| Date Reservation | Contracts and Booking | Music | Equipment |
| Services Defined | Specifications | Note from the Owner |

Initial Contact & Date Reservation

You can contact the Future Sounds office a number of ways. For those on line, email your specific information including your name, the reception date, time frame and the location. You can do this through the availability and quote link at the bottom of the page or email the information directly by contacting us. You may call the office between 9 AM and 5 PM CST for verbal inquires and immediate assistance regarding availability. Our office number is (210) 945-9601.

1. Can we meet in person?

Yes. We are more than happy to meet and discuss your needs and our services with you in person. We can schedule a general meeting at the office with our office manager or schedule a meeting with a specific Future Sounds disc jockey.

2. Where and when can we schedule a meeting?

We could meet at your home, at a restaurant or book store like Barnes and Noble. We can schedule a time that will work well for both you and us. Meetings schedule in the middle of the day or on Saturdays with our disc jockeys are sometimes difficult. We can plan an evening or a Saturday morning meeting. Please call the office and we will work out the details. Meetings that require the need to listen to music selections should occur at our office. Our master music library is not portable.

3. Do you have a demo Tape?

No, but we do not offer a demonstration tape of our disc jockeys in action, but we do have audio clips on our about us page. We would also gladly offer to schedule a time that you could visit a reception and see one of us in action. It is important to remember that each reception atmosphere is different and music from event to event can differ greatly as well. The personality that you may see and the music that you may hear, may not necessary be the appropriate style for your reception. We customize each event with a reception Format Guide. More information on the Format Guide can be viewed on this website. More information on each disc jockey and a audio sample is available on the About Us page on this site.

4. Do you take a break?

We do not take any breaks. We are at your reception to play music and make announcements throughout the scheduled time frame on the contract. Music is continuous from start to finish with the exception of momentary pauses due to award ceremonies and toast. On occasion, mariachis or other entertainers are scheduled during our contracted time. If needed, we can continue to make announcements in between the songs that the other entertainers are playing.

5. How many people come with you?

99% of the time it is just your entertainer listed on your contract. On occasion, we have a disc jockey in training who will assist the main entertainer. You will be aware of this if it will occur at your reception. Otherwise, only one disc jockey per reception.

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1. Do you have a contract online?

No! General contracts are not available online. Each contract is written to fit your needs with specifics to (a) personal contact information, (b) event information like timeframe and selected entertainer, (c) venue information that includes room or layout specifics and (d) service information that includes a package description and listing of additional services and equipment.

Although many aspects of our service can be conducted via the website, we feel some form of person to person contact is important for clarification in the first stage of the contract. Most communication is exchanged via phone or email. We prefer the exchange of personal credit card information via phone, fax or regular mail. If desired, deposits and balances can be paid in a secure zone here on the website.

2. When should we book?

It is difficult to know what day will be very popular in a given year. Check the availability of your reception date. Typically, the months of March through June are very popular for spring and early summer weddings. The months of October and November are popular for fall weddings. The months of April, May, June, September and October are also scheduled with various school events like homecomings, proms and gradation parties. The availability of your initial choice for entertainment may be less likely the closer you get to the event date. If you find an entertainer with a personality that will work well for you and your reception, you may want to reserve his services.

3. How long should we book?

Future Sounds has a 4 hour minimum. The average reception is generally 3 to 4 hours. We suggest booking for the minimum amount of time that both you and your guests will be in attendance and then extending the time if needed at the reception. We can play background, cocktail or dinner music. The timeframe negotiated on the contract specifies our start and end times for use of the equipment and personalities. The volume level is insignificant to the work we do with reference to background and dinner music. We are paid to play and mix music. The volume level can be adjusted to accommodate the desired atmosphere. The end time can be extended if desired by the person(s) listed on the contract.

4. What if we do not have a reception site?

If you find a personality you like and as long as you plan to stay in the San Antonio City limits, regular package pricing will apply. As long as you have a date, site details can be incorporated into the contract down the line. Finding a personality that you are comfortable with is very important. Having that personality available for your reception date is just as important. Adjustments may need to be made to the contract if travel outside of Bexar County is accrued, if stairs are encounter, or additional accessories are needed such as lighting or additional speakers. The pricing for Future Sounds packages and accessories are listed on this website.

5. What if the reception is not in San Antonio.

Future Sounds travels throughout south and central Texas. We have traveled north to Fredericksburg, south to Brownsville, east to Austin, Houston, Nacogdoches and west to Uvalde. We have a 30 mile radius around San Antonio where a travel charge is not incurred. The entertainment travel charge beyond the 30 mile radius is a dollar per mile-one way. Destination weddings are not out of the question. All our past weddings we have been within the state of Texas. Wedding receptions outside the state would incur travel and overnight hotel expenses.

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Music Request

1. What kind of music do you have?

Future Sounds offers a variety of music for your reception. The core music library can be viewed on this site by clicking here. Our master Future Sounds library contains over 26,000 titles. Many of these titles are not listed in the on line database. Albums with less popular titles that are more specific to an era or genre of music were excluded from the on line listing. View the music page on this site for a specific core listing.

2. Can we make request or a list?

You are more than welcome to make a list of songs you would like to hear during the reception. An average of 15 to 18 songs are played an hour. In a four hour period, 60 to 75 songs can be played depending on the type of music and other non-music events scheduled during the reception. It is best if you pick a few requests to give us a direction for the event and leave room for us to adjust the music style accordingly to you and your guest mood. The mood of your guest is difficult to forecast. Regardless, pick a few requests and plan ahead to modify your requests if necessary. View the music page for more suggestions for selecting and organizing your music request.

3. Can we bring our own music that you do not have?

We have an impressive collection, however, it is very difficult to know and have every available type of music in the world. If there is a particular type of music, artist, or song you like and you’re not sure if we offer it, please ask. Feel free to bring a copy of the particular request we do not have to your reception. This is how we expand our own musical knowledge. Music appreciation and education is an ongoing task in our business. To get a feel for our taste, view the eclectic online database. Within the music database, the top 200 songs requested for other receptions in the last twelve months is availible to be viewed.

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Equipment

1. What kind of equipment do you have?

The type of equipment we use is developed by the leaders in professional audio from around the world. Our equipment is geared for the road for use on the open concert stage or contain within a dance club. The speaker systems are made by JBL. The mixing devices are made by Rane, Mackie and Samson. The compact disc players are made by Pioneer. This equipment is made to be used day in and day out 365 days a year. More particular facts and specifications can be found on the Specifications page and the Services Defined page on this website.

At this point, we still use standard CD’s and CD-R’s for media. We prefer to digitize older formats such as cassette or vinyl media if not available on current compact disk media. We use dual deck CD systems for playback of music media. We do not use computer systems or software applications for playback of MP3 or Wav music files. The industry is slowly moving toward the software and laptop direction and we are experimenting with some applications, but for now we are sticking with compact disk and compact disk players. The fact is that technology has not produced a road-worthy computer that can handle daily ware and tear hazards.

2. Do you have backup equipment?

Yes, we have backup cables and equipment/systems in the instance a piece of equipment fails. We send in our CD players and mixers for the suggested maintenance that is recommended by the manufacture. Although we follow these procedures, complete failure of a piece of equipment is not out of the question. On occasion, we have had a sudden short in a speaker/microphone cable or device connector. These pieces can be replaced within minutes. Each sound system carries a backup CD player.

3. Are lights included?

The basic sound package does not include lights. We do offer packages with lighting. A choice can be made between high tech and low tech lighting or a combination of fixtures. More information about our available packages can be seen on the Pricing page or a breakdown by definition of equipment and fixtures is found on the Services Defined page.

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The Value of Entertainment
…push, pull, press, pluck or pound…
by Chris Koval

There is nothing better than an evening with great entertainment. It can be the spark that immortalizes an evening. Great entertainment can be a solo act or a group endeavor. The benefits of our efforts amuse and inspire your guest to take part in a celebration that revolves around family and friends. The outcome is an evening of excitement and lifetime of memories that are truly priceless. Below is a response to the questions, "What is the difference between you and a band?" and "What's the difference between you and my Ipod?"

Stages of Excitement

There are many musical stages that you and your guest will encounter as you and they progress through your wedding day. From beginning to end, there is the ceremony, cocktails, dinner and dancing. Various types of musical entertainment can be hired for each of these stages or one type of entertainment can do it all. The different types include but are not limited to string trios or quartets, harpist, violist, guitarist, organist, pianist, singers, mariachis, bands and disc jockeys. When the ceremony and the reception are located at the same venue or same room, quite often you can have the musicians for the ceremony play the music during cocktails and sometimes throughout dinner. Future Sounds can offer a musical service from beginning to end in this situation.

Making Contact

You can find numerous listings for disc jockeys in the phone book. Bands or singing groups tend to have agents and those agencies may be listed in the phonebook. Quite often the “word of mouth” and referrals from other industry professionals increase name recognition with priceless promotion to their friends and clients. Those who are more focused on weddings tend to market themselves via wedding fairs and advertise in bridal magazines and websites. Entertainers who specifically work in the wedding industry realize the role they play is more than just playing music. We have become event coordinators. There has been an increase in the number of methods to exchange information between clients and entertainers. Those entertainers who value increased communication will offer multiple methods to exchange information. In addition to traditional phone and mail service, Future Sounds has a dedicated fax line and a dedicated email system server. Additionally, our website is designed with dynamic pages to support musical request list, bridal party listing and event itinerary guides. Many of your questions can be answered on our website if immediate assistance is not available.

Band Facts

In the old days event coordinators generally hired a band. Family, friends and music were simple aspects of life and a local experience when it came to the reception. Today those aspects are complex and diverse. Family, friends and music converge from a community that is regional, national and sometimes international. Most bands are hired for 4 hours and play a limited selection of cover music or originals. Some bands may play two extended sets of 1.5 hours. The average band plays 10 to 14 songs an hour and may take 2 or 3 fifteen to twenty minute breaks during the four hour period. That’s 30 to 40 songs in a 4 hour period. In reality, you are paying for 4 hours but only receive 3 hours or less of entertainment. There is nothing better than a live performance with great musicians or entertainers. But what if no one likes the music or the downtime kills the momentum? All traditional activities generally are organized around the 20 minute band breaks. You can’t change the style nor songs the band plays in the middle of the reception, however you can change the style and songs the DJ plays at any point during the reception.

We recently worked with a large band that saturated a 20’ x 40’ stage. The sound technician was 15’ to 20’ in front of the stage monitoring the mix of each instruments volume plus he monitored the stage lighting. He additionally took up a 6’ x 8’ area. The sound system extended an additional 4’ off each side of the stage. We were just off stage using a 6’ x 8’ area. Three main differences we noticed between a band and a DJ are occupied space, available play list and the directed attention. During that event, they could choose to play from a list of over 60 songs. I, on the other hand, had just over 9600 songs. The directed attention of the guest was on the band and costuming while they played their sets. When I played between the band sets, the directed attention was on the dance floor and other events occurring in the room. Stage lighting for a band illuminates the stage. Stage lighting for a DJ illuminates the dance floor.

Master of Receptions

True entertainers have an ability to manipulate their musical and technical tools. All entertainers deliver a live performance. However, we each use different tools to achieve the task at hand. Some of us pluck strings, press keys or use vocal talents. It is the combination of talents that evoke a rhythm and encourage participation for those in attendance. Some guest may sing and dance, others may listen and watch. Ultimately, the way an event unfolds is unpredictable. In addition to playing music, top notch entertainers can coordinate and guide the bridal party, family and guest through traditional events. After the formalities or in conjunction with the formalities your host can direct and motivate those in attendance. This creates movement in a room and leads to interactivity around the room and on the dance floor. It is difficult to forecast the expected mood of your guest; however, great entertainers adjust and accommodate any level of unfolding excitement.

Disc Jockey Facts

Mobile disc jockeys can provide an evening of specific musical selections or a wide variety. Some may say we just push a few buttons. But it’s more than that. Depending on your musical preferences, song sets are generally 3 to 5 songs. We follow a simple wave pattern that offers at least 1 slow song for every 5 songs. Generally this pattern works well for most crowds. It takes most men 1 song to get to the dance floor and dance with their significant other. So we play two slow songs in this situation. Again, adjustments are made accordingly to the pattern depending on your audience response. With avid dancers, sets are longer. With less active dancers, music sets are shorter. Unlike a band, the flow of the music is non-stop between songs and styles and flawless with respect to the original artist. Most disc jockeys carry hundreds of titles if not thousands. Depending on the musical category, the average DJ plays 17 to 20 songs an hour. That’s 70 to 80 songs in a 4 hour period. Musical entertainment is provided during the full contracted time period. Depending on the music, one major difference between a band and a DJ is 30 to 50 songs. That is a difference of hearing nearly two hours of music.

Software Media or IPod Music Players

Music Software Programs offered on the PC or Apple platform can offer a new dynamic in background sound. Some media players can play hours of music in a jukebox fashion. Files or folders of music are played in a chosen or random order as programmed. Some new media players have a DJ or cross fade function that can mix or blend songs as they are played to offer a non-stop musical mixture. This feature is nice and works well in several applications. The downside to this method is less flexibility.

If you’re using this method for background sound and nothing more, it may work well and save money in the short term. If you must monitor the system for changes in music, volume and software or hardware issues, then this method may create havoc. What if the songs programmed to play during dinner end before dinner has ended or dinner has gone longer than expected? What if your hardware crashes as you are walking out to do your first dance? If these issues are of no concern then this may be a good method for a simple reception.

Otherwise, most of the wedding industry entertainers use professional equipment. In addition to playing music, they monitor the hardware and software and the progression of music. The hardware is made to be used day in and day out for hours on end. Equipment rated for home use does not meet the standards for pro-audio. Additionally, as mentioned above the entertainment host will act as an event coordinator and guide you through the reception. These software programs do not automatically adjust and are not as receptive or reactive to unplanned events or adjustments. DJ’s have more flexibility adjusting as needed to a modified schedule.

Closing Time

There is nothing better than an evening with great entertainment. There are some similarities between bands and DJs and even an Ipod…we each can play music. But there are many differences between us as mentioned above. I realized my role as an entertainer, coordinator and communicator and how important these roles are to the success of your reception. This is a core principle to Future Sounds and what separates us from many bands, fellow DJs and especially software programs. Unfortunately, in my half of the wedding industry the value of the entertainment dollar is quite often shortchanged. The entertainment is responsible for the largest percentage of the wedding reception, but budgeted and booked in the wedding plans as an afterthought. Some are willing to pay 2500 to 5000 dollars for a band, but refuse to spend a comparable price for a professional wedding DJ. After the ceremony, cocktails and dinner, most reception guests stay for a dance. While planning the most important day of you life …the dress, ceremony, dinner and reception, how much time did you put into the musical entertainment? If hearing the proper music and announcements during the dinner and dance portion of your reception is important, why save these plans for last? We are here to help. The best wedding venues, caterers, photographers and disc jockeys take bookings 12 to 18 months out. For many wedding professionals, availability is limited. If you feel that the music and atmosphere developed for you and your guest is not important, then we may not be the best choice for your reception. We are more than happy to suggest the services of others in our industry that just play music.

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