The Perfect Wedding DJ by Tom Haibeck

One wonderful reception: a brilliant event and the DJ/MC behind it

A few years ago, I had the privilege of watching one of the world’s top wedding disc jockeys work his magic at a wedding in Long Beach, California. Having been in the wedding industry for the past 25+ years, I’ve seen my share of great weddings-along with a whole lot of bad ones. This one ranks right at the top.
The reception was held outside, at the Long Beach Museum of Art (visit www.lbma.org for a look at the venue). It’s a magnificent facility, with a grass patio overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The weather was California-perfect that day, with neither a breath of wind nor a single cloud overhead. And as the sun melted into the horizon and night fell upon us, the evening came alive with candle-lit tables and twinkling lights all around.
Adding to that night of perfection was the presence of a great group of guests. The marriage enjoined a firefighter with a police officer, so the audience was mainly comprised of their colleagues. And while the mixing of the police department with the fire department can sometimes spark fireworks, in this case there was just a friendly rivalry that spawned some hilarious toasts and evolved into some hardcore partying (the hosts even chartered a bus to drive everyone home afterwards).
But the key factor in the success of that particular event was the masterful work of the man at the podium. He was like a seasoned conductor who used all his tools to quite literally “play” his audience, bringing them from a comfortable mellow to a glorious high, then back down to a pleasant finish that focused on the collective joy of a wedding well-celebrated.

The Perfect Start to a Perfect Night
Having organized and presided over my share of special events over the years, I can say with absolute certainty that one of the keys to a great event is to make guests feel welcome the moment they arrive-and music can play a big part in that (along with friendly “greeters” at the door offering flutes of champagne). If you can put a smile on their face when they arrive at the event, it will often extend right through to the end of it.
And that’s precisely what happened that afternoon: guests were warmly greeted, the champagne flowed and the “vibe” was immediately defined with a selection of light orchestral pieces that said “this promises to be a fun, classy event.”
Once everyone was seated, the wedding DJ (now serving as event MC) offered a formal welcome (on behalf of the bride and groom) and then immediately oriented them as to how the event would unfold. He was gracious with his approach-upbeat, sincere and genial-but slightly low key and self-effacing. His focus was on the bride and groom; they were the stars, not him. His goal was to honor them and to lead their guests through an evening that would celebrate their marriage (rather than showcase his talents).
He took immediate command of the event with the kind of confidence and professionalism that is the hallmark of all great MCs. While he had great presence and a deep, melodious voice, I think the main reason he was able to so effectively engage his audience was the fact that he was so thoroughly prepared.

Doing Your Homework
He rolled into his intro like a kid entering a classroom on the day of an exam, totally confident in the knowledge that he had done his homework and would ace the exam. This was his event-he was the guy who had helped the bride and groom plan it from start to finish-and he could hardly wait for it to get underway.
He had met with the couple well in advance of the wedding to map out a detailed agenda (in this case, he had filled out five pages of notes that accounted for every element of the event, from the manner of welcome to the eventual wind-down and bidding goodnight). In his words, it was the “script” he would use to direct the wedding (in the same way that a movie director would use a script to guide the production of a film).
He had made sure to get final approval of that agenda from the bridal couple so as to avoid any misunderstandings. And he had shared copies of that agenda with each of the other vendors involved (photographer; videographer; caterer; wedding planner) to help ensure everyone was quite literally on the same page throughout the night.
He had also reviewed a detailed checklist with the bridal couple that covered everything from the availability of power for his gear to the selection of music throughout the event. He knew precisely where the event was to be held, when it should start, when it should end and what it should “look like” through the eyes of the host (in this case, it was decidedly laid back, informal and designed for lots of dancing and frivolity).

The Grandest Entrance Yet
He orchestrated a grand entrance like none other I had seen. Again, he had done his homework by asking the bride and groom to provide background on each member of their wedding party; then, with the couple’s permission, he had contacted each one to conduct a brief interview designed to draw out a bit of “color” for their introduction (e.g. “How did you meet the bride and groom?” “What words of advice would you offer the bride about living with the groom?” “What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you?” “If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would that be?”).
He then used that information to assemble some insightful-and often hilarious-introductions that were accompanied by a particular song to match the personality of each person being introduced. He even added sound effects and pre-recorded material to each intro. The guests loved it, the members of the bridal party each felt recognized, and with the audience now primed and ready to party, the bride and groom made their grand entrance to an absolute roar of cheers, laughter and applause. Believe me, this wedding was off to a great start.
The energy from that opening had everyone sky high, and the only thing I can liken it to is the experience of being “warmed up” by a comedian prior to the star’s big entrance (if you’ve ever attended a taping of “The Tonight Show” or “The David Letterman Show,” you’ll know what I’m talking about). And that buzz carried right through the entire event.
A formal dinner followed, and our MC recognized a few special guests and read some congratulatory notes and e-mails from guests unable to attend. He also entertained everyone with a little “game show” routine that tested guests’ knowledge of the wedding couple’s history together…and that, too, resulted in some truly hilarious moments.
Again, music set the mood. In this case, it was comprised mainly of jazzy little numbers that were never overwhelming but which nevertheless got the audience tapping their feet and primed for the dance that was to come.

Wedding Toasts Made Easy
Dinner was followed by a round of toasts - and again, the MC truly impressed me with his professionalism and attention to detail. Each of the “toasters” had been briefed in advance about the approximate time they would be expected to speak, the suggested length of their toast (no longer than three to five minutes, max) and their particular spot in the order of toasts.
They had also been given a quick lesson on the use of the microphone and offered the opportunity to experiment with it prior to the start of the reception. And finally, the MC made sure to offer a brief but classy introduction for each of the people chosen to speak (”And now I’d like to welcome the Bride’s brother, James O’Brien, to offer a Toast to the Bride.”).
The toasts were excellent-no drunken diatribes, no horribly unprepared ramblers and no material that could be considered Restricted Adult (and pardon the plug, but that’s because each of the speakers had been provided with a copy of my book, Wedding Toasts Made Easy six weeks prior to the wedding along with a personalized note from the bride and groom to thank them for their time in preparing the toast and to offer the book as a gift to guide them in their efforts).
The traditional cake cutting and round of first dances followed-again, seamlessly coordinated by our master of ceremonies (who had also “blocked out” the best locations for the photographer/videographer to set-up and capture the moment).

Dancing Under the Stars
But it was the dance that proved to be the highlight of the event. And again, I credit the DJ for making that happen.
Like the event itself, the playlist was carefully designed to offer a steady “build” in intensity, followed by a gradual return to the more mellow “good-night” numbers. The guests had a rollicking good time; the dance floor was pretty much full the entire night. And our party host shared a couple of secrets with me that I think helped make that possible.
First of all, with the agreement of the facility manager and wedding planner, he had recommended a slight reduction to the size of the dance floor. Through his trained eye, he had immediately determined that the relationship between size of guest list vs. size of dance floor was disproportionate. There simply weren’t enough guests to keep the dance floor full (as was originally configured).
But through the magic of downsizing (in this case, simply moving some tables closer to the dance floor), just a handful of dancers could provide the illusion that the floor was active and the party was non-stop. That, in turn, seemed to encourage a steady influx of dancers throughout the night. (Of course another theory was based on the vast amount of booze consumed by the off-duty fire and police officers, knowing that a bus was waiting to drive them home).
Factor #2, however, was perhaps the key reason for a flooded dancefloor. And it’s an incredibly simple concept that’s often overlooked by wedding disc jockeys. Our “spinner” in this case had presented the bride and groom with a suggested song list that was pretty much entirely based on “dance-ability.” He also got permission from the bride and groom to refuse to play any request that wasn’t similarly “dance-able.” The result: No sudden transition to the kind of heavy metal or country classic that can clear a dance floor faster than a cowboy with his boots off.
The evening concluded with a heartfelt “farewell” for the couple. The reception was a huge success, and everyone seemed genuinely happy for the new couple.
I also noticed a steady stream of guests asking the disc jockey for his card. That’s apparently the primary source of new business for him-guests who see him perform and referrals from satisfied clients. There is no better way to build a service business-focus on providing exceptional value and the phone will continue to ring.
So who was this mysterious master of wedding entertainment? You might know him. His name is Peter Merry-DJ, author, seminar speaker and past-president of the American Disc Jockey Association. And on a near perfect night beneath the stars of Southern California, he was about as perfect as you can get (unless, of course, I had been the MC).

Tom Haibeck is the author of The Wedding MC handbook and Wedding Toasts Made Easy, both of which can be purchased from his website at WeddingToasts.com or at major bookstores throughout North America.

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He was like a seasoned conductor who used all his tools to quite literally “play” his audience.

Team Player: Working with Other Wedding Vendors by Mike Ryan

You can only win the reception game as a member of the team

When I was asked to write about my experiences working with wedding vendors, a couple of words immediately sprung to mind: respect and teamwork.
My perspective goes beyond a simple “us and them” relationship: I’ve walked a while in their shoes. During a short stint with a theme party production house I must have put on hundreds of tablecloths, chair covers, chair cover sashes and an equal number of centerpieces; in case you had any doubt, it is definitely laborious and boring. In the Navy I had my share of galley (kitchen) duty-swabbing decks, cleaning tables, washing pots, pans and dishes-not fun. During college I took a photography class. I hated the developing chemicals and squinting into a camera gave me a reverse sense of claustrophobia. No doubt, you’ve had some similar experiences along the way. Welcome to the wedding vendor’s world.

Reception Team Roster
I firmly believe that good DJ karma starts from the bottom up. Many times after I’ve packed up my equipment and I’m ready to leave I’ve noticed the catering staff still toiling away, cleaning up the mess left behind. I always clean up my area, whether it’s leftover gaffers tape, soda cans or just removing the tablecloth and those little plastic thingies that hold it on. Someone had to set up the table and tablecloth for me-why not return the favor? More often than not, I’ll ask the catering staff if I can help them finish up. They always say “no thanks” but I know they appreciate the offer. And who knows, maybe, just maybe, they’ll tell their boss and more work may come my way. But like in the movie Pay It Forward, I don’t count on it. It’s a team effort and the event isn’t really over until the venue is locked up.
This example equally applied to all wedding vendors in some way. You can team up with the photographer by keeping him/her informed of different activities coming up that need to be photographed. Then, when you ask for a picture of your full dance floor he or she may be more amenable to sending you a copy.
How important is teamwork and respect to caterers? A past article on working with caterers quotes kitchen pros as stating: “The DJ is key to a smooth running event,” and “It’s critical for everyone, including the DJ, to be on the same page” and “The relationship with a mobile DJ is based on trust, consistency and fulfilled expectations.” If the catering staff gets slammed I try to help them out. It blows away guests when they see me, the DJ, helping the catering staff clear away plates. Again, it’s about team work.
Teamwork is paramount in the hotel industry. The hotel’s catering managers and coordinators have the heavy responsibility of putting together teams of experts, including DJs, for most if not all of the non-corporate parties. One catering manager says, “Any DJ I hire must be a team player and they need to remember that all aspects of an event are important!”
A sense of comaradery is also important. With so many Spanish-speaking employees in the hotel industry here in my Southern California stomping grounds, I like to play Latin music for them while I’m setting up before an event.
Talent agents also weighed in on teamwork: “If you want to approach a talent agent, let them know that you are willing to become part of the sales process, thus becoming part of their ‘team!’ And the team is there for one reason only: to give the end client the best event possible so they will come back time after time and recommend us to others.” All the talent agents I interviewed for a previous article agreed: “If you work with a TA you should be ethical, loyal to your agent, and you should remember that you are part of a team whose job it is to make the client’s dreams come true.”
Other wedding team members who need to be mentioned include wedding planners and ceremony officiants (ministers, rabbis, etc.). My experience working with officiants has been an easy and mostly enjoyable one, except for the occasional one who shows up late. Wedding planners, on the other hand, can be more of a challenge to work with. A new trend in the wedding planning world is the “Day Of” wedding planner.” These planners are the “iPod weddings” of the wedding planning profession and are a real thorn is the side of traditional WPs. The first “Day Of” planner I worked with gave me her convoluted reception schedule at the very last minute before the Grand Entrance. She had the couple’s last name wrong; I announced them as it was written and ended up looking like the fool.
Most mobile DJs appreciate how difficult a job a traditional wedding planner has. I hear horror stories from my WP friends about their dealings with brides-to-be. They have a lot more patience than I will ever have. I always defer to them because of the nature of their business; they can spend hundreds of hours with the couples in the planning stages of a wedding. Of course, some WPs think they are the absolute rulers of reception schedules. Personally, I would like to see wedding planners just deal with everything up to the ceremony and leave the reception planning and coordination to the professional entertainers-the DJs. With that said, most WPs appreciate what mobile DJs bring to the wedding team.
When you’ve graduated to the professional level (which you probably have, if you’re reading Mobile Beat) you’ll find that you’re working with many other team members of equal status. They know they are professionals and act accordingly-and you should too.

Join the Club
Surprisingly, the best teams I’ve experienced are my two local DJ associations. I have been truly impressed and am proud to report that all members share extra work, ideas, music and even equipment with each other. When one of our association members had all his equipment stolen everyone pitched in to help him. I gladly gave him two spare speaker stands.
One little concluding postscript: Some people disagree with me when I say that, even though DJs are entertainers, I think we’re more aligned with the hospitality industry. I get far more work through caterers, meeting planners, destination management companies, photographers and wedding planners (ie., the hospitality industry) then I ever do from members of the entertainment industry! And from my experience the hospitality industry is a very tight club. Once you’re in it, respect the team and you’ll have plenty of work. Respect and teamwork is what being a professional wedding reception vendor is all about.

Mike Ryan started writing for news radio. He also DJ’d on KGB and KSDS. He mobiles as Mike on the Mike and is also the inventor/owner of Frankenstand Powered Speaker Stands! Mike also works part time as a DMC tour guide. He has been the President of the San Diego Professional Tour Guide Association, a board member of his local NACE chapter and is currently the secretary of the San Diego Chapter of the ADJA.

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DJs need to remember that all aspects of an event are important.

Wedding Standards and Standard Weddings by Mark Johnson

Somehow, the same songs keep bringing joy to reception dancefloors

I recently performed for a wedding that would certainly qualify as one of the least stressful weddings ever. It went off without incident or complaint and it was certainly a pleasant surprise to miss out on the myriad of possible problems that could have arisen.
The groom was pretty laid back, booking my services within two months of the actual wedding. Usually such short-notice weddings involve the bride being pregnant but that wasn’t the case. They had just forgotten to book a DJ when they were taking care all of the other reception items.
The bride was Chinese and her parents and other family members were flying in from China for her PhD in Electrical Engineering graduation ceremony in May and staying until the wedding. The groom was also a PhD in EE as well. Perhaps this inspired their nonchalant attitude.

Reception Mystery
They had returned my DJ agreement and deposit in a timely manner but during the weeks preceding the date, they were very elusive, leaving me with many unanswered phone calls and un-replied-to emails. I left plenty of messages and didn’t get any non-deliverable messages via email.
Apparently neither the bride or groom had ever attended a wedding before and her parents were pretty clueless on the activities that occur during a typical “American” wedding. The civil ceremony, cocktail hour and reception were all being held at the same Holiday Inn location. Logistically it was pretty easy, as I could set up one speaker for the outside gazebo ceremony, another speaker in the cocktail room and my main system no more than 20 feet away in the reception room.
The hotel manager had pretty much planned their entire evening. 5:30 to 6:00 for the ceremony, 6:00 to 7:00 for the cocktail hour and 7:00 to 11:00 for the dinner and reception. I had gleaned these tidbits by contacting the hotel directly and asking the right questions, since I could not contact the bride or groom.
When I asked about the elements of the reception, ie introductions, cake cutting, garter, bouquet etc, she mentioned that she usually leaves it up to the DJ, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the delivery of food. These particular elements went without any problems, as I basically facilitated each with the bride and groom being positioned in the right place at the right time. Thank goodness I carry spare garters-they didn’t have one.

Instant Music
Musically, they didn’t even have a first dance song chosen or any songs chosen for any parent’s dances. Thus, relying on my copy of the Mobile Beat Top 200 list, I picked those first three songs. It was at that point that I wondered if I could perform for a complete wedding using songs only from that list.
After the introductions and first dances, I weaved in and out of the slow and fast portions of the reception using exclusively the songs on the Top 200 list. Sure enough, with each passing song and the joy it generated, it further illustrated the absolute value of the songs on that list.
Towards the end of the reception, realizing that I had kept true to my little Top 200 plan, it really struck me how the general public still has a great fascination for these time-honored songs. This bride’s non-existent playlist was in sharp contrast to the kinds of playlists that I’ve received for other weddings.

“Tried and True” vs. “Variety Is the Spice of Life”
Without being specific, I’ve had one wedding dominated by Grateful Dead music and another by Contemporary Christian music. I also recall receptions wanting a high amount of classical music played throughout. Having advance notice of these song requirements helped deliver the music that they desired.
Sometimes I get an exact song list to be played during the dinner and dancing portion of the reception. I try to advise the bride that while I can usually weave in certain songs throughout the reception, to rigidly adhere to a list removes the possibility of adjusting to the guest’s reactions to the songs being played. Most of the time the brides are pretty open to my professional opinion regarding the playing of songs. My intent is to work within the style of songs presented by the bride. After all, it’s their party.
I’ve heard often about how mobile DJs sometimes distain the use of these lists in an attempt to become more creative. It appears that those DJs perform for many weddings and to be “different” they play different versions or remixes of the standards. Or they avoid the obvious standards altogether. Perhaps it’s entertaining to them, providing a break from monotony-but what about the guests?
To the guests, the fact that you played “Mony, Mony” yesterday or last week has no bearing on today’s reception. “Mony, Mony,” “Love Shack,” “YMCA,” “The Electric Slide” and many other “obvious” standards caused my “un-listed” reception’s dance floor to fill every time. The Mobile Beat Top 200 list certainly represents the best of the best. Not that I would bring 10 CDs containing only these songs. But a good ole’ standard wedding can be a huge success with only these wedding standards.

Mark Johnson is a long-time mobile DJ and has written for Mobile Beat for years, giving his insightful and often incisive perspective on many business and operational ideas. His articles grow out of his own experience and his observations of other DJs during his travels. Always providing an alternative view, his previous articles can be found at www.mobilebeat.com/archives.

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I wondered if I could perform for a complete wedding using songs only from the Mobile Beat Top 200 list.

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Editor’s Note: Look for the Mobile Beat Top 200 list online at www.mobilebeat.com and in the next issue of Mobile Beat Magazine

SCOOP - B-52 Prodigy FX: All in One Is One for All

The ProdigyFX from B-52: a seamless blend of players and mixer

Technology keeps pushing forward in multiple directions, sometimes all at once, it seems. B-52 Professional, known primarily for a wide range of speakers, including their Matrix series of powered speakers, have released an unexpected surprise in the form of an integrated dual CD deck and mixer workstation, the Prodigy FX. While it is an integrated “plug and play” workstation, do not compare it to other basic CD-mixer combo units. While the Prodigy FX is meant to configure easily, it is also meant to offer performance far beyond basic playback. This is for DJs who want to manipulate and really work “hands on” with their music. If that’s you, read on…

Meet the Prodigy
The Prodigy FX is hefty, and looks built to last. At first inspection, it’s clear that lots of thought was put into creating this piece. The unit can be used on a tabletop or from within the custom flight case that is included, so you’ll have zero accessories to buy. While it’s big in size, it’s not so big or heavy that you’ll need several friends to help you schlep it around. The entire unit is fan cooled and the case designed to support the airflow of the automatic and variable speed cooling fans. Heat kills electronics faster than any other single thing. The harder you work the Prodigy FX, the harder the fans work to keep the unit cool and fully functional. The mixer section uses VCA components, which are known for their durability and accuracy. Indeed, all the controls have a high-quality “feel.”
The unit configures easily. I had it out of its double boxes and “live” into powered speakers in less than ten minutes. As a quick test, I turned the unit off and on with the power to the speakers still live and loud, and there was no pop at all, at any time. Nice. Basic operation is totally intuitive with the well laid-out control panel. CD decks and their controls are located to the left and right symmetrically, with the mixer in the middle, so anyone who has DJed previously should be able to work with the Prodigy FX right away.
The CD decks are slot-loading from the front, so there are no trays or door mechanisms to break. There’s even a “forced” reset, which will eject the disc and reset one side of the unit, in the unlikely event a CD jams inside of it during a performance. For longer laser life, the decks go to sleep if left idle for too long (but you can disable or change the parameters of this protection). The decks can play audio CDs, as well as MP3 CDs natively; you don’t have to upgrade it to make it MP3 capable and it is as feature-rich with an MP3 CD as it is with a standard audio disc. Oversampling and shock memory are included, of course.

Control Yourself
Above the slots is the jog wheel, which is a 5″ replica of a standard 12″ turntable “wheel of steel.” Behind the wheel are the Digital Signal Processing (DSP) controls that unleash a host of effect options, allowing tons of creativity in live performance; I found these to have a level of quality and accuracy I’ve never seen before in an “all-in-one” unit. They’re laid out logically; you’ll only have to read the manual for the nuances of operation-the basic operations are totally intuitive. The effects can be stacked on top of each other, up to four (one per “row”), and can be beat-synchronized!
Three programmable hot starts are on each player, as well. Behind it all is the large, well-designed display, which reads well in low light or bright sunlight, from a wide viewing angle, with adjustable brightness (I found I could generally read the Prodigy FX display better than the screen on the notebook computer that I’m using to write this, especially in direct sunlight). The entire deck control area looks very modern (like an iPod® or maybe a Zune® lCD display), which shows CD text on standard CDs, or tag information on MP3 discs, so you know what you’ve got loaded in your player at all times. Track number (or folder and track number, on MP3 discs encoded that way), time (selectable to elapsed or remaining), pitch (including pitch lock), and BPM (automatically calculated, or manual “tap”-your choice), are all shown here, too. BPM calculates and recalculates in “auto” mode, and if you alter the pitch (or tempo) in either direction, the BPM adjusts accordingly, so the current BPM is always displayed.
Finally, an oval with a slice missing, representing a “needle drop” position, graces the center, reacting to movement of the jog wheel, in order to help you quickly find (without headphones, even), the start point from where you might “juggle” a beat or sound, in the same way a vinyl turntablist might put correction tape on a record, to find his “marks.” In regular mode, the top and sides of the wheel simply slow down or speed up playback with your touch. In either of the two scratch modes, the top of the wheel scratches, while the sides still speed up or slow down the audio. The two scratch modes are: “blue” LED indicating standard, where the “needle” sticks to wherever you manually direct it to be, while the “red” LED mode indicates that when you touch the wheel, you go back to the last cue point, and scratch from there. I believe this feature was first seen on the Pioneer CDJ 800, and makes complex and fast “juggling” simple to execute. Getting really good at it? That’s up to you.
To the right of this all is the pitch adjustment slider, which can be set to 4, 8, 16, or 100%. Additionally, there a button to activate and deactivate the pitch, pitch bend buttons, and a master tempo button. The audio is very good, even when pitch or tempo is altered, within reason.
Loops can be set on the fly with ease, played and later relooped at will, and edited to absolute perfection. Start and end points can be saved to the internal memory. If you save cue or loop points, the next time you load the same CD, the Prodigy FX will remember them. You can store up to 1,500 of them per CD player.

Sound Routing
The mixer section has four channels, and up to three mics inputs, the primary two featuring adjustable talkover as well as DSP reverb, so you can perform effects on your vocals while you do strange and wonderful things to your music mix. The four mixer channels each have 3-band equalization and kill switches in each band, as well as a master trim controls, allowing the DJ to compensate for extra loud or extra soft sources. If the onboard DSP effects on the decks simply aren’t enough for you, each channel has an effects loop, so you can use an outboard effect units, too. It’s as simple as the push of a button. The first two channels carry signals for the built-in CD decks, but can also be selected for other line-in audio sources. The decks themselves have line out jacks as well. If you combine these ins and outs, the DJ is enabled to loop timecode CD audio into (for example) a Serato box, and back through the mixer section of the Prodigy FX, allowing this workstation to control (for example) Rane’s Serato Scratch Live, M-Audio’s Torq, or Virtual DJ software. (One word of caution here: do not use the DSP effects on the CD decks when using timecode discs. The effects will only make the programs “hear” distorted timecode, which could cause all kinds of odd behavior in the programs.)
Both CD decks also offer direct digital outputs, so they can be used for studio or other applications requiring a direct digital output. Channels 3 and 4 are offer selectable line or turntable inputs, and channel 3 also has a dedicated stereo mini jack input, marked “MP3.” If you wanted to use an iPod for dinner music, and later, cut things up on the decks, it’s pretty easy to do, and the iPod can sit out of sight, right in the back of the case.
The crossfader is switchable and selectable (and user-replaceable-another pro feature not often seen on your typical “combo” unit), and the fader curve is adjustable. If you scratch better with one hand versus another, there’s a hamster switch to “flip” sides. In addition to the main balanced XLR output, there’s a separate booth output and volume control, as well as two other sets of RCA outs. The headphone cueing section can be “split” left and right, and/or have the main output mixed into the headphone output.
Wow. I can’t think of a single feature this mixer lacks… all the way down to the “mono” switch. As small of a thing as having a “mono” switch is, I’ve seen even high end mixers that lack this basic ability. In the unlikely event you lose an entire mixer channel, you can use “mono” and the remaining “good” side of the board to finish your event; or if you’re doing a job that’s really small with only one powered speaker, hit the “mono” switch, and you’re good to go.

Prodigy in Action
“In the lab” (ok, it’s my garage) the Prodigy FX got high marks for excellent design, ease of layout, and overall quality. What about “in the field”?
I was called to assist with a Sweet Sixteen party a friend of mine had booked. I decided this was the perfect time to “road test” the Prodigy FX. I set the flight case on an x-stand, tapped into my friend’s board, and was ready to go. With three hours of dancing to prepare for, I assembled and burned two identical MP3 CDs and played off those (6 hours of material on each). With the exception of any requests that I didn’t have the foresight to burn, which I played from Virtual DJ directly (no timecode, this time) my entire night was played from two identical CDs, one in each deck. I ran loops, echos, flanges, pans (left and right to the beat), and mixed, scratched and looped throughout the night. The audience loved it! And it was a blast for me too!

Mixed Messages
For one final set of tests (and a second and third opinion), I invited over a couple of DJs I know locally who are big on beat-mixing, and for being particular about their gear. One was a fan of the American Audio Pro Scratch 2 CD decks, until he switched to the Numark CDX, which is his current favorite. Our other DJ friend prefers the Technics SLDZ1200 CD decks. I’ve watched several times as the two of them have “debated” each other over which one of them had a better set of players, so I knew this would be quite an animated discussion and mix session. The hardest thing to do here was separate their observations regarding “preferences” versus “functionality.” They both found (as I did) the Prodigy FX to be feature-rich, but (for example) they had difficulty gaining accurate control of the “scratch” features, mainly because of the size of the wheel, and the entire console being “too cramped” compared to what they’re used to; as an all-in-one it can’t be separated to suit their spacing preferences. They liked it, but (of course) not quite as much as what they’re already using.

Winning Combination
In terms of engineering and layout, the Prodigy FX is fantastic. It’s both “retro” (with the elements of turntablism) and futuristic, built with the look, functionality, native feature set, ability to interface with outboard effects and timecode DJ programs, and even basic playback of MP3 players, that DJs increasingly need. It is a combination unit of the highest order, featuring high quality and ease of use. The price, while not small, is a great value, compared to what you’d pay in money and time, buying and assembling all the individual items of this caliber, as well as the flight case to carry them in. The Prodigy FX is smart…and did I mention it’s also fun?

Prodigy FX Specs

CD/MP3 Player Features
• Plays all formats of CD, CDRW and MP3 files with full functionality
• Dual mode high resolution touch sensitive jog wheel
• Seamless loop with on-the-fly access to loop editing
• Independent buffer memory anti-shock for each player
• Pitch control & master tempo with up to +/- 100% shift range
• Oversized blue LCD display with wide viewing angle and brightness control
• True instant start for both CD and MP3 operations
• Easy MP3 file search by folder, file name, title or artist
• Onboard DSP effects with multi-mode scratching, auto and manual filter and phase shifting as well as flanger, echo, trans, pan, & reverse
• User-friendly beat synchronization for DSP effects
• Auto BPM or manual TAP tempo
• Three hot cue points
• Three independent memory banks can remember up to 1500 cue points and/or samples
• Integrated fader start
• Slot loading transports with blue LED illuminator
• IPR - Independent Player Reset for each CD/MP3 player provides fail-safe disk jamming protection
• Built-in memory to save settings (memory is upgradeable)

VCA Mixer Features
• 4-channel VCA mixer with flexible input configurations
• Dedicated DSP reverb and talk-over on MIC channels
• Dual rail premium quality Accutrack^TM crossfader
• Effects loop with independent assign button on each channel
• Hamster switch
• Rotary crossfader curve control
• 3-band EQ on each channel with - oo to +12dB range
• Kill switches for low, mid and high on each channel
• Dual mode SPLIT/BLEND headphone monitoring
• 10 segment tri-colored LED metering on inputs and outputs
• Master MONO switch
• CD direct outputs and mixer inputs for use with Serato Scratch LIVE, M-Audio Torq and all other time coded systems

Connections
• 4 Line, 2 Phono, 1 MP3 and 3 XLR / 1/4″ MIC inputs
• Balanced master XLR outputs plus booth, master, record & master digital RCA outputs
• Independent digital SPDIF outputs for each player
• Digital master SPDIF output
• Fan cooling for improved thermal performance
• Voltage selectable power supply for worldwide use

Professional ATA Flight Case Included

MSRP: $2,399.99
Street Price: $1,199.99