DJ'ing

[Thunderbroom]

I got a call an hour or so from a guy that we're gonna do a private party for in a couple of weeks. It's for his excavating company. We're gonna play from 8:00p - 11:30p and then a DJ will take over for the rest of the evening (not sure how long...maybe 2am or so).

 

He was asking me if anyone in the band DJ'd. He's thinking that it would be a smoother transition if someone used the PA to DJ. This got me to thinking that maybe I could do it. The problem is that I never have. I'm not sure what gear I would need. Since I've got a laptop, I would think I could just run tunes all night. I'm sure there's more to it than that. The other thing is that I'm sorely lacking on "hip" music. I'm sure if the price was right, I could buy some tunes online to get me through the evening.

 

So, what's the scoop? Is this doable by a novice? What kinda hourly rate do DJ's make?

[Renfield]

 

So, what's the scoop? Is this doable by a novice? What kinda hourly rate do DJ's make?

 

 

Yes, it really is. DJ'ing is one of those things that kill me. Dip{censored}s with ZERO understanding of what is good or not (no offense), charging a stupid amount of money to hit play on an mp3 player and looking busy the rest of the time.

 

DJ'ing used to be this exclusive thing involving lots of gear and ability, nowadays, it's such a scam in most situations.

 

In other words, go for it.

[Senator]

Blast some Chuck Berry.

[Thunderbroom]

I swear I remember someone mentioning some free software (maybe it was a plugin for Winamp or WMP) that seamlessly mixed songs into each other.

[dravenzouk]

I've done a bit of the DJ/whore thing. Yes, there are a lot of know-nothing jerks out there doing it, but they usually don't last very long. Just getting by and having sound come out of speakers isn't very hard to do it's true, but honestly, doing it well is actually harder work than most "real" musician's think. It's easy as hell for any idiot to just plug in some speakers/amps and spin some cd's calling themselves a DJ, but it's much tougher to actually be any good at it. You might find it trickier than you'd expect.

 

That said, it's still easier than playing live music - by a long shot. Especially if you already have a good working knowledge of sound gear/equipment.

 

One (very sad) thing is true - DJ's make WAY more money than musicians do for a lot less work. Most bars/clubs pay DJ's the same as full bands, and very often they pay more. And that DJ doesn't have to split it four or five ways, doesn't have to deal with feedback in monitors, doesn't have to deal with anywhere near the same amount of gear, doesn't have to babysit primadonna guitards and singers, doesn't have to deal with bandmates getting drunk, etc.

 

If you decide against being the DJ yourself, DO NOT let whoever else they bring in just use your PA. Especially if the "DJ" in question is one of the idiot types who really doesn't know what the hell they're doing. These guys are infamous for blowing drivers, clipping every component in the audio chain, and generally making a mess of things. Make them haul/setup/run/ruin their own gear.

 

I say go for it. I bet you do really well. Just don't go into it thinking it's a complete cakewalk - plan ahead, have lots of music on hand that folks will be requesting, and try to look like you're enjoying Kid Rock's lousy new song as much as everyone else is and you'll do fine. Another tip is to be prepared to push A LOT more bass out of your system than you would for a live band (a LOT more). Good luck.

 

 

by the who, you might want to browse around www.djchat.com for a bunch of good info and a pretty decent online community of DJ types.

[Renfield]

One (very sad) thing is true - DJ's make WAY more money than musicians do for a lot less work.

 

This was effectively my point. Even the bad ones can/do.

 

I've done it in the past at a club, I'd do it as a casual PT gig on the side if I had the vehicle for it.

 

Some great advice though.

[Zebra]

My exposure to DJ'ing comes from a few friends who have had experience DJ'ing and know some real DJs and can easily discern novice DJs from experts. Plus, my school has DJ club that is mostly comprised of {censored}ty DJs. So from experience, I can say that bad DJ'ing can be seriously bad.

 

There are programs available where you can just plug in songs and have it do all the work, but it doesn't make a DJ. People who know something about DJ'ing will spot it easily. For just playing popular songs for a party, something like that program (can't remember the name) will do fine. Actual DJs aren't to be dismissed though. People can't just jump in and do what they do.

[Zon5string]

Blast some BuckCherry.

 

Fixed.

[gspointer]

FWIW, I would not let a DJ touch my rig without some serious supervision.

Do it yourself +1

Let a DJ touch my rig? never.

[burdizzos]

DJing and MCing is actually a lot harder than most people think. Sure, you can half ass it and just spin tunes, but the difference between a guy with an mp3 player and a DJ/MC is significant.

 

I'm sure T-broom will be quite good at it since I'm certain his public speaking skills are great, given his profession. Plus, he has a very good demeanor.

 

I'm pretty good at it because I've got a good radio voice and I'm great at talking to people.

 

I've seen guys who think they are good at it or grossly underestimated how hard it is try to do it and fail miserably.

 

Anyone can play the Electric Slide twenty minutes into a wedding reception, but it takes talent to get the entire wedding party out there doing it.

[sludgebass69]

As long as you can talk up the crowd (and I think you could) you'll be fine, plus by not starting dj'ing till after 11 most of the people should be half in the bag already.

 

Go for it!

[Thunderbroom]

plus by not starting dj'ing till after 11 most of the people should be half in the bag already.

 

This is actually what I was thinking!

 

I found the plugin that I was looking for:

http://www.winamp.com/plugins/details/175

 

It's actually a crossfader but seems to work pretty well!

[ThudMaker]

Anything disco has always worked well for me. KC and the Sunshine Band, Kool & the Gang, Donna Summer. Fun stuff. YMCA. Throw in a litttle AC/DC and some other 80's tunes. There are some line dances. Chicks dig that stuff. Macarena, Casper Cha Cha Slide, Cotton-Eyed Joe (RedNex), Hot, Hot, Hot (Buster Poindexter) makes a good conga line at a wedding. A corporate party might be different with that one, but those are some tunes/bands that work really well. No Parking on the Dance Floor is a good one if you need to take a pee break.

[kurfu]

I DJ'd between 2002 and 2005 using a program call AtomixMP3:

 

http://www.virtualdj.com/products/atomixmp3.html

 

I had a few thousand songs on my laptop and got all my new music through a monthly subscription service for DJ's. While I made really good money, I wound up hating it because I would have been playing in a band... which I have now been doing for the past three years.

[basste]

grab some 80's compilation, and disco/funk things and you will blast !

Add some recent tunes than can make dance the same way.

Well, you will not be a real DJ cause mixing is a kind of art. Just be aware of bpm: try to smooth bmp changes, not change the beat too harsh every tune and you can do a good job.

[illidian]

If you will have an internet connection: Songza and/or Pandora could save you from having to admit you can't play a recommendation. Both have loads of tunes.

[SteveyDevey]

People usually have the perception that DJing is ridiculously easy. It certainly can be, but as with a lot of musical endeavors, you can get away with the bare minimum, or you can put effort into it to try to be something more than a human jukebox.

 

Saying that anyone can push play on a CD player and be a DJ is akin to saying that anyone who plays guitar can automatically play bass. Sure, they can probably get the gist of it, but the real art is lost without understanding the point of all of it.

 

And that analogy holds true when you look at it from the point of view of an audience member. I know a lot of terrible DJs, that most people wouldn't see for as bad as they really are. It takes some understanding of the "craft" to really see through the fakes or to spot talent.

 

Luckily, most audiences don't really care at all how good of a DJ you are, as long as they hear some songs they like, and you don't make any huge mistakes. Getting a plugin for winamp would suffice, but wouldn't make you a DJ. You could easily fake it and get the same real result as a "real" DJ though, so go for it!

[Cpt. Spliff]

I think we talked a bit about this when you posted the YFC appetizer.

It's not a left hand job to be a good DJ. You got to think one, two or three songs ahead. It's important to keep a certain mood or change it gradually. Listen to how a song starts and ends. You can change the mood doing that. Some songs you will find in club editions. They have endless intros and outros used for that seamless change. A good point is to release the next record at a certain breakpoint, where it will keep the groove going. For this both key and BPM plays a major role. You have to know the songs you are playing and pay attention to the audience. Are they into sweaty dancing or rubbing bodies at any given time. Remember it's their party, not yours.

And, please, don't blabber too much.

 

+1 to Dravenzouk.