I am going to make my dj mix cd real soon, and I don't know what to pick for the first song. Should I play something with strong beats at first? Or should I play a cue file? What are some good cue files? What kind of cue songs does PVD, Ferry Corsten, and other DJs play?

Steve

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First thing to learn
Never copy other DJs style
Be original, create your own style, start off with a nice track that has an intro and then a beat erruption.
Build your set with a certain flow, for example dont play a Tiesto track followed by a Scot Project track.
Choose a cartain style for your set
never start with Epic Trance and finish with Hardstyle
Try to maintain a defined style for your mix, use tracks that fit in well considering bass and melody styles.
Good Luck.

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i'm assuming that you mean something for like a club audition or something like that right? anyway, like scorhio said you gotta have your own style. don't just listen to a dj's set and then mimic it and say here ya go this is me. i would suggest putting songs that you like on the cd and basically think about what you would want to play if you played at the clubs. if you give them something different then what you would want to play then you won't be at the club very long. also, mix tapes are usually short so think about that as well.

i spend a lot of time picking out my first track

what i look for in a first track is a track that is going to make people want to listen to the rest of the mix

i like the "wow" factor...a track that is going to make people smile and say OMG OMG THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME

I agree with liquid to a point. There are several types of mixes that you can make. Two I'll talk about are a progressive mix and a high energy mix.

First, If you are making your first demo for clubs etc. Then you may want to make both a slow and high energy set. This is because they don't want you to play your banging tunes when they test you out and let you spin from 9-11 when no one is there. Or they may not want you playing during peak times if your set is too slow. So give them two demos to listen to!

I start progressive (slow then build up the energy) sets with a good track that doesn't start out with just a plain bass beat. Or if it does, then try to cut some of the plain beats in the begining. You want a song that is for the begining, not for mixing. In the past, I've used Chicane-autumn tactics, CJ stone-shining star and Nature - free your mind. All of these tracks have a short bass beat intro and then quickly get to some type of other instruments.

For high energy sets, I would also have a short bass beat intro but then the song has to explode pretty quickly. One of my favorite tracks that does this is Peter Lutz vs G-bric - Pacific wish (fioccio mix). It has an long (about a minute) intro, but then the waiting is over and the set explodes and never lets down. This is a great track to use when mixing in from other djs. You have the short bass beat intro and pause to let the crowd the djs have changed, and then BOOM your set it well on its way and all of the people are dancing like mad!

Well first off, I just wanted to make a DJ mix demo cd so I could listen to it in my car or when I go for a run.......
I wasn't trying to copy PVD's or Ferry Corsten's style or anything. However I just wanted to make it professional. FIY I am not a DJ.......middle is David, and my last name Starts with a J.....Thats all.

Steve

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quote:

First thing to learn

Dont listen to this, you can mix whatever you want as long as it sounds good, dont stick to one style of trance, its a thing of the past dj's now mix a variety of styles into their set.

look at Armin Van Buuren he'll go from light floaty trance to progressive bak to trance and so on.

I do recommend you start with a musical intro without a beat.

to start off, i always like to start with a track that has an effective intro itself, and then has a huge bassline. you know, something that makes people take notice, and kinda makes a statement that says "dj x has arrived."
also, don't try to stick to one style. if it's something you like to listen to, and something that you are passionate about, play it. having a unique sound, to me, means playing shit that YOU are into. especially if you are making the mix to listen to yourself.

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quote:

Originally posted by DJ LIQUID i spend a lot of time picking out my first track what i look for in a first track is a track that is going to make people want to listen to the rest of the mix i like the "wow" factor...a track that is going to make people smile and say OMG OMG THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME

you stole the words right outta my mouth!

Yeah the first track and first mix are pretty critical in a demo. You want a first track that grabs whoever's attention. Keep in mind they listen to hundreds of demo's, so if it puts them to sleep or dosen't intrigue them, they might not listen for more than 10-15 minutes.

My advise would be pick something either "dreamy" or bangin. Delerium - Silence [sanctuary remix] is going to be the first track on my next mix (although it wont be a club demo or anything). It kind of starts off slow with a different beat. Either that or grab a track that just gets right into is really bangin no more than a minute or so into the track.

I also recommend mixing out of the first track rather quickly. Obviously use your judgement on this one, but if someone is listening on the premiss of evaluating you as a DJ, they want to hear you mix. If you let a song play for 8 minutes and go through 2 identical builds, it's not going to have the same effect as having it build and then mix right off into a new fresh track.

Just some ideas. Ultimatley, you need to feel it out and figure out the best way to represent yourself through a mix.

go soft to hard and start the set with a nice intro possibly with strings

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I heard alot of people now use Acid Pro 4.0 to make demo's instead of mixing them? I think it takes the fun out of actually working hard and being proud of what you've done...but it is easier to make one in 30 mins. than 15 trys