Everyone loves DJs. They are the heart of any party, playing one great track after another. A great DJ has a ton of tracks ready at all times, sorted by genre and artist. This gives them a wide array of songs to choose for the right occasion. So as a Beginner, start listening to different types of music in your genre and try to figure out why they sound good and how you can incorporate it in your mix.
As a DJ, whenever I listen to a great new song I start thinking about why it sounds so good. Is it the bass or the short piano roll on every 4th beat. Once I know this I try to find songs which can mix well into this song without flaws. As I do this with a bunch of songs, I will have a good idea on how my next gig will go. This is the best place to start, so start listening to music. Don’t hear the music, LISTEN to it and feel the groove.
In this post, I will cover all the necessary steps on how to become a DJ. It is not an easy journey but socializing with the right people to book gigs is the quickest way to secure your spot.
Art of the DJs
Ever wondered what DJs really do? Their main responsibility is to get the crowd dancing. They cannot stop the music until the gig time is up or everyone is so exhausted from dancing that they decided to leave home and get rest.
As a DJ, you need to be able to set up the sound system. Although most clubs have a sound engineer to do that, it is a good practice. According to the venue and genre, you select a few great tracks and some fillers track to control the energy of the crowd.
If its sounds overwhelming, it is really not. I was very tensed at my first gig, but that was because I had to be flawless to catch the attention of all the promoters and event managers present that day. But with time and experience, I was able to read the crowd and know exactly what track will keep them moving.
Mixing between tracks
This is the most important job of any DJ. But it really depends on the genres. For House Music, you can mix the songs from the outro of the first song to the intro of the next song. It works most of the time as they tend to have a long intro and outro for the same purpose. Techno is similar although its a little more complicated. Genres like Dubstep and Trap have different tempo for different songs, so you need to practice mixing these songs at crucial parts of the track(Breakdown, Changing the bassdrop).
Beat-Matching
Every DJ must master this skill to become a professional DJ. Its basically matching the 4 beats of one song to 4 beats of the next song. Since both the songs are playing together, any slight delay will be very audible and ruins the whole mix.
Each DJ Controller comes with a sync button, which does the beat-matching for you. But it only happens if the controller is able to read the waveforms correctly. For complex songs with unique intros and structures, you need to be careful. The DJ community disapproves the use of sync as a common practice. If you messed up your beat-matching and the previous song has almost ended, you can always use sync to help you out.
To match the beat accurately, you need the tempos of the songs to be the same. Even a very slight difference in time will be audible to the whole club. You use the tempo knob to adjust the BPM(Beats per Minute) of the track. As a caution, do not try to get a 150 BPM track to 100 BPM just to match the beat. The whole song will sound different and likely very bad.
Phrasing
Have you noticed the timely progression of the elements of a track. Every 30 sec, there is a new sound introduced or taken out and keeps the track interesting and flowing. Every 4 beats gives you a bar, and after every 4 bars there is a slight change in the structure of sounds.
This process is called phrasing and it helps to determine the best place to mix into a song. For Example, you are playing a track which has a drop for 32 bars. Another track with an intro of only 16 bars. You need to mix the tracks after 16 bars of the drop to transition into the verse of the next track right after the drop(possibly add a few effects). Having this knowledge keeps your set flawless and you can get creative as well.
Faders and Gain
Faders are used to control the volume of an individual track. They are used to make transitions and with enough practice you will be able to switch between tracks using just the fader. They are really important and used by every DJ playing Hip Hop or Dubstep.
Gain Knob is used to control the volume of the whole output. It is always recommended to keep your final output from going into the reds. This means you’re tracks are playing a lot of frequencies and the speakers will lose quality.
Equalising
Just above the faders, you find 3–4 knobs. Highs, Mids(Low-Mids, High-Mids) and Low Frequency knobs. These are used to cut out frequencies or enhance them. They play an important role while mixing 2 songs.
When you are ready to mix your track into the next one, you need to play both the tracks simultaneously. Always remember to keep the volume fader down until you are confident that it sounds good on your headphones.
Low Frequencies are the loudest in any mix(<200Hz). Everyone loves the bass. But when 2 different basses are played together, it will mess up your mix and sounds horrible. Equalization becomes crucial to make your track sound smooth and flawless.
There are a lot of cool stuff you can do with equalizers. You can play a track, while keeping the bassline of a different track. You need to select the songs properly and see if both songs compliment each other.
Effects
Each controller comes with a bunch of effects to choose from. Effects help you to make the song sound more interesting, in case of techno or trance where each part of the song is repeated.
You can choose the type of effect you want to use as well as control the amount of effect you are applying. Reverb is used to provide a wider spacial dimension for your music, and usually sounds bad on a bass. Delay is used after a big and loud part of music, helps you to transition more smoothly and possibly mix into a different track.
Cueing
Cueing is a practice of setting the initial playback for a desired song. You need to use headphones to find the right place to mix in your track and set up a cue point.
Cues are essential and can be used to create unique mixes. You can set upto 6 cue points in a track. This can be used to our advantage, by jumping between cues and making a good track sound really great. I recommend you to practice a lot before doing similar stunts in front of the crowd.
Selecting Playlists
You need to play great songs to be a great DJ. Even a bad DJ plays only his best songs. As a DJ you need to be aware of all the new music coming out, new releases, artist albums and figure out how you can incorporate the selected songs into the mix.
Remixes of generic songs work really well. Everyone had probably heard the song, and by selecting a really good remix you make an impression on the crowd. After all, you need a lot of fans to survive in this industry.
Always come prepared for the gig, categorize your songs and cue them properly. Find connections between songs(which song to play after this song) and understand why.
Exploring DJ Software
So you understood the basics of DJing. Now let’s put that to use
Softwares are the easiest way to DJ. They channel multiple outputs and the mix sounds exactly as if it was played using a controller. Let’s look at some of the best software available
- Serato DJ Pro: As a beginner, this is the best option. It comes with a free version, and you can download that here. It is the most used DJ software around the world and provides a ton of features for a professional DJ gig. It is compatible with all the controllers and a few controllers are designed specially for Serato.
- Traktor Pro 3: Made by Native Instruments, this is one of the most powerful software out there. Native instruments were one of the first companies ever producing timecode vinyl back in the year 2000. It is compatible with all the controllers and you can even try out the demo which lets you play for 30 minutes at a time.
- Mixvibes Cross: Pioneer, a leading manufacturer of DJ controllers have teamed up with Mixvibes to produce an awesome software. Cross is compatible with all Pioneer Controllers and comes with extra features.
- Virtual DJ: This is the most common DJ software used around the world. It is the best beginner friendly software and the provides a simple interface to mix songs.
Getting familiar with Hardware
The best way to learn the DJ Hardware is by getting your hands on it. You should be able to connect the decks to the mixers and the mixer to the speaker. Let’s quickly go over this
Each deck is a music player, and sends sound signal directly to the mixer. You’ll have two phono (RCA) leads wire coming from the CDJs. These leads will plug in to the mixer. If you have turntables plug the leads into the phono input. If you have CD decks plug them in to the line input.
Next you can connect your active speakers to the master output of the mixer. If you have a separate amplifier connect this to the master output. And connect your passive speakers to the separate channel outputs of the amplifier. Then you can plug in your active speakers/amplifier to the mains. But don’t turn it on yet, we’ll get to that shortly.
Types of DJ Controllers:
- CD Decks: This is the most common setup in night clubs. They have 2–4 decks and you just need to plug in your USB and start playing. They are a bit expensive to own for an individual although it is important to familiarize on how they work.
- DJ Controller: DJ Controllers are mostly used for practice although I know many DJs who play with controllers. It is as simple as connecting your controller to your laptop. It is useful as you are playing tracks directly from your computer and you have the option of keeping your set ready.
- Turntables: Turntables are the vintage controllers which play using records. They are expensive and the records again cost a lot. This is used by specialist DJs, those who can scratch and spin and have a ton of experience. As a beginner, you can ignore this and learn about this later.
Landing your First Gig
Before thinking about playing in a club, make sure you’re skills are perfect and you are able to play a 30 min set without making any mistakes.
Start recording your sets, make exclusive sets with some really great tracks and start pitching it to clubs. Go to a struggling club, and show them your work. They will ask you to showcase your skills, if they like it you are given an opportunity. Don’t get greedy and start asking for money right away.
Once you start playing at a club, contact other clubs and promote your experience. Once they know few clubs are hiring you, they will give you a chance unless they have too many DJs already.
Wherever you play, go early to the set and talk to the people present there. Socializing is an important skill for each DJ.
Promoting your Sets
Make it a habit to record your sets before starting the gig. You can upload them on sites like Mixxcloud and grow a good fan base.
I would recommend going on SoundCloud, as the community is much larger and its easy to get your set heard by a lot of people. SoundCloud has a system where they check or copyright infringements. Although they only do that to the first 30 sec of the mix. So add a good intro and transition it into your mix.
As you start getting more gigs, make a nice fan base on Social Media channels like Facebook and Instagram. Be active and post a lot of pictures from your gigs. Interact with your fans and ask them their opinions.
Advanced DJing
There is a lot more to being a DJ. Every full-time DJ makes their own tracks and plays them. I started out as a Music Producer, which proved to be an advantage as I played my own songs in the club. You can choose your path more clearly as you get more experience and clarity.
If you are familiar with musical instruments and are eager to make your own tracks, the way you want them, learn Music Production. Even the basics will help you a lot as a DJ.
Let’s talk about a few advanced DJing Skills
- Harmonic Mixing: This skill requires a very good knowledge of chord progressions. It’s basically mixing 2 tracks which are in the same key or in a key which compliments one another. This kind of mixing is very pleasing to the ear and the transitions between 2 songs cannot be pointed out by a person in the crowd.
- Scratching: Scratching, sometimes referred to as scrubbing, is a DJ and turntablist technique of moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable to produce percussive or rhythmic sounds. A crossfader on a DJ mixer may be used to fade between two records simultaneously.
- Live Instrumental Set: These are special gigs from creative DJs and Producers. Everything they play will be using live instruments, synthesizers and drum machines. This is obviously a lot harder than traditional DJing, and requires years of practice before you can perform on stage.
Conclusion
There are a lot of DJs out there and if you truly want to stand out, you need to improve your art and try creative ways to play songs. Knowing the basics will get you to play in the local clubs, and that is enough for a lot of people.
I personally love playing tracks to a crowd and feeling the vibe of the whole crowd. But I also love to make new tracks, each with a completely different concept behind it and play it to the crowd as I see fit.
Don’t always hide behind the decks. Since you are the DJ, you can start speaking to the manager and build a good relation. Socialize with the other DJs playing ahead or after you, make a lot of connections. This will ensure your success as a DJ. Lastly never hesitate to hit on the hottest girl in the club, I mean you are the DJ.