DJ Music

Calculating Pitch is dead easy, but a necessary skill for DJing, whilst some DJs will say that you can adjust pitch of music by ear, it can sometimes be less hassle and simpler to calculate pitch by ear.

simply count the number of beats for 10 seconds, multiply this by 6 and you have the beats per minute, this is what calculating pitch is in a DJing sense.

number of beats in 10 seconds x60 = Beats per minute.

Really however this calculates the tempo of the music or the speed of the beats, why its important for a DJ in terms music and a mix is that when the pitch of a music track is altered, by changing the speed of the rotation, so is the tempo and the beats per minute, both of which directly affect the music when beatmatching

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Altering the EQ of a channel, has interesting effects on the music being played out and effectively helps to create a unique sound that a DJ can use to make his set more interesting and creative, playing with the EQ controls allows a DJ to annunciate certain elements of a track or hide other elements, when used on one channel during a mix, the effects can help to blend the mix allowing the two tracks to merge more smoothly.

There are usually 3 EQs, on most DJ mixers, however specialist mixers may have more, and have an additional control called a kill switch that will cut out all sound for that EQ range.

Put simply there is no real way to learn how to use EQ, its simply a case of trial and error. However an understanding of how EQ works will give any DJ a better understanding of its impact on DJ music.

Essentially, each EQ controls a given range of frequencies, each EQ control effectively acts as a filter that the music passes through, enhancing or removing frequencies in the music. a DJ can thus use the EQ controls to enhance his set vocabulary making it more expressive and interesting for the audience.

in general some EQ effects that have really cool results on the music are as follows:

with vocals- max out the mid, cut out the bass and high

with heavy bass- max out the bass cut everything else

with intros- max out the high cut the rest

one good trick to use when mixing is to cut out the bass EQ on the out going track and bring in the Bass EQ from the incoming track, effectively replacing the Bass EQ, its useful especially if you’re not too great with beatmatching.

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DJ has its own language and slang, mashups and remixes form part of this and are used to describe the music, essentially they are the same thing, the result of a DJ mixing two tracks of music together. However whilst a Mashup, or indeed any mix can be a Remix, a remix isnt really a mashup. Heres why:

A remix, is really a new version of a song, kind of like a cover, it uses the bulk of one song and adds elements such as effects or loops from other music sources to remodel the track, some changes can be quite drastic, whilst others may be very subtle volume, pitch or EQ adjustments by the DJ.

A mashup is also known as a bootleg, this is a type of Remix, although its a bit more complex than this, as mashup literally combines two tracks into one, usually its the acapella, or vocals of one music track with the bassline and instrumentals of another track,  whilst considers a for of basterd pop music mashups are great fun and can result in fantastic tracks being created by the DJ, thundercats for example could be remixed with bach and a bassline.  Its this combination of tracks in this way that makes mashups a unique type of remix.

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WHen DJing first started out, it was basically late night sound engineers ‘guarding the fort’ at radio stations after presenters had gone home, it was basically a case of keepign the station going and playing music to night owls, it wasn’t until DJing got into the clubs that DJs became a ‘profession’, as for modern mixing, that didn’t come in till much later when the cross fader became integrated into DJ mixers.

Its been a case of contention for DJs for a while, as to whether its more important to master technique or master the art of programming to become a DJ and DJ music like a pro. Now really this is quite a loose question, first it depends on the style of music you DJ, specifically if  you DJ hip hop for example you might find that technique is critical.

There are basics of DJing music that apply regardless, however, such as beatmatching, and whilst you can get away with not doing this absolutely perfectly, you still need to get it fairly right, after all, you don’t want to screw up the rhythm of the music for the crowd. However aside from getting these fundamentals right the bottom line is in being able to anticipate and respond to the crowd and play a set that reflects this, and all the fancy DJ tricks won’t help when it comes to reading people and choosing music they will respond to.

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DJing is really fluid and creative process, so it seems strange the DJing has a formula, however, being a DJ is about reading people, giving them what they want and predicting how they respond and acting accordingly. As such its no surprise that there is a loose formula a Dj can follow to give a DJ set an edge.

make the intro track instrumental and fairly short no more than 2 minutes 30

Add some vocals in to the second track, and keep the length less than 4 minutes in total

keep all the other tracks at under 5 minutes (this seems to be the average length of a track, and ironically peoples attention span).

The reason this works is that whilst every individual track has an intro and outro, a DJ set doesn’t, but by using this DJing formula, you are creating an intro into your set. It also allows a DJ to get into the rhythm and gain control over their set as well as provide a softer transition from the out going DJ and a taste of whats to come for the audience.

I have to point out this definitely isn’t a rule, but more of a guide line, however, Tiesto fans and fans of Essential Mixes on Radio 1 will notice that this DJ technique is regularly used.

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As a DJ part pf your challenge is to get exposure, to increase the awareness and gain a following. If you’ve got no PR then you’ll struggle to get bookings and a fan base, with out that you’ll be hard pressed to get onto the DJ circuit.

Preliminary:

first you’ll want to prepare a CV outlining your DJ experience, the type of music you play and the kind of gigs you’d like to play, you’ll want to highlight any previous gigs and any Pr you have had. Don’t forget to include your contact information.

Get some business cards made with your contact information, carry these around with you.

Now, you want to focus on making a Demo mix tape of music, try to show the full breadth of your skills and music tastes. You might want to consider making different mix tapes for different gigs.

Now, you also want to create an online following, this is the cheapest and most efficient way of getting your name and music out there and as a DJ this can be an invaluable asset.

Offline DJ promotion:

First get you CV, coversheet,website, sample mixes, and photos together first, its worth spending a little time and making this personal to each company/ or DJ agency you approach.

You want to make flyers and place these in locations where people who might be interested in you DJ service, make business cards and leaflets leave tehm at cafes, shops and of course DJ record shops. Make sure you build relationships with other DJs, and promoters on the scene on your nights out and try and be cool and approachable. Start small and don’t expect massive DJ gigs to begin with. Make stickers of your website and stick them around the place, and obviously, get your mates to give you shouts a props to all their friends.

Online DJ Promotion: 

The Internet has been a  godsend for smaller DJs and DJ music, which would otherwise have been obscured by big labels and  corporate giants, it has meant the a DJ starting out has a chance to be heard and build a following based in his style of DJing and music tastes.

First you want to create a Facebook profile, and a Facebook group, next you want to create a Myspace profile and use a friend adder to add friends, Lilly Allen, used this to great effect to get a strong following, and as a DJ it allows you to add music to your profile.

DJ-music.org.uk, provide a website building service that will provide you with a website, email and blog, as well as webhosting, having a website and blog as well as a custom email helps to give a professional feel that can help when it comes to DJing as a business.

On your site, you’ll want to have information about your next gigs, booking forms, contact information, as well as news about your DJing, you can choose to add clips of your DJing and music to the site which will help give fans a taste of what your working on.

In addition to this creating a prescience on industry forums and sites will again help to boost your name as a DJ.

Publicty for a DJ is very important esepcially if you plan on taking your DJing from hte bed room to the club room, as such there are several ways of getting a name for ourself as a DJ, which don’t require loads of capital and investment. Try and be original and remember, all the publicity in the world won’t make you a better DJ, focus on DJing music and getting good at that, then focus on building a name for yourself.

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DJing, isn’t really about your DJ proess, or showing off your DJ skills (ok well, maybe with the exception of battle DJing), live DJing, on the radio, or having to DJ a club and most importantly when DJing as a mobile DJ for a wedding. DJing is all about your audience. As a DJ its all about reading the crowd, responding to them, teasing them, leading them and giving them what they want. A set is about structure, about DJing a collection of music that the crowd will respond to and react to at a given time during their night.

To Program a DJ set, you want to have a beginning, middle and end, you want it to fit neatly between the set of the out going DJ and the next DJ to come after you. You’ll want to DJ music that fits the time of the night, and the style of music being played.

Every DJs set needs to have a beginning, middle and end. the body of the set needs to have peaks and troughs taking the audience through a roller coaster of different music sensations. Don’t rely on just hard hitting DJ floor fillers that are totally unoriginal. DJing is a dance, its about cooing the crowd, so tease the crowd, give them tracks that fit and that surprise them.

Choose music that goes together, pick out a group, then whittle it down, pick out another group and whittle it down, do the same to a third group then combine the remaining music into one group and cut that down, so you have a core set with a few spare incase you need to throw a few curve balls. Now sort that group intosome sort of order, so you have a rough idea of what to play at what ever point in the set.

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Before we get carried away going into DJ techniques and DJ equipment its important to take a look at the music, DJ music, isn’t just about, trace or progressive hose, but encompasses all genres of music, naturally you can find DJs who DJ trance, but you’ll also find country DJs and rock DJs as well.

If you’re wanting to learn how to DJ you’ll probably already have a love of music, this however, is more about educating yourself about new types of music as well as keeping you’re love of your favourite music. DJs are notorious for bringing new music to the crowd and for doing different things with current music, they are trendsetters.

So where do DJs get their hands on the latest music?
DJ charts – If you like the music of a certain DJ, you’ll probably also like the records they put in their playlist. Finding these playlists is simple- the back of albums, on the internet,etc.

Buzz charts - These are great indicators of what’s up and coming, giving a good cross section what’s making the rounds on DJ playlists.

Sales charts - These can usually be found at the larger stores or on shows like top of the pops, they show what’s already popular, But are still a good round-up of what’s out there that people like listening to.

Store charts – These usually list the records the store staff think are the big hits. You’ll probably find most of the tracks are generic and appeal to most listeners

Reviews – these can usually be found in the multitude of DJ magazines out there, and really offer personal recommendations, you’ll have to be quite selective though as they are based on the writers choice, so getting familiar with a particular author’s reviews usually helps.

Radio – this is the old sckool way of finding new music, listen to other DJs and even phone in to find out what they played, you’ll not only find new music, listen to music you love and great sets, you’ll also get a chance to hear new and different music genres as well.

Recommendations – word of mouth, they say, is the best kind of advertising, even store workers can give great recommendations as a direct result of understanding your tastes and styles, but try them out before you buy.

Hitlist – if you don’t have one, make one, and keep it with you in your wallet, note down the artists and albums as and when they hit you, cross them off as you get them.

Labels– Like DJs if you like a particular producer or record label, keep checking them out and keep tabs of their new releases.

Online forums – Just like the one here at DJ Music, these are a fantastic place to meet other DJs and music fans, and a place to share and find out more about the music you love and try out new music flavours.

Be curious – try new styles and check out obscure sections and genres, its worth checking out car boot sales, second hand shops and the grand parents loft, its those hidden gems that could help throw an otherwise generic set into something truly unique.

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Pitch control is on of the elements of beatmatching that is crucial for a DJ to master in order to DJ music. Pitch control can be found in different forms but usually a vertical slide fader, there is one pitch control per deck allowing a DJ to speed up or slow down the speed of each deck, the speed of the music affects not only the tempo, but also the pitch and you’ll find that this can warp the sound of the music you’re Djing.

Pitch control, is the only real commonly used variable to help a DJ beatmatch their music, aside from pitch control, some decks and digital DJing software will have tempo control, which allows a DJ to beatmatch without affecting the pitch of the music.

Mechanically speaking the pitch control is a speed platter for the speed the platter of the deck rotates slowing the moter down or speeding it up as the DJ manipulates the pitch control. most DJing decks regardless of vinyl DJ decks, CD DJ decks or digital DJ software will usually have a pitch control with the ability to increase or decrease pitch by 8% shown next to the pitch control as a ruler bar.

By shifting the pitch slider on the pitch control up or down a DJ can match the beat of the music on the deck to match the playing deck, and in so doing, they are beatmatching, allowing a DJ to create a seamless blend between two tracks of music, effectively merging them into one.

It takes alot of skill and patience as well as understanding for a DJ to learn how to accurately use pitch control, and even then the tempo of the music may change thus affecting the pitch control. as such whilst there are mathematical ways of calculating pitch, its often better to play it by ear and learn as you practice.

Because of the importance of pitch control in beatmatching, its very important for a DJ to find DJ equipment that has the pitch control feature, and you’ll often see cheaper knock-off amateur DJ equipment will lack pitch control.

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One of the most fundamental and important parts of DJing is beatmatching, beatmatching forms the foundation of modern DJing and to DJ music well in most types of DJ music, some form of beatmatching occurs. Beatmatching is simply matching the beats of the incoming track with the beat of the playing track in order to create a smooth and seamless fade across the track allowing the DJ to play music without interruption, for most DJ music styles beatmatching is very important, but as a general rule of thumb, if your DJing any style of music you’ll want to make sure the beats match up.

A basic DJ setup for DJing any kind of music consists of a mixer, two turntables, a sound system of some sort and in some cases an amp. Whilst this DJ setup applies to vinyl DJs, the approach for CD DJs and laptops/digital djs is very similar and the basic DJing skills are still the same. The cross fader allows one table to be played out loud whilst the other table can be setup for DJing, by crossing the cross fader over, the second deck is played through the output.

To get started DJing and more importantly beatmatching you need a strong understanding of the music you’re playing particularly the beat and rhythm of the music. get use to listening to the music playing out of the speakers, and try to make note of the beat of the music. You’re going to listen to the music on the first deck playing out on the speakers, then try and use the pitch fader to align the beat of the music playing on the second deck which should be playing out of the headphones, hence why you see DJs often hunched over with one side of their headphones on when they DJ music.

when you’ve matched up the beats of the music, move the cross fader from the first deck to the second deck.

l Play out the first deck.

2 listen to the second deck via the headphones
3 match up the beats of the music from each deck

4 move over the cross fader

This is really an outline of the beatmatching process, and as this is an important DJing skill we will be going through each element in detail.

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Its often perceived as hard to learn how to DJ music, or expensive, but the reality is that it can be amazingly simple and in some cased very affordable. DJ Music have complied a list of the top ten DJ tips to help you begin DJing music, regardless of the type of DJing you do or the type of music you DJ these tips will help you.

10 tips to DJ Music

10 at 10th place in the 10 tips to DJ Music: learn to really listen to the music want to DJ, learn all the finer points of the music, the rythems and beats, the notes and the changes in the music. Knowing your music helps you to DJ and helps you when you begin DJing as you’ll be more tuned into the music you DJ.

9 in 9th place for 10 tips to DJ Music: read up (no not just to promote DJ-Music.org.uk), try and read up and get some background information about DJing, the history of DJing, different DJ styles and DJ techniques, all help to add to your experience as a DJ and your appreciation of DJing and DJ music.

8 at 8th place on the 10 tips to DJ Music: don’t be afraid of making mistakes. everyone knows ‘practice makes perfect’, and DJing is no different, as a DJ every piece of music and every Dj technique you use impacts the final mix that comes out of the speakers, guaranteed you will make mistakes when DJing, the sooner you get used to these DJing blips the sooner you can learn to overcome them and correct them.

7 coming at 7th for 10 tips to DJ Music: Learn about your DJ equipment and treat your DJ equipment with the care it needs. DJ equipment is fragine and expensive, so much so you can get DJ equipment insurence, its definitely sensitive to water and dust, so learning how to take care of and maintain you Djing equipment with help you to DJ music with out your equipment failing on you.

6 in 6th place on the 10 tips to DJ Music list: learn how to promote yourself, being a DJ is not just about DJing and DJ music, its also about who you know, learn about how to market yourself and spread the word about your DJing, DJ-Music.org.uk has a DJ forum where you can post all your latest news, naturally this is only a starting point, but try classified ads, myspace, facebook, flyers, business cards, the more people who know you, the more people turn up when you DJ.

5 at 5th place for the 10 tips to DJ Music: learn to read the audience,DJing is not a self plasureing experience but rather a shared pleasuring experience,you’re DJing to the audience not DJing to yourself, it makes sense then, that as a good DJ, you need to be able to read the audience’s reaction to your DJing.

4 at 4th on our 10 tips to DJ Music: DJ for your self, if you don’t love what you do and what you DJ you won’t get good, and you might was well throw in the towel, so it’s worth DJing music you like in a way that you like, not without respect to the 5 tip to DJ Music.

3 at 3rd on the 10 tips to DJ Music list: Don’t be afraid to experiment and be different, DJing is an art, like music, its creative and innovative, you don’t need to be creative for creative’s sake, but don’t be afraid to DJ and try new things, don’t be afraid of DJing in a way that different to whats out there already and don’t be afraid of new DJing equipment.

2 in 3nd place on the 10 tips to DJ Music: speak to other DJs, go to clubs and watch other DJs DJing, learn from them and don’t let the glamour of DJing gett o your head, DJing isn’t about flash carsand celebrity parties, its about great music and good times, don’t get sucked into the sex drugs and rock and roll lifestyles (ok, fair enough, don’t get too sucked in)

1 the number 1 10 tips to DJ Music: Enjoy DJing, theres no point DJing, or playing music if you can’t be arsed and you’d rather be doing something else, DJing is intrisically creative so as a DJ passion will affect how you DJ music and how you perform as a DJ, love DJing and have a good time doing it.

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As a DJ your mecca is in the record store, not on the decks. Your value as a DJ come from the records you choose and how you put them together, one of the critical but often overlooked parts of DJing, is the ability to select great music, not only great on its own, but great when mixed together, when you’re out buying records, aside from if you like it and if the track is good, you want to cosider if its great music? Will it engage the dancefloor? And does it fit with other tracks and the style of DJing you do?

Try to Buy records little and often small and regular shopping trips are the key to keeping track of things and help you to clock those rare records that may only be out for a few months, it also helps you to get to know other DJs and the store owners and prevents you from going on mad bulk-buying runs that result in quantity over quality. Try and hit your local store once a week at least and make sure you budget.

Only buy records you know you’ll want, this is a great saver and will help you to really consider each record. Pick out a stack, tehn cut it down, then cut that down again, till you have a handful you’re sure you can’t live without. This is the easiest way to buy better record, buy the records that you know you’ll love and use.

Don’t buy something you’ve never heard- be more guarded about music you haven’t heard, like the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover. On the same token, it can really pay off, just make sure you test the water first and the store has  a returns policy.

Be aware of how records sound in the store, it may well be down to their sound system, and as such have a good think before committing to buying it.

Check the condition of any records you buy, pay special attention to warps, bumps and scratches. If it’s a new record, buy a shrink-wrapped copy that’s been untouched, you don’t want an aged demo that’s scratched before you’ve even played it.

keep your recipts, it’ll make it easier to return records if you don’t want them and if you’re a self employed DJ or music writer, you can write it off as a business expense.

If you live in a large city with lots of DJ stores, it makes sense to suss out the DJ store that most fits your style of DJing. Keep tabs on the other stores and try to keep up with new tunes as they come out. In smaller towns, you’ll probably have to try harder, and in this instance your best bet is online.

Secondhand is a fantastic way to find great music, it’s a bit of a struggle but if you keep your wits about you and are able to have a real good eye for a bargain you could find a treasure trove.

Online/mail order no doubt one of the easiest and best ways of shopping. Virtually all the security issues there once were are now resolved and u can source and search and even try out new and different music with ease, what makes it even better is that you can even find the most obscure of records fairly easily.

Some of the best online DJ Music stores are:

iTunes, HMV, iMusician, Dolphin Music, emusic

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DJing has been around as long as radio, DJ stands for Disk Jockey, and orginiated when radio stations began to play music on the airwave, it was the DJ who was responsible for being the voice of the radio station, making commentary and presenting, in some cases it was the DJ who was also responsible for selecting the music. It is this love of music that attracts most DJs to the art.

There’s no limit to the type of music a DJ plays, and the line between a DJ and a radio presenter is now very blurred except in the most extreme cases. Certainly the style of music a DJ plays governs they equipment and the technique a DJ may use, but the fundamental spirit of DJing remains the same- to inspire the audience and bring new and innovative music to their ears.

For most being a DJ is all about parties and glamor a la Tiesto,

DJing has been around as long as radio, DJ stands for Disk Jockey, and orginiated when radio stations began to play music on the airwave, it was the DJ who was responsible for being the voice of the radio station, making commentary and presenting, in some cases it was the DJ who was also responsible for selecting the music. It is this love of music that attracts most DJs to the art.

There’s no limit to the type of music a DJ plays, and the line between a DJ and a radio presenter is now very blurred except in the most extreme cases. Certainly the style of music a DJ plays governs they equipment and the technique a DJ may use, but the fundamental spirit of DJing remains the same- to inspire the audience and bring new and innovative music to their ears.

For most being a DJ is all about parties and glamor a la Tiesto, and for a talented and lucky few this might be the case, the reality however is that the majority of work for DJs today is mobile DJing, the sad fact is that if you’re looking to make it big as a professional DJ, you’re looking at a steep hill to climb. In the beginning, radio was the only place where DJs were present, and this was usually only to provide music between commentry, then there was the late night graveyard shift where the DJ was little more than a caretaker keeping the radio station going late into the night. As it becase more expensive to hire live bands at clubs and bars DJs became a viable alternative, it wasn’t until the late 80’s when there was a flourish of electronic music that the first dance music DJs began to come into being, along with innovations in DJ technology and techniques this marked the first steps from whence modern DJing came into being.

For a new DJ it can seem daunting and intimidating, the techniques are difficult to master and the equipment confusing, the team at DJ-Music.org.uk aim to help this process along and this is the first step in helping those interested in DJ Music and DJing mastering an art we all love.
and for a talented and lucky few this might be the case, the reality however is that the majority of work for DJs today is mobile DJing, the sad fact is that if you’re looking to make it big as a professional DJ, you’re looking at a steep hill to climb. In the beginning, radio was the only place where DJs were present, and this was usually only to provide music between commentry, then there was the late night graveyard shift where the DJ was little more than a caretaker keeping the radio station going late into the night. As it becase more expensive to hire live bands at clubs and bars DJs became a viable alternative, it wasn’t until the late 80’s when there was a flourish of electronic music that the first dance music DJs began to come into being, along with innovations in DJ technology and techniques this marked the first steps from whence modern DJing came into being.

For a new DJ it can seem daunting and intimidating, the techniques are difficult to master and the equipment confusing, the team at DJ-Music.org.uk aim to help this process along and this is the first step in helping those interested in DJ Music and DJing mastering an art we all love.

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This is the DJ Music Blog, this is the first post, welcome and Enjoy.

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