Band or DJ for your event?

Band or DJ? The big decision..  What should you hire for your event?
There are a number of factors to consider when making this choice, some of these factors are:

• Price
• Music choice
• Space required
• Noise restrictions
• Acoustics of the Venue

Lets look at these:

Price 
The general rule will be that DJ’s are less expensive than bands to hire. This is because you are paying for fewer people and less equipment. A professional and experienced wedding DJ will cost between $750 and 1500 for a reception (depending upon location). A band will average at least twice that amount.

Music

This is a big one. You will get far more variety of music and music genres with a DJ than a band. Musicians and particularly vocalists (unless they are very talented impressionists) can also tend to sound the same for most of their catalogue. Why would you want to have an average cover of your favourite song when a DJ can play your favourite song exactly as you know it?

Most live ‘event’ bands don’t play hip hop, rap or electronic music and lean towards a rock style –  great if you only want that style but otherwise limiting.

DJ’s tend to be more able to play more requests –  especially on the night. Bands are less equipped to deal with random song requests.

Space Required

Bands can require a massive amount of space compared to a DJ… A DJ can be placed almost anywhere, but would be BEST placed adjacent to your dance floor.  and be very effective at entertaining your guests where bands will often need a whole new space of their own to perform.

Noise Restrictions

Does your venue have noise restrictions? IF they do you would probably need to steer clear of a band with a live drummer –  it is just too risky.
A DJ can also adjust sound levels much more quickly to adapt to the situation at hand.
Some venues have sound level measuring devices that will cut the power if the volume hits a certain level. This can damage sound equipment and is extremely disruptive to your event. These devices are renown for reacting badly to live drummers…

Acoustics of the Venue

Concrete floors, tiles, high and low ceilings close walls or no walls. All these have massive effects on sounds played over a PA system –  especially with live music. Live music requires great sound engineering to sound good in trying situations. DJ’s recorded music is professionally mixed, engineered and mastered so it has a massive head start over live mixing. A DJ just tunes their PA to the venue at sound check and they are set for the whole event; a live band can need to be re tuned for each song that they play. Now an experienced band will know how to deal with this, but you do pay for that experience.

Conclusion:

So which do I choose?

The better option for your budget and versatility would be a good DJ. They are easier to hire and work with and far more flexible to cater to your event needs.

If you must have the sound and in some cases the implied esteem of having a “live band” at your event –  do it. Pay the extra, take your chances with what has been discussed and go for it.

If budget is no object?  Why not hire both?

Dave –  DJ and Bass player