Madison Grapvine takes our sound and music seriously. From audio source to output, we have designed our system for the best quality sound possible in a mobile music package. Most importantly, we always have two of every piece of audio equipment available at an event (even 2 computers), so if there ever were a rare technical malfunction, we can immediately swap out the parts and the party will go on!
Music Computer
Our entire music library of over 5,000 songs is literally at the DJs finger tips on our computer system allowing the DJ to pick out just the right song for the right moment. Songs are stored on the computer using a lossless audio compression format, which means the sound quality is identical to the original CD from our library. Lossless audio compression takes more space on the hard drive, but we believe the higher frequency range and quality is worth it. Our computer system also allows us to immediately download requests from our Rhapsody music subscription service if we do not already have the song in our library. This gives us access to millions of songs for individual requests.
How the computer produces the sound is just as important. In short, we never use the headphone jack from the internal sound card of the notebook computer. The sound card tends to pick up digital noise and ground loop humming from the computer, and its limited power capabilities result in a distorted audio signal. Instead, we send the digital audio signal to an external USB audio device with it's own power source to reproduce the analog music signal as cleanly as possible.
Microphones
Two wireless microphones are included in all of our ceremony, reception, and party packages. Microphones are Shure brand to naturally amplify a person's voice for either toasts, announcements, or karaoke. For wedding ceremonies, we always have 2 wireless lapel microphones available; one for the officiant and one for the groom. This slight amplification allows guests in the back to hear the ceremony. The groom's microphone amplifies the bride and groom's voices equally when facing each other.
Speakers
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For the main speakers we use 2-way, 12 inch woofer, JBL MPro 412s that accurately reproduce frequencies from 67Hz to 20 KHz. These speakers can handle a continuous power level of 350 watts or 1,400 watts of peak making them suitable for large parties up to 500 guests. But even with all this power, we are always careful to not play music inappropriately loud. How many times have you been to a reception or party and had to shout at the person next to you just to have a conversation because the DJ was playing too loud? Have you ever left early because the DJ was blasting music and hurting your ears? Early in the evening, especially at a wedding reception where you have a wide range of ages, we prefer to keep the volume at a comfortable level so that everyone can enjoy the party and still have fun on the dance floor. Having said that, we're not afraid to crank up the volume (and usually do) later in the evening when the party really gets fun. Just let us know at any time if you would like the volume turned up or down. |
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Subwoofer ($40 option with basic package)
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For venues within Dane County, we can fill out the low end of the audio from 35-100 Hz with our JBL MPro 418S subwoofer with Crown amplifier. Lower frequencies help your guests feel the beat of the music. |