Selector, Operator and MC: Who Does What

Selector, operator and MC are the three front-line roles in a sound system crew. The selector chooses the tunes, the operator controls the system from the preamp, and the MC works the mic. Behind them are the builder, the engineer and the crew who move and stack the boxes. In a small sound, one person may cover several of these.

The selector

The selector chooses and plays the records. In reggae and dancehall the term separates that job from the deejay's: the selector picks which riddims and tunes to play, reads the crowd and builds the dance across the night.

That means knowing the box: versions, dubplates, specials and the order that works. Many selectors play one tune at a time rather than mixing continuously, and pull a tune back for a rewind when the crowd calls for it. In jungle, drum and bass and other UK bass scenes, the person on the decks is usually called the DJ and mixes, but reading the floor is the same skill.

The operator

The operator runs the system. From the control tower they ride the preamp: bass, mid and top for each record and the space, echo and siren, dropping the bass out and bringing it back. The same record can sound thin or massive depending on how it is operated.

The operator is also the system's protection in real time: watching for clip lights, listening for a box that sounds wrong, catching a loose lead. Limiters and high-pass filters set in the DSP are the backstop, covered in limiter settings for subs. In many sounds the selector also operates; bigger sounds often split the roles.

The MC and the deejay

The MC holds the mic: introducing tunes, passing messages, raising the dance and speaking for the sound. In a clash, the MC often delivers the sound's challenges.

In Jamaican terms, the person who chats or toasts over the riddim is the deejay, and the person playing records is the selector. Toasting came out of the sound system dances. U-Roy, who toasted over dub plates on King Tubby's Hometown Hi-Fi, helped establish deejaying, until then mainly a live sound system art, as a commercially successful recorded form, with Jamaican chart-toppers such as "Wake the Town". Toasting went on to influence UK dance music, including jungle and UK garage.

A good MC knows when to talk and when to leave the music alone.

Singers and guests

Many sounds have resident singers who voice live over riddims, and guest MCs and singers appear at carnivals and special dances. Their voices also end up on the sound's dubplates and specials. See dub and the sound system.

The builder and engineer

Someone designs and builds the boxes, wires the amps and keeps it running. In many sounds that is the founder. The builder chooses drivers, cuts cabinets and develops the system over years; the engineer fixes faults, replaces failed drivers and keeps the preamp and amps working. That side of the work is in our cab building and repair sections.

For builders, the choice of driver is power, build and price. Wavemark's WM18X451 is made for scoops and folded horns: 1800 W RMS, a 4.5" copper coil and a double spider for £345. The WM1850/8 is 1800 W AES with a 125 mm coil for £275. Both can be heard in our listening room by appointment.

The box crew

Every dance needs people to load the van, carry and stack the boxes, run cables and strip it all down at the end. It is heavy work, and where many operators and selectors start: stacking and wiring a system is how you learn how it works.

Looking after the crew

Hours next to a full stack damage hearing: wear proper hearing protection, operators especially. Lift heavy boxes in teams and stack them safely: see loading and stacking safely. Leave mains distribution to a competent, qualified person.

Sources: Wikipedia, U-Roy, Deejay and Toasting (Jamaican music), checked October 2026. Wavemark WM18X451 and WM1850/8 product data.