Questions about our services...

Do you have a video we can see?
Do you have additional information you could mail us?
Can we come see you play at a wedding?
What sets you apart from DJs who just moonlight in this business?

Do you provide a Master of Ceremonies for our event?
What are the advantages of a DJ over a Band?
How far will you travel?
How soon should we reserve a DJ?
Can we select a specific DJ?
How much do you charge and why do some other DJs charge less?
What's the process for reserving a date?  Do we need to meet in person first?

Questions about our music & planning...

Can you provide music for my wedding ceremony?

What kind of music do you have?

Who selects the music at my affair and do you take requests?

Is all of the music in your library listed on your website?

Can I bring my own CDs for you to play?

How many dance songs may I request?

May we select the music for the introduction of the wedding party?

Can you help me to plan my function? 

Questions about our equipment...

What kind of sound systems/equipment do you use?
Can you supply a light show for the dance floor?
Do you offer Karaoke?

Do you have party props?

Other questions...
How do the DJs dress?
Does the "contracted time" include equipment set up, travel, etc?
Can we purchase additional time at the end of the event?
Can you offer any tips or advice?
Do we need to provide anything special for you?

Do you have a video we can see?

We choose not to stock a video for several reasons. The biggest problem that we have with a video, is that it only would show our performance according to one of our client's tastes. If you were to see us do or play something that you didn't want at your function, you would probably not want to hire us. The point that we want to drive home is that the style of our performance will reflect your desires. We will play the songs you want, while avoiding the one's you don't. The level of personality and audience motivation/interaction will be at the right "temperature" for your taste too. 

Many clients come to us and complain about the last DJ video they just saw. The production quality is often poor (bad lighting, sound quality, camera technique, etc.) and just in case you didn't know...Stock wedding video clips are readily available for sale, so it's very easy to fake a demo tape. 

The reason most potential clients give me for wanting to see a video of us is to "hear what we sound like"...well, if you must know, we sound great! By the way, did I happen to mention that we are Professional Radio Personalities with 15-20 years average experience each? 

If our professionally designed web site filled with extensive descriptions on every aspect of the Mobile DJ profession, entertainment philosophy, countless client and function professionals recommendations, outstanding pro-grade equipment, incredible music library and knowledge, and our personable manner isn't enough to win your confidence and prove to you how serious we are about designing the performance you want...then we're probably not the one's for you.

All this being said, we do have sound clips available for you to listen to via our Wedding Soundtrack.  CLICK HERE to be taken to that section.

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Do you have additional information you could mail us?

Printing fancy full-color brochures, glossy music lists and whatever else and mailing them to everyone who asks for a copy gets really expensive. We know, because before the internet came along, we were forced to play that game too. As you know, all costs of doing business are ultimately passed along to the customer. In other words, you are paying for that fancy mailer! You should see everything you need to know about us in our website. If you still have questions, please ask. We prefer to pass these savings along to our clients.

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Can we come see you play at a wedding?

If you call an entertainer and ask him or her this question and they eagerly say, "Yes, come see us at Dick and Jane's wedding this weekend" and then you hire this person - you may see some uninvited guests at your reception too. Pete Chambers & Associates will never conduct business like this on your time. 

If after viewing our professionally designed website full of our DJ philosophy and a ton of useful information, talking with us over the phone to see if we are personable-knowledgeable-likeable-articulate-etc. and checking our references, you are still not convinced, then perhaps we should rendezvous to discuss your event in person.  A personal consultation with me is a nominal fee of only $20.  This small fee weeds out the tire kickers and will be credited back to you when you reserve our services.  Which if history is a guide, is almost a 100% proposition.  Besides, chances are good that during our conversation you'll actually hear a few ideas that alone are worth the fee.  

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What sets you apart from DJs who just moonlight in this business?

Our Disc Jockeys - Master of Ceremonies are professionally trained and experienced Radio Personalities. No one offers better credentials or is more qualified to work for you. Would you trust your mouth to a part time dentist? Wouldn't you prefer to have the most experienced person pack your parachute? A weak DJ performance usually doesn't result in death or severe pain, but the unpleasant memories may linger with you for a long time.

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What are the advantages of a DJ over a Band?

Don't get me wrong. Disc Jockeys love bands. They sound great on the radio and without them, what would we have to play? However, for a wedding reception, in most cases a DJ satisfies everyone's needs best.

Hiring a band is sort of like settling for just chicken for dinner.  Sure it's OK, but wouldn't you rather be able to stroll through a 'musical buffet' with numerous different 'entrees' to select from?   

1. You hear the songs the way you remember them, from the original artists.
2. Once we start performing, the music never stops. No band-style breaks.
3. You're not limited to one style of music. DJ's have music of any era/artist.
4. A band by it's nature commands attention. They are the centerpiece.
5. Bands need more...Food, Space and Money!
6. You will get a more polished, smoother Master of Ceremonies from
an experienced DJ, who also has training as a Professional Radio Personality. 
7. Volume control...we can turn the music up or down to suit your taste.
8. A Pro-DJ is able to match beats and create a musical flow. These smooth mixes keep the dance floor energized!

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How far will you travel?

Every time we leave "the barn", so to speak, it's not a matter of "if" we will travel, but "how far". We are "Mobile DJs", so we will come to you no matter where your function is. We have served clients from Presque Isle, Maine to Long Island, New York. It's safe to say that we cover the Northeastern United States.

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How soon should we reserve a DJ?

Whether we're talking about banquet halls, photographers or DJs, the best stuff always goes first, so to be safe it's a good idea to reserve your DJ about a year in advance, especially if you are looking to hire a particular individual. That being said, with our large complement of talented DJs we very seldom turn away a client due to lack of availability. Chances are good that the date you want can be accommodated.

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Can we select a specific DJ?

Yes you may!  If you have seen one of us in action and would prefer that DJ, we will reserve him or her for you if they are not already scheduled.  You may view our talent line-up here:  The DJs

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How much do you charge?

There are several factors to consider. The most important of which is the day that you have chosen for your event.  Weekends (Friday, SATURDAY & Sunday) during the busy wedding months of May through October are busy, prime-time for us. Weekdays are off-peak. The length of your function, location, number of sound systems and other requirements/options requested may also affect the price.  For most functions our range falls between $750 - 1500.  If the budget is a major factor for you, just tell us and we'll do our best to accommodate you. 

Some folks assume that by paying less, they are getting a better value.  Yes, this would be true if everything were equal.  There is a difference between 'saving money' and 'paying less'.  If you fly coach rather than first class, you will pay less, but your travel experience will be far different, to say the least.  And so it goes in the DJ biz, when you pay the economy fare, you won't be flying in the First Class section. 

Please fill out the form on our Book It page. This gives us the information we'll need to quote you an accurate price.

Why do some DJs charge less?  What's the difference?

In one word "professionalism".  Many DJs don't charge as much because they don't provide the high caliber service that we do.  It all begins with experience and talent. Many of the lower priced DJs are beginners and most are part-time or hobbyist DJs.  They may be learning their craft at your event.  Pete Chambers & Associates provides veteran DJs, each averaging 15 to 20 years of DJ experience.  You get mature, personable, professional, broadcast trained DJs, a huge selection of music and our high-end, pro-grade sound equipment. 

Another key difference between Pete Chambers DJs and the others is our outstanding Customer service.    After you put the deposit down, you will need to forge a good working relationship with your entertainer.  Hiring a service that is easy to get a hold of (A.K.A. - a fulltime DJ service) backed up by someone with helpful ideas and creativity is a must.  Remember, the success of your party depends on the skill & know-how of your DJ.

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What's the process for reserving a date?  Do we need to meet in person first? 

Since the internet arrived in the mid 1990's, we've seen the 'need to meet' drop quite a bit, as most of the pertinent information about our services can be found on our website.  Even the way we communicate and send documents was revolutionized by email.  Fading are the days when people call us 'cold' from a yellow pages or print ad and have no idea of who we are or what we offer. 

How and when we proceed in reserving your date depends on you, as everyone has a different 'level of comfort'.  If you are pleased by what you see on this website, hear from our adoring references and learn about us in our discussion over the phone, and are satisfied that the professionalism we exhibit is right for you, then signing on the dotted line would be the next step.

If after all of this you would still like to meet with us, we'll schedule a time to sit down together to discuss our services and explore your desires further. 

Once you've decided to go with us, all we need to get the ball rolling is a deposit and a signed entertainment contract, which we will email, fax, snail mail or meet with you to sign.  

Click Here to view a Sample Contract

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Can you provide music for my wedding ceremony?

Absolutely! We provide the processionals, recessionals and even music during the ceremony if you need it from our extensive selection of classical and contemporary favorites. Often it is difficult to hear the JP or clergy perform the service, a special reading by a friend or family member or even the bride and groom. To solve this problem a wireless microphone may be placed where needed so that all in attendance may hear what's happening. We can also record your ceremony to compact disc as part of our "Wedding Soundtrack". A second sound system may be provided if necessary. 

To assist you in choosing the right wedding ceremony music, we feature sound clips of the most popular ceremony music on our Wedding Ceremony Formats page. 

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What kind of music do you have?

Whew! Where do I start? For dancing purposes, you can expect us to have any popular and danceable song from the last 75 years. Big band, rock, pop, club, oldies, disco, country, alternative, rap, reggae...the list goes on.

Background music for social hour-cocktails, dinnertime, etc. includes a multitude of different instrumentations and textures like; piano, guitar, saxophone, light jazz, new age, classical, baroque, Celtic...you name it!

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Who selects the music at my affair and do you take requests?

It's usually a combination between you and your DJ. To help get you organized, we will supply you with several music lists on which you may highlight your favorites. Feel free to write in any tunes not listed, as we do not list every song in our library as this would be quite impractical. 

At your event the DJ will take requests, and "read the crowd" and get a feel for what the guests will want to dance to. Giving the audience a chance to participate is what it's all about. However, we will filter these requests for you. If there are certain "No Play" songs on your list or if the request would not be in the function's best interest (questionable lyrical content, awkward dance beat, etc.). We will ask that your guest give us another choice. We will do our best to keep everyone at your event happy.

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Is all of the music in your library listed on your website?

Absolutely not! We give you plenty to look at here, but what we show to the public on this site are the more common tunes. We realize that clients and competitors both view our site, so we're not about to give away any trade secrets here. We employ the use of many musical artists, special mixes, different versions, etc. that make us unique. A constantly growing list of clients tell me that we have music that many other DJs aren't aware of. I like that a lot!

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Can I bring my own CD's for you to play?

Of course! If you have songs that aren't listed on our music list (we don't list our entire library online) and you're confident that the crowd would respond favorably to hearing them, "Pete Chambers DJ & MC Services" welcomes playing your CDs. Let us know in advance what you will be bringing as there is a good chance we may already have them in our library.

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How many dance songs may I request?

You may choose as many songs as you'd like or you may leave the song selection up to us if you wish.  At the average wedding there is usually 2½ to 3 hours of dance time.  At an average of 15 songs per hour (assuming there are no other activities to incorporate) that would translate into about 40-45 songs.  The guests will request an average of 10 songs.  Your DJ, to keep the dance floor jumping, may come up with another 10 or so to round out the mix.  We suggest that you give us a list of about 25 songs that you would like to hear for the dancing segment of your program.  That gives us enough ammo to make sure that you are happy and enough time to satisfy the guests. 

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May we select the music for the introduction of the wedding party?

About 9 out of 10 couples let us perform this function, but if you think you have a winner in mind, you may pick it.  All we ask is that you choose something that is easy for us to work with/talk over.  In some halls it is difficult to understand what is being said due to the acoustics of the room.  A tune where the performer raps or sings non-stop probably wouldn't function well, as it would be competing with your Master of Ceremonies for attention.  On the other hand, a peppy techno instrumental with a strong beat and smooth baseline might just do the trick. 

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Can you help me to plan my function? 

Offering advice and helping you plan your function is a big part of what we do.  You may call or email anytime and we can meet to discuss if needed.  When you hire us we also will provide function format sheets and music lists to better help you organize your thoughts. 

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Do you provide a Master of Ceremonies for our event?

The microphone skills we learned and polished while on the air, 4 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week for a decade or so, are invaluable in helping us set the tone/mood you want at your function. Adding the right blend of Personality and Audience Involvement/Motivation is vital. All this is accomplished while keeping ourselves out of the spotlight. Anyone can claim to be an MC, but obviously the level of professionalism in this very important area differs tremendously from the trained professionals to the "I just do this on weekends" part-timers.

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What kind of sound systems/equipment do you use?

Not to worry. Our sound systems are Professional-Grade. That means no department store components and nothing has duct tape holding it together. 
It's all new, reliable, well-tuned and maintained gear...big names like; Numark, Shure, JBL, Stanton, Sony, Denon, Furman and more. 

It not only sounds great, but we intentionally keep it low profile. Many DJs will overwhelm a room with unnecessarily large speakers and amplifiers, loud advertising banners and other gadgets and gizmos that create an eyesore. After all, we don't want your guests asking, "Is this a rock concert or a wedding?" We perform at the finer function halls in the region, so we realize that we need to fit in and not STAND OUT!

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Can you supply a light show for the dance floor?

Yes, we can! "Pete Chambers DJ & MC Services" can supply your event with dance floor lights. Our dance lights liven up night time functions with lots of bouncing colors, flash and dazzle! We offer a large show which we usually recommend for high school dances and a smaller set-up which we suggest for private functions like; wedding receptions, bar and bat mitzvahs, etc.

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Do you offer Karaoke?

Yes, we can add Karaoke to our DJ show, taking breaks every so often for a few Karaoke performers or you may use Karaoke as stand-alone entertainment.  We supply an all-digital Karaoke library with tunes ranging from old standards to current hip hop, microphones, a lyrics monitor, song catalogs, request slips, pens, etc.  Karaoke is an appropriate add-on for Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, company parties, house parties, etc.  Our huge master Karaoke library contains over 10,000 titles to choose from!

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Do you offer party props?

Props can add a lot of fun to the overall party atmosphere and tend to liven up any function. Sunglasses, hats, balloon instruments, glow sticks and the like are available upon request.  We can build a props package to your specifications or you may do all the legwork yourself.  To shop for props CLICK HERE 

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How do the DJ's dress?

Pete Chambers DJ & MC Services DJs come dressed appropriately for every occasion. If your engagement is a formal affair our DJs wear a tuxedo or suit and tie, your preference. We can dress down from that for the more casual events...cookouts, dances, pool parties, birthday parties, etc.

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Does the "contracted time" include equipment set up & travel?

Our rates are "all-inclusive".  Equipment set-up & tear down time, travel time to and fro, preparation time to find all of your requested songs and to make other arrangements, consultations-either in person, via email or on the phone, the actual performance time, etc. are all included in our agreed price. There are no surprises or last minute charges. 

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Can we purchase additional time at the end of the event?

Yes, if available. Being one of New England's busiest DJ entertainment companies, Pete Chambers DJ & MC Services schedule is quite full. The safest way to insure that we cover the time you need is to carefully calculate the amount of time needed. A typical wedding reception requires at least 5 hours of coverage. This usually allows ample time for a social/arrival period, dinner, formalities and dancing. If your group is over 200 and/or you are including the wedding ceremony in our time schedule, you may want to plan on 6 or 7 hours to be safe. If you need help in planning this please ask me. We are pretty good at figuring this out.

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Can you offer any tips or advice?

A few quickies come to mind...

A. For best audience interaction results, the DJ needs to be near the audience and the dance floor. Don't put your DJ up in the balcony or in another room, this doesn't work well for introductions, toasts, audience participation activities, etc. 

B. We love the old folks, but let's keep them a little further from the dance floor. They don't appreciate bass and treble the way the younger guests do.  Even soft piano background music may sometimes irritate those wearing hearing aids.  

C. Another way to insure that everyone has a good time is for the bride and groom stay involved in the festivities. When guests see the newlyweds taking part in dance floor activities it helps to motivate the guests to join in too. After all, they came to see and party with you. So please don't disappear on us or transform into a lifeless wallflower. 

D. Keep the cake close.  At wedding receptions, oftentimes the cake is across the room and around the corner at the furthest point from us. Our telescopic X-ray vision isn't what it used to be, so if you'd like us to properly officiate the cake cutting, keep it at a reasonable distance where we can see what is happening. 

While we're on the subject, if you are interested in keeping the dance floor filled, there is a better way to serve the cake. Cut it between courses or toward the end of dinner and then serve it immediately as the final course. If you cut the cake and then start dancing, when the cake and coffee is finally served...you guessed it, everyone sits back down to eat dessert, and we start all over again.

E. Get all of your family and group photos out of the way before we start dancing. It kills the dance floor to announce that we need the entire wedding party or all members of the bride's or groom's family outside for a photo.

F. Include the DJ, photographer, videographer, wedding coordinator, etc. in your meal plan and at a table in the room. Sending your professionals to another room far, far away for dinner insures that if a Kodak moment occurs, Uncle Leo wants to propose a toast and needs a microphone, the music mysteriously dies or something else occurs that requires our attention, we will all miss it.

If your hired professionals are eating outside the room (or sometimes even in the same room), you should check with the function manager to see at what point they plan to serve them. Many halls will feed the professionals after everyone else is served. The problem here is that since the wedding party was served first, they are finished dining and ready to start the show...while your professionals are still waiting for or are just receiving their food. Solution: ask that the vendors be served right after the wedding party and family tables.   

G. If your reception is being held in a facility that hosts multiple functions simultaneously, it would be a good idea to inspect for wall thickness or distance from room to room. During the quiet times of the blessing, toast or even during dinner, you would probably rather not feel the bass vibrations pounding from a function in another room. 

H. For the smoothest presentation, make sure that your photographer and/or videographer is reserved for all or most of the reception.  Occasionally, one of those vendors will approach us and say "I'm only here for another ½ hour, so I hope you can get all the formalities done by then."  To help them out we must then cram all of the events in quickly, rather than spacing them out properly to create a nice flow to the event. 

I.  Don't wear a watch! Relax and enjoy the affair. You have survived months of planning and have hired qualified professionals to run the event, so don't feel the need to play function manager on this special occasion. You owe it to yourself to take this time to enjoy and savor all the hard work you've put into making this day special. After the affair, look forward to the many complements you'll receive about how absolutely fabulous your event was. Thanks to your dedication, you have created special memories that will last forever. 

J. Get everything in writing!  I receive frequent phone calls from distressed brides who have received news at the last minute that their DJ is not able to make it.  Usually, these DJs were hired with a handshake, the 'ole "friend of the family" thing.  No matter how well you think you know someone, and no matter if the promised performance is for a fee or for free, always protect yourself and get a written commitment.

K.  If your function facility offers the option of deciding the floor layout, keep in mind that it's a lot easier for your DJ-MC to "work the room" if you position your dance floor in the center, surrounded by the guest tables.  Since I don't have a graphic artist on staff, I had my 5 year old daughter draw up the diagram below. 

The guests are more likely to hear what is going on and are more likely to participate in the program if they are closer to the action.  It's difficult for the DJ-MC to connect or communicate with someone who is 75, 100 or more feet away.

L. Don't forget your P's and Q's. While your party staff has had the pleasure of serving you in the planning and carrying out of your affair, it's always nice for them to receive a special thank you by way of an email, letter or phone call following your the event. If you felt the service was outstanding, tipping is appropriate. A 10-20% gratuity is customary.

M.  Click Here to read my article on what to look for in your Wedding DJ.

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Do we need to supply anything special for you?

Our needs are very simple. In most cases a solid 6 or 8 foot banquet table and a power outlet within a reasonable distance is all we need. Just like the other tables in the room, you'll want to supply a table cloth matching your theme/decor. You can count on us not to drape any obnoxious orange banners that say "Super Jocks" or the like in front of the table. If your event is outside, we would need some sort of overhead cover. (tent, porch, garage, gazebo, etc.)

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