The “Wrecking Crew” Comes To MBLV16

THE “WRECKING CREW” COMES TO MBLV16
by Michael Buonaccorso

The 2012 Mobile Beat DJ Show and Conference is excited to announce an exclusive showing of the award-winning documentary “The Wrecking Crew”. This film is the story of the Los Angeles session musicians in the 1960s who helped create so much of the classic music of that period,many titles that continue to be part of today’s mobile DJ repertoire.

The Wrecking Crew played on hits for the Beach Boys, Elvis, The Byrds, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, Jan & Dean, The Monkees, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, The Mamas and The Papas, Tijuana Brass, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Rivers and were Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. The amount of work that they were involved in was tremendous.

They were also involved in groups that were “The Milli Vanilli’s” of the day. A producer would get the guys in and lay down some instrumental tracks. If it became a hit, they would record an album and put a group together to go on the road. This happened many times with groups like the Marketts, Routers, and T-Bones. The next day they would do the same thing and call it another name. Same musicians, but different group name.

Renowned musicians who have seen the documentary have raved. “’The Wrecking Crew’ is the best documentary yet about the recording scene,” said Steve Miller. “I loved it.” Elvis Costello said it’s “a wonderful, touching and… hilarious film about the unsung stars of so many records that you carry in your heart.”

The American Federation of Musicians says the film may one of the largest soundtracks of any film in history,and as a result, the cost of licensing the music for the film is estimated at more than $300,000. According to Producer and director Denny Tedesco, “The cost of licensing the music is the only reason the film has not been released, but quitting was never an option. So the next mission was to raise the final funds to help pay for the licensing.” Tedesco came up with a unique solution: make “The Wrecking Crew” a non-profit, raising funds through private showings.

All MB show attendees are welcome to watch the film of this legendary group of musicians, forever known as “The Wrecking Crew” on Wednesday night, February 8, at 7PM.

American DJ Introduces The 4 ‘Daze Of Post-Christmas Facebook Contest

American DJ Introduces The “4 ‘Daze’ Of Post-Christmas”
Facebook Contest

LOS ANGELES – (For Immediate Release) – Christmas may be over, but that doesn’t mean the cool presents have to stop. American DJ is keeping the holiday spirit going with a new post-Christmas promotion that will award 24 great prizes to 12 jolly DJs over a four day period, running from December 27 through Dec. 30.

Entering is simple, just post a comment on American DJ’s official contest photo for the day located on their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/americandj) and tell the world what you’d like to see happen in 2012. Maybe it’s a personal goal you’d like to accomplish, a musical milestone you’d like to see reached or just something good in the world. Whatever it is, this is your chance to share it with others by posting on the ADJ Facebook page.

ADJ will post three winning selections from each day at 5pm (Pacific Time) and notify the winners via a direct Facebook message. There is no purchase necessary, the decision of the judges is final (entries will be judged on originality and quality of content), and the prizes are definitely cool.

“This exclusive Facebook contest is a fun way for all of us at the American DJ Group of Companies to give back to DJs in 2011 for such an exciting year of social media,” said, Brian Dowdle, Marketing Director. “We consider ourselves family here at ADJ, and with the Christmas holiday ending, we thought this would be the perfect time to share some gifts with our Facebook family!”

Prizes:
Tuesday, December 27: ADJ will give away one Micro Hypnotic Laser + one Arriba Case AC-60 Gig Bag to three fans.

Wednesday, December 28: ADJ will give away one Micro 3D Laser + one Arriba Case AC-60 Gig Bag to three fans.

Thursday, December 29: ADJ will give away one Revo Burst + one Arriba Case AC-125 Gig Bag to three fans.

Friday, December 30: ADJ will give away one Tripleflex + one Arriba Case AC-145 Gig Bag to three fans.

This is an international giveaway. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. Must be a fan (or like) of the American DJ Facebook page. Facebook fans can enter more than once on each day of the contest. More than $2,100 worth in prizes will be offered in this contest.

For questions about this contest or the winners please e-mail: marketing@americandj.com

A DJ’s Emergency Kit

Pack your emergency kit!

Every DJ may have an emergency kit. This kit should contain the obvious: backup cables, handheld mic, soft cloth for a quick polish of light lenses, etc. How about some out of the box items? The following items are things that at some point or another, I wish I had. These are items that a DJ or MC shouldn’t have to worry about, but why not? The extra five minutes could save an event… or a life!

* Garter. THREE times I have done weddings where the bride decided she wanted to keep her garter and forgot a throwaway. Carry one… it’ll make you “da bomb.”

* Generic bouquet: Maybe it’s just me, but a throwaway bouquet is often forgotten or misplaced. 5-6 plastic flowers in a rubber band and you’re good to go… albeit ghetto, but good to go.

* Aspirin. 325mg doses. In case you don’t know, 325mg of aspirin is the recommended dose for a heart attack. After I had someone die of one at an event and seeing that NO ONE had aspirin, I realized how stupid it was not to have this as a backup. Had I gone with my instincts, I could have saved a life.

* First Aid Kit. Why not? Bandaids, cleaning towelettes, Neosporin, etc are always handy. I’ve even cut myself during setup without a dang band-aid!

* Lozange spray… a hoarse voice or sore throat will hit you at the wrong times. Pack a spray bottle along with some cough drops!

* Emergency meds: Advil (or any Ibuprofen), Benadryl (food allergies suck, this will hold them over until an EPI pen is found OR EMTs arrive), and acetaminophen. Don’t forget GasX and Pepto-Bismol… stomach bugs are the worst things to get in the middle of a gig. If someone runs over and asks for medicine, you can jump in and save the day! For safety reasons, consider the individual packs.

* Small packs of deodorants and cologne. I usually have 2-3 of them. One for me and one for the forgetful groom!

* This one is an odd one, but maybe it’s because my wife often works with me.. we’ve gotten asked for Tampons or Pads. Yup, I carry those, too!

* Mints. Well, duh!

* Kleenex. Give three tissues to the groom before the ceremony, first dance, and toasts. He will be able to quickly reach in his pocket for a tissue as his bride breaks out in tears. This is also a great photo op!

This is a small addon alongside the DJ necessities! Don’t forget AAs, a pocket screwdriver set, Q-tips, and needlenose pliers.I like to be able to help out as much as possible, and many of these items have helped myself and my crew out on MANY occasions… but it’s also given me many a thankful client! As I already said, we don’t *need* this stuff (women’s pads?) and it’s above our call of duty… but why not? Couple a stellar performance, with an unforgettable experience, and add a bag more useful than Mary Poppins and you’ve raised the bar even higher than normal!

2011′s TOP SAFE SONGS of the Year

We have compiled a list of the hottest school dance songs (that are safe to play).  See the list and listen to the entire playlist from #1-#30.  The School Dance Network is now re-tooled and very cool for School Dance DJs or those who want to be.  Get lots of content for free…or become a member of this exclusive group of responsible DJs. (inexpensive and worth every dime)  Happy Holidays…Happy New Year….and looking forward to meeting you in Las Vegas.

Here is the list:

	Artist	Title	Prime Cuts #	BPM
1–	Pitbull	Give Me Everything	201114	129
2–	Katy Perry	ET		105
3–	Bruno Mars	Grenade	201044	111
4–	LMFAO	Party Rock Anthem	201102	131
5–	Black Eyed Peas	Just Can’t Get Enough	201106	94
6–	Katy Perry	Firework	201041	124
7–	KE$HA	We R Who We R	201043	120
8–	Cee Lo Green	Forget You
9–	Pink	Raise Your Glass	201041	122
10-	Nicki Minaj	Super Bass	201115	127
11-	Ke$ha	Blow	201102	120
12-	Maroon 5/Aguilera	Moves Like Jagger	201132	128
13-	Rihanna	Only Girl (In the world)	201037	126
14-	Lupe Fiasco	The Show Goes on	201045	72
15-	Kanye West	All of the lights	201050	71
16-	Rihanna	What’s My Name	201043	100
17-	Wiz Khalifa	Roll Up	201106	94
18-	Rihanna	Only Girl (In the world)	201037	126
19-	Bruno Mars	Lazy Song	201108	87
20-	Britney Spears	I Wanna Go	201124	131
21-	Nelly	Just a Dream	201032	90
22-	Pitbull	Hey Baby	201037	128
23-	Chris Brown	Yeah 3X	201044	129
24-	Lady Gaga	The Edge of Glory	201120	128
25-	Gym Class Heroes	Stereo Hearts	201125	91
26-	Bad Meets Evil	Lighters (squeaky clean)	201125	90
27-	Usher	More	201047	125
28-	Lady Gaga	Born This Way	201102	120
29-	Enrique Iglesias	Tonight	201047	126
30-	Drake	Headlines	201132	76

 

 

Basic Power Management for DJs

How much power does your rig take? What about various components of lighting? Do you know the average and peak amp draws?

If you don’t, it’s time you learn! Every room has a different electrical layout. Some have independent outlets and some have a “quadrant” system. Some are 15amp, some 20amp, and some just plain suck and trip everytime someone sneezes.

Knowing your amperage draw also saves your client money; Let’s say that you are doing a prom and the hotel charges for power drops. You ask for 4 20amp circuits but you only needed two. The school winds up paying TWICE as much for power that you don’t need. Anything you can do to save the client money will make you look that much better.

So how do you calculate amperage? Some lights tell you the power draw on the back (not to be confused with fuse rating), but even then it can get pretty darn inaccurate. A quick calculation also yields a rough explanation of what the amperage is (the AMount of power being used):

W/V = A. Basically, you take the wattage draw, divide by voltage available, and you get amperage! Sounds easy, right? The problem lies that a 600W amp pulls MORE than 600W of power, and a 250W light has motors, fans and other power-sucking doo-dads. You also need to realize that not every venue has the same voltage coming out of the outlets; you’ll find various voltages from 110V to 120V. This affects your math greatly!

But wait, there’s more! If you use a long extension cord, the voltage drops depending on the length and gauge of the run.

ARGH! If only there was some easy way! Well, of course there is. Head over to Lowe’s and pickup Kill-A-Watt. The device is simple to use: plug your load into it and it will tell you the amperage draw. This device is SUPER easy to use and EVERY DJ/production company should own one (or two).

This will put you in full control of your power draw, alongside a circuit sniffer (more on that later). Here are some tips when it comes to power draw:

*Remember that you don’t want to maximize your load; give yourself 10-20% headroom, so you have 16-18amp draw on a 20 amp circuit.

Several power conditioners, surge protectors, etc only handle a 15AMP load.

*Most ballrooms and venues *should* use 20AMP breakers, but unless you see those IN PERSON, assume they’re 15!

*Buy a circuit sniffer! This handy tool allows you to match paired outlets. Never take anyone’s word about what circuits are separate UNLESS they’re an electrician.

*Thin gauges of cable can cause weird effects (as can load-heavy devices). For example, if you run subs and black lights in the same circuit, you’ll notice that the black lights flicker to the beat.

I can proudly say that by practicing these techniques, and taking careful notes on each venue, I’ve yet to trip a breaker. After all, nothing is more embarrassing! So go pick up a KIll-A-Watt and arm yourself with the best tool ever!

MBLV16: Mobile Beat DJ Show Preview Issue (#139, Dec 2011)

It took some extra time, but we have pulled together an incredible DJ show preview for you. It’s a full-length magazine issue, packed to bursting with show-related material. Almost every seminar speaker contributed a complete article to give you a taste of what they’ll have to share in Vegas. Featured artists, entertaining throughout the show, are interviewed (Check the conference news page right here, for a list of speakers and topics, as well as info on the entertainers we have lined up.) We did also manage to cram in a few of our regular columns and some product reviews; you’ll find reviews of Numark’s NS6 and Gemini’s CNTRL 7 DJ software controllers and more. This issue has to be seen to be believed so, check it out online now. The print version will hit mailboxes soon. Once you see what’s in store for you at the Mobile Beat show in Las Vegas, we’re sure you will not want to miss it!  All DJs can get to this issue for free by going to http://www.mygazines.com/issue/50452

 

 

 

 

 

What Song Are You Playing Next? – By Jim Cerone

The dream is always the same. You’re trying to run, but you’re not sure why. You can’t seem to get control of your arms and legs. The harder you try, the slower you go. At the same time that you realize you’re not running very fast, it also occurs to you that you’re hearing…nothing. Total, complete, deafening…silence.
That’s about the time you sit bolt upright in your bed, drenched in sweat, knowing you’re going to get fired by your boss because you’re in the middle of a radio show and you’ve just allowed—DEAD AIR!

Anyone who has ever worked in radio has had the same “dead air” dream. It’s drilled into you from the beginning, even before they ever let you sit behind a control board, that allowing dead air is the deadliest sin you can commit in radio.

In a radio station, everyone, from the general manager to the sales staff to the secretaries, has highly developed ears like radar dishes that immediately zero in on the smallest millisecond of silence. When that silence stretches from 1 second to 2, people begin to rise up out of their chairs in unison. If the silence reaches 3 seconds, the crowd will gallop toward the studio door like a pack of wild dogs unleashed from their pens—the leanest, strongest animals out front—the lame, the old, the sickly left behind to howl “Dead air!” while simultaneously disparaging your mother’s good name.

As mobile DJs, we feel a similar sensation but in a slightly different way. While watching the needle go around the last grooves of a vinyl record, or seeing the spool of cassette tape reach the very end, or witnessing the CD player clock countdown to the last seconds, we may experience “brain freeze” because we’re simply unable to figure out what song to play next!

A radio DJ may not get immediate feedback from their listeners. But when we’re playing music “live” at someone’s wedding, party or corporate event as a mobile DJ, and we accidentally allow dead air, the reaction from the crowd is instantaneous. We see, feel and hear it all at once. All conversation stops and you can hear a pin drop. People who were dancing suddenly freeze in place like statues. Every head in the crowd whips our way and we can feel every eye fall upon us.

RAISED ON RADIO

How do you decide what song to play after this one? What thought-process do you go through to narrow down your choices? Where can you learn the tips and tricks that will prevent you from having a mobile DJ brain freeze nightmare?

Thankfully, we can adapt many of the rules of radio programming to improve our mobile DJ music selections. For the longest time, I didn’t realize that I was unconsciously using all of the techniques I learned in my 20-year career as a radio Music Director to pick the songs at my mobile DJ events. The formal training I received became so ingrained that during a wedding I would automatically put songs in a certain order based on the combination of art and science that I was taught.

At my seminars for Mobile Beat Vegas in 2012, you’ll learn these Top 10 secrets to creating “Perfect Music Programming.” Whether you’re playing music for cocktails, dinner or dancing—at a wedding, birthday party or corporate event—these concepts will help you easily look at a stack of music and quickly put it into a logical play list that flows smoothly and keeps every guest involved and entertained. See you in Vegas!

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Jim Cerone is a professional wedding DJ and master of ceremonies primarily serving Indianapolis and Central Indiana. Since 1982, Jim has been making incredible events all over Indiana and throughout the Midwest. He is Indiana’s first and only Wedding Entertainment Director™ as part of the Wedding Entertainment Directors Guild™. Jim has shared his successful techniques in seminars on music programming, becoming the “Perfect Host” and much more, at conferences across the nation. 

Why Should I Believe You? – By Steve Brazell, The Hitman

Hitman, Inc. Competition Removal™ – www.yourhitman.com

An augmented excerpt from the book Clear! The Simple Guide to Keeping Your Business Alive and Kicking

OK. I understand what you’re selling, how much it costs, and I’ve even got a pretty good idea what’s in it for me. Now the number-one fear for all humans kicks in: the fear of loss. The question pops up: “Why should I believe what you’re telling me?” No one wants to lose money. No one wants to lose face, reputation, time, relationships, or anything else they value. We all want to believe we are making a safe choice. The herd mentality is simple: if I do what everyone else is doing, it must be safe; otherwise so many other people wouldn’t do it. I’m always fascinated by how many people pull into only one lane of two lanes that are both turning left. You can’t help but second-guess yourself as you slowly pull all the way to the front of the empty lane wondering if they know something you don’t.

To get customers over the last hurdle, we need their trust. They need to know we’re a safe bet. Sometimes that can be a money-back guarantee, or a free shipping and return policy. Zappos.com does both and completely removes the risk of shopping online. But, more times than not, we want to know that other members of our species have had a good experience with your company, so we want to read reviews and testimonials to see who your other clients are and if they’re happy. Review sites like Yelp (www.yelp.com) are becoming more and more important for a company to address in their public relations strategies. It’s easier than ever for consumers to do their homework on your product and services, and what other customers are saying about your company is always more believable than what you say about yourself.

REVIEW REALITY
After moving to New York City, my wife and I would research restaurants, salons, vets, clubs, car services, electricians, and laundry services, just to name a few, by reading reviews online. The majority of our decisions about who we would give our business to came from a combination of online reviews and asking our neighbors and friends.
In today’s world, everyone is a critic. It used to be that if you owned a restaurant, you kept your eyes peeled for the city food critic to come and dine at your establishment. Now anyone who dines can quickly post a review of your restaurant online for all to read, and people are reading them. When we plan travel, if we read several poor reviews about a hotel it will dissuade us from booking a room there.

For mobile professionals, having your clients sing your praises is more important than ever. Unfortunately, most DJs don’t do a good job of branding and are becoming commodities—still in demand but only differentiated by price. One important way for you to differentiate yourself from the herd is to give reasons for your clients to believe what you’re saying about yourself. (And of course you should be saying amazing things about you and your company.) Make sure you’re getting testimonials from your happy customers. Get industry press. Get mentions. The more potential customers hear and see positive press, the more likely they are to believe you and want to hire you.
Good press, company blogs, and managing review sites are all important strategies to incorporate in a successful ongoing public relations campaign. As the media continues to move “social,” what others say about you will play a bigger role. If you’re making promises, as long as your customers and critics back you up, I’ll believe you.
I want reasons to believe you. Make sure you give me authentic ones.

Clear takeaway: List three outside authorities who have endorsed your product. If you don’t have at least three, review your customer list and find believable authorities who will provide testimonials. And make sure (if appropriate) you’re listed on sites like Yelp, Insider Pages, Bing Local, City Search, Google Maps, Yahoo Local, and Merchant Circle.

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Steve Brazell is one of America’s top marketing and branding experts. He helps Fortune 500s, start-ups, small-caps, celebrities, and individuals make more money by communicating their brand stories better. Some of his clients include; IBM, Wingate, Century 21, Kevin Costner, Coldwell Banker, Keyshawn Johnson, Warner Brothers and Walt Disney. He is the founder of Hitman, Inc., a Competition Removal™ firm with offices in New York and Vegas, and the author of Clear! The Simple Guide to Keeping Your Business Alive and Kicking.

Turn Your Weakness into Strength – By Paul Kida, The DJ Coach

What? Weak is weak isn’t it? How could you possibly take a weakness and make it something strong and beneficial?

Take a trip back in time to when you were first starting out in your disc jockey career. You were excited and enthusiastic to get out there and make your mark in the DJ industry. You were so confident that you could rock the world! However, do you also remember certain aspects of the job that you felt uncomfortable doing? Maybe some things that sent a shudder down your spine? You had to make a decision: Take the bull by the horns, so to speak, or merely do what felt comfortable and let the uncomfortable details just slide on by, hoping that the rest of your performance would make up for what you were lacking? Let me relate some personal experiences of my own that will help you to understand just what I mean.

When I first started out in the business, there were certain aspects of the job that I absolutely loved. Mixing the right songs and creating special moments for the bride and groom were right up my alley, and I enjoyed every minute of that.

However, there were some facets of the job that were a little less enjoyable. Making announcements in front of one or two hundred people wasn’t a top priority on my list. Since I did have a public speaking background from a young age, I did learn to get over that pretty quickly. One thing that was more of an obstacle was dancing. Yes, I loved music, but I was never into dancing. I loved to play the music that kept people on the dance floor, but that was it. By nature, I am generally more reserved, so I felt safe behind the DJ booth spinning tunes for others to enjoy. I was great at what I did, but I was like a lot of other DJs out there, mainly playing the music and making announcements. I was letting my weakness hold me back from being a better DJ.

The good thing was that I realized I wasn’t living up to my potential. Although we didn’t have resources like conventions and associations that are available today to help improve skills, I was able to connect with a DJ friend of mine who was extremely outgoing and who was willing to help me work on the weaknesses in my performance. Before I knew it, I was out there on the dance floor teaching line dances when needed, and becoming generally more involved with the guests.

Yes, I was able to see my weak points and then turn them into strengths. I worked hard on my public speaking so that it improved, and my announcements became more meaningful and exciting. I was able to interact better with the audience in ways I had never imagined, incorporating dancing and games into my events. All in all, it made me a better DJ.

We all have a tendency to back away from things or situations that we are uncomfortable with. Or we feel that it won’t matter if we have weak points, so we just leave them alone. FIGHT this tendency and start focusing on your weak points, instead of ignoring them or even pretending that they don’t exist. Now is the perfect time to start. Take a few minutes and honestly review your weak points. We all have them; it doesn’t matter who we are or how long we have been in the business. The sooner we can identify them and begin to work on improving in these areas, the sooner we become stronger and more confident in our abilities.

Are you the best master of ceremonies that you can be? Take the time to work on your presentation. When I was starting out, there were no MC workshops. I had to find a class that would help me to improve my speaking abilities. Years later, I felt that I needed to refresh my MC abilities, so I enrolled in Mark Ferrell’s Master of Ceremonies Workshop. Even after more than 25 years in the business, this workshop took me to new levels of performance. It has been a true benefit that I highly recommend to every DJ, regardless of how long you have been a disc jockey.

Perhaps creating new, exciting and unique grand entrances is something that is hard for you to do. Talk to other DJs who may be more experienced in this area and pick their brains. If you are able, attend Peter Merry’s workshop that specifically deals with creating inspiring grand entrances tailored to your clients’ personal taste.

As you pinpoint each of your weaknesses, take the necessary steps to transform them into strong points. There really is no excuse not to take advantage of all the help now available in the form of books, seminars, DVD programs, workshops and conventions like the Mobile Beat Show in Las Vegas each year. Some additional special aids that I have found personally beneficial are Jim Cerone’s Being the Host, Scott Faver’s Before, During and After and Larry William’s Minding Your Business. Feel free to contact me anytime for more ideas.

If you are not sure what your weaknesses are, invite a fellow DJ to an event, then have an honest discussion about it afterwards. Take constructive criticism to heart. Offer to do the same for your DJ friend. Believe me, it does work. I’ve done this with several of my friends.

As you continue to progress and work on your weak points, you will see and feel a renewed strength growing every day. You can turn your weaknesses into strengths, thus becoming a complete, well-rounded mobile entertainer.

Please send any comments on this article or suggestions for future articles or questions to djcoach@mobilebeat.com.

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Paul Kida, The DJ Coach, is a founding member of the Colorado Disc Jockey Association. He owns JAMMCATTS DJ Entertainment (www.jammcattsdj.com), and is a regular speaker at Mobile Beat DJ Shows.

An Original Las Vegas Experience $69 per night and NLFX ProAcademy Sessions announced for MBLV 2012

An Original Las Vegas Experience $69 per night

Got your sleeping room yet? The Riviera Hotel & Casino is once again the location for the Mobile Beat Las Vegas DJ Show, February 6-9,2012, offering conference attendees hotel accommodations at an exceptional value of $69 per night. This full-service hotel features outstanding shows performing nightly. Dining options include the Riv Buffet, R Steak & Seafood Restaurant, Poolside Café, Queen Victoria British Pub, Banana Leaf Asian Restaurant, and the Mardi Gras Food Court.

The hotel also boasts 100,000 square feet of the latest casino games that include the best table games odds on the Las Vegas Strip as well as the new Asian gaming pit, featuring baccarat and Pai Gow poker, and bingo. Super Bowl weekend precedes the show, so rooms may go fast! Book directly online through the show website http://www.mobilebeat.com/las-vegas-dj-show/ or call 800-634-3420.

Find out all the latest conference news including what the latest happenings are in the seminar rooms, the exhibit hall, at the parties ,and who will be our special guests!

A full show pass is $199 but ONLY THROUGH DECEMBER 31 -THEN PRICES GO UP!!!

 

NLFX ProAcademy Sessions announced for MBLV 2012

Ben Stowe serves the AV industry as the President of NLFX Professional, an industry leading supplier of sound, lighting and video systems since1993. Ben founded the ProAcademy because of his desire to help DJs better understand the technologies that drive their businesses. Today his ProAcademy Event Lighting DVD is available at leading retailers in several countries around the world. It has been an addition to the Mobile Beat Show since 2008.

Wednesday, February 8th

8:30 am High Powered Lasers For DJ’s: Technology, Safety, & The Law – Dan Goldsmith

Start from the very beginning and learn how to sell high powered laser shows to your customers with this robust look at laser effects, licensing, maximizing ROI, laser safety and more. Jam packed full of useful information, this introductory seminar has everything you need to know to start making money with high powered laser shows, safely.

9:45 am Intelligent Lighting Design – Jason Weldon

Let Jason Weldon show you some interesting ways to create a design schemes and how you can utilize that to become part of your performance. He will show you medium to advanced set ups, as well as different ways to program the lighting to get the most out of the fixtures. We will overview the equipment needed for both operation and fixture setup and we will finish with the scene and cue creation to make your show stand out. By the time this seminar is over you will have ideas and a solid foundation that you can take back to your market and book more lighting options with your DJ package. As his past seminars have been, this will be in depth and be very picture oriented. Make sure to bring a note book!

11:00 am The latest in lighting – Ben Stowe, CTS

Lighting is a great way to create an experience for your clients and their guests, but changes in technology can be hard to keep up with and the terminology confusing. Don’t miss these great opportunities for gobo (monogram) projection, uplighting and more! Learn what’s new and how to use these tools for dramatic effect. Ben will talk about light sources, techniques, fixture types, and an overview of DMX that gives you the ultimate control of your fixtures!

Thursday, February 9th

8:30 am Essential Audio – Ben Stowe, CTS

When it comes to sound you’re presented with lots of terminology (watts, decibels, ohms, balanced, etc), but what does it mean? This session will help you sort through it all and translate it into the meaningful information you need to make good decisions for your business and your clients. We’ll decode the datasheets and help you understand it in clear, plain English. We’ll also take the mystery out of decibels, how many you need, and what to do about noise requirements at your events

9:45 am Video DJ’s tips and tricks – Nick Covino

For those of you that think outside the box, how about cracking the box wide open with some new idea’s and new technology that you may have never heard of. Using some cool tools of the AV world can allow any performer to raise their game to show clients what they really want but seldom ask for. Come join Nick C. (VJ Extreme) for some cool tools that can inspire you get into the Video DJ world, or to add some crazy new features to your existing setup. This seminar is for beginners and advanced video DJ’s and has something to offer the audio expert or the highly tech savvy video pro. Concepts covered range from getting better video signal over long runs, to using wifi to get your “point” across as well as the use of a matrix video switcher and some cool tricks with cat5 cable.

11:00 am Power to the People! – Ben Stowe, CTS

Amps, Watts, Volts and more! While many DJs are growing into larger events and need production level power, regardless of the events you do these terms control your universe. Wanna know what the heck they are and how to make sure you don’t blow anything up? This is the seminar for you! Topics will include volt drop, wire gauge, choosing cord sizes, power distribution for larger events, and several other useful nuggets to make sure you have THE POWER for your events, big or small!

All ProAcademy seminars are available to registered attendees of MBLV16.

A full show pass is $199 but ONLY THROUGH DECEMBER 31 -THEN PRICES GO UP!!!

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