DJ culture

Rules and customs

As with any career, there are certain guidelines that when followed can help you not only enjoy your passion job better, but maximize your networking and potential financial prospects. The DJ world is not as strict as a suit and tie corporate job, but here are some things to keep in mind when joining any event or nightclub to play.

Always have a plan B in how you play your music whether that be through laptop or usb into the CDJ’s. This even applies to the music itself. Have playlists you can fall back on for whatever reason if your original playlists cannot be used.
If you play after another DJ, be respectful of his full set time and don’t hurry him. Talk to him when a new track begins, rather than when he is mixing into another song. He will tell you when you can start connecting your laptop or usb, and good DJ’s will leave you off something easy to mix into.

Some DJ’s will drink during alcohol during their sets, and it’s not set in stone whether this should be allowed or not, but generally don’t. Some swear they play better when buzzed as they feel relaxed, but it does not look professional. You might think you play better, yet the crowd might be hearing something different. This also applies to other substances.
As a club DJ you NEVER take requests unless you yourself are asking. For example if you ask if it’s somebodies birthday, tell them to come up to the DJ booth, and you play a birthday song they want. For weddings and more casual events you yourself decide how you want to handle requests.

DJ booth

As a fellow patron of a nightclub, the DJ booth may seem like the pinnacle of places to be at, but it’s just where the DJ works. Most nightclubs have adopted a only DJ and lighting person approach to who can be in the booth. Although it can be lax at times depending on mangement. Remember a couple of things though when your time comes to enter and play.

Any bags you use to carry your equipment should be placed somewhere that does not cause people to trip. Booths can sometimes be dark, and tripping can cause wires to be disconnected, and equipment to be damaged.
Avoid bringing to many friends or acquaintances into the booth for the same reasons as the first bullet point. They can also distract other DJ’s and yourself.
Take the time to note if the booth speakers are working (the speakers that face you), and also check that the system the club uses is compatible with whatever you use. Most venues allow DJ’s to come in hours before the club opens and do any pre-checks.

A good DJ in general

Is of course respectful, but more importantly enjoys what he does. When playing your music to the crowd, show your having fun and if your capable hype up the crowd. Even when your not playing, take in other DJ’s music, and maybe take notes if you like something their doing. The energy you portray eventually comes down into the audience, so be positive and maybe dance a little yourself.

More DJ etiquette

Mixing different BPM’s

Control the tempo of your mix

There comes a point where you need to change the tempo, vibe, or energy of your mix while you DJ. This can be done by lowering / increasing the BPM, which can also lead to different genres being incorporated as well. Depending on your style this is done abruptly or gradually. Both are okay, but one might be more appropriate depending on the situation or event. Below are the general BPMs for some genres for reference.

Taking the time to remember what BPMs genres usually come in, can go a long way into helping you make better playlists, and mix in better choices that better compliment the last song played.

Ways to change up the tempo

Just loading up another track on the other channel of a different genre / BPM and using your crossfader is not going to cut it. Many different techniques can be used to make this change in your mixes sound better.

One obvious way to do this is by manually using the tempo slider, which is usually located near the jog wheel. This can be done before the next track is played gradually lowering or increasing the tempo to the desired BPM, then transitioning. Also vice versa, getting the tempo matched with the song playing, transitioning and then increasing it to the base tempo.
DJ’s who subscribe to record pools usually have the option of having pre-made transition tracks to choose from. These tracks tell you where there BPMs start and end off. Basically the track itself does the tempo change at a certain point, usually in the middle.

Some genres are vastly different in BPMs, which is a good thing. If you see that the BPM is close to double of the track being played it’s possible to use it because it is playing at double the speed, yet they mix in perfectly. For example a song that play’s at 70-80BPM which can come from music like Trap, can mix with Hard Style which plays 140-150BPM.
A big technique used primarily by EDM DJ’s, but not exclusive to them, is using sub drops that electronic music contains. You can hear these at the end of bass lines that usually occur at 64 beat phrases. All you need to do is look for another sub drop in another track, even with different BPMs and mix it in. If the sub drop is long it’s possible to even add another track gradually.

Why change the tempo

Staying in the same genre or BPM to long will star to wane the crowd, and eventually make them lose interest. Switch not only between tempos in the same style, but different genres to keep thing fresh. For example, lets say you play two hot EDM tracks with good base lines and the people are dancing. Give the crowd a break and instead playing something similar again, lower the tempo and play a popular Hip hop or Pop song that people can sing / rap and vibe to. This allows for some space before increasing the tempo again. When you get into it, you will start to see a sort of wave patter appear with your set direction having peaks and lows.

Variety is the spice of life

Equalize your sound with the mixer

Making it sound right

When mixing music, it is important to make sure it sounds level. What does this mean though? Simply you want it to sound as though each song that comes after the other in a mix is an extension of the last. You don’t want your next track sounding louder or having more bass or high tones then the one that came before or while mixing it in.

This could take the crowd out of the moment, and make DJ’s look unprofessional. So this means using the high, mid, and low knobs to make sure the tracks compliment each other. A mixer usually contains all three, trims, and LPF/HPF. This is usually located above where the crossfader and volume levels are.

What does what?

You will probably hear DJ’s speak of the high, mid, and lows when mixing. They are referring to the knobs that control the frequency band that make up the whole music track. Also included in the mixers are the trims, and low/high pass filters.

High controls the frequencies that correspond to the higher pitches of vocals and sounds, like claps and hi-hats.
Mid works somewhere in the middle range, and also works with high to control the instrument sounds and vocals
Low are basically the bass frequency, and can be used to increase or take away the bass in tracks.

Trims help to balance out any volume discrepancies that may exist between audio files of the same type, and different ones. Sometimes processed tracks can be louder or more silent than others. Trims helps you balance them while looking at the volume meters.
LPF /HPF are used to filter out whatever track is assigned to that channel using high frequency pass or low. This knob pertains to more of an effects trick for mixing between tracks.

Smartly using your mixer knobs

Making sure your sound is level and constant is important, but you can also use it helping while mixing in tracks. A good example of this can be done by removing the low on one channel for one track, slowly using your crossfader to bring in that channels track halfway, then on a 16 beat using both your hands, remove the low on the track playing on the other channel, and bring in the low you removed previously. Hard to explain in words, but once heard you easily see the power this has to help in your mixing.

Hearing in the best way to learn

Don’t forget the volume slider

Below your knobs should be volume sliders that also control the output of sound. DJ’s will sometimes only use these to mix in songs without even using the crossfader. Others use both and some only the the crossfader. All three ways are just preferences, but all will use them in conjunction with the knobs. The volume sliders will essentially act like your trim but where trim increases the frequency band, the volume slider will increase the loudness. Hard to explain, but once you hear it, you can adjust accordingly.

Mixing in key or chord

Keys or chords just know what they are

Every song you will come across plays on a certain chord or key. Thankfully most DJ software analyzes the MP3’s or WAV’s in your library, and gives you this information depending on your preferences. Most DJ’s and producers will keep a picture of chord or key wheels to inform themselves on what goes together. So how does it actually work?

The chord wheel like the one on the right work by telling you clearly with colors what chord letters go together. As a general rule of thumb, you don’t want to play songs that have chords on the opposite end of the spectrum. Although you can get away with playing songs that don’t match in color but are close enough such as a C major or G major. Keep in mind that matching chords or keys is more noticeable when singing lyrics occurs rather than rapping lyrics. It is also possible to mix without matching keys, but knowing this helps your mixes stand out from others, where their music might be clashing rather than meshing.

It’s okay if they don’t match

If your trying to key or chord match and your songs don’t mix well, it is still possible to still match them. Most of the controllers or mixing softwares used these days come with pitch/key modulators. These come in the form of a plus or minus section close to the jog wheel.

Here a song being played can be pitched up or down and the corresponding key or chord will show. So if you wanted to change an E major to an F, or a B minor to a C minor, its possible and the songs can match up. Just remember that songs being modulated more than once might sound to low or to high in their pitch. This might sound strange, especially if the song is well recognized and the audience wants to sing along.

Do you have to mix in key?

Since there are many different types of DJ’s, there are many opinions regarding whether one should match chords or keys. Hiphop DJ’s for example can get away with mixing between clashing keys because rapping vocals are less harmonic and they can scratch in other tracks, while EDM DJ’s can just mix in using the outro/intro drum loops before the harmonics/bass lines as most EDM songs contains them. The key (no pun intended) thing to know is that it should be used to maximize the way your mixes sound, and not hinder you from playing songs you know will hype up the crowd. It’s to be used as a tool in your arsenal of tricks to keep the crowd going.

2-Track Mixing

Everybody starts with two

Every DJ’s starts with the common 2 channel or track mixing. This means you have one channel on your left playing one track and the second one one doing the same. The crossfader let’s the audience hear what you want, while in your headphones you cue the next track you want to play. The crossfader usually labels it A to B or 1 to 2. It’s easy enough and lets you experiment easily. The challenge comes when adding more channels which more advanced DJ’s use.

In order to make the mixing sound smooth though it’s important to remember that your BPM’s are the same by using the jog wheel to line up the beat markers. You can also use the sync button on your controller or your software sync, but watch out that it locks every song into syncing. Sometimes that can cause unwanted tempo changes.

Song format and genres

This helps in making sure the rhythm of the mix stays consistent. It can also help you when you mix without a setlist, and you are reading crowds at events. DJ’s usually call this live mixing or free-styling. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Most professionally made music consists of an intro, (chorus, and verse x2 or x3), outro structure.
Songs contain 4 beat bars which are grouped into either 4 or 8 beat phrases. This means a intro, chorus or verse is usually 16 or 32 bars. Knowing this can help you position cues for builds and transitions to other drops.
Most mainstream music can range from about 3-5 minute stretches so watch out that it runs to zero.

Observe and experiment

Keep in mind that a lot can be done with 2-track mixing and the possibilities are almost endless with song selection, effects, samplers, and other techniques. Start with the basics and then experiment. Once you feel comfortable add your own flare and start to build up skills like scratching and live mixing. The video below can begin to show you what 2-track mixing can achieve.

This shows you how 2 track mixing looks when done live. He is advanced but it shows you the skills you can learn, and the beauty of knowing your equipment. Keep in mind he always has the same BPM when transitioning to another song until the end when he goes up to 110 BPM.

Make sure your BPMs are the same before transitioning

Start your library and make playlists!

Where to start getting music?

Once you have your software and a controller, you need to start getting music into your HD’s (Hard Drives), laptop, or USBs. Where you get your music can wildly vary for different people. Some subscribe to DJ record pools that may require monthly payments, or use the iTunes or Google online music stores.

Start making playlists as soon as possible!

Other savvy individuals may use different methods of acquiring free music. A popular method for those who want to speed this process is in befriending another established DJ and asking if you could copy their library music. This requires the use of HD’s though, as you could be looking 10,000 plus songs requiring a lot of space.

Playlists, playlists……playlists

Once your library starts to build up begin sending the music into playlists. Listening to all the music you have and sending them into these lists individually is fine, but use the software options (such as filtering by bitrates, BPM, chord/key) to speed up this process dramatically.

Image result for dj software playlist — An organized library is key to being a great DJ.

Depending on the type of DJ your are, the way you organize your music can differ as well. A regular club DJ will have lists for different top genres with sub lists showing remixes, and separate lists of the same genres with old school classics and top 40 (new popular music) in each. There is no one perfect way to organize your music and playlists but here are some ways DJ’s do it.

Separate their music by it’s bitrate first. The most common format for music which is MP3, can come in low bitrates (128 or lower) which makes your music sound less clear, and the frequencies off. Your best quality sounding tracks should ideally be at 320 bitrate.
Organize their music is by genre, but make sure their playlists in each include sublists that identify the new releases, old classics, and whether or not it’s an original mix or remix (very important in EDM mixing).
Use coloring, labeling, commenting options to identify if the song is high, mid, or low energy. Even within the same genre songs can have different reactions from the crowd. They also add effects used in the labels or comments to remind themselves how they mix in or out.
Separate lists should be made to separate your sampler MP3’s such as short vocals, effect noises, BPM transition songs, and DJ plugs.

Prepare function and auto-mix playlist

The prepare function that your softwares provides helps you to cue up a list of selected songs that once played will go away from the list. This allows you to make short lists of songs that won’t be separate playlists that bog you down in an already growing list of playlists. The auto-mix playlist is like any playlist in your software except that it will depending on your settings mix the music passively top to bottom. This feature though cannot replace real mixing and should ideally be used for breaks or sparingly.

Bottom half of picture shows playlist which is organized for 120 BPM.

Which Software?

Everybody thinks theirs is the best

So now that we have gone through your equipment, we must talk about software. These days you will hear people tell you that they prefer Serato over Traktor, or Traktor over Rekord Box, but you must remember that ultimately it’s what you feel most confident with using

It may seem complicated at first, but their is a method to the madness

Most will stick with their first software they use, yet it’s important to know the differences in them as well. Being knowledgable in more than one could give you an advantage, especially when you might use them in any event. There is no ultimate or perfect one but all come close these days.

They all work the same

There may be a lot of choices but all work essentially the same. So what they all have in common?

First and foremost you will always see a visual of two decks with the waveforms of the songs being played in the middle or top.
The waveforms will always have some type of marker indicating 4 beats and 16 beats, which is important for visualizing the part in which the song is at in any given moment. Some include color schemes that help with mixing vocals or knowing where the bass is.
The visual for your decks will have a BPM counter, and to the bottom or side you will have a sampler, hot cue, and loop options.
The software will analyze the songs you play and tell you around the top section somewhere the key or chord you are playing at.
Bottom half will have a library with search functions, and the ability to sub divide your music into catagories of choosing. This becomes very important when organizing your library.

What does it do exactly?

In short it augments the skills of a DJ. Having all the visual information and the ability to sort through your music faster, allows someone to better play with techniques like splicing, adding instrumentals, scratching, acapellas, and changing music on the fly.

Right hand of picture shows us the BPM of a track which at the moment is synced with another song.

Features they have while sometimes controversial also help with beat-matching with sync buttons, and slow automated tempo changes. Advanced DJ’s also use other software in conjunction with these DJ software to create new music mash-ups while doing shows live, but of course with pre-recorded samples.

Old school vs. New school

With the rise of the digital age and new DJ’s that have come out with it, the older generations will discount the skill of the current popular DJ’s due to the fact that software helps with what was once a more manual intensive skill one had to learn in order to DJ. While we must show respect for those that came before us, it’s important to remember that with the changing landscape new skills and techniques are emerging, replacing older ones that are now automated.

Equipment

What do they all have?

Their are many different companies like Pioneer or Tracktor producing controllers these days. Big and small all of them include the same basic features:

Volume / equalizer knobs
Play / cue buttons
Turn tables / jog wheel
Crossfader
Tempo sliders
FX and filter knobs
Sampler and loop pads

Learn the layout as it stays mostly the same

Most can also easily be connected with laptops using USB ports, and come with accompanying software. The scheme usually stays the same with the equalizer and crossfader functions staying in the middle and the turn tables to the left and right with their respective play/cue buttons and tempo sliders.

Moving images convey what your reading better. So check out this video by crossfader

What do they do?

Alright now that we know what most controllers include it’s time to learn what they do. Remember these are the basic functions, and all buttons, and knobs can be used for various techniques.

Equalizer / volume controls : These come in the form of knobs and sliders. They control the highs, mids, lows, and the master volume of the channels being used.
Play / cue buttons : Stops and plays the tracks being used, while allowing for cueing of certain parts of the track.
Turn Table / Jog wheel : Allows for scratching and manual rewinds of the tracks being played, and the sides of the jog wheel slow or speed up the track temporarily
Crossfader : Brings you from channel A to channel B for transitions of 2 separate tracks
Tempo Sliders : Increase the tempo or BPM of the track, with the accompanying number being displayed on laptop or controller depending on the type.
FX and filter knobs : Allow for effects to be placed on individual tracks, and filters which come in high pass or low pass
Sampler and loop pads : Allow for sample voice or instrumental loops which are usually saved beforehand to be played on top of your tracks, and the same pads work as loop adjusters for repeating certain part of the track again at 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, and so on.

All have variations

It’s important to remember that with all the variations in controllers, their are many more functions, sliders, knobs included in whatever you decide to DJ with. Knowing these distinctions is up to you in order to ensure you are using your equipment to it’s maximum potential.

Get into the DJ revolution

Now is the time!

With the explosion of mixing software in the past few years and more compact equipment, anybody with a laptop, controller and headphones can theoretically be a DJ at any event, provided that you have the right connections and skills.

Technology has come a long way since the old days of carrying boxes of vinyl disks and heavy equipment to parties, but the foundation of doing a great job remains the same. No matter what software or programs you decide to use, there are fundamental factors in DJ’ing and mixing music all disc jockeys must know aside from knowing their audience and what music they want to hear.

What to expect

If your coming in fresh to the scene and don’t know exactly what this blog will talk about, these are some of the topics we will be discussing.

Equipment (Controllers, speakers, laptops)
Software (Serato, Rekordbox, VDJ, Traktor)
Music Libraries
Controller layouts
2 channel mixing and more
Mixing in key / chord
Beginner and advanced DJ techniques
Club culture vs. events vs. festivals

Even if you have some experience, I’ll also discuss the culture in detail along with more advanced techniques. Check out one of my mixes or see a mix live in the videos below.

Get a feeling for what you can do

Before we get into deep into the basics and further see for yourself what others can do, and maybe be inspired or intimated. First up is DJ Carlos Atendido using a DDJ-1000, and mixing a couple of genre’s.

Next up is the a heavy hitter Miles Medina and his legendary set from the Goldie Awards 2017. Notice the way he transitions quickly using the crossfader an scratching effectively. Also using the slicer pads to great use

Take it at your own pace

Don’t be intimidated, not everybody learns at the same pace. Believe it or not it took me a while to grasp many techniques and concepts. Any good DJ is always learning new things even at more advanced levels, using advancements in tech and software to his or her advantage. Take your own time to learn the basics, play around, and experiment. Eventually you will develop an ear and feel for things, and you will progress further.