Sometimes you gotta hype the crowd, just to let em know that your alive and not some nervous robot! Just a thought. Im a little of both.... DJing is about showmanship, both on the decks and interaction with the crowd. Sometimes even taking the beat off as the crowd yells also helps!

trying to learn to use the mic. I've never really managed to tho - I bring a mic to gigs nowadays and just forget...

I always bring a mic but i hardly ever use it, unless announcing drink specials, or birthday crap.

Oh i always drop the faders on parts of the songs that people sing along to.

^^ thats what I meant!

its quite different - depends on the club and the crowd!

but on big gigs in big rooms or larger clubs I do both!

small or stylish clubs = no mic

i don't do clubs atm but i play drum and bass and there's either an MC or no MC... but no need for the DJ to say a word. plus with the way that i mix(the way i'm trying to perfect, that is) there's no time to pause and be like...

hay... hoooo...

bunk that shit. the vibe of the music should be enough. to me it's annoying to get yelled at by your dj. unless it is done tastefully but i dont want somebody up there who sucks bein like "everybody on the dancefloor... come on... come on... come on..." (no thanks.)

"you"

"who, me"

"yeah, you foo. Dance."

"nah man"

I'm way too much of a white boy to be in the mic, personally.

Also, being a DJ, when i go to clubs where the DJ talks alot, i'm always thinking "God STFU!" IT totaly kills my vibe.

I use the mic both at clubs and special events. Not all the time but only at key moments and when necessary. I'm not mic shy by any means but I also don't just crack open the mic for the hell of it.

hey man... not tryin to give you hard time but that's no excuse!

used to mc... i'd get somethin goin at a party with somebody and sooner or later its skinny white me surrounded by 10 black dudes kickin rhymes. haha. i need to get my full confidence back that shit was too fun.

anyway... you can't be too "white" to get on the mic just have the confidence and you could be polka dot and people will listen to you.

... and also, I don't need a hype man. I will handle that shit if I need to or see it appropriate. I can't stand dudes who grab the mic and can't stfu.

Ya, Get on the mic with moderation.... Usually the only times I grab that mic is to say whats up to the crowd during a hype part of the night or if its Last call... Sometimes a birthday shoutout or 2 but nothing more...

Exactly, agreeing with this and what Audio said!

I'll do the b-day thing (only a few cuz then it gets outta hand), maybe a "partybus is leaving yo ass here if u don't get to the front door."

And if the clubs packed I am always down to do a little "All my ladies in the house, let me hear ya'll scream" AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Oh and end of the night: "LAST CALL! Get u a drink and one for me too!"

"Sup party people, thanks for coming out tonite, my names DJ STATIC, ya'll have a good nite, ya'll don't have to go home, but ya gotta get the hell up outta here!

Before, I couldn't stand rockin the mic, but now it's a whole new ballgame. If the party is jumpin then I'm all ova the mic poppin shit and gettin the crowd in to it.

I just haet DJ's who rap along with the verse of a track! Like dude, that rapper got paid to make that record so SHUT THA F*CK UP and let the track play.....

But I do like dropping the music for crowd participation like:

"Engine Engine, #9......"

I meant HATE

nothing better than call and response type tracks...

^^^^ YUP YUP!

"Do tha ladies run this muthaf*cka!?"

"HELLL YEEEEEAAAA!"

its better with 2 dj's and every other hour swap the mic back and forth (i guy dj one guys on the mic) it's ideal and you get good practice without losing focus on the skills.

but i normally do the 1-man thing and work the mic when its hype

also i would like to add that i used to be not-so-confident on the mic a few years ago also but what really helped me was working with the volume. My voice booms anyway and over a mic it can be really really loud but by turning the volume to the right spot (quieter than most people use) I can get wild and people can hear me well but it doesn't overpower the music or anyone's buzz.

Volume is key.

I was at this one spot and the hype man kept screaming "face down ass up" literally thru like 5 songs...

I looked at the DJ and thought he was going to come down and stick the mic up the hype mans ass.

OH i didnt mean "i'm to white" as a racist kind of thing... I just have a very horrible voice... I stutter alot, I talk too fast for my own good... I think that even with my good mixing skillz, my voice would ruin my mixes.

I've sometimes been asked if I bring a "HYPE MAN" along to gigs. I always tell the client, that I can make the crowd react PURELY from how I spin. I've always believed that. I used to have this one dude in our crew who was called "The Voice of The MOB", and I won't front...he made my job CRAZY EASY.

So easy in fact, that I didn't mix anymore, just SLAMMED shit. Took a while to get out of that style and back to mixing for a minute....

Crowds are now TRAINED to hear someone tell them to "Get ya hands up"....that's bullshit....

I'll do it thru my spinning.

No offense to those who do it like that tho...but relying on the music to move the crowd makes you a better DJ....

i only grab the mic to say 'last call for alcohol!'

I think alot of us are DJ's and not MC's because we like to be more low key but still be an important factor. So I think naturally we're more comfortable not talking on the mic. I'm naturally shy so I was more drawn to DJing because I dont really have to be all rah rah and just speak through the music. Usually at my resisdencies the Mic is at the bar so I dont have to worry about talking. At weddings I usually do them with my boy and he handles the mic because he's more charismatic with the crowd. I get all nervous and speak like I'm reading a grocery list.

i hate to get on the mic, but i be practicing my mic skills just like it was another turntable, so that no matter the situation, i'm always in the position to get things poppin.

Good DJ: throws in instrumental THEN talks over beat.

Bad DJ: talks over song lyrics.... doesn't cut or lower the volume at all.

There's this one promoter I work with every so often. He likes to get on the mic while the lyrics are playing. Very bad idea, sounds as bad as a train wreck.

I get on the mic occasionally, but I prefer to interact with the crowd via song selection. That's how I most enjoy the back-and-forth energy response and how I best feed off of the crowd's energy.

Also, I've found, unsurprisingly, that some party people like a someone who's on the mic only if they're a good MC (subjective, of course) while others would rather have a DJ stick to DJ'ing and the occasional birthday/drink special/last call announcements.

+1

I get on the mic occassionally, but only if the crowd gets me into it - sort of like feeding on their energy. I tend to use sarcasm alot when I speak, and that's no good on the mic, so I don't get on the mic unless I'm feeling hyped. Usually just some call-and-response or repping the night/promoter/venue.

i think the key is being able to make the crowd laugh. Ill be honest I can only do this when I'm buzzed. But Ive been down to say things such as "Big up to all the girls on birthcontrol" during songs like Akon and Snoop - I wanna fuck you. I love to say things to get the crowd hype.

I am a mic WHORE!! To the point when there's other Dj's at the place I'll say "go on with it young guy" and let him shine while I run the crowd. I've made shitty Dj's look like superstars the way i engage the crowd, within minutes girls coming up and saying "Oh my god can you shout out my friend Becky?" and when I do Becky's ON the bar stripping.

It's more fun to me because I guess I've been on the decks so long and sometimes i'd rather be in the crowd with a cordless going nuts.

Number one rule though is timing, if you can't even count bars when you're Djing don't even bother picking up the mic to host. Also try and know you're songs and what they're about so you can intro it proper instead of those idiots who just go "yeah...holla....bounce!!!"

I think that came from my dancehall background though, most intros have something to do with the actual track, there's a quick story and the track answers you back. I since abandoned the dancehall style though(always in my heart) and incorporated it to suit more mainstream audiences, honestly one day I'd like to take the voicework more seriously so that's why I dumb it down.

My mainstream voice --> www.myspace.com

And yes it's over a "trashup" so relax on that haters ;p


But honestly, it's not that good of a representation of my club voice because it was actually done at home rather than live, I'm still trying to work that radio style out (sitting in a box without a crowd trying to MC club style)

I'll see if I can find one of my older ones from the dancehall days so you can see the difference.

Oh on that myspace, I'm obviously not the guy doing the "welcome to the future" intro, I come in right after

+10

I talk to the crowd through the music also. I'm also terrified of the mic though. Need to develop a mic voice.

I tend to do both myself... It all depends on the crowd and the location and the type of club.

Agreed, if your MCing you NEED TO KNOW YOUR MUSIC, inside and out. Nothing sounds more wack than talking over vocals. Except prolly a DJ trying to cover a trainwreck with MCing. I've heard that a bit, DJ gets on the mic and lets the mix slip. I've got a radio background so jumping on the mic is nothing new, I try to avoid over kill tho, it's easy to do.

Couple of things I always try and remember is you as the DJ are repping for the club or party or promoter your playing for. And the crowd are 1 person. Helps get that 1 to 1 interaction going.

Like "We wanna see you put both your hands in the air" instead of "I want y'all to put your hands in the air" doesn't seem like much but try to imagine your talking 1 on 1 to each person.

You are a "we" they are 1.
My 2cents. :-)

the most i do besides "last call" and shit like that is the hype myself up shit..

example:

"Whats good! Its ya boy Panic City! Shouts to blah blah, and blah blah. This is how we do it every[insert weeknight] at club [club name]! bay area stand up!"

and the forget what you did the other night Panic City...


*whispers to homeboy while mic is still on and crowd can hear*

Man where's my hemorroid medicine. My ass is itchin!!!!

lol

I'll get on the mic if I'm drunk.

So true. Hated the sound of my voice (boomy) til I turned the volume and bass on the Mic down.

+1

I do this a LOT, except thru music. I'll mentally pick out a chick in the crowd, who might or might not be dancing, and my mission is to connect to them thru the music. It's weird, but kinda like controlling her actions remotely. She could be on the wall, and than I do something to make her head nod. Then, increase the pace, just for her, until she's on the floor. Even reluctantly. Then it's time to put the KA-POW on her and make her do things that she didn't think she could do. And each time she's ready to get off the floor, I do something to make her turn RIGHT BACK and continue the show. Everybody else is oblivious.

A better DJ knows the breaks or "cue points" of their tracks and can ad-lib from there....




No offense, but it's people like you who don't ask an on-coming DJ if it's okay to "handle the mic" while I'M DJ'ING.... This is when I pull the plug on the mic or shut down the power on the cordless. I had one dude come up talking like: "I'm the resident Dj here, so I'm gonna get the crowd hype on the mic." Next thing I know, dude is rapping along with Biggie, like Biggie needs help reciting his own sh*t...

Needless to say that dude got embarassed in the middle of a packed dancefloor with his cordless mic when I UPPED his mic VOLUME and.........FEEEEEEEEEEEEDBACK!

*DJ Turns Cordless Power OFF! *

Some people never learn

Tip: Ask before jumping on the mic, you might get a warm welcoming!

I hate a mic Whore more than a shitty DJ. But if your doing a club you do need to get on the mic every now and then. Let the people know who you are. Tell them to tip the bartenders. Announce birthdays. Example (Yo yo this is DJ _______, make sure you tip your bartenders tonight, they've been working hard to get ya'll tipsy) You should probably get on the mic every 30 minutes in a 2 hour set. If your voice suck, a little bit of echo makes a big difference. Too much echo will make you sound like a DJ CLUE mixtape, so watch it.

Atrak is a badass DJ but he sucks on the mic. If you ever hear him talk on the mic he sounds mad nervous and he has a slight canadian accent.

you guys ever had a mic hooked up for a Ruff Ryderz club event?

whoah!!!!! every 10 seconds... "shout out the cinci chapter... shout out the kalamazoo boyz... and those dudes get REAL shitty if you don't do it"
its mayhem. i hate the mic, but i also don't want a hot exhaust pipe up my ass. thinking about hiding the mic for their next event at our club.

another reason the mic annoys me is most Djs who use the mic dont know how to SPEAK INTO the microphone. They think since its amplified you can talk quieter into it.

NO.

You should project your voice into the microphone. Too much gain with no input (voice) = feedback.

DJ - "Turn me up"

Me - "You're Up"

DJ - "Turn me up more"

Me - "Speak louder into the mic"

DJ - "Just turn me up"

Me - "That's all the volume you are getting... watch..." (i get on the mic) "CHECK ONE TWO!"..
"There, sounds plenty loud to me"


if you don't even know HOW to properly speak into a mic (with proJECTION!), i'm turning the fucking thing off.... period.

LOL @ this guy assuming I'm that guy. I'm a young guy to have been in tbis game so long but I've been in it a long time my friend (I was playing in the 'majors' since I was 16, years before I was even allowed in bars let alone club district). Don't play me off as some punk who just got his first Fisher Price microphone, I actually get hired extra side gigs because of my MCing style. I'm a professional and know exactly when and where to talk, so save the "ask before jumping on the mic" bit like I'm some handout.


And LOL @ sabotaging a mic volume, like an experienced MC wouldn't know what was going on.

Me being a mic whore means I love it, means if they ask me to come in and MC I'm all about it and in case you didn't notice, I also said that in those cases if there are other Dj's there, I'll let them take some of my play time because most of the younger bucks (especially) AND established cats) appreciate the fact that they have someone complimenting up their sets.


I mean for you to say the exact same thing I did (In different wording)....





....And then come at me like that means you weren't paying attention.

I'm sorry some guys have soured you to that point, but some of us actually know what we're doing (especially if we're getting paid for it) and resident or not you come off like that to me when I'm working, we're gonna have a problem and I can make you look just as bad... so take that as a tip my friend and you might get a better response yourself ;)

I never said you WERE "THAT" GUY, or assumed ANYTHING! You and I have the same background as far as playing in the "major's" since age of 16, etc.



I'm a professional as well and you take offense to words like they were directed towards you 100%



I'm glad you "experienced" MC's know what that is, but thats what happens after u SNATCH a mic during my set w/out asking for one. and of course after I give you the easy message/warning of: "Don't over do it on the Mic, keep the crowd hype and let the rappers on the track do what they got paid to do."



U should have eloborated on that a little in the beginning then because that makes everyone in here a DJ WHORE, cuz we love it. And if a promoter asked u to come in and handle your business, more power to you playa, as long as we have an understanding that your not stepping on the mix or my toes to get your shine on, cuz all of us DJ's have the MC's who are all about themselves.....Not saying that is U <----Disclaimer



I'm glad u know what your doing, and that would make things easier but ultimately I was talking about my experiences with other MC's, again......NOT U!



Wow nice mini-threat!! I should have explained that I always give ALL MC's (Pro's or not) a warning: Again, do your thing, get the crowd hype, BUT DON'T OVER DO IT! Crowds don't usually talk to MC's, they wanna talk to the DJ for request purposes etc. or sometimes they want to know: "Why in hell will the guy with the MIC won't shut tha f*ck up!"

Even management approaches me on this issue because they know we control the sound and movement of the crowd. I kill your mic, I make the management happy, or I just let the management tell you themselves.....I'm not a trouble starter buddy, but if I was a resident and u came in fresh out the box never been to this club I hold a residency at acting like that with that type of attitude, I'd be sure to get management to pay you for the 30 minutes you touched that mic and the bouncers attention to escort you to the door.

I don't fight, I just handle mine

Case closed.





LOL @ mini threat like it's some e-thuggery. I handle mine too homeboy, all I said is I can make you look just as bad, taking the role of the MC, and you the role of the DJ that has problems with MC's talking on his set. Honestly, when are you and I really going to cross paths to actually mini threaten you? Smarten up. I obviously meant that touchy Dj's need to watch it because it's a two way street, we can pull the same nonsense. But professionals talk it out before a night (especially me being on the decks for as long as I have, I obviously respect the other professionals around me) and don't pull some fuckery like blasting the levels or talking shit on the mic to clown the Dj. We start acting like that and we'll BOTH find ourselves out of a job you get me? ;)

Case closed homey, now we see each other correctly and I totally agree with the above....Just had to state my case!

No problem dude. I don't catch feelings over this message board stuff. Was just stating my case as well ;)

Peace.

A Bad dude on the mic at a club is as bad as a stupid slut tryna dance in front of the turntables. I had a club owner pull down a bitch once in San Jose... What a riot!

J_Static and Dj Shamann just needed a hug. lol

Sixxx does that mean your giving hugs out again, cuz if so u need to ask your man Kagen if it's okay. I don't think he likes his breezy Sixxx to be touching other men......hahahaha

I agree Audio, but I've always liked the MC in a D-N-B setting

I rock the mic real crazy, it takes alot of experience to do it right. Timing, your voice and making sure your mic volume is correct are extremelly important. Timing is what you really gotta learn. Im into the Dancehall/Reggae scence so thats where my foundation of rockin a mic comes from. If done right its just enhances what your doing. If done wrong its just downright annoying.

Ive also had dudes come up to the booth and ask to rock the mic, promoter friends, mcs, other djs, etc. One cat started rapping his own lyrics over a song that was playing. I cut that shit off right away!

Rockin the mic is a skill, where do you think MCn came from. The DJ laid down the foundation.

OHHHH MY GOD, THANK U VERY MUCH!!!!

lol

I am an MC/Entertainer/Dancer/Hypeman etc...

I spend very little time behind the booth. I usually have a DJ playing the music for me (I tell him what to play and when to play it).

I don't know if you've been to a New York style Bar Mitzvah but that is the kind of show that I do. The emcee is in charge of everything his or her personality along with the music, makes or breaks the party.

Here, it is common for a Bar Mitzvah DJ company to charge at least $4,000 a party.

When I say MC I don't mean rapper. I don't do that.

I am the spokesman.

You're THE WEDDING SINGER. :P

Hah, I love that movie.

LMAO

I see the jokes you're telling..... time for better better material.

This is exactly true for all of you Mr. All-n-One-Entertainment types....

Y'all DO get paid mad scrilla....

I ain't up for all the extra werk tho..

Hey I am trying over here okay Kagen....Give me some credit or at least a "B" for effort

Fighting on the internet is like racing in the Special Olympics... even if you win, you're still a retard!

i have a hype man------but i will hype the crowd when needed.

heh.... thats my old saying... been using that for years

I've been spinning for years as a youngster and started out like most djs 30 years or more as a hobby and just trying to beat mix on turntables because that was the only tools to use so after hearing so many different styles of mixing I was listening to the mixshows on the mixtapes I would record on the radio stations in California and just concentrated on snappin those beats without crashing on a radio shack realistic mixer without the fader. Lol. Well after taking a break from Djing as a hobby I took a long break and got back in around 2008ish and saw how much the Dj game has really changed. Almost like Brooks from Shawshank Redemption when he got out of prison. Nowadays you don't even have to be able to know how to mixx anymore because from what I've been told some software it does it for you. I personally use serato dj and love it. So all of this is to say my playing style hasn't changed. I'm not a MC dj so since I'm not an MC Dj depending on the gig if it's a gig that requires *miking* then I have 2 people to call to be the host/mc and I just spin and use my dj drops on gigs that want a continuous music mixx throughout the event/gig and they want to make the announcements even with the host/mc like reunions and holiday parties. I know some but a selected few that can do both.