Disc Jockey

As an aspiring DJ, I am comfortable with a lot of things, but not an expert at any of them. As a beginner all you need to have is some basic familiarity with the operation of a stereo system, and some familiarity with the music you’ll be playing. And most importantly it requires your willingness to experiment, feel nervous, make some mistakes, learn from them, keep a cool demeanor, and have loads of FUN. And that’s what this blog is all about-to share whatever I know about Djing-my second love (FOOD happens to be the first)
P.S. this is not a step-by-step guide….

Basic equipment

The equipment needed to DJ consists of:
1. Sound recordings in a DJs preferred medium (eg. Compact discs computer media files)
2. A minimum of two devices to play sound recordings, for alternating back and forth to create a continuous playback of music (e.g. record players, compact disc players, computer media players such as an MP3 player)
3. A sound system for amplification or broadcasting of the recordings (e.g. portable audio system) or a radio broadcasting system.
4. A DJ mixer , an electronic two-channel mixer with a cross fader used to smoothly go from one song to another (using two or more playback devices)
5. A microphone, so that you can introduce songs and speak to the audience, and
6. Head phones used to listen to one recording while the other is playing, without outputting the sound to the audience.

You could probably find this list on any website as the basic requirement. But as I personally have been through a disaster in a show and I think these are the life saving (DJ saving) equipments you need:
• Two pads of paper and a handful of pens. You’ll need one pad for a request list, and should probably keep one handy for your own notes. Needless to say, bring a handful of pens or pencils (which you never see again, so leave anything good at home. I lost my lucky Parker).

• Masking tape. You’ll find it useful for sticking temporary labels on things, like tapes and discs which people bring for you to play.

• A small lamp. It’s likely to be dark, and it’s really hard to read the labels on CDs and equipment when it’s dark(and you cant use the light of your mobile-as you do in a bar-to look for the menu). A nightlight on an extension cord will do the trick. Don’t bring something huge; it won’t help you that much and will only annoy people at the event.

• A flashlight. You will find it useful when you’re looking for a particular CD which is out of reach of your small lamp (above)—and even more useful if you should happen to blow a circuit breaker.

• Duct tape. It’s the all-purpose miracle cure for loose cables.

• A few towels. Put them under your CD players to cushion them from vibrations picked up from the floor.

Getting there
You should remember, however, the three primary rules of event DJing:
1. arrive early,
2. arrive early, and
3. arrive early.
Preparation at the site of your event takes a long time, particularly if you’re not an experienced DJ. Allow at least an hour for a simple event; you’re probably better off allowing two hours if you have a lot to do.

CAUTION-DON’T FORGET THIS:

•If you don’t like people looking through your CDs-which they always want to do, checking out your equipment, and the like, make it difficult for them to get to your things. Set up an obstacle course of chairs and/or closely-spaced tables to make it difficult to get to your equipment. Don’t be bashful about herding people out of your way. You are in charge, at least where music is concerned, and there’s no need to put up with something which disrupts your concentration.

•Consider not stacking CD players; put them side-by-side instead. This will make it easier if you have more than one person DJing--and will also reduce the possibility of jarring the active CD player or accidentally pressing buttons on the wrong disc player.

• Music should be placed where it’s easy for you to reach, but more difficult for partygoers to reach. You’re likely to lose discs otherwise.

•No matter how hard you try, some people are going to set drinks on the front edge of your work table (particularly if the room is small). There’s the obvious threat that some moron will actually spill one of these drinks, so try to keep your equipment as close to the rear of the table as possible.

• Check all of your speaker connections for stray strands of wire which might cause the wires to short together. Use a flashlight to look for these; they can be hard to spot if the light isn’t good. Check for same thing where the speakers connect to the amplifier. If you’re handy with a soldering iron, and if your speakers support such connectors, you may want to make yourself a set of "banana plug" connectors to make the speaker connection job easier.

• If you can, place things on top of your speakers so that people won’t put their drinks on them. Better yet, put your speakers where they’re hard to reach. If you can put the speakers above the crowd safely (or anywhere at or above eye level), your sound will carry better, so you’ll be able to cover the party with a little less power.

•Unless you’re fond of headaches, don’t put speakers right in front of you

•If you know the capacity of your speakers, consider getting some fuses and fuse holders for your speaker wires. Attach them at the amplifier end of the cable, where they’ll do you some good if the far end is shorted. .

• Playing rock music for a party can be a real challenge. For many (if not most) parties, loud music is good music, so you’ll want to make sure that you have the power you need to do the job well.

Well before getting down to the techniques of DJing its better to know a little about the musical content that is required.

Remember that popular songs are not always good dance songs. A song that is extremely popular but undanceable may work well depending on the group you’re playing for, but be aware that you’re taking a pretty big risk if you decide to do so; it’s hard to recover from a floor-emptying tune.

If you have a microphone around, restrain your urge to apologize for requests which you can’t honor. It’s well-understood that this happens (for a variety of reasons); there’s no reason to call attention to the problem. Similarly, there’s little reason to apologize for minor goofs. Chances are pretty good that most people didn’t notice anyway, and even if they did, you don’t need to remind them.
Dead air is poison. Gaps between songs are irritating when you’re dancing, so try to keep things moving. Don’t hesitate to cut lengthy fade-outs short; get the next disc playing as soon as the sound from the previous song begins to fade. Obviously, it helps to know how each song ends--does it fade out, or end cold? In the case of songs which end cold, be aware that most CD players take a small fraction of a second to start. This matters because it is very jarring to listen to a loud song end, have a fraction of a second of complete silence, then the beginning of another loud song. You may want to follow a song which ends cold with one which fades up; start the second one before the first ends.

If someone brings you a "loaner" CD or tape of a song you’re not familiar with, listen to the first and last thirty seconds before deciding to play it. If you’re not able to do this, and you’re not able to audition it, you should turn down the request.

Have a CD at hand "in case of emergency;" if a song ends too early and you’re stuck with dead air, your damage control will be considerably simpler if you have a song you can slap in the CD player without looking around for something to play. If you have the luxury of a third CD player, you may want to keep this disc loaded, paused, and ready to go on short notice.

As you gain experience, you may wish to consider cueing songs to start at locations other than the beginning. There are many very danceable songs which don’t have danceable intros. With patience and skill, you can often trim these songs and eliminate the part which is hard to dance to.
The one occasion where some dead air is permissible: around a slow song played in a set of faster songs. A second or so is all you need, though. You will also want to drop the volume a bit; people expect slow songs to be quieter than fast dance music, and it’s amazingly unnerving to them if it’s not.

Plan your music in blocks of about an hour. You should have a slow song (or perhaps two if the dance is relatively formal) in the block. Your mix will sound much smoother if you plan the remainder of your set around transitions between songs; think in terms of the speed and general style of the two songs, as well as the crossfades between songs (would the end of this song sound good with the intro of the next?). This is not to say that you can’t, for instance, put a slow reggae tune in the same set as a fast techno track--but it will sound better if you out a song or two of gradually changing tempo between the two songs.
If the dance is formal, put several slow songs in the last block, but never end on a slow song. End instead with a classic energetic-sounding dance tune that everyone will like.

If you’re doing voiceovers with a microphone, don’t get carried away. It’s painful to realize that you’re talking into an open microphone to a hundred people, but really don’t have anything to say. Spare yourself the experience(I have been through this-and its painfully embarrassing). When you do need to do a voiceover, feel free to talk over the intro of a song or its fadeout. It’s also permissible to fade a song down midway, make a brief announcement (of a presumably urgent nature), then fade it back up.

Crowd reaction is generally easy to judge; it’s usually more visible than audible: people will dance to the music you’re playing if you’re doing your job well. You will encounter occasional strident whiners who aren’t pleased with anything you’re doing. Listen with an open mind, but don’t feel an automatic obligation to do anything for them other than listen politely. If the dance floor empties, you’re probably doing something wrong; time to trot out one of the warhorses of dance music to get the crowd moving again.
As a general rule, people who have had too much to drink will dance to pretty much anything. So go ahead and DJ.All the Best..

Post By
DJ Bubly