1. A DJ, even in country western, can no longer sit behind a glass panel and push buttons. He needs to be interactive with his dancers! A DJ needs to know a few dances so he can understand the rhythm and tempo he selects to keep his crowd satisfied.

2. At Country Dances a DJ will probably have to play more and more none country songs! Today's country music recorded by major artists is almost totally  for radio station play. It appears that many artists use dance music to get themselves into the market place. Once they become known they change their music to radio station playable songs, that being for the most parts songs you want to listen to! Brooks & Dunn would be a perfect example of this. Their first two albums had lots of dance able music on them. (Boot Scootin Boogie, Neon Moon, Hard Workin Man etc.) Then along came their third album, Waitin Sundown, which had the instrumental tracks laid back so much for radio station play that their songs from that album were not played very much in country dance clubs. Their newest album with "My Maria" seems to have reversed that trend. Several of their songs from Border Tracks will be played a lot both on radio and at the dances. Thanks Brooks & Dunn don't forget us on your next album.

3. When in doubt about weather you should play a song or do something borderline at an event create yourself a check off list!  I ask myself these two questions when in doubt! First, am I playing this song for myself or for the dancers?   Second, would I do this wild and crazy thing in front of my family?  If my answer is yes to both questions I do it! I live on the edge sometimes but that's what it is all about.

4. Surround Sound, there seemed to be a lot of interest in how I deliver sound to a room that is large and has lots of echoes! Let me say up front that I am not a technical engineer. For me this has worked in rooms as large as 20,000 sq. feet. Even a few with concrete walls, floors and ceilings. It takes a little extra time to set up, you decide weather the even justifies it or not!

First of all it is important to get sound to all four corners of your dance floor, not the corners of the room. I have sets of monster speaker cables in 50, 100, 150 and yes even 250 foot lengths.  I have yet to find an event where I could not get cables to all four corners of the floor. I have even gone overhead across pipes when necessary to get the job done.

Next I use different amps to run different sets of speakers. For example I will run the furthest set of speakers on a amp by themselves. This amp I will run wide open. To balance the sound out I take a decibel meter reading (meter costs about $35) of both speakers on the amp that is running wide open. Next I tune my amp down on the speakers closest to the DJ booth until the decibel readings are the same from all speakers. I also criss cross my line leads to my amp so that right channel is feeding the right speakers closest to me, while the right channel is feeding the speakers to my left across the floor.    This means no matter where you are on the floor you are always between left and right channels and the volume is the same. By delivering the sound at all four corners where I need it, the sound does not have to be as loud. Thus less echo problems and people sitting outside of the dance floor area can talk and even here what someone is saying. If you try this at a event and want to talk to the crowd a lot or lecture between dances, turn the speakers to the crowd. The vocals will become very clear!

A set up I us a lot consists of the following equipment. Four powered Sub Woofers, one on each corner of the dance floor. Then either 1 or 2 -  15" 2 way speakers at each corner. One speaker cable can supply the powered sub woofer and the 2 15" speakers. I can angle the twin 15's until I get the floor coverage that I want.

Back to Vegas, I was very impressed with the lady DJ's there. They were very interactive, entertaining and very knowledgeable about both equipment and music. Good job lady's! And Christy Lane who taught entertained us so much with her energy and dancing abilities by teaching disco dances was consumed by the DJ's at the show. It is easy to understand why her videos are well known all over the world. The only problem I had with her was that I couldn't get the through the crowd buying videos at her booth to ask her to marry me! Maybe she'll say yes and we can get married at next years show!

I came away from Vegas a WINNER! After playing the nickel slots and loosing probably $5 during my stay.  On my way to the airport I played the dollar slots with three $1 coins I had left. When the second coin paid off over $40 I yelled YEEHAAAA! Then I went and cashed in the chips and had taxi money for the airport. Please don't tell IRS! But better than the gambling winnings was that I learned so much and met so many crazy, weird and wonderful DJ's - I truly came out a WINNER! See ya all next year at Vegas and as always if you have any positive suggestions to share with our fellow DJ's please let me hear from you!