what separates a "pro" from an amateur?

i think a lot of the big names are overrated and have let their standards slip over the years.

sure they're masters of their game, but i would agree with you a lot of upcoming producers/djs are just as (if not more) talented.

could also be because your tastes change (or stayed the same), and the pros have changed their styles and you don't necessarily like it.

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Most Dj's are pro because of their production.

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Possibly because the amateur DJs will be more willing to be flexible in their sets, and hence play more unknown tracks that are still good.

big names play to big crowds, in a lot of different places, so they play a lower common denominator, and tunes you here a lot more often. Lesser know names, more variety

I agree. I've been listening to a lot of the lesser known DJ's lately, i.e. Greg Benz and Niklas Harding, who aren't quite superstar DJ's yet. Their sets are great though and I'm finding a lot of the superstar DJ's to have rather drab sets lately.

I relate "amateur" more to it being a hobby, or in other words, not your full-time job. But if you DJ for a living and it consumes a sizeable portion of your life (like full-time jobs DO), then hey, "professional" it is. Music's *subjective* anyway and there's a lot of other things that go into that package like marketing and presenting yourself as a hopefully friendly person who knows how to work the crowd and sign autographs (LOL) and get along with others in the long-term, but yeah . . .

I make little or no differentiation for skill between the two.

Just my lil' take on it

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A lot of times "amateur" mixes are better than pro because some of the so called "amateur" djs mix because they love doing it and not just for the money and fame.

quote:

Originally posted by Digital Rain A lot of times "amateur" mixes are better than pro because some of the so called "amateur" djs mix because they love doing it and not just for the money and fame.

Agree wholeheartedly -- some of the time, anyway because often there are other circumstances... Pros often find themselves in a situation where they are contractually obligated and downright pressured to be profitable, so in the crunch of time, they slap their name on projects or rush through stuff without much discretion.

But yeah, I agree... you gotta have the LOVE... the passion... the drive... like they say,

Hungriest dog gets the food!

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quote:

Originally posted by aspergian Agree wholeheartedly -- some of the time, anyway because often there are other circumstances... Pros often find themselves in a situation where they are contractually obligated and downright pressured to be profitable, so in the crunch of time, they slap their name on projects or rush through stuff without much discretion. But yeah, I agree... you gotta have the LOVE... the passion... the drive... like they say, Hungriest dog gets the food!

If you chose djing as your profession you will definitely have to follow more rules than somebody doing it as a hobby. I know djs that play nothing but commercial mtv style crap and cheese radio tunes simply because that's what the people want to hear in the clubs they work in. If they'll start playing something those people don't approve of and the owners of those clubs will notice empty floor and people leaving the club those djs will lose their jobs.

It's quite a bit easier to make a good set when you have a lot of time to plan it and rehearse the mixing like amateurs do. Meanwhile, "pro" DJ's mix multiple times per week. They don't have the time to plan out what they do, normally - and when they do, it's a great mix CD like Ahead 1, far better than most amateur attempts.

Yeah, good points. Not only "trance" is segregated but modern radio formats, and for sure, clubs have "hip-hop" nights that may focus on a certain type of that music, or I've seen "progressive trance" nights too... but when a DJ like James Holden or James Zabiela comes 'round to open things up again, that's a real breath of fresh air. Of course, some of what they do will eventually be worked into a derivative formula by others, but that's the way things go, and the music moves on.

Some people have a real knack for working under pressure though -- you know, as cool as computer step-time CJing (Computer Jockeying ) may be, the live and realtime performance aspect is a real artform, just like live performance of "traditional" musical instruments, and that's always going to be a constant. So a DJ who can do both is doubly blessed... I have great admiration for skillful live mixing, I recall Richie Hawtin -- a mixing machine, and this wasn't even one of his Final Scratch sets!!

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