Ask The Right Questions
Choosing the right wedding DJ is about more than just finding someone to play music—it’s about ensuring they can create the perfect atmosphere for your big day. While couples often ask questions to feel confident in their decision, some common inquiries may not provide the best insight into a DJ’s experience and approach. Instead of asking surface-level or potentially misleading questions, it’s important to focus on understanding how a DJ tailors their performance to keep the energy high and the dance floor packed.
Additionally, the quality of a DJ’s equipment plays a crucial role in delivering a premium experience. Tour-grade equipment, as opposed to professional or DJ-grade gear, ensures the highest level of impact, reliability, and performance, making a significant difference in the overall feel of your wedding. This post will highlight questions that DJs often dislike and suggest better alternatives to help you make the best choice for your wedding.
The last one is the best!
1. How do you balance our song requests with keeping the dance floor energized?
A great wedding DJ will work closely with you to tailor the music experience to your vision. Instead of a simple yes-or-no answer, or a “fill out these playlists” answer, a professional DJ will provide a scale within your planning account (like we do) that ranges from “your song requests” to “songs that will keep your family and friends dancing.” Some couples prefer a mix that reflects their personal taste, even if it means a more niche vibe, while others prioritize keeping the dance floor packed at all times. If a DJ simply says you can provide a playlist without explaining how they will incorporate it, that’s a red flag.
2. What quality are your songs?
The best wedding DJs ensure their music is sourced legally and is of the highest quality, ideally 320kbps MP3s or lossless formats like WAV. Many streaming platforms and lower-quality sources compress audio, which can result in a noticeable drop in clarity and impact—something that should be avoided in a professional wedding setting. A red flag would be a DJ who relies solely on low-quality downloads, YouTube rips, or streaming services, as these do not guarantee consistent, high-fidelity audio. Ensuring your DJ prioritizes high-quality sound files means your wedding will have the best audio experience possible (assuming the next question is answered correctly).
3. From your head, can you describe the sound system, in maximum detail, that I will be purchasing?
Sound quality at your wedding depends on more than just volume—it’s about reliability, frequency range, clarity, and positioning. This question forces the DJ to show how much they really know about sound.
Volume: higher-wattage speakers provide more headroom, meaning they can deliver sound at higher volumes. This is typically an easy metric that they should know. E.g. we can deploy systems ranging through 60,000W of sound. This should be a softball question for them and show you know your stuff.
Reliability: We use RCF, an Italian brand known for its tour-grade speakers, which deliver superior sound compared to DJ-grade or even professional-grade options. Tour-grade brands like L-Acoustics, d&b audiotechnik, PK Sound, and RCF are designed for concerts and large-scale productions, ensuring an immersive audio experience with consistent ranges at any volume. DJ-grade brands (such as JBL EON, Mackie, and Behringer) and even some professional-grade brands (such as Electro-Voice and QSC) do not offer the same level of performance.
Frequency Range: A good DJ will know the lowest and highest ranges of their sound system e.g. 30Hz (the low-end) to 20kHz (the high-end). If low-end is important to you for hip-hop or electronic music, you’ll want to ensure you’re getting at least 30Hz and above, in high wattage so it can be heard or even felt. Typically 30Hz to 60Hz is delivered by a dedicated subwoofer, so it should be easy for the DJ to relay the wattage of the dedicated low-end. We typically rock 2,500W at minimum for smaller audiences, but can again get into 60,000W.
Clarity: One of the biggest factors in speaker performance is the voice coil size—a larger voice coil allows for better heat dissipation and more precise sound reproduction, especially in large rooms where clarity is essential. Smaller speakers with large voice coils can still produce clear, powerful sound without distortion.
Positioning: One of the most overlooked yet crucial aspects of sound quality is proper speaker placement and configuration. If a DJ is using multiple left or right speakers and they aren’t fanned out to avoid overlap, you’ll experience something called “combining.” Combining creates a phasing effect on the dance floor, resulting in a distorted, hollow sound that detracts from the music and ruins the listening experience. This happens when the speakers are broadcasting the same frequencies in a way that interferes with each other—essentially a sign that the DJ doesn’t fully understand how sound waves work. A professional DJ knows how to position speakers to avoid this issue and ensure the music sounds clear and balanced throughout the entire venue.
Overall: If a DJ hesitates to discuss their sound system in this way, or only uses DJ-grade equipment, it could be a red flag regarding the quality of audio you’ll get at your wedding.
4. Do you use a DJ controller or a real DJ mixer?
When asking a DJ whether they use a controller or a mixer, you might unintentionally overlook the most important factor: reliability. Controllers, while compact and affordable, are more prone to crashes and technical failures, which could disrupt your wedding. In contrast, professional DJs often use tour-grade gear like CDJs paired with high-quality mixers, such as the A9, that are designed to withstand the demands of live events. These setups offer greater stability and flexibility—if something goes wrong, equipment can be swapped in without missing a beat, ensuring the party keeps going. Relying on a controller at your wedding could risk everything coming to a halt, making it a red flag for serious events like yours. Plus, do you really want the DJ staring at and controlling their laptop all night?
5. Is your lighting intelligent or controlled?
When it comes to lighting, controlled lighting is the tour-grade option, and it’s typically managed by a professional lighting designer using a dedicated lighting desk. This setup allows for precise control over every aspect of the lighting, from timing and color changes to special effects, ensuring a tailored and seamless experience for your event. On the other hand, intelligent lighting—often used in DJ-grade setups—has automated movements and effects that can be triggered by pre-programmed settings. While this might seem like a cool feature, it’s not nearly as customizable or refined as controlled lighting. In fact, many professional-grade lighting brands don’t even include intelligent capabilities in their systems, focusing instead on offering higher-quality, more adaptable lighting that a designer can control manually. If a DJ offers intelligent lighting as their primary setup, it’s a sign they may be cutting corners, relying on automation rather than offering the level of precision and creativity a true lighting designer can bring to your wedding.
6. What kind of special effects do you offer?
This will speak to their knowledge, since effects are usually offered but not always rendered. Pull the training and expertise out of them for each effect. The safety of you, your guests, the venue, and everyone involved in your wedding is and should be the top priority. Be wary of DJs who offer cold sparks in Illinois without the proper pyrotechnic permits, or who use real lasers without an FDA variance and two certified Laser Safety Officers (LSOs). Time and again, we see situations where unqualified DJs put guests at risk, from eye injuries caused by improper laser use, to events being shut down by the fire department due to negligence. We’ve seen companies roll liquid CO2 tanks on their side (don’t be in a block radius) or spray moist ground fog on the dance floor for everyone to slip and fall. Don’t take chances with your special day—choose a company that not only provides high-caliber lighting and effects but also prioritizes safety with the right certifications and precautions. Anyone offering cold sparks in IL without a pyrotechnic permit attached, should be a huge red flag.
7. How many power circuits do you need?
Power is the backbone of your event, driving everything from sound and lighting to special effects. It’s crucial that your DJ is not only equipped with the right gear but also has the technical expertise to ensure everything runs smoothly. Do they test circuits before the event? Are they aware of how many circuits are needed to support all their equipment? Do they understand plug types, voltage, and amps? While you don’t need to be an expert in this area, if your DJ can’t confidently answer this question, it’s a major red flag. The last thing you want is for your wedding to come to a halt because the DJ blew a circuit. One american circuit is one Edison receptacle with 120 volts and 15 to 20 amps.
You can often gauge the scale of a DJ’s setup by the amount of power they require for your event. If you’re expecting 200+ guests and the DJ is only using a single circuit, that’s a red flag. A professional DJ should operate on the principle that one circuit is needed for every ~100 guests. This ensures that there’s enough power to support not only the sound system’s wattage per head but also the lighting and any special effects for optimal coverage. One circuit for 300 guests would be outrageous.
More can be found in our AC Circuit post here.
