Learning to DJ

y2jake215

Lately I've gotten interested in the idea of learning to DJ, but I don't really know where to start. I figure it's way too early to consider buying any equipment at all, so I downloaded a trial version of VirtualDJ and I've played around with it a bit, but I'm not sure how to practice. I know it's important to know how to beat match songs and transition and stuff, but I'm lost on the specifics, like if you don't want to play all 140 bpm songs, etc. any DJs around that feel like explaining how they picked up the skill?

Whacktose

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking but I'll give it a shot... virtual dj software is designed to make beatmatching a bit easier than doing it manually. Basically you use the tool to figure out the BPM of a given song (some can try to do it automatically but most have a "beat/tap" button), then match it to the song you're trying to transition from. So, hypothetically you could speed up a 130bpm song to make it match a 140bpm song, slow down the 140bpm song, or split the difference. Transitions and cross-fading are things that you figure out with practice... What equalizer settings to adjust, where to set markers, what sections to loop, etc. Physical equipment can make this less painful as it's easier to hit buttons & twist knobs then try to adjust everything on the fly with a mouse.

One thing I might recommend is sitting down and figuring out exactly what you're trying to do, e.g. "I want to have this song fade in without the bassline until a beat drop" or something like that, then googling. If you figure out in your head what you want something to sound like, there will be message boards out there where people discuss the technique of getting the sound you're looking for.

You'll also probably want a way to output two different sound sources, if you don't already: one for your headphones and one for your speakers.

I hope this helped.

y2jake215

I'll try to explain what I'm asking better... If someone was trying to learn how to play guitar, you'd say okay, do some finger independence exercises, practice scales, learn to hammer on and pull off, etc. Is there an equivalent for DJing? It's not exactly an instrument but there must be certain techniques to learn and work on. I find myself sitting there listening to a song, not sure what I can be doing. I understand transitioning from one song to the next, but all I really have found is "match bpm, slowly fade from one side to other", which hasn't sounded all that great. I'm also unsure how to then transition between songs that can't be easily beat matched without altering the pitch too much. Maybe I'm just treating it too rigidly, that there's no real accepted method, and I should be figuring out my own way each time? Just seems difficult to plan out a segue from any song to every other.

I also wouldn't mind some advice on what equipment is necessary, and which are good quality, if I decide to go that far, as well as recommendations for how to get the necessary top 40 music short of buying it all outright. An acquaintance who DJs used a Zune (I think) pay by month service that gave access to a ton of songs? Does anyone have experience with this or a similar service?

Whacktose

OK, this makes a little more sense.

With DJ'ing, a lot of it is discovering what sounds good to you and developing the technique to make it happen. If you're focused on Top-40 music, checking out various mash-ups from bootie and elsewhere might be able to give you some ideas. There's threads here that go into various transition techniques/ideas:

http://forum.djtechtools.com

Equipment-wise, you'll want to pick something like this up (there are cheaper options around) so that you can get a feel for the physics of the controls:

http://www.amazon.com/Hercules-DJ-4780474-Console-RMX/dp/B0018CEOA6

Music-wise, I can't offer much advice, as I don't really follow top-40 that closely. SoundCloud may be a good resource.

djmitchella

A really cheap way to start is the ION Audio iCUE3 Discover DJ -- I have one, it's super plasticky, but the performance and software are surprisingly good for the price, and it's not a big commitment if you don't go any further.

TL DR

What kind of DJing are you looking to get into? Top 40's as in what you'd see at a wedding party, or more mixing and beatmatching as with House music?

That toy that djmitchella linked actually looks pretty cool. I've messed around in Ableton with TouchOSC, which turns an Android or iOS device into a touchscreen MIDI controller and can serve some functions of a mixer (though not much help with beatmatching; you need turntables or similar for that).

EggyToast

You need to clarify what kind of DJing you want to do. Do you want to do dance parties like for friends or at events? Do you want to do it more like clubs, where there's a little more artistry involved but you're basically just playing back tracks one after the other with a smooth transition? Or do you want to delve more into turntablism with scratching, snippets, and so on?

They're all different and require different approaches. I assume, based on your music preferences, that you're more interested in the middle one, but I'm not certain.

As for general practice, the best way to do it is to listen to a lot of music. You need to listen for beats, for transitions, for drops. You need to deconstruct a song and see where you can mix in and out of it. You need to catalog your music to know where the song you're looking for is located, and how you can mix into that song. Whether you're using MP3s or CDs or vinyl, it's all about knowing what you have, how you can use it, and how to get to it quickly.

I'd say the best way to practice is imitation. For example, Orbital has been playing their song "Halcyon" with Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" and Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name" for, like, 15 years. Nowadays people call it a mashup, but back in the 90s it was just high quality DJing.

y2jake215

Whacktose - thanks, that site looks a great resource. I already found a stickied thread that had a ton of "moves" people used to segue between songs

djmitchella - hmm, that's an interesting option. definitely a cost effective way to find out if I'm cut out for this.

TL DR and Eggy -

As to what kind of DJing, I'm not positive yet. I guess a little bit of each of the first two? Being able to work a party or bar type of thing. Not actually, just the sort of stuff they do, playing popular songs seamlessly, etc. But the second is really interesting to me too, especially as something you can do by yourself. Coming up with a long mix of songs, for example like

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4dK9yodrsk

which would require more creativity and artistry. I don't think I'm too interested in turntablism, at least at the moment.

EggyToast

Well, the "instrument" is essentially the basic DJ mixer with an input crossfader and 3 shelf filters (hi/mid/low) which you use to more successfully overlap your songs. You play one song, cue up the next song in the other channel (outputting to your headphones so only you hear it), and when you're ready you fade it in. The filters let you drop out a significant sonic portion of the song, so like if you want to use the bass & drums from 1 song but not so much the vocals (which are higher pitched), you use the low pass filter on that track. On another track, you use a high pass filter to pull out the vocals and maybe some melody. You can do this on a computer, but it's more immediate and tactile to use actual sliders (since it's not always easy to grab and move a slider precisely using a mouse, let alone a trackpad).

y2jake215

I've been practicing a little bit lately and enjoying it, thanks for all the tips, everyone. I was wondering if anyone knew a resource for a list of BPM transition songs? Like ones that start at 110 bpm but switch to 140?

y2jake215

also does anyone have any experience with

http://www.amazon.com/Vestax-VCI-100-Controller-Platter-Controls/dp/B000OI1M3C

versus the Hercules console Whacktose recommended?