New to DJing or production? Need help or advice? Post here

jungle_inside

Sorry for offtopic, any nice clubs with proper techno music tonight in Dublin? Wonder if ACII disco still performing in Traffic?

Thanks a lot

EuskalHerria

Right so i've started messing about with my new decks. Spent a while getting to grips with everything and on the second day I really started trying to get into things. Burnt some cds, watched some internet tutorials and practiced mimicing them for a while before trying a few things myself. 1 thing I noticed is that mixing is a unique thing with different Djs having different styles that obviousy depend on the type of track being mixed.

So basically any tips on mixing for a begginner?
And do you have any specific tips or mixing traits?

lee_blaze

best way i found is realy just practice practice practice , ul find your own style soon enough , video tutorials are good for tips and info but really you learn by yourself !
what type of kit did you get?

EuskalHerria

lee_blaze wrote: »

best way i found is realy just practice practice practice , ul find your own style soon enough , video tutorials are good for tips and info but really you learn by yourself !
what type of kit did you get?

2 cdj 200's, vestax three channelled mixer and sond vdj700 headphones.
Won't get using them and practising properly now until after xmas exams.

Btw is there any freeware that easily helps sort out music collections by BPM?

lee_blaze

i got the cdj 400s !! pioneer gud brand ur startin of with !!
the only one iv come across is pioneers SDJ software , when u put a song onto the software it calculates the BPM and puts it into groups of lik (110-120 bmp )

dj gazza k

im new to djing. i cant get any gigs.
HELP ME

lee_blaze

give it time man , get your name out there make yourself know as a dj round were ur from , and make a demo or set or something that people can download to see what your like and go from there thats how i started

VinylJunkie

stereoman wrote: »

Hi guys im a first time user of the site its pretty informative. i was wondering if anyone could tell me where i can get cheap dj lessons or if there wasanything like that workshopsandthe likes!!!


cheers

ste

Youtube is your friend and in particular the user "Ellaskins"

The_Honeybadger

Hey guys, I have been djing for a good length of time and have been very successful doing 21sts parties and weddings as well as discobars etc and have built up a good name in my area. I am still getting a few gigs a month however gigs are getting scarcer partly because of the recession and partly because 3 new DJs have started up in my area in the last two years (Its a rural area so not alot of work to go around) and while they are not great from what i have seen people seem to be hiring them as they are local lads and they want to give them a chance etc so i am definately seeing an effect on my business. I was thinking of introducing karaoke into my set to differentiate myself from everybody else and it would also be a new challenge. Also i think girls in particular at 21st & 30th parties would love it. Problem is I cant sing a note to save my life so i was thinking of playing regular tunes during the breaks when no punters are singing and encouraging people up over the mic etc, I know this is normal practice in the UK for DJs but several people i have talked to here have told me I am mad and that it would never work unless the host sings. Anybody here have any thoughts? I also came across this a few times while on hols in spain, dj had no problem getting people to sing with a queue all night to go singing, didnt sing himself and played regular music now and again between rotations. Just wondering if anybody is doing this or if they think it could work, me singing is definately out of the question i think id shatter every pub window in town if i started.

ConstantDrift

Hi There,
I have been DJing for the past 17 years
with respect to you idea of letting people sing over you set
I guess it depends on where you are playing
if it was a venue like Tripod Dublin, Fabric London then I would say no as these are catering for a specific crowd
if you are playing your local pub e.t.c. Then why not
DJ's get a bad name for having ego's and not playing to the crowd so the interaction you are suggesting is positive
if it gets you gigs and people enjoy your music go for it I'd say
if you are looking to be the next Sasha or Digweed then maybe not
regards
Constant Drift
www.deepermusicgroup.com

The_Honeybadger

ConstantDrift wrote: »

Hi There,
I have been DJing for the past 17 years
with respect to you idea of letting people sing over you set
I guess it depends on where you are playing
if it was a venue like Tripod Dublin, Fabric London then I would say no as these are catering for a specific crowd
if you are playing your local pub e.t.c. Then why not
DJ's get a bad name for having ego's and not playing to the crowd so the interaction you are suggesting is positive
if it gets you gigs and people enjoy your music go for it I'd say
if you are looking to be the next Sasha or Digweed then maybe not
regards
Constant Drift
www.deepermusicgroup.com

Thanks for your input, this would all be done down my local I dont do clubs normally. My gigs are all about fun and getting people dancing whatever music it takes (I have a friend who had a residency in Cork and lost it cos even after a few warnings he insisted on playing dance music in what was obviously a commercial chart venue, very foolish), my question was do ye think it could work with me not singing and just encouraging people up over the mic. A few DJs I know and one karaoke host have told me it wont as people wont come up until they have seen other people singing (ie the host) but once you get one person up you are laughing. Would love to hear other peoples experiences with karaoke at these types of gigs, I was thinking that I could do my regular set as normal but let people know that karaoke is available if they want it and maybe offer free drinks to the first up singing etc, i really need to get an edge on my new competition as one of them i know is charging as little as 100 euro per gig, no way i am going that low, only monkeys work for peanuts.

gazmc

In my opinion Karaoke can be a bit of a momentum killer, I dj at 21st's and birthday parties btw.
I dont offer karaoke as a service but there was a particular gig where it was requested and i thought i would give it a go,
I Started the night off as normal "background music while everybody was arriving and getting drinks into them"
After a while people where starting to dance and then i started getting the karaoke requests sent up to me a few at a time, so i got the karaoke singers up and they did their thing, but obviously while they were singing anyone dancing sat down,
So when they were finished singing i went back to playing music, que people dancing again. Things where getting going again and sure enough one or 2 people wanted to sing so i get them up and sure enough everyone dancing sits down again. By the end of the night there will be the same drunk gob****e wanting to sing, at this stage in the night people just want to dance and have a good time but everyone has to stop and listen to him slur out a song.
Anyway that was the 1st time i used karaoke, the next time was about a year later and i thought maybe the 1st time was a once off so i agreed again, same scenario played out again. Now anyone requesting this at the time of booking i tell them its up to them but i think it doesnt work as well as you think it will.
I do reckon it might be fine in a bar etc or even a whole karaoke night but i dont rate them for birthday parties.
Just my thoughts on the subject anywho

mfield

ConstantDrift wrote: »

www.deepermusicgroup.com

Beautiful song dude!

The_Honeybadger

gazmc wrote: »

In my opinion Karaoke can be a bit of a momentum killer, I dj at 21st's and birthday parties btw.
I dont offer karaoke as a service but there was a particular gig where it was requested and i thought i would give it a go,
I Started the night off as normal "background music while everybody was arriving and getting drinks into them"
After a while people where starting to dance and then i started getting the karaoke requests sent up to me a few at a time, so i got the karaoke singers up and they did their thing, but obviously while they were singing anyone dancing sat down,
So when they were finished singing i went back to playing music, que people dancing again. Things where getting going again and sure enough one or 2 people wanted to sing so i get them up and sure enough everyone dancing sits down again. By the end of the night there will be the same drunk gob****e wanting to sing, at this stage in the night people just want to dance and have a good time but everyone has to stop and listen to him slur out a song.
Anyway that was the 1st time i used karaoke, the next time was about a year later and i thought maybe the 1st time was a once off so i agreed again, same scenario played out again. Now anyone requesting this at the time of booking i tell them its up to them but i think it doesnt work as well as you think it will.
I do reckon it might be fine in a bar etc or even a whole karaoke night but i dont rate them for birthday parties.
Just my thoughts on the subject anywho

I did consider that, drunks can be such a pain as it is when you're DJing constantly requesting sh*te songs and such, I can imagine it would be doubly bad if they wanted to sing as well. Think I'm gonna go for it all the same, as like I said I'm being constantly undercut and work is tight as it is, might focus on trying to get a regular gig in a pub or something with it. Thanks very much for your feedback

TEMPLAR KNIGHT

hi everyone im looking to get into this dj ing like mixing cds and even creating my own music is there any websites that would advise on what equipment and software would be good for someone starting out? thanks!

EuskalHerria

Just looking for some basic tips.

First of all, I am a fan of what is known on here as mainstream dance music. Armin, Ferry Corsten, Sean Tyas, Cosmic gate Etc. I don't seem to know most of the artists posted around the forum. Where is the best place to start learning about these artists and fine tune my own taste in music? I plan to download and listen to members mixes after my exam, is there anywhere else people would suggest?

Also a quick basic question on building a set, how is the best way to go about making a set? Obviously there are things that vary like the potential crowd at a venue and that but are there any generic tips that could help me out when i go to try and build me first set? Thanks in advance.

ConstantDrift

mfield wrote: »

Beautiful song dude!

Thanks

ConstantDrift

gazmc wrote: »

In my opinion Karaoke can be a bit of a momentum killer, I dj at 21st's and birthday parties btw.
I dont offer karaoke as a service but there was a particular gig where it was requested and i thought i would give it a go,
I Started the night off as normal "background music while everybody was arriving and getting drinks into them"
After a while people where starting to dance and then i started getting the karaoke requests sent up to me a few at a time, so i got the karaoke singers up and they did their thing, but obviously while they were singing anyone dancing sat down,
So when they were finished singing i went back to playing music, que people dancing again. Things where getting going again and sure enough one or 2 people wanted to sing so i get them up and sure enough everyone dancing sits down again. By the end of the night there will be the same drunk gob****e wanting to sing, at this stage in the night people just want to dance and have a good time but everyone has to stop and listen to him slur out a song.
Anyway that was the 1st time i used karaoke, the next time was about a year later and i thought maybe the 1st time was a once off so i agreed again, same scenario played out again. Now anyone requesting this at the time of booking i tell them its up to them but i think it doesnt work as well as you think it will.
I do reckon it might be fine in a bar etc or even a whole karaoke night but i dont rate them for birthday parties.
Just my thoughts on the subject anywho

sorry for the delay
I reckon you should go for it
you don't need to sing for others to try:)

I reckon it would be a laugh

let us know how you get on!!!!!

Regards Constant Drift

langer123

I can recommend KRK Rokits for a low budget and extremely good quality.

Thanks Leinster7...

Juts a question about the KRK Rokits.

The Controller I'm buying has 2 Phone and 2 RCA outputs. See here....
http://ci.vestax.com/en/products/img/vci300_f&r_L.jpg

I want to avoid buying an amp for the time been. Is it possible to hook up two of these speakers to my controller?
Do RCA leads not have 2 cables(Red & White) entering the one speaker from the controller?
If so, how come this speaker only has one RCA input (unbalanced)? See here...
http://www.thomann.de/ie/prod_bdb_AR_213024.html?image=6


Maybe this is what I need?
http://www.thomann.de/ie/the_sssnake_yrk2030.htm

deadmau6

I am new to djing, i am currently working with a basic midi controller and traktor le, but ive come to the point where i am very limited in what i can do, i am looking to make the next step up, i really enjoy mixing...so im looking for help on what i should buy next, i was thinking of maybe Cdj's and a mixer, but then i would need to buy software as well it could be pricy..or maybe i should invest in a better midi controller...open for advise:D

VinylJunkie

Budget?

deadmau6

roughly 500 euro up to maybe 700....if there was something good???any ideas

franklyshocked

deadmau6 wrote: »

I am new to djing, i am currently working with a basic midi controller and traktor le, but ive come to the point where i am very limited in what i can do, i am looking to make the next step up, i really enjoy mixing...so im looking for help on what i should buy next, i was thinking of maybe Cdj's and a mixer, but then i would need to buy software as well it could be pricy..or maybe i should invest in a better midi controller...open for advise:D

If you buy CDJ's and a mixer why would you need software?
Apart from burning your music to CD, you're sorted.
If you're talking about the limit of what you can achieve with mixing other people's music perhaps you should take a look at the music production forum

VinylJunkie

deadmau6 wrote: »

roughly 500 euro up to maybe 700....if there was something good???any ideas

Take a look at www.adverts.ie and get a second hand set of Pioneer CDJ 200's and a Behringer DDM4000*. If you want to buy them new take a look at Thomann.de.

DDM 4000

The Behringer sends out a midi signal so you can either use it to control your software or as a standard mixer.

I actually started a thread on all this a while back;
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055619002


* People love to slag of behringer products and yes the DJX-700/750 are terrible the DDM4000 is an excellent mixer the only cons are the upfaders feel horrible.

deadmau6

thanks a million for that it was a great help, what do you personally think, im only getting into djing so what would you say is best for me, is it possible to use cdj's with a dj software like traktor or do they just play cd's. Also if i was two but a set of decks and a mixer would i be able to play with software such as traktor??. I think i might be best saving up for a really good midi controller, to me it looks a lot less hassle..

VinylJunkie

Thats what timecoded vinyl & cd's are for they allow you to control the mp3's with CDJ's or Vinyl Turntables.

Check out videos on youtube for DVS systems.

suspectpackage

Hi, I'm new to Djng but determined to become a nightclub DJ. Have thought about it for the past few years and always said I was going to do it but never went for it. I've tried to do a few mixes on Traktor in recent months, find it difficult enough. That's the extent of my "training" lol. I'd like to be a digital DJ and just use a laptop and maybe some sort of controller. I'm so new to DJing that I have no clue how to even start to learn this art. I have been looking at the DJ course in the dublin media centre here http://www.dublinmediacentre.com/djschool.php

Would this be a good way to get started and get some real world knowledge and advice about Djing?

Thanks for any answers!

colin29

suspectpackage wrote: »

Hi, I'm new to Djng but determined to become a nightclub DJ. Have thought about it for the past few years and always said I was going to do it but never went for it. I've tried to do a few mixes on Traktor in recent months, find it difficult enough. That's the extent of my "training" lol. I'd like to be a digital DJ and just use a laptop and maybe some sort of controller. I'm so new to DJing that I have no clue how to even start to learn this art. I have been looking at the DJ course in the dublin media centre here http://www.dublinmediacentre.com/djschool.php

Would this be a good way to get started and get some real world knowledge and advice about Djing?

Thanks for any answers!

You really shouldn't bother with DJ courses, mixing is really not that hard and with all the stuff on youtube it'll teach you alot, save your money for equipment and music. Also there are endless forums inlcuding this one with people all willing to offer advice for free.

suspectpackage

colin29 wrote: »

You really shouldn't bother with DJ courses, mixing is really not that hard and with all the stuff on youtube it'll teach you alot, save your money for equipment and music. Also there are endless forums inlcuding this one with people all willing to offer advice for free.

But would it not look good on my CV for Dj companies to see that I've done the course? It's 350 quid to do, which isn't cheap and I do not want to do it but I think it will look good on the CV and give me a headstart. THanks for the idea of looking on youtube for tutorials.

electrogrimey

suspectpackage wrote: »

But would it not look good on my CV for Dj companies to see that I've done the course? It's 350 quid to do, which isn't cheap and I do not want to do it but I think it will look good on the CV and give me a headstart. THanks for the idea of looking on youtube for tutorials.

You won't really get gigs by handing out a CV, you'll get gigs by handing out a mix.* They won't notice from your mix if you've done the course, or just practiced and used youtube.






*Having contacts is also a massive part of getting slots.