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Playing on a club system for the first time

I've been DJing for about 2 years and playing out for about six months or so. All the gigs I've had so far have either been at house parties or in bars where the sound system has been relatively small.

However, I've just been booked for my first club gig - I've been given a peak-time slot, in front of up to 800 people. To say I'm a bit nervous is something of an understatement.

The bit I'm most worried about is the transition from the small systems that I've been used to, to a huge club set-up. Can anyone give me any advice on how to handle this transition and what to expect?

Thanks!

congrats bro!... but sorry cant help u out

1. Rely on your headphones. The club I dj at the monitors are TERRIBLE and the bass response is so bad (almost a second delay) so if you try to match the beats you will be thrown off by the sound system. Presuming ur venue is like my club...we get about 1300 people during my playtime.

2. Pratice mixing in ur headphones, or also try cranking your home system to emulate a club enviorment :P

3. Get more gigs and get confortable at that club..

Thats the only way to get used to there PA system...the monitors were fine one day they blew the next...Im thinking Tiesto Blew them..grr

Goodluck. DONT SCREW UP!

if you can call or check out what gear they'll have, the mixer specifically, you could check to see if it has split cue, in which case, just get comfortable with it and you should be fine. also try to go to the venue before you play on some random night where the system is cranked as usual, and try to step into the booth, to get a feel what you'll be up against.

at home, make your speakers distort as fuck and try mixing on 'em like that

make sure you trust your headphones to do the job, if not, borrow a friend's, that can always be a possible solution.

It blew me away the first time too- it takes some adjusting to- as its vastly different.
The first thing that you will have to adjust to is the sheer volume.
The second is the delay.
Everything is over enhanced too- for example,
on a small home system, the volume difference between channels may not be noticable, but on a club system it will be very noticable.
Same goes for the bass- have two channels open with full bass and it may well kick in the limiter on a club system.

Use whichever method you feel comfortable with (that is supported by the mixer obviously) to mix. One of my clubs i cant use the monitors at all- they are woefully inadequate in comparison to the main system and the acoustics.

Watch the dj before you- watch where he has the eqs set- it may be set up so the bass or mid has to be wound off slightly.
If in doubt- always ask the light jock, they practically live at the club, so will know the system inside out.

You can have the monitors loud- but the sheer spl and size of the main system may still make it confusing at first, but give it a few tracks and you will adjust.
Decent loud headphones- essential! If they arent loud/reliable enough you are doomed from the start!

Just remember- you are good enough to have been booked- so you can do it.
Good luck!

First off -- congrats! It takes hard work and a lot of skill to get asked to play at a place of that size.

Yeah my first time going from the bedroom monitors to a massive system was a real eye opener. The bass was just insane. I would drop a track and be amazed and how it sounded. It was like hearing it again for the first time.

The other posts have good ideas but all I want to add is to keep your cool no matter what happens. If you blow a mix don't worry. Just press on and forget it.

Here, you can't do worse than this--
I popped the playing CD out of a CDJ-1000 --not good-- but I just slammed it back in and acted like nothing happened. The place was silent for 10 seconds. I had never even done that while practicing so I was pretty stunned to say the least. I felt like I wanted to walk off but instead I just said 'fuck it' to myself and moved on. When I got off every body congratulated me on a great set. Nobody remembered the error but me and when I brought it up people just thought the power cut out. The point is to do the best that you can and don't get caught up on the details and small error during your set. Or even the MASSIVE errors.

Keith

quote:

Originally posted by Freak It blew me away the first time too- it takes some adjusting to- as its vastly different. The first thing that you will have to adjust to is the sheer volume. The second is the delay. Everything is over enhanced too- for example, on a small home system, the volume difference between channels may not be noticable, but on a club system it will be very noticable. Same goes for the bass- have two channels open with full bass and it may well kick in the limiter on a club system. Use whichever method you feel comfortable with (that is supported by the mixer obviously) to mix. One of my clubs i cant use the monitors at all- they are woefully inadequate in comparison to the main system and the acoustics. Watch the dj before you- watch where he has the eqs set- it may be set up so the bass or mid has to be wound off slightly. If in doubt- always ask the light jock, they practically live at the club, so will know the system inside out. You can have the monitors loud- but the sheer spl and size of the main system may still make it confusing at first, but give it a few tracks and you will adjust. Decent loud headphones- essential! If they arent loud/reliable enough you are doomed from the start! Just remember- you are good enough to have been booked- so you can do it. Good luck!

what he said, plus as said, trust your headphones!! you, as the dj in the booth, are likely to hear an echo thatll make you think your mix is out, but if your headphones say its in TRUST them! Too many times ive gone with system over HP and its sounded crap!!!!

Its not as easy as it sound cos if, like me, your used to a decent monior set up at home you probs take your HP off once ur in a transition, which on a clubsound system will confuse you.

To practice i sugguest mixing in the headphones only, but with your system turned up F***ING loud!!!!

I hope that makes sense, too many beers

quote:

Originally posted by Keith Chambers I popped the playing CD out of a CDJ-1000 --not good-- but I just slammed it back in and acted like nothing happened. The place was silent for 10 seconds.

ive done that too!! blame the fucking sound engineer for taking the play lock off, thats what i did!! ID used CDJ1000s many times before but this time i was warming up for Judge Jules so understandbly a bit nervous and the silly fucking engineer had turned the CD lock off grrr made me look a right twat (admits some responsiblity tho )

/[thread hijack]

Show up like 1/2 hour early to just check out the scene listening to the previous DJ and check out the mixer you'll be using/equipment. Ask the previous Dj about the mixer if you have any questions. Just be confident in yourself and don't get too distracted by the ladies.

Well, not to say I'm an expert in this sorta stuff , my tops is 400 ppl in a pretty small club so good luck with your first gig

A few things you might encounter and what to do:

-A bigger place means there's somewhat of a delay between when the audio is played and the time it hits your ears through the system, and also that the base sounds are much fuller which will make everything fuzzier and the beatmatching harder - - - this is where a good monitor is going to come in handy, and some good isolation in your headphones. At any case, I would recommend knowing your tunes well so you can use 'Trebble' frequencies for your mixing instead of majorly relying on kick-matching.

-Big sound systems have more places to fuck up or be hindered.
Try to always be in touch with the outside world, even when inside your phones You want to verify that even though it sounds good in the phones, transferring it out sounds good too (I often find that special care must be put into making sure that the highs will not pain the ear)

-In general, it would do you wonders to keep in touch with your crowd. You want to see where the flow is and whether or not you are pleasing the majority. Also, contrary to what some might claim, I think a DJ is both a musician and a performer. Display warmth towards your crowd, show them you are here for them, display confidence but not arrogance (I tend to bow down to complimenting clubbers ).

With those being said, don't take it too seriously. You do not have to think two tracks or even one track ahead at each and every moment. As I've said, have the show is being fluent

Have a great time and good luck!

question about playing out on big systems...
everyoen says how loud the monitors are and how its hard to adjust...can't you just turn them down? Every mixer I've ever used has a monitor volume knob...?

quote:

Originally posted by zizack question about playing out on big systems... everyoen says how loud the monitors are and how its hard to adjust...can't you just turn them down? Every mixer I've ever used has a monitor volume knob...?

Most times I believe you can, though some systems have it solely in control of the soundman (As they don't want just any punk-ass DJ wannabe tampering with their precious equips ). Thing with monitors in big system is, sometime you have only 2 choices: Have it too loud or have it drowning in the background.

Only just realised I posted this thread twice - sorry!

Guys - many thanks for your kind wishes and great advice.'Speaker delay' is the thing I'm most worried about because once I start a mix, I generally take off my headphones and mix off the speakers or monitors. I think I'm going to have to get used to doing mixes in my headphones (which are HD25's so I think they'll be up to the task).

oDori - many thanks for your kind wishes and great advice. 'Speaker delay' is the thing I'm most worried about because once I start a mix, I generally take off my headphones and mix off the speakers or monitors. I think I'm going to have to get used to doing mixes in my headphones (which are HD25's so I think they'll be up to the task).

I'm told the monitoring is excellent at the club so hopefully this might counteract the whole speaker-delay thing?

From the good advice I've been given so far, it sounds as if I should do the following:

* turn the monitors right up to counteract speaker echo
* mix in headphones wherever possible to get a true feel for the mix
* don't panic! (easier said than done! )

quote:

Originally posted by FirstBorn Only just realised I posted this thread twice - sorry! oDori - many thanks for your kind wishes and great advice. 'Speaker delay' is the thing I'm most worried about because once I start a mix, I generally take off my headphones and mix off the speakers or monitors. I think I'm going to have to get used to doing mixes in my headphones (which are HD25's so I think they'll be up to the task). I'm told the monitoring is excellent at the club so hopefully this might counteract the whole speaker-delay thing? It sounds as if I should do the following: * turn the monitors right up to counteract speaker echo * mix in headphones wherever possible to get a true feel for the mix * don't panic! (easier said than done! )

Be respectful of the slot you are playing, if you are warming up don't play major stuff etc.

Don't be too worried about your mixing, focus more on your track selection as it has to be appropriate. A crowd will forgive a dodgy mix but wont respond to music that they are not ready for or don't want to hear.

DONT have drinks before hand to calm the nerves as you may find you calm them to the point where you are slaughtered... and that never works.

Take it as a learning experience. If the monitoring is good in the club then the system on the floor shouldn't be a problem, with any luck the system will be designed to help the DJ.

If you are going to interact with the crowd, try and find the core elements on the dancefloor. See which groups are your energy creators and see if you can play to them.

Above all, enjoy it and ignore any DJs in crowd as they will always try and pretend they could have done it better even though the only people they play for are their cat and mum.

Cheers
Nem

quote:

Originally posted by Nemesis44 If you are going to interact with the crowd, try and find the core elements on the dancefloor. See which groups are your energy creators and see if you can play to them.

This is such a good point. To expand on it a bit further, if you can keep those "energy creators" involved and dancing to a set, it'll tend to keep other people in the club interested in dancing. Similarily, if you see people start to wander, chances are that others will tend to follow them off the floor.

quote:

Originally posted by FirstBorn Only just realised I posted this thread twice - sorry! Guys - many thanks for your kind wishes and great advice.'Speaker delay' is the thing I'm most worried about because once I start a mix, I generally take off my headphones and mix off the speakers or monitors. I think I'm going to have to get used to doing mixes in my headphones (which are HD25's so I think they'll be up to the task). I'm told the monitoring is excellent at the club so hopefully this might counteract the whole speaker-delay thing? From the good advice I've been given so far, it sounds as if I should do the following: * turn the monitors right up to counteract speaker echo * mix in headphones wherever possible to get a true feel for the mix * don't panic! (easier said than done! )

So long as you have a decent monitor, I would mostly suggest ignoring what you're hearing from the rest of the club, as it can be deceiving. Generally speaking you should trust things in the following order:

- what you hear on your headphones
- what you hear on your monitors
- what your overall experience tells you should sound good
- what you are hearing from the club's PA system

Re: Playing on a club system for the first time

quote:

Originally posted by FirstBorn I've been DJing for about 2 years and playing out for about six months or so. All the gigs I've had so far have either been at house parties or in bars where the sound system has been relatively small. However, I've just been booked for my first club gig - I've been given a peak-time slot, in front of up to 800 people. To say I'm a bit nervous is something of an understatement. The bit I'm most worried about is the transition from the small systems that I've been used to, to a huge club set-up. Can anyone give me any advice on how to handle this transition and what to expect? Thanks!

first off... congrats.

while i dont have any good advices to give like other more experienced TAs here... i do want to tell you to enjoy your time and take it easy.

hey, you better post after that first gig! i would love to hear how it went.

why should you expect a delay in sound ? if you got a pair of good monitors near your ears you're fine.

quote:

Originally posted by postman why should you expect a delay in sound ? if you got a pair of good monitors near your ears you're fine.

Monitors are often inadequate.
The sheer volume and spl of the main system can often overpower them too or l;ead to mudiness

Re: Re: Playing on a club system for the first time

quote:

Originally posted by subtledreamer first off... congrats. while i dont have any good advices to give like other more experienced TAs here... i do want to tell you to enjoy your time and take it easy. hey, you better post after that first gig! i would love to hear how it went.

That's really kind - thank you very much! I posted this thread to get some good advice, which I've definitely got, but it's really cool how so many people have wished me good luck. Thanks to all of you!

I'll post after the gig... but you're in for a bit of a wait - it isn't until mid-August! It's a monthly night so fortunately/unfortunately I've got plenty of time to practice/worry about things (delete according to how I'm feeling on any given day).

quote:

Originally posted by wiregen 1. Rely on your headphones. The club I dj at the monitors are TERRIBLE and the bass response is so bad (almost a second delay) so if you try to match the beats you will be thrown off by the sound system. Presuming ur venue is like my club...we get about 1300 people during my playtime. 2. Pratice mixing in ur headphones, or also try cranking your home system to emulate a club enviorment :P

great advise, unless the setup is fabulous you are gonna be hit with the booth/system delay

drink a can of redbull. tastes like shit but it keeps your concentration high. also be careful with the gains.. on large systems its always a lot more noticable if you get it too loud, and people like their ears

other than that, i think all i was going to say has been covered!

good luck

Is it really neccesary when doing the warm up set to play such totally annoying shit?
I have only been in a club once where the warm up set was actually worth staying on the floor through the whole thing.
How is one gonna get hired again if you have to play stuff no one wants to listen to? I know the mainliners have to look good.

i'm a total noob btw.

quote:

Originally posted by Gunyouken Is it really neccesary when doing the warm up set to play such totally annoying shit? I have only been in a club once where the warm up set was actually worth staying on the floor through the whole thing. How is one gonna get hired again if you have to play stuff no one wants to listen to? I know the mainliners have to look good. i'm a total noob btw.

see: the difference between good dj's and bad dj's

i have seen many warm-up sets which have been fantastic. the point of a warm-up set is not to go mental, but to have some good music that gets people in the mood for the nights procedings. if you can't do that as a warm-up dj then you shouldn't be warming up.

I have my first club gig coming up, and I'm getting a little paranoid about the transition from split/cue beatmatching to one ear beathmatching. I've been spinning for over a year, and can solidly beatmatch using the split cue function. I've fucked around every once in awhile with one ear on, one ear off, and have had some trouble getting perfect beatmatches..granted its been in my bedroom on weak speakers. When i get in the club, is it gonna be impossible to make the transition if it requires it? i mean, I'm assuming the monitors will be consirably louder than my bedroom's? Something to worry about, or is it a pretty easy transition?

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