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structure of a demo
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| JRB |
Well, soon I'm gonna create a demo mix to try to get some play at clubs(I doubt heresay from house partys is gonna do it). so I was wondering if there should be some kind of structure to it. should it gradually build to a peak and bring you back down, or should it come right out of the gate with full intensity? should I avoid popular songs that might have been heard before, however great they may be? any advice would be appreceated.
oh, and any recomended programs for recording on a mac. |
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| EPoC |
best to record a demo as if you were playing at a club/rave/party because that way the demo accurately reflects how/what you would play if booked/hired.
each DJ has their own style,
example: Mauro Picotto doesn't fk around, he comes out and plays the most hard evil italian tekno/hard trance/noise you've ever heard from start to finish
this won't work for everyone though :) my only suggestion would be to practice your demo mix before you record to make sure it flows nicely, plan out what tracks to play, etc and ALWAYS have at least 2 copies of your demo cd on you at all times, whether you're at the grocery store, or biking in the park, or on the subway, etc. you never know when you'll meet someone who will enjoy it (and hopefully tell their friends). I did this when starting out, and recently had an email from a fan in singapore who found a demo CD of mind and loved it.. funny thing is that i never recorded that mix on CD, it was a demo tape from years ago, someone else burned it onto a CD, and sent it to a friend in singapore who burned it and put it on the net and passed it to friends.
Sure, i'll probably never play a party in Singapore, but it's something neat to think about :)
-=:EPoC:=- |
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| Nemesis44 |
Make it as good as you can in terms of your mixes so that in the end the only thing they could say is that they don't like the music. Some people may love it, others may hate it... just make sure it's not your ability that's being questioned.
This point does cause some discussion on these forums from time to time but I honestly think that if you make your technique as good as you can then you will do ok. Some people think that if you practice it you are cheating the promoter but that is not entirely correct, as most promoters expect you to make it as good as you possibly can. And if you don't practice and just do it and make one or two mistakes they will think that's your best shot and perhaps not take you as seriosly.
Don't forget, night club promoters aren't looking for you to headline when they listen to your stuff but they do want to hear what you are capable of in terms of development and how you can help the night get going.
If you want a gig dont' forget to network first as it's real important as to who actually gets your CD. But as Epoc said do have them handy as you never know who you will meet are where you will be.
Cheers
Nem |
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| basd |
In addition to what Nem said, try and keep your demo a bit warm-up oriented, because when you'll get a gig, it'll most probably be a warm-up one. Don't just blast away all your peak-time tunes, definitely put something of a build-up in it..
(said the man who never sent out any demo so far :) )
Well, I just like to think about this type of things, they are interesting :) |
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| Nemesis44 |
| quote: | Originally posted by basd
In addition to what Nem said, try and keep your demo a bit warm-up oriented, because when you'll get a gig, it'll most probably be a warm-up one. Don't just blast away all your peak-time tunes, definitely put something of a build-up in it..
(said the man who never sent out any demo so far :) )
Well, I just like to think about this type of things, they are interesting :) |
Good point actually. :)
Nem |
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| Special_K |
Ok....if you want to get gigs its not going to be from your demo. If you dont know promoters then you aint going to get gigs. Get out to all the big nights, make a point of running into the promoters. Once you've been around in the club/rave scene for a couple years you start getting to know everyone.
Demo are great for promoting yourself on the net and getting your name around but really there aint anything on the cd that 100 other dj's with those records cant do. think about it from a promoter stand point, lets say you get 3 kickass demo cd's 2 are from people you have never met the 3rd is from someone you partied with back in the day.....who are you ganna give the gig to? |
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| Spin Doctor |
I disagree with the warm-up points Nemesis/basd put.
While I’m in no way advocating that you should fill it with wall to wall anthems or go at it full tilt from start to finish, you have to remember that club promoters get bogged down with mix tapes and CD’s, and really don’t put all that much effort into listening to them. I expect that a large proportion only get a quick listen to the first 20 minutes, if at all. Knowing that, you want something that instantly grabs the listener’s attention and begs them to go the duration of your mix. Thus, a mix that starts of at a relatively high peak, brings down the energy level in the middle then builds it back up for then end, I think, is the best policy.
Good luck with your Promo JRB. :) |
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| basd |
Ok, I shall put my point a little more detailed..
I think there is a big difference between 30 minute demos and 'full length' demos.. When you only have 30 minutes, there's no real time for a big build up in tracks, you should get started right away and mix quite fast. However, when you have a full CD length demo, there's more time for building up, and I think you should make use of this and NOT just start banging away.. See what I mean?
I agree most promoters for bigger vanues will not pay too much attention to demos, and you should therefore grab their attention as soon as possible.. But why do that with peak time tracks when you know everybody spins them anyway? That won't make your mix stand out either.. For the places I'll send my demo first when I get the time (do not have that at the moment), I'm sure they WILL give it full attention, just because I know they do that with all demos they get..
And yes, most of the gigs are given to people that know promoters personally. But hey, this was about making a demo CD, and I just thought I'd give my humble opinion on it :) |
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| Nemesis44 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Spin Doctor
I disagree with the warm-up points Nemesis/basd put.
While I’m in no way advocating that you should fill it with wall to wall anthems or go at it full tilt from start to finish, you have to remember that club promoters get bogged down with mix tapes and CD’s, and really don’t put all that much effort into listening to them. I expect that a large proportion only get a quick listen to the first 20 minutes, if at all. Knowing that, you want something that instantly grabs the listener’s attention and begs them to go the duration of your mix. Thus, a mix that starts of at a relatively high peak, brings down the energy level in the middle then builds it back up for then end, I think, is the best policy.
Good luck with your Promo JRB. :) |
Actually you do make a valid point especially if we are talking in the old days when everything was cassette orientated.
Another thing I would say is don't do any less than an hour. Try and use the full space on the medium and above all else give the promoter the option of skipping through it so they can hear your transitions and what music you play i.e. make a cue file.
Promoters like to see two things.
One, what you are like technically.
And two, what your flow is like. Do you know how to program a set properly and so on.
If you are a good enough DJ you should be able to get a listners attention by what you do in the first mix. After that build and build, if you do that well they should keep listening. A promoter is looking for someone who can build energy not someone who can whack out stompers (as anyone can do that).
And as stated try and put something new into your mix that not everyone else is playing.
If you produce yourself put something of your own in at a relevant spot (providing it's good enough) and make some noise about that too. Prove to them that you are multi-skilled.
I still must emphasise "NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK"! It is actually probably the only way you will get anywhere.
Cheers
Nem |
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| jesten |
| quote: | Originally posted by Special_K
Ok....if you want to get gigs its not going to be from your demo. If you dont know promoters then you aint going to get gigs. Get out to all the big nights, make a point of running into the promoters. Once you've been around in the club/rave scene for a couple years you start getting to know everyone.
Demo are great for promoting yourself on the net and getting your name around but really there aint anything on the cd that 100 other dj's with those records cant do. think about it from a promoter stand point, lets say you get 3 kickass demo cd's 2 are from people you have never met the 3rd is from someone you partied with back in the day.....who are you ganna give the gig to? |
He is right. I would say its all about who you know not how good you are. |
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| chesco |
if there is one thing i've leart in my 1 and a half unsuccessful years of trying to make a demo cd its not to try any fancey tricks and cos it comes across terrible on the recording.
straighforward mixing is the way to go. also pick tunes that are easy to mix but still good. |
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| Nemesis44 |
Ok... one more time... ;)
| quote: | Originally posted by Nemesis44
I still must emphasise "NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK"! It is actually probably the only way you will get anywhere.
Cheers
Nem |
Otherwise the chances are that no one will even pay attention to your demo. Most of the time the barstaff steal it anyways. Actually get to know who runs the night and find out where they are looking to take their club night, and then create a demo according to what you know of them.
Chesco also makes a good point. Only do what you know you are good at and what works for you.
Cheers
Nem |
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