Successful Sound Suggestions for the Thinking Bride
Authored by Sound Connection Entertainment Event Host – Nick Ditri
There is an old saying “the key to a great song is a good lyric”, but unless you are looking for a sing-along at your wedding, there are a variety of factors which will invite your guests on the dance floor. A great lyric can only take us so far and that’s where the volume, rhythm and tempo take over to either make your wedding reception pulsate or be put to sleep. Focus the lyrics for your first dance while you celebrate with your lucky man, and afterwards, watch the volume levels, understand rhythm, and of course tempo and you are on your way for a wedding to remember.Cocktail hour and dinner are the most vital times during your reception to set the mood and make certain your guests are comfortable in their environment. It has been noted that most of the food and alcohol that is consumed at a wedding is generally during the cocktail hour. Sacrificing your personal song preferences can sometimes be a benefit at these times, because if your tastes drastically vary from your guests, you will have a disconnect right from the beginning.
Music volume is the most significant factor in the comfort level of your audience. Volume is measured in decibels, and to understand it we must dial you into to levels and the scale….. If we were to look at the max,130 dB is the threshold of pain while 0 dB would be more like the sound of a mosquito flying 10 feet away. With that in mind, where is the best spot to set your cocktail hour mix? Depending on the size of your crowd and room acoustics, it should sit in the 30-50 dB range, permitting a background sound. A level where you can easily let your friends and family mingle, converse together, and share thoughts about how beautiful the bride is. During the reception, an average “danceable” range of volume should be in the 90-110 dB range. The entertainment should make sure not to exceed levels of 115 dB which can cause ear damage, and chase your guests to corners of the room away from the speakers.
Entertainers often will bring a subwoofer, which is an additional speaker that strictly emphasizes the bass response of their sound system. While in most cases, this is effective to give a more wholesome feel to the music, in can often result in a muddy sound, drowning the vocals if the subs are not entirely dailed in to the venue, or other speakers properly, with an excessively booming bass. However, with insufficient bass, or “low frequency roll-off,” as it is sometimes called by audiophiles, you will be left with lifeless music resulting in thin sounding mixes throughout the night. Thin mixes often sound glassy and cutting, thus resulting in temporary or even permanent damage to the ear. Even the most high end sound systems can have a thin mix if the right DJ isn’t behind the control boards, doing what he or she should be trained in extensively, sound profiling and ability to tune a sound system.
Once your volume is set, setting the rhythm will likely be key factor in which guests make it to or stay on the dance floor the entire night. Even if heavy metal is your personal music preference, to have a memorable wedding where everyone was dancing, opening the dance portion of the event with a high energy (Oldie, Latin Song, Top 40 Dance song, or current Radio hit) usually appeals to everyone. Each genre or music type has its pros and cons, and experienced entertainment professionals like those found at Sound Connection Entertainment, not only know what works but are knowledgeable in the music backgrounds and foundations. As an example we will use a Latin track for this paragraph, and feature. Latin rhythms such as salsa is a mixture of traditional Cuban, African and other Latin-American rhythms that traveled from the Caribbean to New York in the 1940’s. The dance steps usually integrate swing dance moves along side foot patterns always stepping on the beat of the music. Songs such as Suavemente by Elvis Crespo and Let’s Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez, or Latin influenced Top 40 hits like Calle Ocho (I Know you Want Me) by Pitbull usually do the trick to get those salsa or latin music lovers on the floor. Once the party is started and the latin music lovers are out on the floor, they tend to make the rest of the crowd get out of their seats. An experienced entertainer will know how to read your crowd and vary the rhythms of the night based on their requests, personal attire, demographic and personalities.
Tempo can be just as important as rhythm in keeping your guests motivated to slow dance, go back to the bar, or keep their hips shaking. Tempo is measured in beats per minute, abbreviated as BPM. The common tempo for a funky dance track is around 130 BPM while a slow dance can be listed around 70-80 BPM. Having an older crowd in the ages of 65 and up will usually require songs in the 80-100 BPM range including such as the standards of Frank Sinatra and certain Motown hits. Not only do they appeal to this age group as far as it being their “decade of music” but the tempos do not exceed an amount that they simply cannot maintain.
In essence, while searching for the right entertainment provider for your once in a lifetime celebration…..you should being look to only consider an experienced yet well rounded, DJ entertainer. Remember that experience and talent comes with a price that will result in higher costs in comparison to someone that does DJ work on the side. It is important to note, that the rewards of this higher price are usually unrivaled to that of a part time inexperienced hobbyist DJ that could impact your celebration in a negative fashion. Laying out the formatting of your event should include a series of song suggestions which are provided to the DJ, that always include general idea’s of your must plays and do not plays — even sets or groupings of song ideas. These song ideas or requests can incorporate anything from top 40 club, uptempo rhythm tracks, hip-hop, disco, to motown, mash ups, remixes, salsa, bachata and even easy listening for your cocktail hour. Always make sure to speak with your entertainment professional about their knowledge of volume and song organization for a normal wedding reception event. Even ask to see video footage of them at an event working and keeping groups of all ages on the floor.
Having some knowledge: understanding volume, rhythm and tempo ensures that you are nothing less than a thinking bride!