[DJ BIBLE] Tips For Playing Out.

[TieN]

unless you are rolling with a load of bodyguards and strapped then do what you like

[FSTZ]

learn the sound mans name and treat them with respect

they are your friend.

[deamonds]

learn the sound mans name and treat them with respect

they are your friend.

mmmm, yes AND no.

The sound guy we had at XOYO a few months back was a real pain in the arse, he kept telling me to change mic's because he couldnt monitor it as it was plugged into the system, so he kept coming over and fucking around with the monitor PA, like for fucking ages..

In the end when it did work it wasn’t coming out very well and was only coming out on one speaker, because he wanted to be able to ‘talk’ to us halfway through and tell us if we were redlining, in the end I grabbed the mic that was plugged in the mixer (which, may I add, I never fucking red-lined on ONCE) and told him to fuck off.

And at the end of the night when it was still vibezing, we were meant to roll through till 3 and he completely ignored the times and tried turning everything off at 2:30, needless to say I gave him even MORE abuse...ESPECIALLY when he tried to turn the fucking lights on!! What a speng..

But yea, that’s only one occurrence of somebody being OVER hands on, there is plenty of soundguys who just let you do your thing and prosper.

[B-Frank]

The one tip I haven't actually seen anyone mention yet:

Well its not so much as a tip, more of a warning.

PAY ATTENTION to whatever track you are lifting the needle up on/ejecting cd's or whatever. When your DJ'ing in the bedroom, your so comfortable and used to your surroundings, stopping the wrong deck never happens.. But when you are in the pressure cooker scenario of your first set. The last thing you want to do is stop the wrong tune, that would be worse than standing up on the stage, pulling your trousers down and everyone finding out you actually have a man-gina.

[legend4ry]

The one tip I haven't actually seen anyone mention yet:

Well its not so much as a tip, more of a warning.

PAY ATTENTION to whatever track you are lifting the needle up on/ejecting cd's or whatever. When your DJ'ing in the bedroom, your so comfortable and used to your surroundings, stopping the wrong deck never happens.. But when you are in the pressure cooker scenario of your first set. The last thing you want to do is stop the wrong tune, that would be worse than standing up on the stage, pulling your trousers down and everyone finding out you actually have a man-gina.

I done this quite recently and everyone thought I wheeled up the tune.

Good advice but I think stuff like this needs to happen to people to make them not do it again, its part of the learning curve of moving out of the bedroom into the club.

[AxeD]

Learn the tracks you'll play from start to finish. When you're playing at you'll probably mix a lot faster compared
to playing out so you need to know what's coming.
Also, don't mix to fast The majority of people at the venue don't know most of your tunes so if you think it's getting boring
it'll probably be good for another minute.

This from a techno/minimal perspective but I think it's the same with grime, dubstep, dnb whatever.

[legend4ry]

Tis a good tip for not mix out too fast...

Generally you can play 3/4's of a tune, the intro will be mixed in, maybe a bit of the drop blended .. so really people are only listening to 2-4 minutes of a track. If you're like me and play vinyl, I typically only take around 15-20 vinyl...You'll get through all those (not counting both sides) in an hour if you mix too fast, then you gotta go into the flip of releases which isn't always a good thing.

[JVMA]

Hey guys!

i really want to get into DJing and I seriously do not have the money to buy some CDJs and mixing software like serato... Just to get the idea of DJing I have virtual dj (embarrassing I know). this is only to get the idea of where u start bringing in the next track and where u wanna drop it. Other than that, I know its not doing me any good in terms of beatmatching, using a mixer and other techniques. Would you definitely not get booked if u use VDJ? And another question... did you all teach urself how to DJ or did you get lessons?

[djeze]

im getting a set of vinyl decks on saturday :O and before this iv only ever mixed using VDJ it's gonna be fucking difficult, no?

Don't worry about the difficulty. I started on vdj and switched to vinyl last year. Sure it sounded like shit when I first started, but you will imp[rove very rapidly.

[PERCEPT]

learn the sound mans name and treat them with respect

they are your friend.

When i played last week the sound bloke was a top bloke, but got pissed off if anyone abused his system. At the end of my set Syte plugged in a microphone to say cheers for coming and it's the end of the night, and i've never seen a sound man run so fast to get on stage to unplug it, literally stacked it on the stage face first to a round of applause

[frank grimes jr.]

Tis a good tip for not mix out too fast...

Generally you can play 3/4's of a tune, the intro will be mixed in, maybe a bit of the drop blended .. so really people are only listening to 2-4 minutes of a track. If you're like me and play vinyl, I typically only take around 15-20 vinyl...You'll get through all those (not counting both sides) in an hour if you mix too fast, then you gotta go into the flip of releases which isn't always a good thing.

I could bring out my entire collection, and I still feel as though I'm running out of tunes.
Slow down the pace!

[lukipuki]

guys, what program is good for starting mixing and getting the starting point right... cause i want to do that with slow steps from the start.
it would be great if someone could send me a PM with a few good programs for starting.

[Maklov]

What would you guys do if a promoter was being an asshole and wanted nothing to do with you?

[wizeguy]

if you are ever forced to mix on stantons do not accidentally lean on the 25+ pitch button (or worse the 50+)

[wizeguy]

What would you guys do if a promoter was being an asshole and wanted nothing to do with you?

bus a cap in his ass

[legend4ry]

What would you guys do if a promoter was being an asshole and wanted nothing to do with you?

Play and go home, be polite.

Just say thank you for the set and have a good night. Its unprofessional to get angry or act like a dick back...Even if he bitches about you behind your back after you left - you've been the bigger man by not going down to his petty, egotistical level.

Some promoters only put on nights to get a bit of a fame and glory - they act like rock stars towards those with lesser names and like groupies to those with a big name... At the end of the day - if they don't want your services or don't appreciate them then find someone else who does.

[neonriddims]

Bring earplugs!! Seems a bit obvious but you'd be surprised... also, good headphones to block out the noise from the crowd and speakers is essential. I used to play out with cheap headphones. And sometimes just couldn't hear my cue channel, which made mixing rather tricky

[Electric_Head]

The one tip I haven't actually seen anyone mention yet:

Well its not so much as a tip, more of a warning.

PAY ATTENTION to whatever track you are lifting the needle up on/ejecting cd's or whatever. When your DJ'ing in the bedroom, your so comfortable and used to your surroundings, stopping the wrong deck never happens.. But when you are in the pressure cooker scenario of your first set. The last thing you want to do is stop the wrong tune, that would be worse than standing up on the stage, pulling your trousers down and everyone finding out you actually have a man-gina.

Just make sure the next track is rockin and ready to roll.
If you do it right, you`ll keep the folks smiling regardless.
They`ll hear the new track drop and forget everything else.
You`ll hear about it afterwards but not from the std punter.

[jyro]

Don't get a gig if you'll be the odd DJ out. For instance, don't play a deep night if you're going to drop bangers for an hour - its supposed to be a job where you entertain people so if you're not playing to your kind of a audience, whats the point? Its going to damage your reputation.

I agree with this if there styles blatantly clash, but with that point in mind its also important to think outside the box and recognize new opportunities. There is alot of room for cross over and some of the best sets I have experienced were unexpected and unplanned. Maybe there are some nights that you would work well on, even though it may not be the most obvious.