I'm shocked that this hasn't been flamed yet. Guess I better get started... FLAME ON.

Sorry to hear that your ex girlfriend got you for all of your gear. Sorry to hear about your job. Since you're obviously looking for somewhere to get encouragement in becoming the latest and greatest DJ Undercut with sub-par gear let me be the first to inform you that you've come to the WRONG PLACE. This is a forum mostly populated by REAL DJ's or at least people aspiring to become real DJ's. NOT people encouraging other people to continue to over saturate the market with laptop only gear less undercutting wannabes. If you are interested in catching up on what you've missed and possibly returning to the realm of real DJ's then hang out maybe ask for some tips on getting started. If you're looking for support in being ANOTHER ten cent wanna be then look elsewhere. Have a great afternoon.

P.S. When you put together a mix on some decks or at least a controller post it up and I'll be glad to check it out.

Hi Everyone

Ok.. Firstly I don't know what "Flamed" means/refers to.

Secondly, I guess I was looking for some encouragement... I guess I was just hoping to hear something positive to help reduce my insecurity. so looks like you kinda got me there.. feel confident that you have not obliged me in that respect RobDJ dotcom.

Third, I posted this here specifically because it is a forum populated mostly by "Real" DJs so I could get honest opinions about the music and mixes from "Real" DJs.

Fourth, DJing on my stupid laptop with a mouse is Terrible! But right now it's all I got. I'm not a bedroom DJ I'm literally a "Bed" DJ right now... That is; I make these mixes literally sitting on my bed with just a lousy laptop and VDJ Free . So you don't need to worry about me undercutting anybody as I have been a working DJ in the past and have the utmost passion and respect for the art of DJing and the appropriate monetary compensation this profession should command! And no, I wouldn't be caught laptop DJing anywhere but my bedroom.

Yes I'm really interested in catching up on what I've missed out on, would love some tips on getting started up again, and am super excited about returning to the realm of DJing! I have been hanging out.. it took me 2 days of reading posts and enjoying the vast knowledge base contained here to get the nerve to even suggest that my Laptop mixes be scrutinized.

Lastly, I'm just waiting on my DDJ-SZ and I can't wait to get my hands on it to put together all the mixes I can, and prepare to play out. When I get it, I look forward to posting and discussing :)

In the meantime, I hope anybody that reads this and is willing, will help me develop my skills in any way they feel appropriate. Or not. Thanks All :)

Once you get your hands on that Pioneer DDJ-SZ and practice a bit then we will be able to give you suggestions because as of now Djing with VDJ with no hardware is a bit limiting and it doesn't really require that much skill. How ever you are doing pretty good with VDJ and a mouse so far but you probably will do a lot better with Serato and actually hardware once you get it though.

Thanks Grinda!

gifrific.com

RobDj dotcom that was uncalled for. Let that man live his life. Honestly when I first was trying to get into djing I used vdj until I actually got equipment. And he's not a completely new dj he used to play out all the time. If someone needs help either help or don't post anything....

And dj swaggaback
Don't let people like that phase you. You should just find a second hand pair of techs and get a 62 instead of a controller. It be easier for you to adjust than a controller.

I know you and you know me, it's the sob story the sob story...

Watchwww.youtube.com

Seems like every new DJ that comes in here has a tale of being done wrong and lost their music / equipment / whatever. Like posted above, this is NOT the place to come looking for attaboys and pity praise. More like ringing a dinner bell for Pavlov's dog, and the dudes in here are junkyard dogs. Just be happy he didn't go Cujo on you for posting a virtual DJ mix.

SMDH

: )

Okay, now that we've got you headed in the right direction, let's move forward.

Being that you played ten years ago and even know what turntables are I'd wager your beyond your teens and maybe even beyond your twenties. That means getting a foot in the door by "carrying crates" for the local bar or club DJ is unlikely. Which brings me to the question what direction are you hoping to go? Are you trying to go pro EDM? Bar and club? Hobby? Weddings and stuff? Just trying to remember how to mix in general? If we have an idea of where you're trying to go then you might get some decent advice on how to start getting there.

BTW "Flaming" does NOT refer to acting feminine and speaking with a heavy lisp. At least not in this circumstance. It is the malicious response commonly directed at newbies who pop up on this DJ forum that Serato is kind enough to host who seem to be here to get advice and/or praise for (as I said originally) continuing to over saturate the DJ market with low budget punks with no gear, no skill, no respect, and not enough sense to get more than free drinks for "DJ'ing" (and I'm using that term VERY loosely) all night.

My motivation was to look out for the REAL DJs in your area who I'm sure already have enough punks to deal with. BUT, seeing as how you claim to be ambitious about REALLY getting back in the game and NOT being another undercutting punk, let's get back to the question. What direction are you hoping to go in?

Who the hell are you to state whats called for and whats not with your one post on the forum. If .com feels that way thats what it is, this ain't daycare. Let that man live ronn...LET THAT MAN LIVE



Did you take those mixs and go passing them out or post them on forums looking for compliments?

So you were employed for a decade and couldnt scrape together a few bucks to replace the passion of your life but now that your unemployed you got cheese to blow........man my tax dollars betta now be funding this charade

10 years is a long time, I can't imagine going 10 years without djing. Even after I quit someday, I'd still have a set up in my room. Sucks your stuff got stolen, but I do find it odd you went that long time without replacing it.

GMJ......

Well I guess I learned how NOT to post on this site...

Thanks for the advice for those who gave any.

P.S. This is the first forum discussion I've ever started (DJ related or otherwise).

I'd like to play bars/clubs and I guess my thoughts are that I'd like to establish myself as a working blue collar DJ. I'm hoping that over time I can establish a reasonably profitable career situation out of this.

I figure I'll have to start playing to sparsely populated bar nights first... establish credibility/network, and deeper skill-set.

Raising Step-daughter was all-consuming (Free time wise).

P.S. Thanks ya'll.... I'm really enjoying the feedback

D@mn Bezzle. Took you long enough. I was starting to get worried about you.

Well Mr. Back, I fear you're setting your expectations a little high. Seeing as how you're (sounds like) about 40 and heading for a college town with hopes of using bar and club DJing as a primary source of income that is going to rival whatever you were making as an engineer with a degree, I just don't see it. But... I don't know your area so we'll hope I'm wrong and swing for the fences.

The only two ways I'm familiar with to get into bar/club play are to start at $h!tholes and/or play b!tch to an established DJ. That is considering you can find one who actually brings his/her own gear and will accept your free help in exchange for them letting you click play when they have to go p!ss. And all of that is leaving out the competition for "work" between the college punks who will play crap to their drunken idiot friends in exchange for free drinks and you. I'm not trying to be a d!ck or talk you out of DJ'ing. I'm just trying to let you know what to expect. In the meantime you'll need to at least get some skills and learn crowd reading. So go pawn some jewelry or something and get yourself at least a controller. The new Pioneer DDJ-SB is cheap and would be a suitable starting point. Get that and YouTube at home somewhere and get started. This weekend go to the local big bar/small club and observe how the crowd reacts to what the DJ does. This is a good start for "crowd-reading". Which is ESSENTIAL.

Happy hunting.

Thanks Dotcom!

- Yeah I'm old, but you've aged me a little over a decade too high. Still I think that's a valid point, and one that I'm aware of. Sigh...
- I've eaten plenty of Ramen noodles in my day, and I'm prepared to deny myself some monetary gain in favor of utilizing my love of music.
- I do care about paying rent, but if I was wanting to get into this just for the money, I would be on monster.com looking for another 9-5 right now instead of being on this forum.
- Start at $h!tholes and/or play b!tch to an established DJ......I'll Be Dat! (No undercutting though) Not because ya'll say not to undercut, but because I've already established that standard within myself. Learned it while free-lance engineering.
-As for the DDJ-SB? It's already in my amazon cart, along with the DDJ-SZ (Which I'll be purchasing after they fix the jogwheel issues.)
-Sync Button? No thanks. It took me a long time to learn to properly beat match my vinyl by ear, and I find that skill to be miles more fun and useful, than what the synch button has to offer. After practicing daily on the ddj-sx for just over the last year, I definitely feel that sync button is worthless to me.
- Skills. I'm pretty decent technically speaking, my phrase lineups are pretty on point I think, and beat matching by ear is second nature. (Played on Vinyl for about 8 years)
- Crowd reading. Will be a challenge. But in my former DJ life I think I learned it pretty well. Had residency at small Hip Hop Club/Bar (2 floors and a rooftop) for about maybe a little over a year. And did lots of Frat parties/events, apartment complex parties, high school and college parties and sorority events. One of my first relatively higher paying gigs in the mid-late nineties was a Sorority formal...Girls in formal dresses at a 5 star event center and me with only a couple crates of underground hip hop vinyl (Fail)!
-Equipment.. well luckily I still have my old P.A. setup which I've loaned to a friend and it still sounds great! (Just JBL 15" monitors and stands/amp). And as mentioned before, my forthcoming DDJ-SZ. (Change my name to DJ Airhorn?)
- P.S. I'm also in the 3D-Printing game but I'm gonna put that way on the back burner because I know that in order to gain any level of success DJing, I'm gonna have to work just one hustle and dedicate myself solely to grindin.
- Oh, and I have been frequenting the nightlife in this college town on the weekends that I go up there (Huge state university).
- Gigs, I've already lined one up a reasonably sized college bar (Friday nights bartender DJs on his S4 when he's got the night off so I established a relationship with him which led to contact with the owner) but I have to tie up all my loose ends in my city before I move up there.. I'm not counting on that one until it's in my hand. It's about a 200-300 capacity bar with a basement for dancing.
Also I've been asked to play last fridays of the month in a restaurant/bar/music venue downtown (I live in a big city, but not one of the big 4) Problem is it's a deep house night and I know nothing about deep house...4/4 and long mix in-out? So I've not committed myself to that one.

Blue Collar DJ...... Hopefully

;)

The DJ Tech Tools forum is a great place for that lol. Plenty of boohoos and pats on the backs there.

But you made mixes using just your laptop. And no sync button... Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight

LOL - you guys are kinda horrible.

The only thing I have to add for SwaggaBack is that when he gets the Controller and gets on the right track, look into joining a good record/music pool - makes the job of hunting down, tracking and killing the joints you need less of a job. A good pool should provide most of the basic music that you need (and then some) and gives you more free time to hunt for the few bangers to put you ahead of the game.

If you got jacked for all your music back in the day, you may want to look into latenightrecordpool.com - all the current stuff plus a good selection of old school to get your digital library on track.

If you need new joints mostly - check www.idjpool.com or www.urbandjpool.com if you just need Rap and R&B. www.djcity.com is also a forum favorite if you have 3 months of dues to plunk down in advance.

Listening to the twerk mix - song selection not too bad - can't say much more since the software does MOST of the work putting the mix together.

Welcome back to DJing...

Thanks Ya'll. Appreciate the advice.

I really do appreciate you people. Thanks for the advice. I'm really learning a lot about people's viewpoints here.

Also; Thanks for the criticism.

This being my first post on any forum ever, and the first time I've ever even read an internet forum, it's definitely a rude awakening. But it's actually really fun and interesting!

Thanks again people :)