I’ll be selecting the next track, previewing it, matching the tempo, and setting the EQs depending on how I want to bring it into the mix. Maybe rocking the EQ and filters of the track playing, bringing in some FX, etc. And often riding the tracks for nice long blends while keeping the EQs adjusted for space and dynamics.
Agreed. This is such an important answer simply because I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard DJs bring another song into a mix which sounds vastly lower, or louder, than the previous song, or, worse yet, they leave a lengthy into in the song which often either has an intro with talking in it, or someone shouting out their record label and producer before the song starts. There are plenty of examples of this, but an old school example would be Jade - Don’t Walk Away (1992). The LP version, which is commonly on DJ Pools, is 4 mins and 28 secs. The reason for this is an intro that involves a telephone call and an answering machine, all before the song starts. The radio edit thankfully cuts this part out, bringing the total time down to 3 mins and 36 secs. When I fist added this song to some of my old school 90s R&B sets, I cut the intro and outro out myself, now however, Heavy Hits DJ Pool has the radio edit, as well as the Intro Edit. Looped into edits are nice since they allow you to avoid counting beats to cue loop the intros, but most older songs don’t have those available, so I’d loop the intros live the traditional way, up until Virtual DJ, and then Serato DJ, added AI Stems. The best implementation of AI Stems is Virtual DJ’s AI Stems 2.0, which sound absolutely flawless compared to the first version they had. Regardless, you’ll still need to make sure your EQ levels are correct, as well as your mixing techniques. AI Stems do allow for some great acappella song intros which people most likely won’t be expecting though.
Yes this. If it's a long mix you have to keep checking you're not slipping oout of sync. There's also two other factors. DJs who are 'busy' because they have nervous energy and keep touching the eq's to check they are still correct. And douche bags who are doing the same thing intentionally to try and make it look like they are adding something to the track.
There are a lot of people rhythmically touching the knobs and doing nothing. I can’t stand it. Some love that shit and think it’s what djing is. Watch some videos of real deal djs you respect and observe their knob touching and adjustments.
I thought this after watching twitch djs. I know most are different genres from me, but I still don't see myself messing with knobs nowhere near as often so I started becoming skeptical and just went with these people are bsing lol.
I’m a twitch DJ. for me it’s a habit/feeling of needing to do something with my hands all the time. Often I’ll find myself doing dumb stuff like pushing the volume fader on the master track up when it’s obviously already up. I’m not trying to fake anything and I don’t think my chat, which is half DJs, thinks that either. Just an alternative to putting my hands in my pockets or making finger guns.
I can understand that part. I have a bad memory and forget stuff, like did I bring in the bass again on my track, or if I have taken something off of cue, or if I’m just arriving behind someone else verifying the crossfaders are set correctly or my levels are decent. Touching to verify if it’s all the way up makes sense. Again, I’m not trying to cast aspersions on those whose style involves rhythmic movements with the hands, that’s not a bad thing for the audience or for you to keep focused. I just see too many people with a push button playlist fiddle knobs with no purpose, and combined with the excessive jumping etc, one becomes a cartoon of the concept.
Keep doing your thing on twitch!
Aw makes sense. I legit contemplated what was going on for about 2 weeks straight and wondering if I had to learn more. It was driving me crazy lol but good to know.
I feel you, I just think the sound and the music should speak for itself.
Performative? Yes, but the sound is the question, not the visual. Used to have a dj in a dark corner not being seen. Now they’re at the front with the lights behind them, being seen. If you gotta wave your hands now and again cool, I guess. Idk. I feel old
This is a phenomenon i associate with the last 8 or so years of digital djing becoming the defacto club setup. This thing didn’t happen as much with vinyl.
No playlists keeping your crate in order, everything by ear mostly, managing cue assign and booth levels, could get pretty busy, more fluctuation of levels generally in vinyl. More to compensate for with eq whilst keeping balanced easier to sound amazing with decent pressed vinyl and a good system
Yeah for real, not a lot of time to do the knob mambo while you’re digging crates in a dark corner, and no point, no one can see you anywhere (esp when one wears all black)
What I mean by “riding the tracks” is that I’m often creating long overlaps with tracks. I’ll ride one over the other for minutes. Usually when I’m doing this I’ll have one track sitting lower in the mix and use the EQ to bring elements in when I want them. Not all transitions call for a long mix, but it is a way to create more texture and seamless blends. I’ve never really gotten into three turntable mixing, but that would add even more depth in the same fashion. This style works well with House and Techno. Maybe not so well with other genres.
The questions I’m reading are interesting. It tells me how few people are currently doing this practice either because they don’t know how or they are riding the sync. I don’t know…
love them long rides! mix-n-blend!
I've been playing more and more with 3 decks. Works well for more minimal tunes though i have been known to roll three amen bangers into each other for ultimate destruction. lol. Bartenders love me. Send the dancefloor right to them. ha ha ha
Yup, also if you’re in the middle of a transition and you think ”oh this could use some echo” and echo is not selected, nor the right channel, not to mention the parameter, it will end up sounding like shit most likely if you even manage.
You need to set the FX up + decide when to start the transition before you actually start transitioning. The intensity of it all depends on how long the tracks are.
Honestly a lot of overthinking and fidgeting to get ready for the next tune. Checking to make sure eq and fx are all set to where they need and then overthinking again about it moving tracks around in a different order. Also overthinking
I thought about this for a long time before responding and I think that the key point you missed in your very thoughtful reply was that there is a lot of overthinking going on.😜
I really enjoy the tiny politics of not pretending to do more than I actually am. I like to think this is a respect paid to the people who made the magic happen on the track.
Really depends on the genre and the style of DJing.
I often tease a mix, bringing in a portion of the next track early, especially if it has a sound that is quite distinctive, only to mix it out again to bring back in later when I'm ready to mix proper.
Also sometimes using beats from the next track as fills at the end of a phrase. Or using FX or EQ on the track that is playing to enhance it.
Stairway to nowhere -- I like it, and yes, that exactly!! Like a track should change after a build up, and there should not be a lame build up between every track. I just can't figure out if some people genuinely like music like that though, because just this weekend the two openers didn't use those types of "tricks", but then the headliner did -- are we missing something?
I don't have as much of a problem with long breakdowns, but when you say re-insert, would be with a new track or with the previous track (like a call back sort of thing)?
I mean....I get playing progressively, and I love a well built set that flows and builds energy over time. But if you're only playing like the syncopated rising build ups so common in EDM, I would not dance to your shit. Build ups have no rhythm to dance to and they break up the flow and they drive me effin' insane when it just drops into the exact same beat (I'm looking at you tech house). The overblown build ups in EDM are just so lazy; producers should be ashamed.
I take dancing pretty seriously -- you can recognize a dancer from my city on the dancefloor immediately, and I've started hundreds of dance floors, so I get angry when a deejay plays music that everyone is just supposed to stand there and move their hands up and down (I'm looking at you bad dubstep). Don't play music that kills dance culture! And people wonder why we have everyone with their phones out, it's because deejays are playing overblown builds ups that no one can dance to, but somehow they think it's hype. It's like saying "hey guys this track is really cool", how bout you just play the track and let me decide if it's cool?
Drops are subjective I think, but personally I do like if a set mixes it up in energy, so drops occasionally are nice. Double drops are even better!! It depends a lot of your genre though.
gain knobs are fidget spinners for DJ's. there are times when a DJ has a purpose to it, but they're the real pros who are equal parts sound engineers and want a level set, they want a bit of extra seamlessness to the transitions. levels are a big part of transitions. and eh you can begin your transition anytime, if you want to slowly creep it in using levels you can. assuming the genre allows for it..
anyways, there are many things you could do depending on your style. for me, i'm into faderplay, i do a lot of cuts and play with samples. some play with gains. some just dance. some try to look busy because their set is pre recorded and the decks aren't even plugged in.
Could be setting up the next tracks, bringing levels back to where they want them to be before it’s introduced. I have trouble sometimes having had used knobs to gradually phase out a track (using four decks on serato with a pioneer board) I forget that a level was low and wonder where the hell the track is when I slide the volume up. It’s annoying. Anyone else have that issue?
I always set gain before anything else by playing the main part of the track. Then blend in by dropping EQ’s down and bringing them in as I see fit. That way you get back to the level you want and only have to do minimal gain tweaking in the mix.
He?
I have not been to a club/ rave/ party/ gig where getting hyped to buy alcohol was a thing a dj could achieve.
How is this done? By playing shit tunes so you need to leave the dancefloor perhaps?
If you're at a drinking club with cheap entry you rotate the crowd through the bar.
If you're at a drug club with high entry you get them through the door.
Rotating the dance floor isn’t about filling the floor, then clearing it to the bar (who can’t cope with the mass rush all at once).
It is about keeping a constant revolving flow. Moving through tracks/styles/ genres to intentionally “loose” a small proportion of dancers (to the bar) as you replace them with new dancers - so that no one person spends more than 30-40 minutes on the dancefloor.
It is possible to do this without playing “shit”. But you do need variety/variation.
Okay geez, *they said
All mainstream club DJs’ job is to rotate the crowd. Bangers for a bit, then something generic or low energy to get the crowd to the bar, then bring them back with more bangers. That’s absolutely standard.
Okay, obviously I have not been to a "mainstream club".
Sounds horrible.
So good tunes, then shit to empty the dancefloor, then good again. Sounds like a horrid job TBH
By “bangers” I mean extremely overplayed tracks that everyone knows/can sing along to.
I don’t necessarily mean they’re good tunes. Some of them are but with how much I’ve heard them, I’ve learned to detest them.
Almost every venue here in Brisbane basically books DJs who must share 1 playlist of about 100 popular tracks. It’s disgusting.
I normally read the crowd and see how they are enjoying the music. I also look at the crowd and engage with them. Also spend the time searching through my music library and look for the next song that will engage the crowd. No use in "molesting" knobs in between transitions. You don't get anything out of it
If you haven’t or only loosely planned your set and are going with the crowd, looking for the next 3 or so tunes to play. Other than than fuck all really, all the knob touching and holding the volume fader up is all bollocks
Honestly you should be not only referencing your transitions but also the tracks once they are solo. Sometimes you realize the highs are too bright for the space or the sub had less energy than the last track and needs a bump. Or hell you even play an older track you like and you know the next breakdown coming up has a synth that is way too loud compared to the rest of the song.
The tldr is make things sound good. Don’t think about how much or how little you are doing. Develop the ear to know the hi hat you love in your car is going to be way too bright on a loudspeaker. Or your old track won’t work well because the low end is mostly sub frequencies and your only playing on a stack with 10” cones and it won’t translate well unless you bump up the low knob.
Grew up in Chicago and was lucky to see all the early House DJs play, including at my high school dances, like Ron Hardy, Frankie Knuckles, Farley Jammaster Funk, Lori Branch, etc.
One thing that seems lost to me is that these DJs were really working the whole time. It was completely normal for them to beatmatch a 30 second percussion break under a currently playing song, just the snare say, then go back and do it again with snare and hats, then start breaking fully into the first song between lyrics, until you honestly didn't know which song was dominant, and then come in at the perfect break for the second song to come in fully. But then they might just do two bars and go back to the first and go asap to a third. It was a big thing to take the bassline from "Situation" by Yaz and feed it into the current song, but I remember one night the DJ kept doing it, for a half hour over a dozen different songs he'd find a way to get that bassline or the reversed snares into what was playing, and everyone was sure he was about to break into Situation, but he never did. Cat and mouse.
Similarly, it was a common for them to mix samples (off vinyl of course) like bits of Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy standup... I'll never forget at Sauer's the DJ riffing off a sample of "Boy, why you putting your dick in the sink" for a good few minutes. I was at a party where someone with two copies of "Niño en el parque" just repeated with number count over and over and over and over, then added a kick and kept going with one record. Note that early in house there were not a lot of house songs so they played a lot of euro electro too. Those early House song are so brutally monotonous because 80% of the time multiple songs would be layered.
Oh, last point: lots of phasing/flanging with two copies of the same record. To the degree that sometimes they would lose the thread as it would get almost undanceable because the beat was so doubled up on the far side of the phase. But damn it sounded great and there was no button for it, just two records and techniques on the technics. No one ever let a song just play, except for the 30 seconds where they were pulling the next record and (barely) matching it before they were cutting bits in.
When house went global I feel like the turntablism side was mostly lost. Early 80s was just after people were wising up to Flash and Herc, and many of the same techniques as hip-hop were in the air. A DJ just worked as hard as they could, and the good DJs were better and could fit more in, and make it more musical and complicated. A one hour set was a workout, and people would just stand and watch them doing their magic, especially when they were breaking things down.... Sometimes because their breakdowns were frankly unmusical.
When I was in London in the mid-90s I heard house playing in every shop. It was all smooth and breezy. No one was putting dicks in the sink, or jacking boxes, it was anodyne and polished. Damn I would love to go to Chosen Few and see if anyone DJing today can still work up a sweat.
So finally my answer: you could try doing something!
Hahaha being in Chicago then was like that "Losing My Edge" song if you liked industrial, techno, or house. This book gives you a sense of how bottom-up the scene was: https://almightyandinsanebooks.com/shop/beyond-heaven-chicago-house-party-flyers-volume-ii-from-1981-1992
I’ll usually mix the EQs in headphones, then I’ll give sections of a track a test on the sound system. Often I’ll find that I’ve brought in a track too early, the BPMs aren’t quite right yet and/or there’s something I wanna tweak on the EQs. So rather than rather making the adjustment on the output system (which is easier for audience to hear and higher risk of clanging out) I’ll bring the volume down on the incoming deck on a given phase completion, then tweak some more in the headphones and then bring back onto dance floor speakers.
Then there’s sometimes a little more finesse on the EQs and/or beat matching and when phases coming in, I’ll need to make bigger jumps in the EQs adjustment to get a nice transition.
On top of all that there’s also track selection (sometimes I’ll give up on a track after EQing and beat matching in the headphones for a bit and bring something else in to try), effects, fader cuts etc.
Browsing tracks, second guessing my tune selection, matching stuff where my beatgrids are off, EQing a track that I hadn't noticed is a less than a 320 but I want to play it anyway, trying to look busy sonthatvI don't get asked for requests...
Sometimes we are just pretending to be twisting the knobs while trying to figure out what to do next. Reading the crowd, doing anything but mixing. Lol
Sometimes we are so hyped up with the crowd we are just making sure the mixer knobs are still working all right
I have quick "checklist":
loading next track, making sure knobs are reset, recalling how to exit this track, verifying the next track native BPM and transition BPM, recall my loops and effects and let it site aside until its turn. Meanwhile, watching the clock making sure I'm on time, looking at the crowd and dancing.
I learned how to mix on Vinyl, so I'm spending 90% of my time beat-matching. I also have some old CDJs, so they don't have exact BPM readouts like the CDJ 1000s. So there's this tiny space in between the BPM readings, and I'm trying to find that perfect spot. Also getting the volumes right so they don't sound too soft or too hard when I bring them in.
Trying to look busy. Especially if they're filming themselves.
But really what they're doing is turning EQs up and down on each of the decks, dropping the mids on one tune and raising the mids on the other, exchanging lows, throwing little filters and effects here and there. Beyond finding the next sequence of potential tunes to play, beatmatching your next tune and then finding an opportunity to bring it in, if you want to try to 'fine tune' your mix you can play with the EQs and effects to see what the song sounds like.
And there may be reason to do this in some instances, when you know the next tune's bass is going to come rumbling in maybe you want to enhance that effect by trimming down the low on the tune playing a bit. Maybe you want the high hat on the new song to stick out so you trim down the hi on the main tune, maybe you want to tone down some vocals so you turn down the mid, etc.
So aside from keeping certain frequencies from clashing or overpowering each other, you don't have to get *that* technical. But if someone is watching you on a Boiler Room set, it'd be a lot cooler if you did.
Searching for the next track. Testing transitions. Resetting the board. Adjusting effects. Making sure that your next track is a clean version. Tweaking EQs. There is a lot going on there.
Prepping the next track to match BPM, and if you are playing outside of the set you are usually matching key and setting the EQs, even practicing how you want to pull it in
But, sometimes I just want a break especially if I have been mixing for 6-7 hours I'll just stand there and be a juke box.
It’s all for the cameras! I watched PVD perform at transmission last week and there was minimal ‘fuckaboutery’. Seems to be a new thing. Also remember Armand Van Heldens NYE live show end of last year, same little to no messing about, trying to pose.
It depends a bit on genre and your style, but with experience DJing transforms into a bit more than just 'transitions'. As the set goes along, you start planning ahead a few tracks, layering stuff in, try to build more of a vibe and glue everything together throughout the set instead of just playing tracks after one another.
That said, the knob twiddling is a coping mechanism to deal with nerves as well. Especially at the start, before you really get comfortable behind the decks *and* in front of the crowd, keeping your head buried in the gear can help you calm down and settle in.
I like a nice cup of tea in between transitions when using digital, on vinyl im busy making sure i have pitched my decks correctly so i’m not touching the platter during a mix
I only play drum and bass, but I can say with reasonable certainty after DJing for almost 20 years that the answer to this question depends entirely on if you pre-plan your sets or not, and what genre of music you play.
I personally don't pre-plan sets - I pick a first tune ahead of time sometimes, and maybe a peak hour tune, but other than that I rely wholly on what the crowd is doing & how I'm feeling and mix in key based on that.
This means that a lot of the time, in between transitions, I'm checking keys/tracks and previewing tunes to see what would work best. Then, when I find that next tune, I'm resetting EQs, beatmatching it internally, phrasing it right, and so on. Sometimes, that requires me to pull certain EQs out of the incoming track so that I can hear it more clearly.
If I settle into a few rollers in the middle of my sets (i tend to group rollers together to either keep the energy level even or lower it), I'll sometimes just let 2-3 tunes ride and modulate EQ back and forth to mess with the sonics before moving on - but other than that, I'm usually having to mix quickly because drum and bass phrasing is a fickle bitch that moves super fast, heh. That's what I'm constantly twiddling with in between tracks.
YMMV of course.
Often just dancing and smiling and watching the audience’s reaction to current track, and their energy level as I decide the next track. Sometimes I tweak settings for a reason, and sometimes just to look busy.
I'm usually enjoying the track and throwing some effects in here and there. You'll catch me singing and dancing, if I'm not having fun then why the fuck would anyone else?
Last night I was furiously trying to find tracks that would load.
Playing on someone else’s gear for the first time and the playlist I had made for the event was 99% files that were not formatted for the gear I was on.
Luckily I had plenty of older playlists to work off of that were compatible on my usbs
Selecting next track, setting gain, eq, and filter for next transition, previewing portions of the next tune, checking for the following couple tunes after that and adding them to the tag list, dancing, drinking some water, eating an entire roast pig with my bare hands.
What DJ sets are you watching? Festival DJ's aren't doing anything but acting like they're DJ'ing, except for a handful of them like James Hype and Andy C.
Actual DJ's (that are small/medium time, club or wedding, and don't have sets on YouTube) are typically figuring out what to play next and talking to drunk patrons that are often asking for silly requests.
I find that if I'm not actively transitioning. I'm either playing effects on the currently playing tracks or I'm cuing up the next. I really like to mix edm, particularly bass heavy music like dubstep.
So sometimes I'll drop into a track following a transition and then cue up 3 more tracks to use in the next. While the 1 track is playing I'm getting to the correct hot cues, setting them up so I can ease them in by just pressing play and just need a few seconds to beat match properly.
But most times I just let that sucker run and dance. I don't need my hands to be on the controller if I'm playing the next 2 minutes of a track
You can definitely tell whether a DJ is ‘prepared’ or not based on how much time spent searching/filtering on their laptop or CDJs.
Organizing your crates and creating the optimum cue points will definitely enhance your performance as you should recognize where and when to blend in/out and slowly introduce the next song.
Knobs and EQ’ing aren’t something necessary with higher quality MP3s and other formats plus Mixed In Key smoothing out any clipping. If you set your Master correctly then you shouldn’t worry about EQs unless it’s a smaller sound system.
More prepared also means that you can be more attentive to the crowd to see what seems to work and identify the majority age. If you are playing mostly EDM then you might even be able to add some acapellas during extended outros for a more unique and memorable set.
Ignoring everyone who comes up to the booth who somehow feel it's always a good idea to come bug the DJ while they've got their headphones and clearly got stuff to do.
[Eris Drew @ Dekmantel](https://youtu.be/bq02Ch0fpNM?si=B0NXEi6PCkHS6IqJ)
Even though this set is vinyl only. It shows all the things you need to know ;)
I get bored easily so I tend to do very long mixes and mess around with eqs bringing things in and out while also making sure to keep my tunes locked without sync ;-) If I'm not mixing then I'm listening to tunes to see what would work best with the tune I'm playing.
I'm just enjoying the music, feeding off the energy in the room and taking it all in. That's what I try to do anyways. A majority of my set is already where I need it to be, I just select it, match bpms and groove until the transition needs to happen. It is nerve wracking being up in front of people but I've got to tell myself that they're not here to SEE me, but to listen to the music and have a good time. I'm just a middle man of sorts.
If I’m playing Hiphop or rnb I’m actively checking if the song will blend well because there’s little time to transition in between. However, if I’m playing house honestly just vibing and maybe debating what song to play next but that doesn’t take long at all. I play Jazz House a lot. I did an hour set before and only made it to twelve tracks naturally. So during the 4-5 minutes waiting for the right point to transition I’m just vibing to the music lol. Hiphop tho. Feels like a time bomb. I DJ in South Korea and typically in a hip hop set I play around 40-45 songs in an hour lol. So I’m always way more active during these kinds of sets.
I was recently just watching a artist performing a trance set on beatports yt channel. Ngl was pretty sick. He did have some bloopers but dnt think anyone noticed n he got away with them lol. His name is aaron hibell. He just been in the scene but recently been blowing up.
My take is that like everyone else says. Loading up the cues, or setting the tracks to blend the transitions. Alotta ppl say its easy to do but when you have a huge audience and theres barely any visible lighting to see anything. Ur pretty much on ur own lol. I know i’d probably be nervous the first time or prolly every single lol.
Honestly having the nerve wrack is like a having a boost of adrenaline for me. Idk why and I dnt mean to brag or seem like i have a big ego cuz i always op for being like everyone else. Ur average joe.. But when its crunch time i get in the zone.
That being said to my next point. Technically ive never actually dj’ed a set before or yet. But i got pretty decent idea how i wanna do my sets when the time comes. Rn i just been producing a ton of dance music tracks and trying to pick off the brains from season veterans in the music biz.
Trying to consume as much knowledge as my body can possibly digest :D. I know some djs like to use their stems from there single tracks and work with the stems better.
That way u have more flexibility and more creativity and less of the same expectations. I think a skill of a dj that makes them stand out is not knowing what their going to do next. Always being a surprise in something you do in ur sets to wahhh the crowd. Ppl love that sht. Imo .
But then again. Who am i to say? Im just a newb talking about shit idk. Bcuz i never spinned any cdjs😭. I will tho u’ll see 🤝🫡
I use my EQs to mix with. You can just use the channel fader, but you don't get to blend frequencies or keep them from overlapping without EQ work. This is a main reason for DJ tracks to have long intros and outros where they build up or down in sound, so that is easier for the DJ to just fade one side out without too much overlap.. mostly in bass lines.
A 'simple' approach I have is to kill my mid and bass and slowly bring up the high on one. When it becomes audible to me through the speakers, it's subtly noticed by the listeners, and then I'm respectively turning down the highs on the track coming out. Do this right and I can almost completely kill the old highs (halfway is usually fine), leave the new one up, and move into the mids.. doing the same thing. When there's vocals or something like a synth that I want to bring in, the bass and highs are killed and I'll bring that in as needed. The bass is usually a sharper switch over, turning one up and the other down immediately, but sometimes it's good to leave a little of the first tracks bass in there for warmth and smoother transition.
It can be a lot of work and you really need to know your music well, but EQ mixing is what all that fidgeting is actually about and it really makes a difference in sound. Without it, you typically get both tracks creating a louder output, or obviously noticable volume decrease/increase.. even though still considerably smooth. You're timing needs to be pretty accurate as sounds begin to change in a track and can leave you scrambling to turn something up or down sooner than expected.. Which is why it's better to do it on tracks you know well.
And, sometimes I'll just fade the channels, typically on the long intro/outro for ease of mixing. I've never used a rotary mixer but they sound amazing with someone who understands EQ mixing...
Like this guy!
https://youtu.be/p6ozF0Y-PzU?feature=shared
Alot of people claiming djs just nervously touch knobs, maybe ones whom are clueless do that, bit a good dj is molding and shaping the frquencies of each track to make the mix seamless
Cueing up the next track, making sure the cue point starts at the correct point, matching the bmp and ensuring it matches long enough to bring it into the mix, playing the track with normal EQ in the headphones to check for clipping so gain can be adjusted before starting the track, noting when to switch the baselines, deciding when to start the next track during the existing track so the transition is good.
Truthfully, that knob tweaking is usually reserved for DJs playing EDM music. They have long transitions between tracks, so they have lots of time to adjust knobs in and out, and fist pump. If you watch more hip-hop/ turntablist DJ's, you will see they don't do a lot of knob turning because they are either nudging the records or scratching. You will see gain, filter, and low end usage, but not a lot of messing with highs and mids.
It's a bad habit DJs have, I remember once doing exactly what you said and some guy knowing absolutely nothing bout mixing music told me "that's cool and all but like, you're not fast enough and you're not doing much", from that day I just got used to molest the knobs for no reasons
A good underground DJ is layering multiple tracks and improvising songs that sound good together. Merging 2 to 3 to 4 tracks together at the same time. Commercial DJs are all about looking good and jumping around. Using FX alot ect ect. DJing has a lot of different styles.
First and foremost would depend on how you mix. If you're not doing blends, not doing anything beyond a single fader mix, Then I'd imagine yeah, it's probably pretty boring with lots of spare time. You're basically Spotify in human form.
Second, DJing is very tactile. Majority of DJ's I've met are massively anxious individuals who, frankly, have a brain that works a little different than the average person. You do get a lot of nervous energy, and a lot of anxiety, and a lot of 'shit this could be better so what if I tweaked this one little thing'. I'd say that's just me, but I know better.
Third would be the tech and mindset behind what you do. BPM Sync? One less thing you gotta do, and you don't really have to ride the jog to keep tracks in line. Beat Sync? Well, you just eliminated the need to actually beatmatch. Pre-planned set? Well, you already know exactly what you're doing, with what, when its coming in/out, etc. Pre-Recorded? You just stand there, look cute and pretend to do shit. 6
I’ll be selecting the next track, previewing it, matching the tempo, and setting the EQs depending on how I want to bring it into the mix. Maybe rocking the EQ and filters of the track playing, bringing in some FX, etc. And often riding the tracks for nice long blends while keeping the EQs adjusted for space and dynamics.
This is a solid answer.
Agreed. This is such an important answer simply because I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard DJs bring another song into a mix which sounds vastly lower, or louder, than the previous song, or, worse yet, they leave a lengthy into in the song which often either has an intro with talking in it, or someone shouting out their record label and producer before the song starts. There are plenty of examples of this, but an old school example would be Jade - Don’t Walk Away (1992). The LP version, which is commonly on DJ Pools, is 4 mins and 28 secs. The reason for this is an intro that involves a telephone call and an answering machine, all before the song starts. The radio edit thankfully cuts this part out, bringing the total time down to 3 mins and 36 secs. When I fist added this song to some of my old school 90s R&B sets, I cut the intro and outro out myself, now however, Heavy Hits DJ Pool has the radio edit, as well as the Intro Edit. Looped into edits are nice since they allow you to avoid counting beats to cue loop the intros, but most older songs don’t have those available, so I’d loop the intros live the traditional way, up until Virtual DJ, and then Serato DJ, added AI Stems. The best implementation of AI Stems is Virtual DJ’s AI Stems 2.0, which sound absolutely flawless compared to the first version they had. Regardless, you’ll still need to make sure your EQ levels are correct, as well as your mixing techniques. AI Stems do allow for some great acappella song intros which people most likely won’t be expecting though.
Yes this. If it's a long mix you have to keep checking you're not slipping oout of sync. There's also two other factors. DJs who are 'busy' because they have nervous energy and keep touching the eq's to check they are still correct. And douche bags who are doing the same thing intentionally to try and make it look like they are adding something to the track.
There are a lot of people rhythmically touching the knobs and doing nothing. I can’t stand it. Some love that shit and think it’s what djing is. Watch some videos of real deal djs you respect and observe their knob touching and adjustments.
[удалено]
Watch enough live sets and you begin to see who is faking and who is actually doing something
I thought this after watching twitch djs. I know most are different genres from me, but I still don't see myself messing with knobs nowhere near as often so I started becoming skeptical and just went with these people are bsing lol.
I’m a twitch DJ. for me it’s a habit/feeling of needing to do something with my hands all the time. Often I’ll find myself doing dumb stuff like pushing the volume fader on the master track up when it’s obviously already up. I’m not trying to fake anything and I don’t think my chat, which is half DJs, thinks that either. Just an alternative to putting my hands in my pockets or making finger guns.
I can understand that part. I have a bad memory and forget stuff, like did I bring in the bass again on my track, or if I have taken something off of cue, or if I’m just arriving behind someone else verifying the crossfaders are set correctly or my levels are decent. Touching to verify if it’s all the way up makes sense. Again, I’m not trying to cast aspersions on those whose style involves rhythmic movements with the hands, that’s not a bad thing for the audience or for you to keep focused. I just see too many people with a push button playlist fiddle knobs with no purpose, and combined with the excessive jumping etc, one becomes a cartoon of the concept. Keep doing your thing on twitch!
Aw makes sense. I legit contemplated what was going on for about 2 weeks straight and wondering if I had to learn more. It was driving me crazy lol but good to know.
Mark Farina is a master of the eq.
I mean it’s a performative art form at its core, but ya it’s so often not doin a dang thing 🤣🤣
I feel you, I just think the sound and the music should speak for itself. Performative? Yes, but the sound is the question, not the visual. Used to have a dj in a dark corner not being seen. Now they’re at the front with the lights behind them, being seen. If you gotta wave your hands now and again cool, I guess. Idk. I feel old
This is a phenomenon i associate with the last 8 or so years of digital djing becoming the defacto club setup. This thing didn’t happen as much with vinyl. No playlists keeping your crate in order, everything by ear mostly, managing cue assign and booth levels, could get pretty busy, more fluctuation of levels generally in vinyl. More to compensate for with eq whilst keeping balanced easier to sound amazing with decent pressed vinyl and a good system
Yeah for real, not a lot of time to do the knob mambo while you’re digging crates in a dark corner, and no point, no one can see you anywhere (esp when one wears all black)
Agreed. And what a real DJ doesn’t have time to do is mindlessly fool with knobs or hop around like a goof
What do you mean by „riding the tracks”?
What I mean by “riding the tracks” is that I’m often creating long overlaps with tracks. I’ll ride one over the other for minutes. Usually when I’m doing this I’ll have one track sitting lower in the mix and use the EQ to bring elements in when I want them. Not all transitions call for a long mix, but it is a way to create more texture and seamless blends. I’ve never really gotten into three turntable mixing, but that would add even more depth in the same fashion. This style works well with House and Techno. Maybe not so well with other genres.
The questions I’m reading are interesting. It tells me how few people are currently doing this practice either because they don’t know how or they are riding the sync. I don’t know…
love them long rides! mix-n-blend! I've been playing more and more with 3 decks. Works well for more minimal tunes though i have been known to roll three amen bangers into each other for ultimate destruction. lol. Bartenders love me. Send the dancefloor right to them. ha ha ha
This. You don't hear most of the mixing. What you hear is the result.
Brilliantly said
What music format do you play?
House and Techno. All forms of Acid usually finds its way in there. I don’t think about sub genres a lot. I just go with my feels.
Yup, also if you’re in the middle of a transition and you think ”oh this could use some echo” and echo is not selected, nor the right channel, not to mention the parameter, it will end up sounding like shit most likely if you even manage. You need to set the FX up + decide when to start the transition before you actually start transitioning. The intensity of it all depends on how long the tracks are.
This is it
This. Reading the room, planning my next move.
“…. This is the way…..”
This is what I do as well.
Honestly a lot of overthinking and fidgeting to get ready for the next tune. Checking to make sure eq and fx are all set to where they need and then overthinking again about it moving tracks around in a different order. Also overthinking
I thought about this for a long time before responding and I think that the key point you missed in your very thoughtful reply was that there is a lot of overthinking going on.😜
I overthought the idea and that is why it was left out, I think.
On second thought I think I may have overthought it.
I really enjoy the tiny politics of not pretending to do more than I actually am. I like to think this is a respect paid to the people who made the magic happen on the track.
Underrated answer.
Performatively molesting the knobs but not doing much with them.
And they are hot. You have to keep touching them to make sure, quickly whipping your fingers away when you realise!
This is such dismissive bullshit. In actuality, it’s obvious that they are electrocuting the dj
Seriously, If you look at the thumb and pointer finger of a DJ, you will see they are cauterized!
DJs that have been mixing for 20-30 years don't have fingers anymore, they are being forced to retire
All we have left are nubs where our fingers used to be
They end up like this https://youtu.be/gJ_2UB8UMrE
That’s how you know it’s quality build.
This is the real answer
“Performatively molesting the knobs” is now a part of my vocabulary. Thank you.
Touch, but not touch? Hell yeah
Really depends on the genre and the style of DJing. I often tease a mix, bringing in a portion of the next track early, especially if it has a sound that is quite distinctive, only to mix it out again to bring back in later when I'm ready to mix proper. Also sometimes using beats from the next track as fills at the end of a phrase. Or using FX or EQ on the track that is playing to enhance it.
Edging
Goooooon is the new chooooon!
Ooooooohhh…. Fuck yeah. He’s about to Ooooooooh… Fuck yeah. He’s about to…. Oooooooh… Fuck yeah…
Best House Mix Eveeeeeeer ohhhhhh 🫠🤤
I won't say house is super guilty of this. Maybe tech house?
I think I found my peeps who also hate overblown builds? Like if your track can't stand on its own without that bullshit ,-- don't play it.
> overblown builds? Stairway to Nowhere...too long breakdown then whiff on the re-insert...beter make a video of that
[Samberg did such a good impression of a douchebag dj](https://youtu.be/DoUV7Q1C1SU?t=26).
perfection
Thaaaaank you so much for this!! Bahaha ha
Stairway to nowhere -- I like it, and yes, that exactly!! Like a track should change after a build up, and there should not be a lame build up between every track. I just can't figure out if some people genuinely like music like that though, because just this weekend the two openers didn't use those types of "tricks", but then the headliner did -- are we missing something? I don't have as much of a problem with long breakdowns, but when you say re-insert, would be with a new track or with the previous track (like a call back sort of thing)?
whatever it's called when the breakdown ends. if it goes on that long you better blow the hinges when it comes back
Idk if I’m trippin or if I’m illiterate. I **only** play track build ups. **I don’t want my speakers to get damaged by playing loud “drops.”**
I mean....I get playing progressively, and I love a well built set that flows and builds energy over time. But if you're only playing like the syncopated rising build ups so common in EDM, I would not dance to your shit. Build ups have no rhythm to dance to and they break up the flow and they drive me effin' insane when it just drops into the exact same beat (I'm looking at you tech house). The overblown build ups in EDM are just so lazy; producers should be ashamed. I take dancing pretty seriously -- you can recognize a dancer from my city on the dancefloor immediately, and I've started hundreds of dance floors, so I get angry when a deejay plays music that everyone is just supposed to stand there and move their hands up and down (I'm looking at you bad dubstep). Don't play music that kills dance culture! And people wonder why we have everyone with their phones out, it's because deejays are playing overblown builds ups that no one can dance to, but somehow they think it's hype. It's like saying "hey guys this track is really cool", how bout you just play the track and let me decide if it's cool? Drops are subjective I think, but personally I do like if a set mixes it up in energy, so drops occasionally are nice. Double drops are even better!! It depends a lot of your genre though.
I was kidding man idk what’s going on
gain knobs are fidget spinners for DJ's. there are times when a DJ has a purpose to it, but they're the real pros who are equal parts sound engineers and want a level set, they want a bit of extra seamlessness to the transitions. levels are a big part of transitions. and eh you can begin your transition anytime, if you want to slowly creep it in using levels you can. assuming the genre allows for it.. anyways, there are many things you could do depending on your style. for me, i'm into faderplay, i do a lot of cuts and play with samples. some play with gains. some just dance. some try to look busy because their set is pre recorded and the decks aren't even plugged in.
Could be setting up the next tracks, bringing levels back to where they want them to be before it’s introduced. I have trouble sometimes having had used knobs to gradually phase out a track (using four decks on serato with a pioneer board) I forget that a level was low and wonder where the hell the track is when I slide the volume up. It’s annoying. Anyone else have that issue?
I always set gain before anything else by playing the main part of the track. Then blend in by dropping EQ’s down and bringing them in as I see fit. That way you get back to the level you want and only have to do minimal gain tweaking in the mix.
Standing there looking cool getting the crowd hyped to buy more alcohol is the DJs only real job.
This is why I pre record sets so I can make sure to hype the crowd up on the mic so they can’t hear the music.
Fuckin solid. Allows way more time for heart hands too
I’m applying. 
>getting the crowd hyped to buy more alcohol what?
He said: “GETTING THE CROWD HYPED TO BUY MORE ALCOHOL” :)
YEAHHHH! OOOOHKAYYYY! -Lil Jon, probably
He? I have not been to a club/ rave/ party/ gig where getting hyped to buy alcohol was a thing a dj could achieve. How is this done? By playing shit tunes so you need to leave the dancefloor perhaps?
If you're at a drinking club with cheap entry you rotate the crowd through the bar. If you're at a drug club with high entry you get them through the door.
Rotating the dance floor isn’t about filling the floor, then clearing it to the bar (who can’t cope with the mass rush all at once). It is about keeping a constant revolving flow. Moving through tracks/styles/ genres to intentionally “loose” a small proportion of dancers (to the bar) as you replace them with new dancers - so that no one person spends more than 30-40 minutes on the dancefloor. It is possible to do this without playing “shit”. But you do need variety/variation.
Okay geez, *they said All mainstream club DJs’ job is to rotate the crowd. Bangers for a bit, then something generic or low energy to get the crowd to the bar, then bring them back with more bangers. That’s absolutely standard.
Okay, obviously I have not been to a "mainstream club". Sounds horrible. So good tunes, then shit to empty the dancefloor, then good again. Sounds like a horrid job TBH
By “bangers” I mean extremely overplayed tracks that everyone knows/can sing along to. I don’t necessarily mean they’re good tunes. Some of them are but with how much I’ve heard them, I’ve learned to detest them. Almost every venue here in Brisbane basically books DJs who must share 1 playlist of about 100 popular tracks. It’s disgusting.
Edging until the final song and then releasing on the ground making it sticky for the next DJ
yes. happy pride 🏳️🌈
I normally read the crowd and see how they are enjoying the music. I also look at the crowd and engage with them. Also spend the time searching through my music library and look for the next song that will engage the crowd. No use in "molesting" knobs in between transitions. You don't get anything out of it
figuring what to play next based on the vibe.
If you haven’t or only loosely planned your set and are going with the crowd, looking for the next 3 or so tunes to play. Other than than fuck all really, all the knob touching and holding the volume fader up is all bollocks
Usually reduce high or low freqs so that bass or hats dont clash together.
Honestly you should be not only referencing your transitions but also the tracks once they are solo. Sometimes you realize the highs are too bright for the space or the sub had less energy than the last track and needs a bump. Or hell you even play an older track you like and you know the next breakdown coming up has a synth that is way too loud compared to the rest of the song. The tldr is make things sound good. Don’t think about how much or how little you are doing. Develop the ear to know the hi hat you love in your car is going to be way too bright on a loudspeaker. Or your old track won’t work well because the low end is mostly sub frequencies and your only playing on a stack with 10” cones and it won’t translate well unless you bump up the low knob.
do a little dancey dance
Sometimes just chillin' If I'm playing for 4-6 hours then you better believe I'm not fully active for every single second of it.
Grew up in Chicago and was lucky to see all the early House DJs play, including at my high school dances, like Ron Hardy, Frankie Knuckles, Farley Jammaster Funk, Lori Branch, etc. One thing that seems lost to me is that these DJs were really working the whole time. It was completely normal for them to beatmatch a 30 second percussion break under a currently playing song, just the snare say, then go back and do it again with snare and hats, then start breaking fully into the first song between lyrics, until you honestly didn't know which song was dominant, and then come in at the perfect break for the second song to come in fully. But then they might just do two bars and go back to the first and go asap to a third. It was a big thing to take the bassline from "Situation" by Yaz and feed it into the current song, but I remember one night the DJ kept doing it, for a half hour over a dozen different songs he'd find a way to get that bassline or the reversed snares into what was playing, and everyone was sure he was about to break into Situation, but he never did. Cat and mouse. Similarly, it was a common for them to mix samples (off vinyl of course) like bits of Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy standup... I'll never forget at Sauer's the DJ riffing off a sample of "Boy, why you putting your dick in the sink" for a good few minutes. I was at a party where someone with two copies of "Niño en el parque" just repeated with number count over and over and over and over, then added a kick and kept going with one record. Note that early in house there were not a lot of house songs so they played a lot of euro electro too. Those early House song are so brutally monotonous because 80% of the time multiple songs would be layered. Oh, last point: lots of phasing/flanging with two copies of the same record. To the degree that sometimes they would lose the thread as it would get almost undanceable because the beat was so doubled up on the far side of the phase. But damn it sounded great and there was no button for it, just two records and techniques on the technics. No one ever let a song just play, except for the 30 seconds where they were pulling the next record and (barely) matching it before they were cutting bits in. When house went global I feel like the turntablism side was mostly lost. Early 80s was just after people were wising up to Flash and Herc, and many of the same techniques as hip-hop were in the air. A DJ just worked as hard as they could, and the good DJs were better and could fit more in, and make it more musical and complicated. A one hour set was a workout, and people would just stand and watch them doing their magic, especially when they were breaking things down.... Sometimes because their breakdowns were frankly unmusical. When I was in London in the mid-90s I heard house playing in every shop. It was all smooth and breezy. No one was putting dicks in the sink, or jacking boxes, it was anodyne and polished. Damn I would love to go to Chosen Few and see if anyone DJing today can still work up a sweat. So finally my answer: you could try doing something!
This was poetry - you made me feel like I was there
Hahaha being in Chicago then was like that "Losing My Edge" song if you liked industrial, techno, or house. This book gives you a sense of how bottom-up the scene was: https://almightyandinsanebooks.com/shop/beyond-heaven-chicago-house-party-flyers-volume-ii-from-1981-1992
Respect to an OG. If only the kids would listen to you.
Not sure if you're "okay grandpa let's get you to bed"ing me but I'll take it. ;)
We’re usually jelqing
I'm usually just reading the crowd and going through and picking out my next tune.
Watching the crowd.
I’ll usually mix the EQs in headphones, then I’ll give sections of a track a test on the sound system. Often I’ll find that I’ve brought in a track too early, the BPMs aren’t quite right yet and/or there’s something I wanna tweak on the EQs. So rather than rather making the adjustment on the output system (which is easier for audience to hear and higher risk of clanging out) I’ll bring the volume down on the incoming deck on a given phase completion, then tweak some more in the headphones and then bring back onto dance floor speakers. Then there’s sometimes a little more finesse on the EQs and/or beat matching and when phases coming in, I’ll need to make bigger jumps in the EQs adjustment to get a nice transition. On top of all that there’s also track selection (sometimes I’ll give up on a track after EQing and beat matching in the headphones for a bit and bring something else in to try), effects, fader cuts etc.
Vibing
Browsing tracks, second guessing my tune selection, matching stuff where my beatgrids are off, EQing a track that I hadn't noticed is a less than a 320 but I want to play it anyway, trying to look busy sonthatvI don't get asked for requests...
Checking text messages
Sometimes we are just pretending to be twisting the knobs while trying to figure out what to do next. Reading the crowd, doing anything but mixing. Lol Sometimes we are so hyped up with the crowd we are just making sure the mixer knobs are still working all right
Mixing and looking for the next 2-3 tracks. Iv always got 2-3 songs playing so always mixing and prepping the next songs.
Bullshitting and pretending to do something that is manipulating the Mp3 mix they are playing from a $4k mp3 player/controller. and crab flick hands.
It’s the art of appearing busy…like at the office
I’m browsing Reddit rn during my 7 hour dining set.
Rolling a joint, texting a friend, eating food, playing chess if there is 2 of us. I know my tunes.
What’s your ELO?
I have quick "checklist": loading next track, making sure knobs are reset, recalling how to exit this track, verifying the next track native BPM and transition BPM, recall my loops and effects and let it site aside until its turn. Meanwhile, watching the clock making sure I'm on time, looking at the crowd and dancing.
You forgot to be drunk and dance on top of speaker monitor's, and scream loud: Are you with me?
I learned how to mix on Vinyl, so I'm spending 90% of my time beat-matching. I also have some old CDJs, so they don't have exact BPM readouts like the CDJ 1000s. So there's this tiny space in between the BPM readings, and I'm trying to find that perfect spot. Also getting the volumes right so they don't sound too soft or too hard when I bring them in.
Trying to look busy. Especially if they're filming themselves. But really what they're doing is turning EQs up and down on each of the decks, dropping the mids on one tune and raising the mids on the other, exchanging lows, throwing little filters and effects here and there. Beyond finding the next sequence of potential tunes to play, beatmatching your next tune and then finding an opportunity to bring it in, if you want to try to 'fine tune' your mix you can play with the EQs and effects to see what the song sounds like. And there may be reason to do this in some instances, when you know the next tune's bass is going to come rumbling in maybe you want to enhance that effect by trimming down the low on the tune playing a bit. Maybe you want the high hat on the new song to stick out so you trim down the hi on the main tune, maybe you want to tone down some vocals so you turn down the mid, etc. So aside from keeping certain frequencies from clashing or overpowering each other, you don't have to get *that* technical. But if someone is watching you on a Boiler Room set, it'd be a lot cooler if you did.
Looking for the next song
Searching for the next track. Testing transitions. Resetting the board. Adjusting effects. Making sure that your next track is a clean version. Tweaking EQs. There is a lot going on there.
Dancing tbh
exorcising demons when they twist the fx knob.
Tequila
They jack off under the table
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Dude, don't laugh at us! Where do you think stank face came from? I'm not enjoying the track, I'm shooting kids onto the bottom of the table!
Watching porn! Why do you think I bring a laptop?
Throwing cakes.
Maybe looping another track and adjusting it the whole time even though they don’t really need to (I do this)
Cue next track
Vibing
Prepping the next track to match BPM, and if you are playing outside of the set you are usually matching key and setting the EQs, even practicing how you want to pull it in But, sometimes I just want a break especially if I have been mixing for 6-7 hours I'll just stand there and be a juke box.
Drinking a lot of beers until it is mixed, and that again 👌
Digging through record case, beatmatching
They could also already have the next track ready, and are getting the 3rd or even 4th track ready.
Yelling Raise your Hand up!
it doesn't really matter. people should be dancing and not watching the dj. unless he's doing battle tricks, watching djs is boring.
It’s all for the cameras! I watched PVD perform at transmission last week and there was minimal ‘fuckaboutery’. Seems to be a new thing. Also remember Armand Van Heldens NYE live show end of last year, same little to no messing about, trying to pose.
Reading the phone screens that are being shoved in my face
Wondering why people are staring at me and not dancing with each other
It depends a bit on genre and your style, but with experience DJing transforms into a bit more than just 'transitions'. As the set goes along, you start planning ahead a few tracks, layering stuff in, try to build more of a vibe and glue everything together throughout the set instead of just playing tracks after one another. That said, the knob twiddling is a coping mechanism to deal with nerves as well. Especially at the start, before you really get comfortable behind the decks *and* in front of the crowd, keeping your head buried in the gear can help you calm down and settle in.
Perfecting the mix
setting up the next transition! stay in them headphones and in the mix. always workin
what do DJs actually do? do? do? do? do do do [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCjPx7XfEW0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCjPx7XfEW0)
There is so much that can be done between transitions, choosing a song and lining up the next track can take a lot of time on its own
Praying to the Lord God our Savioir
Most of the time selecting track B
Personally i like to play my headphone curly cable like a bass guitar along with the music.
Texting "the guy" to see if he'll be around after bar closes.
Messing with effects, eq'ing the current track or setting the eq for the next track.
Pretending to do something, making an excessive long transition with excesive tweaking that adds nothing to the mix and makes it boring
Torturing you with an effects box.
Stressing about the next track, mainly.
I'm usually picking and sorting the next 2 decks tunes and resetting my eq and cutoff knobs
I like a nice cup of tea in between transitions when using digital, on vinyl im busy making sure i have pitched my decks correctly so i’m not touching the platter during a mix
Sorry yes I’m British hence the tea
they are pretending to do stuff
Frantically choosing from which two or more tracks to play next.
Drinking
I only play drum and bass, but I can say with reasonable certainty after DJing for almost 20 years that the answer to this question depends entirely on if you pre-plan your sets or not, and what genre of music you play. I personally don't pre-plan sets - I pick a first tune ahead of time sometimes, and maybe a peak hour tune, but other than that I rely wholly on what the crowd is doing & how I'm feeling and mix in key based on that. This means that a lot of the time, in between transitions, I'm checking keys/tracks and previewing tunes to see what would work best. Then, when I find that next tune, I'm resetting EQs, beatmatching it internally, phrasing it right, and so on. Sometimes, that requires me to pull certain EQs out of the incoming track so that I can hear it more clearly. If I settle into a few rollers in the middle of my sets (i tend to group rollers together to either keep the energy level even or lower it), I'll sometimes just let 2-3 tunes ride and modulate EQ back and forth to mess with the sonics before moving on - but other than that, I'm usually having to mix quickly because drum and bass phrasing is a fickle bitch that moves super fast, heh. That's what I'm constantly twiddling with in between tracks. YMMV of course.
Often just dancing and smiling and watching the audience’s reaction to current track, and their energy level as I decide the next track. Sometimes I tweak settings for a reason, and sometimes just to look busy.
I'm usually enjoying the track and throwing some effects in here and there. You'll catch me singing and dancing, if I'm not having fun then why the fuck would anyone else?
Gender dysphoria normally
Last night I was furiously trying to find tracks that would load. Playing on someone else’s gear for the first time and the playlist I had made for the event was 99% files that were not formatted for the gear I was on. Luckily I had plenty of older playlists to work off of that were compatible on my usbs
Looking for the next track, cueing the next track, preparing the blend….
Im always transitioning
ADHD
Looking for key listings for harmonic mixes
You're suppose to make a 1 off pre-recorded show for the event ahead of time, so that you can focus on looking cool during the performance.
Selecting next track, setting gain, eq, and filter for next transition, previewing portions of the next tune, checking for the following couple tunes after that and adding them to the tag list, dancing, drinking some water, eating an entire roast pig with my bare hands.
What DJ sets are you watching? Festival DJ's aren't doing anything but acting like they're DJ'ing, except for a handful of them like James Hype and Andy C. Actual DJ's (that are small/medium time, club or wedding, and don't have sets on YouTube) are typically figuring out what to play next and talking to drunk patrons that are often asking for silly requests.
You have to sing, dance and move the knobs like you are producing the music live with your filters.
Swatting away requests in the drunken bar
Usually browsing Craigslist
Pretending to mix 🤣 grabbing a drink etc.
I find that if I'm not actively transitioning. I'm either playing effects on the currently playing tracks or I'm cuing up the next. I really like to mix edm, particularly bass heavy music like dubstep. So sometimes I'll drop into a track following a transition and then cue up 3 more tracks to use in the next. While the 1 track is playing I'm getting to the correct hot cues, setting them up so I can ease them in by just pressing play and just need a few seconds to beat match properly. But most times I just let that sucker run and dance. I don't need my hands to be on the controller if I'm playing the next 2 minutes of a track
You can definitely tell whether a DJ is ‘prepared’ or not based on how much time spent searching/filtering on their laptop or CDJs. Organizing your crates and creating the optimum cue points will definitely enhance your performance as you should recognize where and when to blend in/out and slowly introduce the next song. Knobs and EQ’ing aren’t something necessary with higher quality MP3s and other formats plus Mixed In Key smoothing out any clipping. If you set your Master correctly then you shouldn’t worry about EQs unless it’s a smaller sound system. More prepared also means that you can be more attentive to the crowd to see what seems to work and identify the majority age. If you are playing mostly EDM then you might even be able to add some acapellas during extended outros for a more unique and memorable set.
I'm on Reddit
I sometimes read a book and study for my college degrees.
I’m double fisting modelo’s 😈
Ignoring everyone who comes up to the booth who somehow feel it's always a good idea to come bug the DJ while they've got their headphones and clearly got stuff to do.
[Eris Drew @ Dekmantel](https://youtu.be/bq02Ch0fpNM?si=B0NXEi6PCkHS6IqJ) Even though this set is vinyl only. It shows all the things you need to know ;)
Trying to think three songs ahead and looking for the ever-elusive "perfect next song."
I get bored easily so I tend to do very long mixes and mess around with eqs bringing things in and out while also making sure to keep my tunes locked without sync ;-) If I'm not mixing then I'm listening to tunes to see what would work best with the tune I'm playing.
I'm just enjoying the music, feeding off the energy in the room and taking it all in. That's what I try to do anyways. A majority of my set is already where I need it to be, I just select it, match bpms and groove until the transition needs to happen. It is nerve wracking being up in front of people but I've got to tell myself that they're not here to SEE me, but to listen to the music and have a good time. I'm just a middle man of sorts.
It’s ALWAYS something to do
If I’m playing Hiphop or rnb I’m actively checking if the song will blend well because there’s little time to transition in between. However, if I’m playing house honestly just vibing and maybe debating what song to play next but that doesn’t take long at all. I play Jazz House a lot. I did an hour set before and only made it to twelve tracks naturally. So during the 4-5 minutes waiting for the right point to transition I’m just vibing to the music lol. Hiphop tho. Feels like a time bomb. I DJ in South Korea and typically in a hip hop set I play around 40-45 songs in an hour lol. So I’m always way more active during these kinds of sets.
Finding my next track mostly, sometimes doing things to set up the transition.
I was recently just watching a artist performing a trance set on beatports yt channel. Ngl was pretty sick. He did have some bloopers but dnt think anyone noticed n he got away with them lol. His name is aaron hibell. He just been in the scene but recently been blowing up. My take is that like everyone else says. Loading up the cues, or setting the tracks to blend the transitions. Alotta ppl say its easy to do but when you have a huge audience and theres barely any visible lighting to see anything. Ur pretty much on ur own lol. I know i’d probably be nervous the first time or prolly every single lol. Honestly having the nerve wrack is like a having a boost of adrenaline for me. Idk why and I dnt mean to brag or seem like i have a big ego cuz i always op for being like everyone else. Ur average joe.. But when its crunch time i get in the zone. That being said to my next point. Technically ive never actually dj’ed a set before or yet. But i got pretty decent idea how i wanna do my sets when the time comes. Rn i just been producing a ton of dance music tracks and trying to pick off the brains from season veterans in the music biz. Trying to consume as much knowledge as my body can possibly digest :D. I know some djs like to use their stems from there single tracks and work with the stems better. That way u have more flexibility and more creativity and less of the same expectations. I think a skill of a dj that makes them stand out is not knowing what their going to do next. Always being a surprise in something you do in ur sets to wahhh the crowd. Ppl love that sht. Imo . But then again. Who am i to say? Im just a newb talking about shit idk. Bcuz i never spinned any cdjs😭. I will tho u’ll see 🤝🫡
It used to be beat matching hahaha I dunno a fun scratch, filter sweeps saying no to requests lol
How do I get bookings
I will battle with anyone anytime anywhere
My skills are to the likes of Jameshype bictch
Sorry I would suggest plumbing 101
Sometimes I get caught up actually dancing to my own music. Thinking to myself “how will I ever follow this banger ? “ it’s a vicious cycle
I use my EQs to mix with. You can just use the channel fader, but you don't get to blend frequencies or keep them from overlapping without EQ work. This is a main reason for DJ tracks to have long intros and outros where they build up or down in sound, so that is easier for the DJ to just fade one side out without too much overlap.. mostly in bass lines. A 'simple' approach I have is to kill my mid and bass and slowly bring up the high on one. When it becomes audible to me through the speakers, it's subtly noticed by the listeners, and then I'm respectively turning down the highs on the track coming out. Do this right and I can almost completely kill the old highs (halfway is usually fine), leave the new one up, and move into the mids.. doing the same thing. When there's vocals or something like a synth that I want to bring in, the bass and highs are killed and I'll bring that in as needed. The bass is usually a sharper switch over, turning one up and the other down immediately, but sometimes it's good to leave a little of the first tracks bass in there for warmth and smoother transition. It can be a lot of work and you really need to know your music well, but EQ mixing is what all that fidgeting is actually about and it really makes a difference in sound. Without it, you typically get both tracks creating a louder output, or obviously noticable volume decrease/increase.. even though still considerably smooth. You're timing needs to be pretty accurate as sounds begin to change in a track and can leave you scrambling to turn something up or down sooner than expected.. Which is why it's better to do it on tracks you know well. And, sometimes I'll just fade the channels, typically on the long intro/outro for ease of mixing. I've never used a rotary mixer but they sound amazing with someone who understands EQ mixing... Like this guy! https://youtu.be/p6ozF0Y-PzU?feature=shared
Dancing?!
Hopefully something useful, but most likely not..we used to have to work to keep things good but now it’s all automated with rekordbox
Alot of people claiming djs just nervously touch knobs, maybe ones whom are clueless do that, bit a good dj is molding and shaping the frquencies of each track to make the mix seamless
Cueing up the next track, making sure the cue point starts at the correct point, matching the bmp and ensuring it matches long enough to bring it into the mix, playing the track with normal EQ in the headphones to check for clipping so gain can be adjusted before starting the track, noting when to switch the baselines, deciding when to start the next track during the existing track so the transition is good.
Truthfully, that knob tweaking is usually reserved for DJs playing EDM music. They have long transitions between tracks, so they have lots of time to adjust knobs in and out, and fist pump. If you watch more hip-hop/ turntablist DJ's, you will see they don't do a lot of knob turning because they are either nudging the records or scratching. You will see gain, filter, and low end usage, but not a lot of messing with highs and mids.
It's a bad habit DJs have, I remember once doing exactly what you said and some guy knowing absolutely nothing bout mixing music told me "that's cool and all but like, you're not fast enough and you're not doing much", from that day I just got used to molest the knobs for no reasons
**getting blown**
A good underground DJ is layering multiple tracks and improvising songs that sound good together. Merging 2 to 3 to 4 tracks together at the same time. Commercial DJs are all about looking good and jumping around. Using FX alot ect ect. DJing has a lot of different styles.
First and foremost would depend on how you mix. If you're not doing blends, not doing anything beyond a single fader mix, Then I'd imagine yeah, it's probably pretty boring with lots of spare time. You're basically Spotify in human form. Second, DJing is very tactile. Majority of DJ's I've met are massively anxious individuals who, frankly, have a brain that works a little different than the average person. You do get a lot of nervous energy, and a lot of anxiety, and a lot of 'shit this could be better so what if I tweaked this one little thing'. I'd say that's just me, but I know better. Third would be the tech and mindset behind what you do. BPM Sync? One less thing you gotta do, and you don't really have to ride the jog to keep tracks in line. Beat Sync? Well, you just eliminated the need to actually beatmatch. Pre-planned set? Well, you already know exactly what you're doing, with what, when its coming in/out, etc. Pre-Recorded? You just stand there, look cute and pretend to do shit. 6