About Us
The
Idea
Mactrax
DJ is a state of the art Mobile DJ service. Its idea originally
came to me when I attended a wedding and met a DJ with a very poor
setup. As I conversed with this gentleman I learned that he had
been in business for over 8 years. I requested a certain song and
he said, “I have it but I didn’t bring it because the customer said
they probably wouldn’t need it.” However, in my head I thought,
“doesn’t this also mean that they probably could need it?” I
explained my computer idea to this DJ but he said, “I don’t even
own a computer.” So, I set out on a mission to make my desire a
success.
The Founders
My
first step was to find someone to help me learn this business. The
person I chose is Rick Garcia. We have been friends and co-workers
since 1996. Rick concentrated on researching the lights, while I
concentrated on the software, sound and the marketing. My wife,
Katrina Alvarado, concentrated on the music and has been our
primary spokeswoman. Infact, she has become such a big part of
Mactrax that she is now my partner in the business. Rick has since
moved and only helps out when he is in town. Our obsession with
music enabled us to start out with over 700 CD’s and 200 cassettes.
Since then we have been on a shopping spree making sure we have the
latest to oldest in English and Spanish.
Why
Mac?
My
obsession and knowledge for Mac’s was the reason we chose Apple. I
have studied graphics and multimedia at the Art Institute and HCC.
My primary choice of computer quickly became the Mac. Currently, we
are using the iMacs and Macbook Pro’s. These computers have the
speed, hard drive space and reliability to perform for hours
without a glitch. Not to mention they are probably the best looking
computers on the market today. Our white and platinum computers
compliment most events with a touch of class. There have been quite
a few people interested in our services but a little confused on
how we can DJ using only a computer. For this reason I will now
explain the overall concept.
How does the computer work?
Mactrax
DJ has really only one real similarity to traditional DJ's. That
similiarity is that we use speakers and amps. Our light system way
exceeds what is the norm for most DJ's. However, I will go over
that in a minute. For now I will explain the computers. By us
choosing to use the computer instead of turntables and CD players
we've eliminated a lot of boxes full of CD’s, albums, and
cassettes. A great deal of time has been invested in converting our
music into digital files (MP3’s). These mp3’s are then saved in our
computers. We use an advanced DJ software specifically designed for
the Mac. It does everything an expensive set of CD players and
mixer can do, but better and faster. When a client requests a song,
we can find it in about 5 seconds not 5 minutes. We simply type in
the name of the song or artist and it appears before we even finish
typing. We don’t have to dig through boxes with flashlights to find
that CD or album. Our software supports multiple outputs so there
is no need to use a mixer. It also matches beats automatically.
This enables us to play club music back to back without skipping a
beat. Currently we have over 36,000 songs on our computers. That
number is always increasing because we are always purchasing new
music.
What are intelligent lights?
One
thing I did not like about traditional DJ's was their lights. These
may have been great in the 70's-80's and maybe even the early 90's.
However, times have changed and cheap lights have their place...
but not the places we go. The photo below is an example of some of
the cheap lights we are talking about. I understand why DJ's would
prefer them; they are very light, very inexpensive and can be setup
very quickly.
The kind of lights we use are pictured below
Intelligent
lights are heavier, very expensive and take about an hour to set
up. However, we don't charge you for the extra time it takes us to
set up and the end result is awesome. These intelligent lights are
the same type of lights you will find at the most popular clubs or
upscale events and venues. With intelligent lights we can set moods
not just illuminate the room. The colors and patterns we choose can
be displayed on walls over a hundred feet away or used on the 16"
mirrorball. Speaking of which, the mirrorball has seemed to
disappear from other's light set ups. Mactrax DJ uses the
mirrorball to set the mood for slow dances and help accentuate the
room when playing fast songs. There are other DJ's who have
intelligent lights but they will charge hundreds and even thousands
more than Mactrax DJ to bring them. It is hard to see the real
difference with a photo or even a video. The real difference can
only be experienced. To see a
sample video click here.
What is an iPod?
We realize that some people fear the unknown. There are a lot of
“what if’s” when trying something different from the norm. People
are afraid something may go wrong. Things could go wrong with other
common DJ’s as well. A fuse could burn out. A CD or album could
skip, which reminds me. However, to put our customers at ease we
bring a backup. We bring a mixer and an iPod. An iPod is the best
MP3 player on the market today. That is not just my opinion, it is
also the opinion of well known technology sites and electronic
magazines. It currently outsells every other MP3 player on the
market. The iPod is designed and manufactured by Apple. It is like
having a miniature jukebox about the size of a deck of cards. We
simply plug it into the amplifier and have it ready just in case.
We could actually DJ an entire party using 2 iPods but then we
would need to use the mixer. Remember, the computer eliminates the
need for a mixer because the software automatically mixes the songs
for us. However, as a backup we do bring a mixer as
well.
Bose
After
years of research we have finally made the decision to add
Bose speakers
to our inventory. The sound quality is truely remarkable and its
design is beautiful. The only true way to appreciate these speakers
is to experience them. Occasionally we still use traditional
speakers for things like outdoor events, very large events like
proms and whenever we feel like traditional speakers would work
best for the event. When we do, we use only name brands like JBL,
QSC and Peavy.
-
Here are the main benefits
- Projects
clean, detailed sound evenly across the stage and throughout an
audience of up to several hundred, with little change in tone or
volume
- Produces
smooth, consistent tone, whether you're in front of the speaker or
off to the side
- Reduces
much unwanted room reverberation
- Eliminates
conventional monitors, mixers and PA
- Sets
up and breaks down quickly
- Fits easily into a car trunk