DJ Masterminds

It amazes me when I go to parties and see dj's still with crates and books of cd's. We are now in the 21st century and the only reason why dj's still use cd's is that they have not updated their dj system. I do understand this as buying new equipment is not always affordable.

I actually have cd decks in my system just in case someone at a party wants me to play a cd. I also have learned how to burn a hundred mp3's on to one cd, as a backup. Digital DJ music systems can get quirky and freeze during a performance but this rarely happens. During the transition from CD's to digital media, I do still think it is important to own a cd player or have a cd deck in your digital system. I just don't see the need to bring crates of heavy music when a 30,000 song data base of songs can fit on a 1 pound external hard drive.

The Digital DJ – Using an iPOD

What to buy, what to buy? Now is the time to really think about how you would like to play your music; through an iPod, through a Laptop, or through a media player with a controller. A good dj will have an effective digital dj music system. By this, I mean the dj will need to be able to control 2 songs at the same time to either fade-cross mix or beat mix. iPods and Laptops will play music files through the "audio out", but this will leave the dj with only one channel of music making it impossible to crossfade or beat-mix, therefore being an ineffective dj

An iPod itself cannot split it's audio into 2 channels, but there are media players that you can plug an ipod into, like Numark's IDJ and IDJ2 which turns it into a music database. The music can then be loaded into separate tracks, A and B. These media players are not too expensive (between $300-$600), are decent quality, and can turn a person who just owns an ipod, into a person who now owns an ipod and DJ's!!!

The Digital DJ – Using a Laptop

I love laptops! I use Apple's Macbook which I think is the greatest computer ever made. PC's are pretty awesome too but they tend to have more glitches that can interfere with performances. I actually have a Macbook with dual processors, which means I have my Mac operating software and Windows when I need it. Why? Some software I utilize only works on a PC. When I get the Mac versions, I will be switching over.

Someone can DJ an entire wedding or club event on just a laptop connected to speakers, but how cools does it really look "spinning" with a mouse and a screen. Not Cool DJ's! Most dj software makes it easy to play songs and control the audio but programs like Virtual DJ, Traktor, and Serato Scratch provide the best cross-fading and beat-mixing visual and audio technology. Without any DJ'ing experience whatsoever, a person can look and sound like a pro just by hitting a button on the track called "SYNC".

This "SYNC" button will match beats automatically and then allows you to seamlessly fade the other track in. However, there are possibilities of even doing this wrong. If the BPM (beats-per-minute) range is too wide, the song may not sound correct when fading in. For example, a song with a 130 bpm cannot be properly beatmixed to a song at 100 bpm, it just wouldn't sound right.

The Digital DJ using a Media Controller

I actually have an iPod that if I need I connect to a mixing board with a 1/8" to 1/4" cable, A Laptop to play background music and other necessary songs, and I use my Media Controller with external usb to do my beat-mixing. I use a Denon 2500 and I love it! It's not the most expensive controller on the market like Pioneer's MEP7000 but it does great for me. It has the 2 sides with scratch wheels, pitch controls, and all the usual dj stuff that dj's need, but it accesses my 360 gig hard drive with all my music (30,000 songs). it has a big screen in the middle and I can pull up any song in a matter of seconds with the usb keyboard attached to it. It even has flange, echo, braking, reverse, and some other cool effects that I can use by pushing some buttons. I like the feel of cuing songs, playing with tracks with the cue buttons, and using skill to beat mix.

It's not the same when a computer can beat-mix for you. As you consider a Digital DJ music system, consider really learning how to dj and learn the in's and out's of the industry. Even if you decide to dj on just a laptop, know your music and know your mixes. After you pick up a system, be sure to check out MixesThatWork for song ideas, great mixes, and the most popular techiques being used in the industry.
 

original author:  jjpeterson

For Everything You Need To Know About DJ'ing, Click Here!

An Event DJ is an entertainer that travels to locations to provide entertainment for a specific events usually with good DJ equipment.  Where will you see an event DJ? You’ll see an event DJ providing entertainment for Birthday Parties, Sweet 16’s, Bar-Bat Mitzvahs, Weddings, Class Reunions, Graduation Parties, Corporate Parties, etc. 

Event DJ’s weren’t so mobile before the turn of the century.  Their dj equipment consisted of large turntables, a big mixer, big amplifier, big speakers, huge heavy crates full of 78’s, lots of wires, and just too much stuff and not easily mobile. Although Big Club DJ’s and some “old school”  DJ’s still love spinning on turntables, it’s just not efficient for a typical Event DJ.  As technology gets smaller and more efficient, Good DJ Equipment is becoming much easier to transport, set-up, and operate.

The DJ’s that use the larger turntable systems look and sound amazing while beat mixing but you won’t see many of them DJ’ing smaller events that may just require some background music.  A kid with an iPod, with a good playlist, and speakers can probably provide decent songs while a big turntable mixing system is just overkill.  A good event DJ with good DJ equipment can be very profitable and successful at these events and can even begin building a reputable DJ business.  As the business builds, and gigs begin to accumulate, it’s important to have DJ equipment that is reliable, easy to set-up, and effective.

When looking for good DJ equipment as an event DJ, it’s important to look for “name” brands.  Even with name brands, a DJ has a choice between lower quality-lower prices, higher-quality, higher-prices.  For MP3 and CD Players, names like Gemini and American Audio are cheaper “name” brands but they are lower in quality than Denon or Pioneer.  Numark, previously a mid-level quality company has been reaching new technology (check out Newmarks, NS7FX) that is beginning to compete with the big boys.

Here are some of the most popular Dual CD/MP3 Players with example-averaged prices being used by DJ’s:  Gemini CDMP-6000 ($399.95), Gemini CDX-2400 Rackmount ($170.00),  American Audio CK 1000 Table Top Dual ($399.00), American Audio Velocity Professional Dual  ($599.00), Numark CD Mix-1 Dual (199.00), Numark CDN22 Rack Mount Dual CD Player (149.00), *Denon DN-D6000 Dual CD MP3 Player ($850.00), Pioneer CMX-3000 Dual Rackmount CD Player ($1,000).

You can obviously see a price difference but you will experience a noticeable difference in quality between a cd controller selling for $200 as opposed to the Pioneer CMX for a grand.

Some Event DJ’s have even decided to make their set-up even more mobile by doing away with CD’s and purchasing MP3 Players that have external hard drive or iPod connections.  I run all my parties with MP3’s no CD’s. Although I have a Denon 4500 CD player in my system, it is only used if someone has cd they want me to play.  

Here are some of the most popular MP3 players with example averaged prices. Numark’s IDJ Mixing Console for iPod ($160.00), Numark’s IDJ2 DJ Console for the IPod and External Hard Drive connections ($399.00), Numark’s D2 Director Mass Storage Player and Manager,  Denon DN-HD2500 Hard Disk Media ($599.00), Pioneer MEP-7000 Professional Media Player with CD Decks ($1400)

Some of these units can be used as controllers for popular Laptop Mixing Software like Traktor, Virtual DJ, PCDC, and Serato Scratch.  There are popular controllers like the Vestax VCI-100MV Mixvibes Edition DJ Controller that is specifically designed to control laptop software. Numark’s NS7 DJ ($1300.00) is getting some big attention from Serato users.

If DJ’ing on a laptop, consider using that laptop solely for DJ’ing. Other programs or files on the laptop can slow the necessary processing speed.

Once the DJ has a player, now a good mixer has to be considered.  Again, there are good name brands with lower quality-lower prices and good name brands with higher quality-higher prices.  Behringer is a dependable brand on the lower end.  Consider the Behringer DX626 Pro Mixer ($100.00), Vestax PMC-280 4 Channel DJ Mixer With Digital Effects ($499.00), Denon DN-X1100 4 Channel DJ Mixer ($700.00), or the Pioneer DJM-800 Professional Mixer ($1,700.00).  A DJ can’t go wrong with any of these selections but the pricier mixers do offer more features like effects, more mic inputs, talk over, etc.

Once a Player is selected, and a Mixer is selected, all that’s left are some good powerful speakers.  The best type of speakers a mobile dj can use is Active/Powered Speakers.  Passive speakers would require an amplifier or a powered mixer with more weight added to the rig.  A Dj can run an XLR cable out of the mixers, plug directly into the powered speakers, plug the speakers in, and voile, sound!  ‘

There are a few decent companies that I could suggest. Here are a few products: Behringer Eurolive B208D Active PA ($180.00), American Audio XSP-10A Powered Speaker ($200.00).  Here are the companies that I highly recommend: Mackie, JBL, and RCF.  Mackie SRM450 v2 Active PA ($500.00), Mackie SRM350 v2 Active, JBL EON515 450 Watt 15” Powered ($800.00),  JBL PRX535 3 Way 15” ($1000.00), RCF ART312A or RCFART315A Powered Speakers 15” ($1100.00).

A Event DJ should have a pretty simple Set-up.  At this point we have discussed a Media Player (CD/MP3 or only MP3), Mixer, and Powered Speakers.  I have mention a lot of really good DJ equipment that professionals use often.

The final piece that needs to be considered is a sturdy rack case ($200-$400).  The Player and Mixer will be screwed down on the top, and in the front of the rack you’ll have the dual cd decks (if a cd player is purchased) and a power strip to plug everything in.  Now the rig is; 2 speakers, the case with all the components all safe and secured, a bag with wires (xlr cables, rca cables, etc.), and speaker poles.  

Now all you’ll need is music and set lists.  Besides learning how your equipment works, this is the most challenging part of DJ’ing.  Good DJ set mixes and great music is what separates good dj’s from poor dj’s no matter how expensive or elaborate their dj equipment may be.  Dj’s who have been entertaining for a long time have learned from experience what songs work for specific sets.  

Where do new DJ’s or Intermediate DJ’s go to learn set-mixes that work?  A website has been developed for Event/Mobile DJ’s called http://www.MixesThatWork.com to give DJ’s immediate access to Set lists for all types of parties; Weddings, Birthdays, Kids, Sweet 16’s, Graduations, and great mixes for popular dance music, updated monthly.  It is also a resource site for DJ’s to go and get all types of helpful tips, how-to’s, and information, song programming techniques, and event forms.  

Being a mobile DJ is fun, exciting, and very profitable!  As technology gets smaller and easier to use,more and more people will be trying to master DJ’ing.  Buying good DJ equipment  is only half of the battle.  The other half of being a great DJ is knowing your music and being confident in your set lists.  Ve sure to Visit www.mixesthatwork.com and sign up to receive valuable information and music programming tips that the most experienced DJ’s are willing to share!

original author: jjpeterson

For Everything You Need To Know About DJ'ing, Click Here!

DJ'ing has become very popular in the last few years especially since technology has allowed a non-technical person to become a Pro DJ in a few weeks when equipped with the right Digital Scratching Tools available on laptops.  This article will teach a person to DJ and what equipment they will need after the purchase of a laptop to start mixing beats like a pro.

Purchase a laptop:

Look for a good brand Laptop that you know will not crash during a gig.  If you are looking for a PC, I would recommend closely looking at customer reviews, talk to electronic store sales people, and even ask your friends what laptops they may recommend.  The great thing about a PC is that a consumer can get a phenomenal computer with all the bells and whistles for a very affordable price.  The problems PC's face are viruses that infiltrate that operating systems and crash the hard drives erasure program, music, and important data.

Consider a Macbook.  

They are absolutely more money and don't offer all the bells and whistles the new PC's are coming out with, but they do offer stability, consistency, optimal performance, and are not nearly as susceptible to the viruses a PC can get.

Demo (trial) DJ Software before you buy it:

You can get a bunch of free DJ programs to start with BUT these programs do not offer what the paid programs do.  There are so many free programs that they are unnameable at this point but the ones that you should look into are Virtual DJ, Traktor, etc.  These are programs that must be bought but offer things like, playlist controls, beat mixing features, sync mixing features, skins that look like real mixers, etc.  The free programs will not do what you really need to do as a laptop DJ.  

You can stop here if you just want to practice before getting into the equipment you'll need to start DJ'ing gigs. You can even DJ smaller partied with good laptop speakers any time you want.  To become an advance DJ with good sound equipment, move on to step 3.

Mixer

You have to plug your laptop into a mixer of some sort.  You will output the speakers from your mixer. Mixers are fairly inexpensive and can be bought at your local music store. A 4 channel mixer would be fine.  Some DJ Software Programs offer an USB external sound card.  These sound boxes allow for separation of the Left and Right Channels.  If you do purchase a usb external sound box you would run a 1/4" cable out from the LEFT channel to channel 1 on the mixer.  You would run a 1/4" cable out from the RIGHT channel on the box to Channel 2 on the mixer.

IF you DO NOT have an USB external sound card, then you will be using the "OUT" or "Headphone" jack and run an 1/8" out of the computer to 1/4" into Channel 1 on the mixer.

DJ Speakers

To keep you set-up simple but still powerful, invest in POWERED (Active) speakers. (Speaker that you need to plug in to get to work).  If you get passive (non-powered speakers) you will need separate amplifiers connected to you mixer.  Powered speakers are more expensive but will punch/kick your music better and your dj set-up will be much simpler.
You will need 2 XLR cables.  The female end will get plugged out from the mixer and into the speakers (Left/Right outputs).  Buy 2 Speaker stands if possible.

Recap

You have your laptop, dj software, mixer (optional usb external sound card box), 1 1/'4 – 1/8" cable, powered speakers, 2 xlr cables, and speaker stands. You just need your favorite music and you are ready to start practicing to become a pro DJ.

original author:  JJpeterson

For Everything You Need To Know About DJ'ing, Click Here!

The events of our world would be boring without DJ's. Imagine a world without moving, cutting, shaking, sliding, kicking, twisting, shouting, jumping, boogie'ing, swinging, grinding, breaking, etc. The world needs DJ's and the that's why the world needs you to become the best darn DJ you can be. Learn the methods and techniques that will put you above the rest of those wanna-be DJ's and be respected as an industry leader fast and effectively.

As the world continues to grow, so does the need for good party Dj's. There are so many opportunities for good DJ's to not only make thousands of dollars a week part-time but also DJ's leaving their full time jobs to focus on their new DJ businesses. The key to success in today's DJ'ing industry is acquiring the necessary skills, developing a reputation, and getting your name out there to as many people as you can.

People host many types of events and DJ's may limit themselves to one or two types. Don't limit your self by only talking to certain types of people when you become a DJ. Talk to everyone. You'll be open to acquiring more gigs, more opportunities to increase your experience, and will make more money. Make more money by embracing the opportunity to perform for Weddings, Bar-Bat Mitsvah's, Sweet 16's, general birthday parties, Corporate Events, Class Reunions, Family Reunions, Holiday Parties, Children's Parties, School Dances, etc. You'll never know what type of events your clients will request a DJ for unless you advertise your name in your community (word of mouth marketing).

When you become a DJ, you also want to make sure you are prepared to DJ your events. Anyone can hit play on their equipment and play a song but the key to becoming a successful DJ is to know your audience and play appropriate music. If you have never DJ'ed an event, connect with any DJ's you may know or search for DJ online communities like MixesThatWork to get live access to the help you need, when you need it. There are also many DJ mixing programs available to give you great mixing techniques from one song into another. Look in the resource section of this article to check out effective DJ secrets revealed to DJ's who want to learn how to get the edge above the other entertainers in the industry.

Knowing the format of your event is very important as well. The best thing to do is to connect with the the client, the client's party planner, OR Materdee (if the event is going to be at a reception/banquet hall) and ask them about the format of their party. The format will let the DJ know when and if there are introductions, toasts, blessings, when meals are scheduled, if and when the cake will be brought out, and any specific times for activities. Never assume the next event will be identical to a previous event. Always communicate. Open communication encourages preparedness, gives the DJ a professional image, and will also ensure a smooth sailing event.

Why should you become a DJ? It's not hard and it is so incredibly exciting and rewarding; financially and personally. Don't be just a DJ , be a great DJ! It's not hard to do and with some guidance and personal motivation you can be better than DJ's who have been in the industry for 30 years who have never taken advantage of updating their equipment or style. In this industry, it isn't the amount of years a person has been performing, it is honestly what the DJ knows.

Knowledge is power, and power brings great success. Many successful people in all industries have all found themselves in the right place at the right time by attaining the knowledge they needed for their accomplishments. Because you are seeking the knowledge in the right place and you are motivated to learn, it won't be long before you are a professional DJ (part-time/ full-time).

Original Author: JJpeterson

For Everything You Need To Know About DJ'ing, Click Here!

Become a DJ, learn what you can, excel beyond those old school DJ's, have fun, make some money, and always be excited while you provide great music to a world that needs great DJ's more than ever! For great DJ sets check out ­www.MixesThatWork.Com for Event Set Lists and More!