Got my first gig. Got some questions...

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-- Got my first gig. Got some questions...

Posted by Magnus on Jul-09-2002 15:31:

Got my first gig. Got some questions...

Well it happened long before I ever expected it to but I got my first gig spinning at a trance night this club has on Tuesday nights. It just so happens to be my birthday which is kind of cool too. I'm very nervous because up until now, I've only ever spun for friends at small after parties and things like that. Something I was thinking about that I'm sure many of you can answer is about the sound system. What should I expect going from spinning with a small home speaker system to spinning from decks I've never spun on over a giant loud speaker system? Will beatmatching be a lot harder because of the noise level? Will I still be able to hear the incoming track well enough over my headphones? I've always wondered about that but I guess I'll find out. Finally, I have only used a couple different mixers before. Is there anything I should watch out for on the club's mixer since I have no idea what kind it is? Thanks for any tips or advice!

Posted by oDrori on Jul-09-2002 16:00:

First of all, most chances are you will get Techs to play on which is, ehm, not bad
If the club owner is a dick he will give you some belt driven shit but that will only force you to do the right thing for a first timer: Don't do virtuose stuff etc. stay on the safe side till you'll have a good name and no one will be able to kick you out of there.

Umzz... Sound system, you will probably notice that the Bass EQ has more of an impact on larger speakers, I suggest trying the EQ on the warmup, and especially since you're gonna spin Trance, try it on the parts where there is beat, but not a lot of buildup or tension (Messing the EQ could screw up the drive and feel as you know), also, the place's high frequency preset probably is too high. In case you are the first one spinning, be there an hour before the party starts to check on the sound system. Choose a track that symbolizes your style, play it then check out if the high is too high etc.

Whatever happens, don't get nervous, pissed, or bummed, it's yer birthday!

Posted by mute79 on Jul-09-2002 16:30:

yep, also i'd suggest starting out with tracks that are really easy to mix and are long... remember, the crowd doesnt time the tracks, so feel free to play 10 minute long tracks at the beginning... once you get through those first 2-3 tracks, you'll see its all super easy and you'll go mental... like he said, it's yr bday! happy bday!!

Posted by Devbert on Jul-09-2002 20:13:

no pressure man ..... you will only be boo-ed and beaten to death on your birthday.

Posted by HyPeRSoNiC on Jul-09-2002 23:05:

yes, and I'd like to add..... picture the crowd naked.... lol j/k....

act as if it's one of those small gigs you're doing for your fiends...........
just that you got ALOT of friends....

relax! you'll do fine!!!!!
oh, and happy b-day!!!!

Posted by XxClayxX on Jul-09-2002 23:49:

Have a bunch of your friends go to the club. Have them start saying how good the DJ is. Eventually people will start going along with them. The whole club will be saying how good you are.

Just an idea??

Im sure youll do fine anyway man. Good Luck

Posted by Magnus on Jul-10-2002 01:13:

Thanks everyone for your advice and kind words! I'll do my best!!

Posted by jdat on Jul-10-2002 01:30:

destroy it!

I hope you destroy their asses and make them shit in their pants!

and overall get there before to check out the sound system ! that's vital! do what was said a little higher up in the thread spinninf a couple favs.....

you'll rule the place if you keep calm and don't stress out ! that's the key!

and don't be scared to show a little bit of "grooviness" by dancing , holding a vinyl up high, giving a couple thumbs up to mad dancers,et etc welcome to star life ! hahahaha
you really have to get in touch with the crowd, you don't have to be a star for that to happen , well you won't have fans , but It'll show some type of connection, cause no matter what dj is spinning people always have a form of interest in the dj and if he gaves them direct feedback, the rest is butter!

Posted by MERiDiAN5i2 on Jul-10-2002 20:25:

Posted by Sinonick on Jul-11-2002 02:35:

i'm a newbie myself too, my heartbeat goes crazy everytime i spin.
we all know how that feels like.

good luck buddy and don't forget to be there a few time earlier...

Posted by d0odx on Jul-11-2002 03:59:

quote:
Originally posted by XxClayxX
Have a bunch of your friends go to the club. Have them start saying how good the DJ is. Eventually people will start going along with them. The whole club will be saying how good you are.

Just an idea??

Im sure youll do fine anyway man. Good Luck

hey thats a great idea....social proofing works really well, especially with girls.
You could also have ur girlfriends go and flirt with you so that other club bunnies know whats up =)

Posted by sharon on Jul-11-2002 12:40:

I cant give you any advice because i have never played at a club before. but i can imagen how excited you are and i just want to wish you luck. you will have a great time, can you imagen the high you must have after finishing a set infront of a bigger crowd then at a houseparty? have fun....you will for sure...

Posted by mute79 on Jul-11-2002 13:37:

ah yeah
club bunnies
*drooooooooooooooooooooooooools*

Posted by Scottaculous on Jul-11-2002 15:10:

Hey there, good luck with your gig. Here's a few tips I've noticed spinning in clubs and raves:

1. Volume - Know what's the maximum volume you should be blasting. To set a fixed limit, I always have my channel volumes at maximum and then adjust the master volume to the loudest you want to play. Then tape down the master volume and play with the channel volumes.
2. Monitors - Ideally you want to be able to adjust the monitor volume to drown out the excess noise (crowd, sound reverberation, echos). One time I had to spin a 2 hour set without any monitors in a closed, low ceiling venue. It was a pain fighting the echos. To your advantage is the really loud subwoofers. You can literally feel the beat (Darude sucks!). Eventually, you will learn to check your beatmatching anyway available (channel lights, headphones, 1/2 headphones 1/2 monitor, headphones + feeling beat) because in an environment where anything can go wrong you need to be ready.
3. Bass - A big plus in clubs with many subwoofers is the nice round warm bass. Your beatmatching can be slightly off and it'll still sound nice to the crowd. Just be patient and keep monitoring with your headphones and monitor because you'll hear the misbeat before the crowd does.

Posted by Scottaculous on Jul-11-2002 15:18:

Oh yeah, always make time for club bunnies. Something I like to do is beatmatch two tunes perfectly, and then let the bunny slowly crossfade it in. They'll thank you for it. ;-)