cocktail/dinner music?

Yes! In the preparation meeting we will talk about what you want in terms of style, tempo, theme etc. in relation to your cocktail and/or your dinner music. We can either choose the music with your guidance or you can make a compact disc of the songs you want played in order, and we can play that.

Do you provide a wireless microphone for speeches?

Yes. Our wireless microphone system is concert grade. The guests will hear every syllable spoken clearly.

Do you have a list of references?

Yes, in addition to the written testimonials in our presentation, we do have many past clients that are happy with our services. Rather than share personal information about our past clients, I will refer you to yelp.com for our reviews.

Do you bring backup equipment with you?

Yes, but we have never had to use it. We always use professional grade concert sound equipment. It’s the kind of equipment that you will see when the president makes a speech, at the Super Bowl halftime show, or at the opening and closing ceremonies to the Olympic Games. This is one of the biggest days of your life. Nothing will be left to chance.

The issue of backup equipment came up about 10 years ago. It was a sales tactic used to scare potential clients into booking shows with companies who could not sell their services on their own merits. For the same reason there is not a backup cake or a backup dress, we should not have to bring backup sound equipment. We can if It’s a concern.

Are basic effects lighting included?

Yes! We bring four LED par cans on a 9 foot lighting tree. The LED par cans wash the dance floor in color changing light. We normally do not use nightclub type effects lighting. Nightclub lights look great in a nightclub. They look even better when there is fog in the room to trace the light beams, however, they look horrible in pictures.

Imagine looking at your wedding pictures 10 and 20 years later and the only thing you can see on the bride's dress is little white dots from where the lights landed or little red dots where the lasers touched her dress. It will be in every shot of her on the dance floor. There is other lighting you can use that will make the emotional impact on the dance floor at the time, without having to sacrifice the pictures.

Do you offer lighting and sound upgrades?

Absolutely, we can do sound and lighting upgrades as well as video and special effects. There is no limitation to how much “WOW” factor we can bring to your event, including indoor and outdoor pyrotechnics (Fireworks).

How many people will cover the event?

It depends on how much event production is involved. For the average wedding reception with 200 guests, I’ll be the only one attending.

Can we meet with you 1st before booking your services?

Definitely, we can meet in person or schedule a conference call. The first time we meet we’ll talk about your wedding plans. This is a meet and greet time for both of us and at that time the date is still available. We can talk about timelines, room logistics, floor planning, announcements, music programming, and ideas and see pictures of our past events. We present what we have and if you would like to move forward, we send you a contract via e-mail

Can you hold the date on your calendar while we make a decision?

Dates on our calendar are a moving target. Like many of other wedding services, ours is first come, first served. Holding a date on our calendar requires a signed contract and an initial payment.

What happens after you send us a contract?

Please make sure all the details are accurate. It will arrive in a PDF document in your e-mail. Please print it, sign and date it. Please send it back to us at our mailing address via US mail along with your initial payment stated on the contract. Personal checks, cashier's checks or money orders are acceptable. Once we have received a signed contract with the initial payment, we will then signed our portion of the contract and e-mail you a copy for your records. From there you continue to plan and when we get 4 to 6 weeks away from the wedding, we schedule our final preparation meeting.

What is the final preparation meeting?

It’s the last time before the wedding day. By this time all your formality songs should be chosen. Formality songs are the songs that you have chosen for the specific elements in your wedding. They include your grand entrance song, your first dance, songs for your parent dances and more. You may also include 10 to 15 must play selections. These are songs of special meaning to you, your family and your friends. They can also be songs that were a close 2nd to your formality songs. Your do-not-play list may be more important than you think, because by the time I play something you don’t want to hear, it’s too late. We will go over wedding timelines and itineraries as well as song selection and music programming. At the end of the preparation meeting, you will be able to look at your wedding, step-by-step, and know the order of the events that are going to happen.

When is the final balance due?

The final balance is due 15 calendar days prior to your wedding date. We will also get together 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding date for the final preparation meeting. Some clients choose to pay the final balance at that time. You may also make partial payments towards the final balance throughout the planning process if you wish.

What about overtime charges?

Our overtime rate will only be charged if you go past your stated contract time. Thirty minutes before the wedding is scheduled to end; I’ll approach you and ask if you want to go into overtime. If you choose to go into overtime, the overtime rate is paid in cash before the first overtime hour starts.

Are there any taxes, additional charges or hidden fees?

No, the amount on your contract is what you pay, the taxes have been included.

Is gratuity included in the price?

No, the gratuity option and amount is at the sole discretion of the client.