Post: #1

Any DJs here?

How did you go about learning?

Did you already have the equipment? If not, how did you learn?

I've got a friend who DJs and I'm thinking I might tag along with him to some gigs and try and learn from him - will this be a good idea?

I don't hope to do it professionally - have a day job - but thought this would be a good hobby and might have the side benefit of picking up as well

Post: #2

redacted

Post: #3

this is great stuff - thanks WIA.

I guess I'm not looking to make it as a full time DJ - more something that I'm hoping to pick up as a hobby - I have a stressful job and I have been looking for a bit of a hobby and DJing is something that's interested me for a while

Are you a DJ? How did you start out? did you hang out with other DJs at gigs? do your own thing?

(09-15-2013 11:05 AM)WestIndianArchie Wrote:  

(09-15-2013 09:29 AM)bonkers Wrote:  Any DJs here?

How did you go about learning?

Did you already have the equipment? If not, how did you learn?

I've got a friend who DJs and I'm thinking I might tag along with him to some gigs and try and learn from him - will this be a good idea?

I don't hope to do it professionally - have a day job - but thought this would be a good hobby and might have the side benefit of picking up as well

Depends on the kind of dj'ing you want to do... my advice is geared more towards hip hop and electronica night club dj'ing (as opposed to battle dj'ing, strip club dj's, radio dj's, wedding dj's)

- the mechanics you can pick up in an afternoon. You can learn master the basic technique of beat matching in about 20 hours of consistent practice with a decent dj. If you listen to your mixes afterward, you'll hear the flaws and you can go back and correct.

That's the easy part.

- the equipment - pros used to use Tech 12's with Wax, and then came Serato, now there's really good software that can do everything you need.

In 2013, this is also the easy part.

- the skill in dj-ing - is knowing the genre of music and what flows, and then how to play for a crowd.

In 2013, this is the neglected part. Newb dj's play the very best current shit @ 10 pm, and end the night on some super hype crunk shit that will result in fights in the parking lot.

These people are now the majority, imo. Suburban dudes who see a cool dj getting cool chicks, and just want the result - they don't actually care about the whole experience. They care about coolness and women, not music.

*shrugs* That's life.

- the business of dj-ing is very different from the above.

1. best paid dj's - are also making music that becomes popular.

2. best paid dj's in your town - know all the cool kids, and basically are promoters without being promoters

3. working dj's in your town - they know all the cool dj's, know the music, know how to mix, and know how to market themselves to other dj's to do fill ins, and to clubs to do off nights. They basically grind for a couple hundred a night. Drink a lot and sleep during the day.

4. all the other dj's - fuck around with the equipment, but don't ever do anything substantial - like throwing parties or making remixes. They buy what they need, download the rest and that's it. Their dj stuff is in the corner with the skateboard and electric guitar.

WIA

Post: #4

redacted

Post: #5

"Indeed, if you're good, you'll develop a male fan club before you get a female one"
and there's the rub, unfortunately, there's precious few chicks who know good music

Post: #6

I am interested as well just to throw small parties in stuff in the area I will be in.

Post: #7

Cool thread, it is SO much fun and an awesome hobby to get into. Heads up - It's super addictive.

As WIA said, you can learn basic mixing/ beat-matching/loop in a week.

I'm by no-means a pro, but do a little bit on the side.

When starting out the best thing you can do when starting is to KNOW your music really well, know which songs transition easy into one-another, know when the vocals come on, and find the genre that you love listening to. You will pick up stuff much easier this way. Spend some time using the software as well - Recordbox/Traktor etc as it automatically determines BPM and you can even AUto-cue when drops come in etc.

IMO 80% of djing is about track selection - if you're playing awesome tunes to the right crowd, people will think you're killin it (even if your mixing isn't up to par). This involves a lot of preparation looking for the right tracks and remixes.

When this comes easier, you want to try build your set. The best djs i've seen have always worked through peaks and troughs - they don't just play banger after banger, or cut from one song to the next- it should appear seamless. It's a journey and you want to take the crowd there. Unfortunately there are also lots of jukebox djs as well.

End of the day if you're filling the dancefloor, you're doin a good job. Sometimes you have to play cheese, and a little part of you dies inside, but as long as you are not another jukebox and fuse your own style into the set, it's wicked fun.

Post: #8

Great thread!

What would be a good place to start equipment-wise, if you wanted to start practicing at home?

Post: #9

(09-24-2013 07:10 AM)FitAsFuck Wrote:  Great thread!

What would be a good place to start equipment-wise, if you wanted to start practicing at home?

Pioneer XDJ Aero is an all-in-one console so all you need are a couple monitors plugged in and you're good to go. You can pick these up for just over $1000 brand new!

Post: #10

(09-24-2013 07:35 AM)Prophylaxis Wrote:  

(09-24-2013 07:10 AM)FitAsFuck Wrote:  Great thread!

What would be a good place to start equipment-wise, if you wanted to start practicing at home?

Pioneer XDJ Aero is an all-in-one console so all you need are a couple monitors plugged in and you're good to go. You can pick these up for just over $1000 brand new!

Thanks a lot - that looks very interesting. I will look into that one.

Post: #11

yeah me too

Post: #12

I just had a interview for a DJ job at one of the hottest spots downtown where I live yesterday. Only thing is they already have one DJ and they want another that will work at the same time in the same booth... They have two Dj's in the same both Dee Jaying.... I am not sure how that works..... I hope I get the job anyway its a dope spot with lots of college chicks and a mechanical bull

Post: #13

(09-24-2013 07:35 AM)Prophylaxis Wrote:  

(09-24-2013 07:10 AM)FitAsFuck Wrote:  Great thread!

What would be a good place to start equipment-wise, if you wanted to start practicing at home?

Pioneer XDJ Aero is an all-in-one console so all you need are a couple monitors plugged in and you're good to go. You can pick these up for just over $1000 brand new!

Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a monitor?

Post: #14

Studio monitor

Post: #15

I am still having trouble grasping the concept of what a dj actually is. I love music and could easily have enough of it to play some good shit, but what more is there to it besides playing music for people? what do all the turntables and stuff consist of? what is the purpose of it all?

All the mixing and beat matching...is djing basically like being a mash up artist?

Post: #16

redacted

Post: #17

I hadn't heard about this DJ until I saw a link to his post (I mainly follow hip hop/funk djs)

Even though I wouldn't agree with all of it, there's some good insight here, and it's worth a read.

WIA and others who spin I'm curious on your thoughts:

http://djzimmie.com/2013/09/05/end-of-djing/

Post: #18

(09-27-2013 06:45 PM)LeBeau Wrote:  I hadn't heard about this DJ until I saw a link to his post (I mainly follow hip hop/funk djs)

Even though I wouldn't agree with all of it, there's some good insight here, and it's worth a read.

WIA and others who spin I'm curious on your thoughts:

http://djzimmie.com/2013/09/05/end-of-djing/

Article is on point.

WIA

Post: #19

(09-27-2013 05:47 PM)WestIndianArchie Wrote:  

(09-27-2013 04:37 PM)Wavy Wrote:  I am still having trouble grasping the concept of what a dj actually is. I love music and could easily have enough of it to play some good shit, but what more is there to it besides playing music for people? what do all the turntables and stuff consist of? what is the purpose of it all?

All the mixing and beat matching...is djing basically like being a mash up artist?

No.

The same way that chess isn't just about moving pieces around the board, or pool isn't about just putting balls in the pockets.

Commercial dj'ing is primarily crowd control/manipulation at a drinking establishment.

It's more about song selection and program design, than it is about beat matching and mixing. Some very successful dj's, even by old school standards, have paltry mixing skills, but have excellent program design.

Not mixing the beats, or matching the mood to the crowd makes people STOP dancing. They don't even realize it. But when you're up on the booth, every time you drop a song, you see the crowd reacts. And you can instantly tell when you're fucking up.

You want the crowd to dance. You want them to sweat. And they want to sweat. They want to feel the beats more. This is part of what drives them to drink. Drinking then makes them cut loose, and cutting loose makes them drink more.

Usually you have a 4 hour set
10-11 - people are just getting there
11-12 - folks are just starting to drink and loosen up
12-1 - the party is heating up and starting to peak
1-2 - the party is going to peak, but you've got to put folks in a good mood on the walk out.

By 2 Am, they should be well drunk and ready to fuck whoever they hooked up with.

Knowing how the night goes means you can't play club bangers from 10-2.
You can't just play popular shit from 10-2
You might never be able to play old shit, recurrent shit, or break new shit - depending on your crowd and what they listen to.

That's why it's not just setting up a playlist in iTunes and replacing a live person.

WIA

This. 1000000%

So I used to DJ a fair bit in clubs and you can not start with club bangers at 10pm, start with some "Warm up" sets, usually deep house/tech house kind of stuff. youll eventually ramp up a little, and slightly ramp down, then ramp up a bit more etc etc, kind of liek a wave that is slightly increasing in energy level, then at peak times (1am-2am or 2:30am-4am depending on the city you're in)

You can drop the bangers.

Another reason why you cant have high energy much 24/7 is the other DJs that come on before or after you. you'll need to listen to their sets, and know what styles of music they play so that the music of the night is seamless. Its actually not that hard.

The hardest part is just, bringing people to the club because You are DJing, You can start as a promoter and meet clubbers, let them know you're a promoter and can get them in for cheap/guestlist/extra drinks/whatever and once you have a solid set of contacts let them know you're DJing at the club(after you get the gig with the organizer) and call them up.

This is the hardest part, as you'll pretty much have to babysit your customers untill they get to the club, along with deciding what you're going to play or at least have a general idea of tracks to choose from (meaning you're going to have to learn all of your tracks) it can take a lot of energy, as basically you become a businessman and you have to build up a brand (you the DJ) to bring your customers in that come to see you, and work on customer service skills, to help them on the way to your club, and follow up/thank them afterwards. . .it's not really *that* hard, but it does take a bit of effort.

Also, you should learn the basics of CDJ's and Mixers and how to DJ without using laptops first. this is because many times stuff messes up with computers, and you've got to be able to switch to cds/usb on the fly if you need to(rarely happens now but still its best to be prepared)

I actually just DJ with USB's (I know how to beatmatch without using laptops) 99.9pct of CDJs have usb ports now so I just bring my usbs and CDs of the same tracks just incase something happens.

but yeah just carrying around a couple of usb ports and DJ head phones and a small cd case is just way easier than dealing with lap tops and setting them up/carrying them around etc...

If you want to go farther than a regular club DJ (which is actually a good gig if you can get it) is producing that same music.

This is difficult. . .like really difficult and definately takes the 5,000+ hours of work. BUT

the rewards are pretty much infinite if you make a hit.I know a lot of people that have done this (I'm working on this too whenever I have the time) I know a guy who pretty much has two houses, (one in L.A. and one in florida) some crazy suv car, and travels the world DJins his hits he made. I Know another guy who just started his asia tour. . .and he hasn't even had a hit yet! Just makes decent music, and he's pretty much set as well money wise. A lot of these guys I've talked to and tell me about how they pretty much pipeline girls before they even get to a place (despite having girlfriends/wives) and pretty much just have lots of fun. . .while making lots of money.

I don't really see many downsides unless you get into drugs and heavy drinking.. . .something you REALLY don't need to do, especially if you're making hits and are "The Man." I saw an article of Steve Aoki(the guy that throws cakes in the crowd lol) order those healthy wheatgrass-type juice things on his Hospitality rider and a whole bunch of fruit etc etc. So really how you handle the "Scene" is up to you once you get in.

Also, I don't really have much sympathy for DJ's who are "over it" mostly because other than Being a DJ, I've also been involved heavily with event production/organizing/"talent buying" and that is a MILLION times worse than being a DJ could ever be. The amount of work/hours that you need to put in, along with the amount of HUGE B.S. you have to deal with dealing with the huge amount really bad DJs(in skills and personality) crappy club owners who don't know what they're going 99.9% of the time (theres a reason why clubs have a life expectancy of 3-5 years) and a whole plethora of crap to deal with makes DJing seem rediculously easy in comparison. But the amount of crap I had to deal with, is somethign I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies.


About that article, yeah that's not news, that's been happning since around 2009-2010, eventually you will have to be a producer/DJ to get anything done (it's almost that way now). . .BUT if you can make it, the rewards are great, not to mention that very soon, other parts of the world (china, SEA) are geting richer and will be able to have increased demand for all of this. . . I don't think DJing will be "Ending" Its more that electornic music is becoming much more of a solidified pop genre (like rock and rap) It's just changing. . .rapidly.

The whole "Everything sounds the same" argument (which is true btw) is pretty irrelevant, as its pretty much what the customers want, as they vote with their wallets. Music has ALWAYS been like that look up Haydn(classical music) as he was one of the first people to realize this and use it to . ..get rich off of his music way back in the 18th century when classical music was "pop music"

This isn't new at all, and it happens untill the next big thing comes along, when the next evolution appears. A lot of artists forget about that and cling too closely to art, rather than adapting, and/or creating the next big thing. Everything evolves and changes. A lot of these people in this article somehow forgot that.

Post: #20

WIA how good was Dj Screw on the tables? Im assuming youve heard some of his tapes. Wish I could put up some of his better mixes.

Post: #21

redacted

Post: #22

HEY SO HERES THE THing
even though serato has now created the microwave DJ, I would advise to practice your ass off so that you can be a little more flashy than the rest.

Get into beat juggling and scratching, it shouldn't be the only thing you do, but it's nice to be able to pull off when mixing. This should get you some extra points from the ladies when you command the 1's and 2's.

Don't cheap out, I know it can get expensive but having the professional gear will only allow you to master your craft. Garbage equipment will only dissuade an individual from trying to become a real talent. Also, why waste the money, you could put half down on decent equipment rather then burn it on crap. No matter how good someone is, working on garbage equipment will not sound impressive.

Collect records, even if your a bedroom dj. Buy some dollar bin commons that you bought at goodwill or a garage sale. Buy vinyl, girls dig a nice setup with shelves full of records. If you a lady friend over with your getup of records, you don't even necessarily have to "DJ". Just pull a classic album out from your "collection" and let that shit play while she makes breakfast.

If you make it as far as "playing out" and you are good, watch the ladies approach you AS THEY BUG YOUR ASS MAKING THE MOST ANNOYING REQUESTS. Brush them off, ignore them or, if they're cute, tell them you'll play their "request" if you can get something in return (could be anything).

Post: #23

Has anyone used or heard anything about the Traktor Kontrol s2? It was recommended for a newbie who just wants to experiment with their music at home , mix 2 songs, slow music down, etc.

http://turntablelab.com/products/native-...controller

Post: #24

Are you wanting to do old school with records or use a laptop or ipod? I had some buddies who DJ'd in college which was kind of cool. Small college town so it wasn't super serious, was basically just him and us partying at the bar, they'd give him free pitchers of beer and stuff all night so basically they paid him to hangout and drink with all his friends and I think he made a few bucks everynight as well.

Post: #25

Hey guys, great thread. Both CJW and WIA posted up some great knowledge for us newbies. Thanks guys!

I'd also recommend these two sites:

http://www.digitaldjtips.com

https://www.youtube.com/user/startnowfinishfast (for actually writing and finishing songs)

@Brian - Depends on what your long term plan is. CJW laid it out clearly that you need to learn how to use CDJs if you wanna play in the clubs. Traktor and many other laptop software make it easy to match up songs but if you wanna perform, you're gonna need to learn how to manually beat match and know the gear. Now, if you wanna just have fun, you can download either Traktor/DJAY/Cross DJ ios apps for iphone/ipad. For laptop, they also have similar dj software, many for free I think. But CDJs are just so prevalent in the clubs and despite Traktor wanting to push live performances, it's not as common in most dance clubs.