well... i always just picks a record that pops up my mind, no particular tracklist done before i do a set.. thats how it works out best for me!

and i want call it cheating... ppl are just different, when it comes to habits and what they feel most comfortable about.. so i would say its a matter of temperament

If I'm making a CD that I want to add to my collection, I will plan it beforehand and use sequencing software. However, when I mix live I always pick tracks on the fly.

I rip all of my music into mp3s first so that I can jump through tracks at warp speed with winamp. This way I can compare the begining of one track with the end of another very quickly and easily. I do this to see if two tracks will mix well together.

So to answer your question, I usually prepick my tracks for sets that I plan on buring on cd and giving away as promos or whatever. I'll set up a new folder and dump a bunch of tracks into it that I think will make a good set, I spend some time narrowing down my selections to what will fit onto an 80 min cd, then pick good intro and ending tracks and try to order the rest into the middle to have my set build up energy in the most effective way possible.

From there I will mix and record those tracks in the order that I put them in and record the set. I'll listen to the set to hear how well the transitions are made, if the tracks really do mix well together etc. Then I'll usually end up switching out a couple tracks, or rearranging the order a little bit and then I'll rerecord the set once or twice more. I'll ususally have an acceptable recording by then.

During my practice sessions, I don't preplan my sets though, and I've come up with some killer sets. Some of that tracks selection is used in my planned sets, but basically I just try to prepair myself to mix any way possible, because you never know what you're going to face when mixing live.

I do try to preplan my live sets to a degree though. I think that I can send the crowd through a much better journey if I spend some time to think about what tracks I'll be mixing and in what order. When spinning high energy and uplifting trance, I have to consider what the crowd's needs are, that including when they will need breaks from dancing. I also consider that if a crowd is really excited to see a dj, then they want to listen to some good hard tracks right from the begining, so that's what I have to give them--for several tracks, but then they need a break, so I design my sets to have preplanned breaks in the music.

etc etc

These are a few of the thoughts that I try to think about when planning my sets and what I'm going to mix. I always try to find out as much info as possible about the event and so far, the most important thing is the timeslot! This will let you know if you are going to have a warmed up crowd or if you have to warm them up for other djs etc.

I could go on, but I think that I'm starting to ramble a bit

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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.

I use to do it for my first few gigs but now i just go with the flow,
alot of superstar djs do it as well. so dont be ashamed if u do it,it aint cheating either. i bet the big djs play the same set almost everytime when they do a tour of a country.

quote:

Originally posted by El~ZaPo If I'm making a CD that I want to add to my collection, I will plan it beforehand and use sequencing software. However, when I mix live I always pick tracks on the fly.

I'm the same way... once you mix certain records for awhile, you tend to know which ones work great together.

I use to plan ahead, it was more like a safty net. It's always nice to know that you can make that mix, becuase you pratice it before hand. But now I play according to the people. Try to fallow the flow.

quote:

Originally posted by El~ZaPo If I'm making a CD that I want to add to my collection, I will plan it beforehand and use sequencing software. However, when I mix live I always pick tracks on the fly.

Thats the same thing I do

well, i just take all the music i want to play with me... most cases i will not be able to play all of them.... but i find it better to have a idea of what you want to play.

I pre-compose my set only in special circumstances like the recording of a promo-mix where tracks selection and their order are very important. Usually i improvise my set also if i before start i have just a sort of idea of how make my set (Example start with progressive,then some of melodic-uplifting, and close with some hard-deep stuff). However during a set played in front of a crowd is much important to be able to read the crowd and choose the track to play of consequence. (Example if you are playing progressive stuff and crowd don't appreciate it's right try to change genre)
That's all folks...

I think pre-composing your set is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a dj. You should have an idea of which tracks you're gonna play but not in which order.
A good dj looks at his crowd, tries to figger out what they like the most, and adjusts if needed.

Well... I kinda agree with a few of the others above... you need to balance knowing your records really well and know what records flow well with each other. However, once you plan a whole set, you become limited and confined. Though putting two records that rock with a pre planned transition is a great way to pump up the crowd.

Its kinda like starting off a set from nothing. You have to have some idea of a good opening number and transition from it.... so isn't that pre planning a little.