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I know it is a bit late, but here is an old post of mine. If nothing else, it will help those who haven't been here very long or for your next time playing out!
Okay, here comes another one of my long-ass posts. I think that most people benefit from
them, so here it goes.
I'll try to step you through the process and highlight all of the points along the way.
So you are spinning at a party. What do you bring? Well, of course you bring your music,
but you also SHOULD bring headphones, slipmats, cartriges, and a flashlight--and any other
equipment that you want to use, unless you know for a fact that they will provide
equipment that is to your taste. Duct tape is also recommended and if you bring
electronics, then make sure you bring RCA cables, and extension cord etc. EVERYTHING that
you would need to hook it up to the mixer short of electricity! Also, bring earplugs
because if you are at the club for a while, you don't want your ears to start ringing
before you even have a chance to start mixing!
First off, I would definetly get there about an hour or so ahead of time. This will serve
a several purposes. First you can look at the equipment, and set any of your own up if
you need to. Second you can listen to the music that the dj before you is playing and can
better judge what tracks to lay down at the begining of your set. Also you can start to
read the crowd--this way you'll know how fast you can bring it up with your set, or if you
have to take it slower for a while etc. Third, you can trainspot. This is the term given
to a person who observes the dj to learn his/her technique. You can also try to calm your
nerves by being up on stage for a while first too.
So now you are at the party. If you have to plug in some of your own equipment, there is
a very specific way in which you have to do it so that you don't send pops and cracks
through the system! First off, you'll want to make sure that the channel that you are
plugging the RCA cable into is turned all the way down (volume-wise). Then plug it in to
your table/deck while the table/deck is off! Then you can turn your deck on. It doesn't
matter if it is plugged in or not when you attach it to the mixer, solong as it is off and
the channel volume is zero. If you are spinning in a club or at a rave, it is always a
good idea to let people know ahead of time that you will be bringing your own equipment
too.
So you are minutes away from spinning, what now? First off, you should have your first
tune picked out and how you are going to mix out of the previous dj's track. There are
many things to consider in this. First, what style is he playing? Does it match yours?
If it does, then what BPM is he spinning at, and is this suitable to you?
If his style is totally different, then chances are you won't have that 4/4 beat that you
are so used to. Spin it down (by turning the power off on the table--or if it's a cd,
know how to do this ahead of time!). If you can't spin it down, then kill the bass (in
phrase of course!) then lead your track in while you fade the other one out quickly. Two
styles that are really different usually don't sound very good when mixed together. Also
be aware of the BPM difference during this whole thing too. You can't throw down your
140BPM track when he is spinning 120. You may want to speed his track up to 130-135, or
within 5-10BPM of your target range. Then use your first track or two to bring it up to
where you want. Don't ever do this quickly, otherwise the crowd will freak. It is good
to have a track that has a long breakdown so that you can speed it up to where you want
during one of your own tracks at your own pace.
If the style and BPM are suitable, then mix your track it. I'd have several safety tracks
that you know very well with which to start off your set. Then you are home free right?
Wrong. There are still a bunch of things that you need to know and do. If it isn't a
mixer that you are familar with (one that YOU have PERSONALLY USED), then ask the previous
DJ to explain the mixer to you. This is common practice and curtousey for djs, so don't
be shy or embarassed about asking--the dj should offer it up by himself anyway. If
nothing else, ask or watch which channels are hooked up to which decks etc--but you should
have already picked this up from watching him in the first place.
So the last few things that you need to do before you start mixing is take your earplugs
out and get your headphones ready. Make sure you have a spare 1/8" to 1/4" jack somewhere
just incase! If you are using your own carts, then as soon as the dj makes his last
transition, he should be taking his carts off and you should put yours on. If he doesn't
start taking them off, then ask him if they are his or the clubs so that you can put yours
on quicker. Now remember, your going to have to wait till his track is completely over
before you can put your second cart on, so don't forget to do that right after your first
transition.
So now you are spinning and all is going good. The bass will be slightly hard to hear in
the headphones if you have HUGE monitors, but you should be able to work well enough with
it. You'll use the monitors a lot more in a club than you would in your bedroom--you
actually won't have a choice  Your headphones will most likely be cranked up with your
cue track, but the most important thing to remember is that you should set your desired
volume level at the begining and KEEP IT THERE! If you keep turning it up due to your
ears getting "used to" the loudness, then you will go deaf quite quickly and your djing
career will be very short. So make sure that it's not much more than you would use at
home, or more than you need to hear the bassline.
Next, you'll want to read the crowd a bit. Whenever you are spinning, it is vital that
you remember what timeslot you are playing. If you are the first dj in a club and you are
on at 9pm till 10:30, then you should not start playing banging tunes hopeing to attract
the three people in the club onto the dancefloor. You need to play a warmup set so that
when people do start arriving they aren't spanked by floor-killers! You need to gently
coerce people onto the floor. Play at a slower BPM 130-135 or so...then speed it up to
140 by the end of your set. This way you can play better tracks while still maintaining a
"warmup set" sound. If you are on later, 140-145 is good for most trance.
The key to picking which tracks will sound good for a warmup set is the amount of "stuff"
going on in the track. The less the better for warmups. This doesn't mean that you can't
play good tracks, it just means that you should respect the timeslot, the club owner and
the dancers, and most importantly, the other djs, by doing your job as a Dj. This is a
great time to go through those remixes that aren't the best on the record, but are still
good. You may find that you are playing tracks that are great for warmups--and the perk
is that the crowd probably hasn't heard that mix!
Anway, I know your topic was about the sound system, not track selection, so I will finish
up with this: For everything I just stated, remember that the dj after you may be in your
same position, so have the same curtousies for the next dj as the previous dj had/should
have had for you. Make sure you notify him when you have one more transition to go so
that he can prepare too. Take your carts off promptly and offer to give him a rundown of
the mixer just as you needed at the begining of your set.
Lastly, don't forget to thank the club owner etc and ask him what he thought of you. The
most important thing you can do for your career at this point is if he says that he
enjoyed your performance, then push on him to set up another potential date to spin.
Don't end the conversation with him saying, "I'll call you". End it with you saying,
"I'll call YOU!" Remember that the manager is going to be very busy--he is at work after
all Don't monopolize his time, but don't be too brief either!
Don't forget to enjoy yourself throughout this whole process too! That is the most
important part of this experience!
In regards to the previous post, that is correct that the louder the sound system, the
less noticable fuckups are, so this should give you reason to relax. Also, it is more
important for you to trim the bass more than you need to when recording in your bedroom.
You'll hear the bass volume increase considerable when the sound is amplified that loudly!
This is another reason that your monitors will be more important.
ANother important thing to remember is that you shouldn't play with the master volume at
all. The sound technitians set it at a certain level so as to not overload the system.
Play with the headspace (the red region of your channel VU meters) if you want more
volume!
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When you dance, the DJ takes you on a journey, but he or she is usually not the focus of your experience at a club or festival or wherever you hear the music. Dancing is. Music is.
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SONIC BOOM!
