Stevo985 Posted March 26, 2012 VT Supporter Posted March 26, 2012 Does anyone on here do any DJ-ing or done it in the past? ( i mean proper DJing, not playing records at a wedding) It's something I've always been interested in and thought I'd be decent at but never had any idea of how to go about doing it. I spent some time with my cousin over the weekend and he's started doing some on a casual basis (and even got a few jobs out of it) so I had a play around with his equipment, which wasn't anything too high end, and watched him do some and really enjoyed it so it's got me really interested. I've already got some software and I'm looking to pick up a Hercules Control (just an MP3 one for now) from ebay for about £70 Anyone experienced in this sort of thing and got any tips as to how to get started? I'm not looking to make it into a profession or anything, just a hobby on a casual basis.
Stevo985 Posted March 26, 2012 Author VT Supporter Posted March 26, 2012 Mostly 80's eurovision song contest entries.
Genie Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 Sounds like a plan Stevo, stick to the classics and you won't go far wrong.
Stevo985 Posted March 26, 2012 Author VT Supporter Posted March 26, 2012 Real answer, mostly house and electro
GarethRDR Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 At least beatmatching won't be an issue. EDIT: Damn it, beaten by the serious answer.
GarethRDR Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 *serious face* Practice. Simple as that, practice, practice, practice. As long as you've a good sense of rhythm and you know the songs you want to play well enough to know what goes well together and when to drop in and out of the mix then happy days.
Woodytom Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 Been djing 10 years. Started on vinyl and moved to CDs. About 2 years ago (after much convincing) I did the dirty and started using computer software, which if you want consistent gigs nowadays, is a must really in commercial bars/clubs. However, if your looking to do it on as a hobbie, I would buy some cd decks or vinyl (if your very brave) as it is much more fun and you get a much greater sense of satisfaction from doing a great mix. Again that depends on what music you are thinking of playing - as some genres are very difficult to mix on cds, never mind vinyl. If your in the Birmingham area, there is a very good DJ Academy that I went to at Uni about 6 or 7 years ago that they ran at Bar Risa. All standards welcome. I went as someone who knew what they were doing and they improved my mixing 10 fold. Quite pricey but well worth it. Might be worth looking into and I think they expanded to other towns. The Djs they use have broken world records for mixing and are well n truly top notch. What software have you got?
Stevo985 Posted March 26, 2012 Author VT Supporter Posted March 26, 2012 I've got Traktor pro (it's what my cousin had and I played around with so thought I'd stick with that) Might look into the DJ academy thing if I stay interested. My fear is I'll plow some money into it and then get bored. So my plan is to start on my own and get competent whilst not spending a fortune, and then if I do actually think I can improve and do it a little more seriously then I would look into investing some money and time into it. Thanks for the replies so far!
Woodytom Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 Sounds a plan..... Traktor pro's probably the best for you as the additional equipment can give you a feel for all other areas of mixing. Nice that your into House and Electro, TJR - Funky Vodka: get on it Good luck with it. I very much echo Gareth's practice - practice - practice. Let us know how it goes and if you get stuck, give us a shout.
Stevo985 Posted March 26, 2012 Author VT Supporter Posted March 26, 2012 nice one. I'll update this thread as I go!
GarethRDR Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 And make sure you give yourself an awesome DJ moniker. I cannot stress how important this is. I've always been a fan of "Jim'll Mix It" and "Hannibal Selectah" myself.
Voinjama Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 MC Donalds 2. Being a DJ, you will have all the girls after you.
dAVe80 Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 I've DJ'd a fair bit in my time. I used to do a night at my Student Union back in my youth. Over the years I've done all sorts of different nights and styles (Hip Hop, DnB, Indie, Soul, Reggae etc). Most recently I DJ'd in Leeds, at the end of last year, as a favour to my mate (sort of a coming out of retirement thing). I find if you are passionate about the music you are playing, and have a basic understanding of which records work well together, you'll be right. It's a massive buzz, when you get a room full of people dancing to your selections. As an added bonus, it's a fantastic way to meet women.
Stevo985 Posted March 26, 2012 Author VT Supporter Posted March 26, 2012 And make sure you give yourself an awesome DJ moniker. I cannot stress how important this is. I've always been a fan of "Jim'll Mix It" and "Hannibal Selectah" myself. Margaret Scratcher?
bickster Posted March 26, 2012 Moderator Posted March 26, 2012 And make sure you give yourself an awesome DJ moniker. I cannot stress how important this is. I've always been a fan of "Jim'll Mix It" and "Hannibal Selectah" myself. Margaret Scratcher? The Beat Snatcher. Used to do a lot of Djing back in the day, made a living out of it for years I still practice a bit in my spare time, in the bedroom and actually did come out of retirement like Dave last year to do a wedding for an old mate. I use Traktor Pro and a Numark Digital DJ Console because I prefer the hands on feel rather than doing it all through the software. With DJing, practice is important as well as the knowledge of what works together and what doesn't. To get started though you either need contacts and favours or go down the hard path of starting your own night somewhere and making a name for yourself that way but that involves an awful lot of work, with venues, promotion and finding time to practice. Getting the break also requires an awful lot of luck in getting to know the right people to further your career.
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