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-- Making that first big leap
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Making that first big leap

Fellow TAs, next week I'm gonna have my first chance to play in front of a live crowd! Just thought I'd share with you I feel it's an important milestone, regardless of the outcome.

Thus far my only experience has been in my basement, and with my own gear (the shitty 2xNumark-1520, which taught me to have "soft hands") and a pretty simple mixer (Gemini). They've got Technics at the club, of course, and a 3-vol-slider mixer with Master volume.

The guy who I contacted about the party is the main DJ, and he said, "Honestly, if this is your first time in public, you're gonna fuck up. But I realize the importance of giving young amateurs the opportunity to play, at least for a few minutes, in a live setting for the first time, because I know this is important to them." So, he's giving me this opportunity. He said, "Bring a few records, a few friends to cheer you up, and be prepared to drop some tracks." So this is, hopefully, what I'm gonna do next week

Good luck man. I've been there. Just rememebr you are goign to be nervouse. You are goign to have to take a piss 50 times before you get on. You will have shaky hands and you will mess up at least one transition. Try to bring some hard ouse style tracks as they are easy to bang in with just the bass of one track. Then slam it to the other sides bass with all the highs on. It'll help you get intot he more trancy stuff where you have to worry about phase mixing.

Just know that you will get all the nervouse feelings and that they are normal. People will see you shaking as you try to put the needle on the record so they won't give you a hard time. Just dont let a train wrek go for long, fix that shit on th fly.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ-Kuza Just dont let a train wrek go for long, fix that shit on th fly.

Exactly. This guy also told me, "Correcting your mistakes quickly is often more important than simply knowing how to beat-match."

I must say I'm really grateful to him for giving me the opportunity, he'll probably be "spotting" me the first few minutes in case something goes wrong

I have some great tracks that I hope will please the crowd, and they're relatively easy to mix, too. So I'll bring those. I'm thinking of Peran - Good Time, Apollo - Dance, E-Wok - Go Back.

Then, if all goes well (I hope), I will attempt some more "daring" tunes and transitions...

hehe.. i spent about 2 hours spinning on 1520's and a numark mixer at a friends house last night, and it was my first real attempt at mixing on anything but technics. he even had an oldass numark mixer to make it feel hella low-end.. lol.. but it worked.

try to get a little time on the 1200's before the show, just to get the feel.. they are so radically different from the 1520's your used to it's not even funny. the pitch is all sensitive and accurate, etc etc.. you really have to bang on techs compared to 1520's. even just 10 min to get used to the feel before going live would probably really help.

the crowd could actually work more to your advantage, if they dont make you nervous, it's always more fun playing for people rather than your own ears...

if you are used to spinning after a brew or two, have one before your gig, can really help relax you...

regardless, the most important advise i can give for the first time going live is this:
dont overdo yourself: concentrate on each move you make, be methodical.. dont try to pull off too many funky moves... keep the risk low and you'll keep your confidence high.

maybe start off with a few tracks you know reallllyyy well?? maybe a few of those old classics that really moved you when you first started spinning ? those are usually crowd pleasers anyhow...

good luck!!!!

Meridian, thanks for your tips. So, just how hard will it be for me to move to Techs? You could say I've never had any experience with Technics before. What do you mean when you say, "You'll have to bang on the Techs"? I thought better decks meant easier mixing.

With my Numarks, of course, I hold the record by the edge only ('cause the platter will stop if you press too hard! ), I give it a slight push when I start it up 'cause the torque leaves a lot to be desired...

But, I must tell you, I've gotten used to these (admittedly crappy) decks, and I even released a demo CD recorded with them! That's the demo that I gave to that guy, who agreed to let me have a slot at the club next week.

Headphones

Also, should I bring my own headphones?
I'd really like to, because I *know* they're better than what those guys have at the club.

I have the quality Sony MDR-V6, recommended to me by experts on this forum like Gluegun. They're pretty good at blocking out the noise, and they're much better than the other popular Sony headphones that a lot of DJ's use. And I'm pretty sure they're using some popular Sony 800 (or whatever it is) model.

You should try not touching the record at all on techs. But if you do just use your finger lightly near the middle.

Oh and don't kiss this guys ass too much, he'll see it. Just be cool and thank him for ginging you a chance.

Always bring your own. No one likes having other people use their headset.

thanks guys, I'll be practicing all week

well, by 'bang them around' i mean you'll have to push them a bit more, be a more physical and less gentle. the 1520's you have to baby, technics you have to push around with a vengenance. thats why they are so fun though

the 1520's actually are usable, i got used to them quick. still blah and horrible to deal with, but once you get the hang they are useable.

the 1520's, when you push the record, it speeds up pretty quick and tends to keep going, easy to overcorrect.. with techs you'll have to push it harder to get the same amonut of movement... heavier platter, motor does more work - and if you adjust (slow down) the speed by moving your fingers over the dots on the side of the platter, you'll have to apply much more pressure on the tech's platter to overcome the torque. if you touch the 1520's dots hard, it'll almost stop.. if you do this to a 1200, it'll slow down a little and come right back to speed. basically, the 1200's are TOTALLY less touchy when it comes to hand movemovement on the record/platter, and you have to 'interact' with the physics more to get the result you want.

the techs ARE easier to spin on... by farrrrrrrrr. if you are used to them. the pitch is real sensitive though. one trick with the techs, is once you get closely matched, let it play in the phones 32 or more beats, see if it's ahead of behind, then nudge the pitch slider with the tip of your finger up or down (tiny small correction).

techs (at least the ones i've spun on) seem to get a little funky around zero pitch, say plus/minus 1 (gets real sensitive) and above +6 they drift more... i usually try to spin about plus (or minus, but i like fast) 2 or 3, seems like the place were they are most stable.

definitly try to match on the pitch... it's the way to go with technics, but it takes getting used to... but hand corrections take even more getting used to.

you wont have to use the single finger on the side of the record to cue like you do on the 1520's.. there is enough torque you can scratch the first beat in the headphones, throw it down, make a quick adjustment and start the mix. much easier...

you'll get used to them

quote:

Originally posted by MERiDiAN5i2 definitly try to match on the pitch... it's the way to go with technics, but it takes getting used to... but hand corrections take even more getting used to.

Really?
I'm familiar with matching using the pitch control, in fact I've tried it several times, but it seems that most DJ's (and most DJ's use Technics, of course!) use their hands as well... from what I've seen, at least.

For me, using hands to correct is pretty easy, maybe it's because I'm using these 1520's, but nothing fancy and it gets the job done...

quote:

Originally posted by Eugene For me, using hands to correct is pretty easy, maybe it's because I'm using these 1520's, but nothing fancy and it gets the job done...

Try to get used to just using the pitch to make corrections, touching the record is bad imo

anyway good luck, you never forget your first gig

First off, not bringing your headphones is like not bringing your music! You can never be assured that there will be a pair there for you, and what happens if the pair that may be there is really bad quality etc. Never chance it!

Also as far as not being familiar with other's eq, don't chance that either. If you're only going to be spinning a few tracks and not a whole set, then don't bother bringing your own eq, but if you are going to spin for 60-90+mins, then arrange for your eq to be hooked up to the main system. The first place I spun out at, I spun down previous dj's track, turned the volumes down all the way (very important so that you don't spike the system!) then unplugged the master out and plugged it into my mixer. I turned all my eq on and started jamming. It took about 1.5 mins, and since I was only in a secondary room, it didn't really matter. The next places that I'm booked for, I'll have my eq there before the party starts so I can have it connected beforehand.

Well, I'm gonna be using their equipment, and I'll probably be spinning for 30 min. max.

Guys, do you recommend that when I do my transition, I take the headphones completely off for a few secs, to hear what the crowd is hearing at this club? This is the way I mix at home, too. When both tracks are 'up and running' at 100%, I take them off and gradually fade out the first track, catching any possible drifts on the fly and making a guess as to what it should be (slower or faster). 99% of the time it needs to be slower, so I just touch the vinyl. (Usually this isn't audible because the track is still in the beat-intro phase.) Occasionally I'll put one earcup on for one second just to make sure they're still matched, but then I'll take it off again.

Is this all right?

quote:

Originally posted by Eugene Well, I'm gonna be using their equipment, and I'll probably be spinning for 30 min. max. Guys, do you recommend that when I do my transition, I take the headphones completely off for a few secs, to hear what the crowd is hearing at this club? This is the way I mix at home, too. When both tracks are 'up and running' at 100%, I take them off and gradually fade out the first track, catching any possible drifts on the fly and making a guess as to what it should be (slower or faster). 99% of the time it needs to be slower, so I just touch the vinyl. (Usually this isn't audible because the track is still in the beat-intro phase.) Occasionally I'll put one earcup on for one second just to make sure they're still matched, but then I'll take it off again. Is this all right?

If this feels to be allright for you, and it works for you, then why change?

quote:

Originally posted by Eugene Really? I'm familiar with matching using the pitch control, in fact I've tried it several times, but it seems that most DJ's (and most DJ's use Technics, of course!) use their hands as well... from what I've seen, at least.

very true.. but you'd be supprised how much they are using the pitch to... the pitch on techs is very accurate and can make corrections more accurate than by hand, especially very small corrections, like phasing the drumkicks to match.

my rule is simple - small corrections on the pitch, more major corrections by the hands...

i have the same decks as you
and when you play on techs, you have to have a heavier hand
if you can mix great on the numarks, then you'll be fine on the techs
just make sure to get some time on them before you play live so you can get used to how much heavier you have to be
always bring your headphones with you
and usually you would want to bring your needles and sometimes even slipmats aren't on there (i've seen djs have to quickly run home for their mats cause the club didn't have them)

what you want to do is take a few tracks that you want to start off with and practice them over and over again
then when it comes time to play, you have your first transitions that will (hopefully) come out alright and you'll be able to fall into a groove and play
those first mixes are crucial to how the rest of your set is going to be... if you trainwreck you confidence might go out the window and you could wind up choking for the rest of your set
but if you nail them perfectly, you have that level of confidence going for you

have a brew before going on, it'll help relax you (although some swear by going sober)
i think it helps to loosen you up so you're not worrying about everything

lastly... have fun

That is great to hear Eugene

best of luck

Rule of thumb we always discuss here..

Plan your first 3 songs... then just go with the flow... feel don't think... and no matter what just keep going... ih he sees that you fuck up and cry and yell and all.. then thats not a good sign.. but if he sees that you fuck up and correct yourself and can control yourself... that defines character...

So yeah.. you will sstuff up... but everyone does the first time...

thanks for your support guys
hopefully I'll be able to get some practice with Tech's the night before.

And, of course, I'll let you know how it all goes
So far I have planned my whole set and already chose 6-7 tracks. (Although the order of a few tracks may turn out different.)

I think I'll have to keep reminding myself to look up, at least for a few moments! I've noticed that when I'm really concentrating the only direction I look is down.

hey dude
congras

yes first time you will mess up, sorry to say taht dude

but you do get very nevous..
but thats ok

warm up abit and you be alright...
time will fly and you wouldn't even know you been spinning for an hour it properly feels like 10mins

good luck dude

quote:

Originally posted by djchamps hey dude congras yes first time you will mess up, sorry to say taht dude

That isn't true. I didn't "mess up" my first time. I'm sure that things could have gone a little smoother, but hey, when can they not? Even the big pros mess up sometimes in their live sets, but they don't trainwreck, if that is what you are implying by messing up. I was damn sure that I could mix well enough with my tracks that I wouldn't trainwreck--even with being nervous and all. But don't instill fear in the guy just because it's his first time. If there is any reason that he should be scared it's because he's never used the eq that he'll be spinning on before.

quote:

Originally posted by Eugene I think I'll have to keep reminding myself to look up, at least for a few moments! I've noticed that when I'm really concentrating the only direction I look is down.

haha.. same here man.. the first time i played out i didnt even glance at the crowd through the first three or four records... then as i realized the beatmatching was tight on the next record, i realize 'damn, i almost forgot people are even listening'... looked up and found a few people in close proximity, watching me mix... glad i didnt notice that for a while... lol.. one of them shook my hand as i made eye contact and tried to yell something at me that i did not hear, and it was readily obvious the crowd was digging the beats. talk about a good feeling! for me, seeing the crowd dancing took my tension right away... they were enjoying, so why shouldnt i be enjoying laying down the beats, right?

just stay focused and positive, no matter what happens, and im sure you'll do just fine!

congrats man, good luck

Cool, good luck man and have a great time

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