DJing Discussion

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 DJing Discussion
DJ n00b here
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DJ n00b here

DJ Marsig 3:37 AM - 9 July, 2010
I'm a n00b...just bought the torq xponent (am i allowed to post that?) about 3 weeks ago and took 4 hours worth of lessons...i want to master the ins & outs of DJing before moving to CDJs and really learning the skill...i've worked for a fortune 500 company for over 7 years now and i'm getting tired of the corporate bullshit...my ultimate goal would be to take my love for dance music to the next level and support myself with DJ gigs...i would be willing to take a substantial paycut...anyway, i've been lurking the forum for a little while, and you guys seem to really know your shit, so i come here for advice..

of course, i have a million questions every time i turn on my computer and xponent...but here are a couple to start:

1. when doing live gigs, how do you know what outros blend perfectly with what intros?...do you literally have to know your music inside & out or do some DJs just have the talent to know what's going to sound good and what will sound like shit without even premixing...that seems to be my biggest issue right now...i can play a 1hour long set perfectly if i practice the same transitions over & over & over...if i try to do a set while just picking songs (even songs with the same key), it often times will sound like shit

2. i hear a lot of famous producers/djs use the brake function to perfection when transitioning...i've been trying it out and i can't seem to make it sound awesome...any hints of using the brake?

i look forward to being part of the community...and i'll try not to start a thread every time i have a question...i'd surely overload the server...also are links allowed here? if so, i've posted a couple of my mixes at soundcloud.com/djmarsig so i would appreciate some constructive criticism :)

cheers
Djaward 3:47 AM - 9 July, 2010
I know theres a handful of djs that only dj with no side job.. And they all started before serato came out. Its tough to get a long good paying gig. Not saying it cant be done, its just gonna take a while. SO DONT QUIT YOUR DAY JOB.

ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTIONs
1. I learned my songs my putting all new songs on an ipod and listening to them (mostly house music. Hip hop are all the same.) So learn your music.

2. HMMMM not sure what you're trying to say. Theres a trick ( I dont know if you can call it a trick) where you stop the song when transitioning. You just need to press the stop/play button. The next one is a drag. But thats an advanced moved that you're not ready for.

Be ready, people are going to be tough. Some might even criticize my answers
DJ Lewshis 3:57 AM - 9 July, 2010
You gotta crawl before you work. Focus on transitions and beatmatching first.
djbanno 5:56 AM - 9 July, 2010
Gee i sincerely hope you are running Serato software with the Xponent and not Torq 1.5!
www.m-audio.com
Evil_banana 6:04 AM - 9 July, 2010
And getting to know your music inside out. Just by the title or the waveform you will not be able to tell if a song is good or if 2 tracks will blend nicely.

Make sure you LOVE music. DJ'ing is about having fun, and that is not possible if you are not passionate at all about the music. But if you are passionate about it, you will have no problem listening for hours, practicing for hours, and therefor getting to know your music inside out.

And yes, nevermind the tricks.Learn Beatmatching, transitioning, working the faders and EQ's. And forget about slam-mixing. It won't learn you much, and if that's all you know how to do, you won't get far either. Start with the basics, have patience and enjoy the process...
Laz219 6:09 AM - 9 July, 2010
Knowing the songs is definitely a big thing, after a while but you do get a good feel for what will work and what won't.
Dysquo 9:40 AM - 9 July, 2010
Wondering.....
1. Why you didn't ask this question in a Torq forum?
2. Why you got an exponent instead of a VCI-300?
3. Why you would think you don't have to know your music to DJ?
4. Why you would post mixes anywhere, if you have to ask these questions?
kaput 10:05 AM - 9 July, 2010
i find that the more i listen to my music the better my mxes sound, like has been said listen t ur choons on ur mp3 jus dont listen to them but try n study them if that makes sense.... listened to ur mix m no pro dj and not sure wat category of dance music it is but i liked most of the choons u played
Dj-M.Bezzle 1:53 PM - 9 July, 2010
Quote:

I just bought the torq xponent (am i allowed to post that?) about 3 weeks ago and took 4 hours worth of lessons...i want to master the ins & outs of DJing


you should have it pretty much down by now
DCD 2:33 PM - 9 July, 2010
Quote:
Wondering.....
1. Why you didn't ask this question in a Torq forum?
2. Why you got an exponent instead of a VCI-300?
3. Why you would think you don't have to know your music to DJ?
4. Why you would post mixes anywhere, if you have to ask these questions?

1. maybe because that forum is shit and no one posts on it?
2. what does that have to do with anything?
3. derp, it's a stupid question asked by a legitimate guy. let's make fun of him. i'm sure you didn't ask something just as stupid when you started out.
4. what? i have no idea what you just said. shit makes no sense.
Dj-M.Bezzle 2:37 PM - 9 July, 2010
look up in the air its a bird its a plane no its....


































CAPTAIN-SAV-A-NOOB

Defending noobs by defending their honor even though it has nothing to do with him personally
DCD 2:43 PM - 9 July, 2010
Nah homes. I just fight against stupid elitists.
Dysquo 7:13 AM - 6 August, 2010
Just Got Back on Track with this thread.... @DCD "Stupid Elitists" ?
Umm really....
I asked legitimate questions..... I wasn't making fun of anyone.

Don't be an internet gangster... The last guy the tried that got his feelings hurt...

Quote:
I'm a n00b...just bought the torq xponent (am i allowed to post that?) about 3 weeks ago and took 4 hours worth of lessons...i want to master the ins & outs of DJing before moving to CDJs and really learning the skill..

1. when doing live gigs, how do you know what outros blend perfectly with what intros?...do you literally have to know your music inside & out or do some DJs just have the talent to know what's going to sound good and what will sound like shit without even premixing...that seems to be my biggest issue right now...i can play a 1hour long set perfectly if i practice the same transitions over & over & over...if i try to do a set while just picking songs (even songs with the same key), it often times will sound like shit


1st problem, Dude is on the Serato forum asking these questions. He needs to take a couple more lessons or get his $$$ back.
2nd problem, Dude should be on youtube learning how to DJ and more about his Xponent
3rd problem, DouchBag DJs that want to fight against stupid elitists, without thinking.... This guy is doing gigs, which means he's undercutting a real DJ (Or soon will be). He has no clue, how to mix, use the equipment, or musical knowledge (I just read a recent post of his asking about crowd friendly tracks). We were a noobs @ one point, I'm still learning everyday.. But there is no way he should be doing anything but practicing (without auto sync on)!
O.B.1 7:33 AM - 6 August, 2010
practice your cutting and scratching too, it's alot of fun once you start to get the hang of it...

(DJing is about having fun, isn't it?)
MelonHead 7:50 AM - 6 August, 2010
Quote:
practice your cutting and scratching too, it's alot of fun once you start to get the hang of it...

(DJing is about having fun, isn't it?)


indeed... +1
DJ Sniffles 8:16 AM - 6 August, 2010
If you love dance music I think you'd get a kick out of making your own. Learn that too.
O.B.1 5:10 PM - 6 August, 2010
Quote:
If you love dance music I think you'd get a kick out of making your own. Learn that too.


another +1

I started producing beats before I ever touched a 1200.
casket hands 5:33 PM - 6 August, 2010
to answer your #1, one thing that has helped me immensely in picking tracks is the track color option in Serato. I tend to always be grabbing new tracks so without listening 24 hours a day its hard to always remember the exact ins and outs of every new song so when I add songs to my library I give it a color. my system works like this:

blue - light disco house, songs you could play for a chill set and not annoy people with stuttered vocals or screechy synths.

light blue - a step up from blue, more electro sounding stuff, higher energy.

green- techno, trance, prog house. repetitive stuff mostly.

yellow - hip hop (dont have a lot of this so its easy to pull out all my tracks if need be)

purple - bangers

red - heavy bangers, super aggressive stuff for when things are really cooking.


by organizing my music this way I'm never stuck in a situation where a song starts off light and then goes wacky hard (like some of this dubstep ish nowadays). Sticking to genres and reading seratos great colored waveforms make matching mood quite easy. before I took the time to do this I was all over the map, picking songs I liked one after another, failing to realize that they really didnt match.