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This is a Page where I will be putting up tips, tricks etc...
aggree/disagree by e-mail to me and i will post your response.
The page used to contain other information but that had to be removed due to the fact that I forgot to ask permission to publish it and this is the only page on my site which I have done this with.
Information on DJ's, and Clubs were submitted to me by either the DJ's themselves, or the Clubs themselves.
The only reason I used stuff from the other site (http://www.djsource.co.uk/) was that I needed something up on the page, as I was asked for tips etc... and had'nt the time to write out all of my own!
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| Is DJ'ing for me? |
| You need to ask yourself why you want to do all of this in the first place? Are you just interested in playing records for people? Are you in it for the fame or fortune? Is it a hobby? Something you want to devote yourself to full time? If your main interest in DJ'ing is to somehow increase your social profile or increase your bank account, you might want to get out now. there are no guarantees in this, and you might end up spending all of your hard earned milk money on records that will never be heard outside of your bedroom. If you are a dedicated music fiend, the kind of person that checks out all the new releases, researches the artists and labels, reads the liner notes of albums, then you might be more suited to this kind of activity. DJ'ing is not cheap! Once you get past picking up some basic equipment (turntables, mixer, headphones, needles, monitors) you will find that you have to constantly spend money keeping up with new records and picking up classics you may have missed somewhere along the way. This is why it is important that your heart is into the music first and foremost. besides, I am always under the firm belief that dedication really shines through in your personality behind the decks. |
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| What Equipment Do I Need? |
| I didn't own a set of turntables until about 5 years(I think!) after i started dj'ing. I was fortunate enough to be in a position where i had access to other people's equipment. as long as you can get on someone else's decks, your money is best spent keeping up with buying records. you might want to make an initial investment into some headphones (I suggest Sennheiser) just in case you actually get booked to play out before you own decks. In case you didn't know, all djs are expected to bring their own headphones to gigs! Anyway, once you do finally have enough money to afford turntables I recommend you shoot for direct drive turntables, and eventually aim to own a pair of either Vestax (PDX-d3SmkII), (PDX-8000), (PDX2000), (PDX-a1S), (PDX-a2S), or Technics (SL-1200), (SL-1210mkII), (SL-1200Ltd), (SL-1200mk3D). Why? these are the decks that you will most likely encounter every single time you play out at a show. they are reliable, durable and worth the money. there is something to be said for starting out on lower end turntables like Gemini / KAM (trains you to work under harsh conditions) but in the end you should try to get the best equipment (Vestax/Technics) from the get go. when you pick up turntables the next piece of gear you absolutely need is a mixer. no mixer = no mixing. most people i know (myself included) start out with something low end like a gemini scratchmaster. i started out with a cheap radio shack mixer (which i recommend for those with no money...they are cheap but solid as a rock). scratchmasters are good because they are cheap but are not built very well. your crossfader will probably start to fade within a month, sooner if you try to scratch a lot. but yeah...start off with whatever is in your price range. up from a $150 mixer you can shoot for the Pioneer DJM-300 which has really good sound quality and solid EQs. for those with even more money to burn check out the Vestax PMC-25 (amazing EQs) or beyond that the Pioneer DJM-500 or DJM-600 (lots of effects and very versatile). If you are into scratching you should definitely look into a Vestax PMC-05 ProII, PMC-06 ProA, PMC-06T, PMC-07 Pro, PMC-07 ProI.S.P. the last thing you will need are needles. it is harder to recommend these because everyone has their favorites. I use Ortofon Concorde Pro's. |
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| How do i improve? |
| Not to sound cliche, but the obvious answer here is practice, practice, practice. Try to fit as much practice time into the week that you can afford. the more the better. While you are practicing I suggest mixing different styles of music. if you play Drum 'n' Bass, try to mix together some House records, some Techno records, Hip-Hop, Trance, you name it. this will help train your ear, make you more versatile, more creative, and enable you to be a more effective DJ. when you go to events/clubs, make sure to spend a bit of time studying other djs while they are playing. this is the second most important thing you can do! watching other DJ's perform can be an extremely inspirational experience. and once again, not only watch djs playing the music that you play, but watch other DJ's playing other kinds of music. You can really pick up a lot of techniques that you wouldn't normally be exposed to. another helpful suggestion would be to train yourself to speed mix. spend lots of time trying to beatmatch as fast you can. once you have that dialed, train yourself to beatmatch without touching the record and only using the pitch control on the side. this is, in my opinion, the most effective way to DJ. It frees up an extra hand while you are playing (and you can use that hand to work eqs, cut with the fader, whatever). the best DJ's in the world use this method too! once you have mastered beatmatching quickly only using the pitch control, you will be well on your way to becoming a skilled DJ. The next step is to work on programming, and that best way to learn this is by playing in front of people. |
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| How To Get Booked! |
| Getting booked to play is a tricky one. as I mentioned before, the art of getting gigs is partially due to luck. you can control the amount of luck involved by improving in other areas. practice I already mentioned. The next is networking - getting to know the people involved in the scene. First and foremost you must support your own local scene! make sure to be a visible face at parties, try to talk to other local DJ's, talk to local promoters. Offer to help out with any events going on in your area. You are more likely to get booked to play shows if you are on good terms with the promoter. Promoters usually don't book local DJ's that they don't know very well. At the end of the day everyone is human...and a lot of the time promoters like to work with people that they like. It isn't always about how good of a DJ you are (well it kinda is). I can't tell you the number of times I hear DJ's complaining about how they never get booked or they get any love from promoters in their city, only to find out later that the person complaining never goes out to support the local weeklies and one offs. If you want people to show you love, then you better be willing to reciprocate. Once you start becoming a part of your scene, then your next step is to do a little self promotion. The first step in this process usually involves making a mixtape or mix cd to give out to people. this is where quality control comes in. Now before I go on I would like to inform you that the mixtape thing is a hit and miss operation try the mixing with promoters first or organising your own events first. Make sure to work at getting your mixes as tight as possible. Keep your tunes interesting (do not put filler on a mixtape...make sure everything sounds interesting). Try to develope your own style...something that separates you from other djs. Try working out a cool intro, throwing a quirky tune or two in your mix, anything to help establish you as a different kind of DJ. Once you have a good mix locked down, the final step is to create a nice packge for it to go in. in this day and age, image is everything. make sure that when you put your tape into someone's hand, they are impressed at first look, let alone first listen. Too many DJ's skimp on this part. If you don't have faith in your own graphic design skills, try to consult a friend who might be more artistically inclined. Once the package is complete, it is time to start handing them out. There really is no advice i can give in this matter, though i will suggest being humble. Ask other djs if they would be willing to give your tape a listen. Tell promoters that you aren't bugging them to get booked, but that you respect their opinion on music and you want them to give a critique of your mix. Basically just use common sense and good judgement. |
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| Why Am I Not Getting Gigs! |
| From the get go you must be willing to take any gig that you can get. This means house parties for free. Basement parties for free. Opening sets at sessions for free. Anything! the ultimate goal here is to eventually start getting your name on fliers. I know of quite a few DJ's whose careers were based on the lucky chance of a promoter hooking them up with an opening slot at a huge rave. when your name appears on 200,000 poster sized fliers, people will start knowing who you are. At the end of the day, don't expect the world immediately. Try to not get frustrated! Don't think anyone 'owes' you anything because you have been playing tunes in your bedroom for years. The DJ'ing game is crowded, and there's always the case of supply far outweighing demand. I like to think that if you are dedicated to the craft and you take every opportunity given to you and keep your head down and try to be the best you can be, eventually something good will happen for you. like I said before, There is no proven formula!, but by applying some of these ideas to your DJ'ing endeavours, you will improve your chances of playing in front of crowds. |
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| DJS SHOULD AVOID TOUCHING THEIR RECORDS - Roger Sanchez |
| DJs seeking the perfect seamless extended mix should avoid touching their records when they're spinning and instead rely on manipulating the pitch control (the +8 /-8 slider), superstar NY house man Roger Sanchez, told Australia's X-Press (Perth) magazine last week, as he toured the country DJing. "I learned to play on SL-1200s (Technics) but I've also learned that you get a much smoother mix and you don't get the 'rrrr rrrr' sound that tends to happen with fingers," Sanchez said. "You just use the actual momentum of the turntable to work for you as opposed to against you. I take my time with my mixes and like to be a lot smoother than that"... |
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