Greetings Fellow Djs. I would like to start the equipment article series with a talk about speakers, speaker stands, and speaker cords. This applies to freelance as well as staff djs that work for us. I can't stress enough the following: ALL SPEAKERS MUST BE ON SPEAKER STANDS.
We dj weddings and private parties, close to 90% of these parties are indoors. There is NO NEED to put your speakers on the floor, to put your speakers on your table (even if you are on a stage), or to put your speakers on chairs. There is also NO NEED to bring extremely large floor speakers that are TOO HEAVY to be put on stands. These floor speakers are for clubs, concerts, and outside events. There is also no need to stack your speakers (Those that bring 4 speakers). The only exception is for sub woofers.
When You elevate your speakers, the highs from your tweeter will not broadcast properly (bouncing off your dancing crowds mid section) nor will it be at ear level (irritating most guests). Your woofer, that produces bass and most of the mid range will also be elevated above the crowds heads (causing less irritation). One of the best reasons for putting your speakers on stands (up High) is so that the back of the dancefloor & room can also hear the music.
The appearance of your speakers and stands should also be in tip top shape. No one at a party wants to see carpet or parts dangling off your speakers, nor do they want to see scratched up speakers or those with the vinyl covering ripped off. Also your stands, if used in conjunction with light clamps can be scratched up very easily. Since most stands are black as well as speakers. Simple cheap black spray paint can sometimes bring your speakers back looking better than before and can also make speaker stands LOOK LIKE NEW. ONE NOTE if the equipment is not yours DO NOT do anything to it unless you consult the owners.
It is also a great idea to MAKE SURE your tweeters an woofers are working correctly at each gig. Because we stand behind our equipment for most of the night we might not notice a blown tweeter. Be sure to make a quick check at each gig. You should be doing this anyway at each gig during your MICROPHONE & MUSIC CHECK, 
but that is going to be a later article.
Finally, PLEASE make sure your cords are wrapped around your speaker stands 4 or 5 times. An alternative is to use zip ties or velcro to keep the cables hidden behind the speaker poles. A hanging speaker cord not only looks bad but gives the appearance that the dj was rushed or even a rookie. If you use these tips you will be on your way to being a more professional dj resulting hopefully in a better DJ.
10 pm tonight I will be opening up the US DJ Network on Stickam... http://stickam.com/usdjnetwork for a round table discussion to get everyone pumped and primed for the upcoming wedding season. We will be discussing much of the information recently covered by Tommy Mac here on the Network Blogs and pretty much anything people want to talk about.
