DJing ***FAQ*** methods and techniques, bump often

HI I am eric and i need some pointers from a pro and everyone tells me your the guy i need to talk to so here is whats up! I live in kentucky, when i was 6 had see a documentary on the life a dj and since then i have had the thought i could be a dj. I don't want to make money all i want to do i make music that people will know me for. I have work my but off for the last year tring to save up money for a turn table this guy was going to sell me but before i could get half the money he sold it to some body else. Then he up the price cause he had to oder a new one. If you could help me out here e-mail me at [email protected] Thanks a lot for the support! DJ SNizz
 
BUMP BUMP BUMPETY BUMPETY BUMP
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X
"The future's now,
Forget the past.
The present's gone
Into the gorgeous night
Outrageous
Mind-blowing nightmares
End up
In an never-ending fight." -DJ Scott Project "f"
Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
 
Well, I've started off using just the pitch bending technique, hope it pays off in the phuture. I find that all the really good Djz out there use it, so i figure if you learn to use it first it will become second nature.
 
pitchbending *rules*
and a good mixer with a comprehensive que EQ for the headphones is a must.
I recently bought an amp with a direct source option, and i have found my mixes improved drastically, as with my previous setup the sound from the decks was going from the mixer to a DSP, then out to the speakers creating a minute but effective lag.
i find my mixing is best at either four in the morning (my neighbours ->love<- me) or first thing out of bed, with a strong cup of tea inside me!
nighty night peeps!
jono
 
pitchbending *rules*
and a good mixer with a comprehensive que EQ for the headphones is a must.
I recently bought an amp with a direct source option, and i have found my mixes improved drastically, as with my previous setup the sound from the decks was going from the mixer to a DSP, then out to the speakers creating a minute but effective lag.
i find my mixing is best at either four in the morning (my neighbours ->love<- me) or first thing out of bed, with a strong cup of tea inside me!
nighty night peeps!
jono
 
pitchbending *rules*
and a good mixer with a comprehensive que EQ for the headphones is a must.
I recently bought an amp with a direct source option, and i have found my mixes improved drastically, as with my previous setup the sound from the decks was going from the mixer to a DSP, then out to the speakers creating a minute but effective lag.
i find my mixing is best at either four in the morning (my neighbours ->love<- me) or first thing out of bed, with a strong cup of tea inside me!
nighty night peeps!
jono
 
pitchbending *rules*
and a good mixer with a comprehensive que EQ for the headphones is a must.
I recently bought an amp with a direct source option, and i have found my mixes improved drastically, as with my previous setup the sound from the decks was going from the mixer to a DSP, then out to the speakers creating a minute but effective lag.
i find my mixing is best at either four in the morning (my neighbours ->love<- me) or first thing out of bed, with a strong cup of tea inside me!
nighty night peeps!
jono
 
Hey trancedance. Your method of beatmatching by measuring the bpm of your records is OK for learning on your own equioment but what about later on?
When you mix at a rave or a club you obviously arnt using your own turntables. What you will often find is that one (or both) turntables are completely out, especially if they've been well worn in. You will find that the pitch gradient on the tables can often be very different. Also sometimes what is zero on one table will not be zero on another. This means that you have to learn how to mix using your ear because if you try your measurement method then you will be trainwrecking all over the place.
 
fuck the methods and techniques...
wait no actually they help but dont copy everyone else's style like they probably did from someone else. make your own style and way of djing. it may be harder to do. but innovation is what leads to better and more proggressive music.
be yourself. thats why you started going to parties in the first place wasn't it?
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skate or die
 
Agreed...
And by the way, we're talking about how to get it done, not so much about artistic sense.
 
bump
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the more you think about it, the more milk makes sense
love peace and grease
ed!
 
Alright... i guess i have a bit to say. Its mostly relevent to the Pioneer DJM600, but might provide some inspiration if youre working with effects processors at all.
djm600-md.jpg

If you dont have a 600, the go to a music store and try one out. Maybe try some of these methods with the effects.
We'll start with an easy one: the flanger. Once the auto bpm
bpmcounter.jpg
has the tempo, set the effect time paramiter to a slow setting (i like 32 beats -the max- for this).
beatcounter.jpg
Sure its fun to turn on the effect and crash it in at any point in the breakdown (or any part of the track for that matter) but try this. With the "level" at 3/4ths (pointing to the right)
beateffector.jpg
. Hit the effect button on the first beat of a phrase (or where the first beat should be at the begining of a breakdown). Now just leave it on for a while. Itll give the track an "up and down" multi-climactic feel.
Then theres the filter. I like to select the 4 beat period length (the middle light as in the pic). Then at the end of the breakdown, if theres a cool "pad" or "stab" I turn the filter on for the last bar (a space where 4 beats would be). For the first half of the bar i increase the "level" from one half (normal, straight up) to full, then bring the level back to one half for the remander of the bar (or other two inaudible "beats"). What this does is takes that pad or stab and twists it into this really cool "FILTERED" sound. A variation on this is to just leave the level at one half (straight up) and hit the button for the last HALF of the last bar (or two inaudible beats).
Then theres the echo. With the channel fader at full, set the effect to a half-beat pattern (go all the way to the left on the "beat" display... this is the fastest setting). Before the last bar of the phrase, turn on the echo and quickly fade out the track with the channel fader and back in on the beat. So youre basically turning the volume up and down with every beat, so the fader is all the way up when you hear the kick. Do this for the last four beats of the last bar in the phrase. Ill just let you do it for you to know what it sounds like. Remember the fader has to be all the way up EXACTLY on the kick. You can also do this with the cross fader if you have two records that are beat matched. It works best with harder house/trance... more energetic stuff.
Ill be back with the "delay" trick later. Time to go out and party. Post any more cool ones you guys have.
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Bluelight_pimps up in this mutha fuckin hizzouse...
 
hey great stuff.... i finally sat down and read this thread.. ive been at it for like 2 months now.. and ive had no one to teach me anything, so this is good shit.. ive been watching djs live and checkin out their styles.. but I had no clue about this pitch bending technique... def something im gonna start trying out...
hmmm well one little trick ive been fooling around with is.. on a trance synth breakdown/progression type thing (with no drums.. or various single lonely beats) ill quickly drop the pitch as low as it can go.. this extends the synth shit and gives it a tripped out feel... then... when those rolling drums start kicking in.. ill raise the pitch along with it slowly.. creating a kinda neat buildup... and thats usually the point where most hard trance songs kick back into the song and everything will be back to normal... nothing special, but something neat to do everyonce in a while at houseparties.. anyways
ok now heres a question for peeps... I been playing guitar for years.. I got mad effects units... can i hook this shit upto the effects loop on my mixer?
 
Ludikruz, i believe you can, ive seen djs do this at parties (dj swamp hooked some kind of guitar pedal up and was using it with his scratches, wild shit) you can probably create some very cool effects that have never been heard before
Peace!
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You're bound to become a buddha if you practice
If water drips long enough even rocks wear through
It's not true thick skulls can't be pierced
People just imagine their minds are hard. - Shih-wu
 
Alright I have got beatmatching down and have spun at a couple house parties, nothing big yet. Now I want to make a mix CD and try and get myself known around my area. About how many records should be in an hour set? (I usually spin tech house, progressive, or trance)
Also is it better on a mix CD to showcase songs, and lead from one into the other, or to have extended mixes? Thanks for you help.
 
Yo Ludicruz, try using the midi out or the send/return (perhaps) on your mixer.
10 records equal an hour for me (about).
 
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