Here are the top 5 bad habits I usually hear other DJs making, and how to avoid them to improve your mixes! Please follow me on SoundCloud at / justarman / armanandbeynon / soundofarman / soundofarman
For all new DJs take note: This is all entirely opinion. It is up to the DJ to manipulate a track or mix as he thinks best at the time. If overusing the filter is to get the crowd moving, then that's up to him. Learn with club experience, not RU-vid clips. Flawless beat matching on cdjs = easy. On vinyl, not so easy. It takes time and practise. A lot of experienced Djs (including myself) don't like flawless matching; a little slip shows the DJ putting the work in. Good luck! Ps. Classic DJ bad habit - standing in a club being over-critical of other DJs.
Word. Took me months to beat match on vinyl now theres a fucking button. Your gonna fuck up. Learn, practice, and have a love for the music.....all of it.
Flawless matching is easier on vinyl, so long as the decks are calibrated and the vinyls aren't warped. (and it isn't hip hop or some other genre where the tempo changes). but yeah, don't stand around criticising people. thats wack.
I've seen some DJ's wanting to look busy, but instead of ruining the music just to turn a few knobs, they used the knobs on the two unused deck slots. Most people in the club wouldn't even notice that the knobs doesn't do anything, and nobody has to be annoyed that the sound is ruined.
rossel onsen Well, if you work out in public, and wanna keep your job, in the vast majority of cases you need to look like you're always doing something. That's the main reason why most DJs refuse to sit down as well. If you're done with the prep for the next transition, and you have a minute left over, you can't just stand there like a fool and look at the audience. If you go take a swig of your drink every time that happens, you'd need to take a piss halfway through your set, so that's out of the question. Turning a few knobs that does nothing is better, and most of the time, nobody will spot it.
no, a live performer's job is to entertain a crowd as a live performer, a dj's job is to read the mood of a crowd and use his or her musical knowledge to keep a party going
Whats funny is that I tend to get angry at other djs when they play because of all the shit they are doing and my friends and especially my family don't understand why. And gues who gets yelled at?!
Agreed. It's almost as if some DJs don't listen to themselves in the monitors. For a mix to sound balanced you have to remove sound to add sound. It's like live mastering. Dope tracks btw.
Actually, on a big system, I really wouldn't recommend having both tracks all the way up at the same volume, with the bass pots on both more or less all the way up too. That doesn't sound 'powerful', it sounds overpowering, and really boomy. You can get away with that at home. In a club it usually sounds pretty awful. It *can sound pretty raw and grab people's attention if you bring a track in over the one before it and the kick is already stomping along over the previous one, but once you take the previous track out the overall output signal will be too quiet in comparison to your transition, as will the amount of low end coming through the system. Good video though, the rest of the points were good things for new DJs to bear in mind. Nice tracks too :)
Wow, so many resources on the technicalities of DJ'ing these days. When I started learning how to DJ, not even that long ago (about 15 years), I had to READ an article about beat matching and then attempt to repeat the instructions. I remember I had two copies of Kelis's new hit, Milkshake, and practiced mixing them seamlessly. Drove my mother crazy listening to the same song over and over. :D Finding a video showing it back then was nearly impossible. Videos like this is what I needed 15 years ago as a kid - would have spared me a lot of hard lessons. Nowadays it's mostly common sense to me. Fine work.
Can't believe some of the childish comments on here about differences in music opinions or the way you should do things. As someone just starting to mix I found this quite helpful.....cheers
Thank you so much :) I'm a beginer DJ and this video helped me a lot. I knew the knobs (buttons) on the turntable, but I didn't know this useful informations about that. I'm gonna take your advices and I hope it would save me from the burn out. Thank you :)
6: Playing random tracks without taking into account of factors such as: -genre -key -the sound of a drum kick -rhythm -bassline -overall mood of track, etc. IMHO the perfect DJ mix is about consistency and achieving a flow - a state in which audience notices that tracks are switched, but it's not distracted by that fact. Actually only few DJs can play sets like this. One of exaples of such a "perfect mix" is Eric Prydz's Essential Mix from 2013. Technical masterpiece.
that is completely subjective. there are plenty of dj sets who mix all kinds of genres and even change tempos and it's an amazing experience for everyone involved. there is no perfect dj mix or dj or dj style. not everything is about a single style, monotonous techno or progressive house or trance or whatever with seemless transitions... djing is a lot more than that
juancs, you still have to consider which genre & which track you're changing to, it has to be either a nice compliment or contrast, but it shouldnt be totally random, OP is not saying stay in one style or genre at all
Okay for one: The purpose of being a DJ isn't just to play the songs only add a filter to it. If we use effects it's way better because we change the way the song sounds and make it our mix.
understand, that even a small amount of change in a knob can make a big difference in club system. The reason a dj touches these knobs and faders alot, is a habit of checking the status of a knob. When you play in a dark club it is sometimes hard to see exact position of a small knob, touching them is easier. every dj has his own ways of making sure everything is in order, but touching the knobs and faders is a common way of doing it.
I have the same mixer (U don't need a better mixer then a DJM-800 for real!!! the new ones have just more, we can say un-useful effects but they are good too :) ) and two CDJ-900 Nexus, and yeah i do the mixing stuff very similar as you, and find out almost every weakpoint when u start effecting and stuff with the mixer, and off course with the CDJ's too , so i can only agree with u even with this " Lookin good fake DJ's " they're just touching the mixer or knobs and don't do nothing ( David Guetta :p and others) with the music because they are not real. Finally Good to see some Real DJ-ing around here with ears, skill and good taste! LIKE
I have posted elsewhere complaining about the amount of effects being used by DJ`s so couldn't agree more. People don`t give a flying f**k how busy you are, we are not impressed. If you don`t think the producer of the track did a good enough job then don`t play the f**king track. Loved this video and part 4 actually happens because the DJ has put so much effort in to f**king around with effects and not concentrating. As a total non machine created effect I do tend to like the odd mix slightly off time as it gives that slight double high hat effect which is brilliant for dancing as well as that reminiscent sense of a vinyl mix. I think the main point is, Hey DJ it is not about you, we are not there to marvel at you we are there for you to feed our desire to dance and nothing else.
The most bad dj habits are to agree with video like this, don`t get me wrong i don`t want to disrespect the video and the work behind this video, but how you will play your track(s) (mixing, effects, track choosing e.t.) build you as a dj and person which peoples can recognize, so yes in some situation can be totally wrong to filter to much the song (for example), but if you`re enjoin it and see the crowd is happy that`s enough i think. Maybe this video is more if you`re preparing mix which you will record and give it to some radio, online channel e.t, but not for live performance
Honestly , I think you are a great dj and have a very good ear for sound and all. You speak of remaining natural and subtle, yet I am constantly shocked by you and many other dj's who think lining up two different basslines is good in ANY WAY. Perhaps it's a producer thing...if you make music yourself...you will understand why the bass is the most sensitive thing in the mix AND it is usually the most difficult to balance. So why throw two consistent basslines at each other ? At the same volume? It just makes no sense how you can be so understanding about everything you explain, yet you do EXACTLY what has been my pet peeve for quite some time now.. Not trying to be mean here..just blunt. I know you would make a good dj..so keep it up!
If you're changing up from 2 bpm's (say 126 to a 128) it's never going to come out completely perfect. I give myself an extra 2 minutes to match them up to as close as they can get. The bpm detection is not absolute and can be sporadic so that's when you have to use your own ears. Also a flick of the wrist on the turn table and adjusting the tempo accordingly and going by ear is the way to keep them both synchronized but occasionally one might drag to which you just allign by ear/hands. No matter what, if the 2 tracks differ in bpm then you have to do the 'finger dance's. Also (more rambling), I always cut in the cue'd track with no lo eq and no fading between the two just a quick switch, adds a nice bounce without it sounding like the tracks are abruptly transitioning. cheers!
Going from 126/128 is not hard work at all. Hardly noticeable with just a little adjustment of the pitch. And if done correctly, it would be perfect 👌🏽
Hey, great videos, much easier to follow than other ones out there. Would you do one on setting cue points? I listen and play really similar music to you so would be interesting to see what you do for cue points. Thanks
I love the fact that man kept his fuck ups in the video... thats real af... nice to know everyone makes mistakes, even when theyre making tutorial vids lol
"Turning knobs looks cool", yes, if all you can do as a DJ is to turn knobs for fx and loops, indeed, you need to look busy doing that. Take a look on Satori's live sets or Polo & Pan for example, to name just two where working on the mixers is beyound FX and levels.
Lesson 1: Dont use the filter, Lesson 2: Only send and return effects - delay and Reverb, Lesson 3: You are right, but ever heard of Jeff Mills? But sometimes, placing a clap or hihat just before or after the one could sound grate (listen to Richie Hawtin), It can make the groove go faster or a bit slower, Lesson 4: THANK YOU, I hear it all the time and it workes on my nerves, I only forgive vinyl dj's if it happens, Lesson 5: Tip: isn't there a gain volume indication on the CDJ's? On traktor there is.
Mostly %99 of people don't know that DJ stands for Disc Jockey. This should been known by now. The creator was Jimmy Savile. He started his career in 1943 at a dance party. You people need to know your facts
That's what it's all about. Forget all the trash talk. If a persons video helped someone improve their skills and get inspired then that's all that matters.
Kobuna I play at clubs my equipment is bought for me. I have a few small controllers at home but I did a gig in New York and they supplied the pioneer CDj for me
What should've been first in your recommendations is to not play boring house like this. Who made you an expert? Read the crowd, do whatever you want to keep them dancing. Surely that's all that matters?
Sorry, I'm an old dj i started in about '87 and dj all through the 90's. When cdj's came around i couldn't get used to it. Now with all the effects i fear i might feel awkward. I'll really be mixing old music anyways. My mk2 1200's are also beat up. Do the mk7's have the same feel and performance? Any advice? Thanks.
01:24 hahaha like many DJs in psytrance scene, looking 'busy' all the time. Using the effect knobs nonstop.. And here is were my anxiety kicks in. When I DJ, I don't overuse these. Which means I am just standing there, looking like a fool. Trying to drink, but that makes me need to go to the bathroom. I try to bring someone with me, chatting with that person. But that's not super fun either. What to do.. :/
You missed this one. DON'T RED LINE! It's the most common error made. Into the RED isn't keeping the volume on maximum. Best advice to anyone is don't over-complicate your mix. Simple & effective is better than showboating. I hear many DJs screw up mixes, doing far too much of everything.
don't wanna sound like a jerk but talking bout mixing in large spaces .. I don't see why you should monitor both tracks in the headphones while mixing, ... use your monitor speakers to listen to the main track that's playing.. monitoring both tracks in headphone's not a really good idea ..cuz it's a completely different environment (dj's headphones and the actual speakers). problems like latency etc.. but nice video (esp. on the filters) that was epic .. seen lotta Ppl do that
on the loop..why press left then right..much easier to just press small 4beat button below them....then by pressing right button a menu of 1/8 1/4 1/2 1 2 4 8 etc opens
Although this video does hold a lot of opinion it still is a good video and hits on the root of inexperience issues. I have a question though. The club that I DJ at NEVER EVER treats gain properly they use the 12 o' clock approach meaning trim and masters on the DJ mixer are set to 12 o' clock which IS SO DAMN WRONG but I have no choice but to leave them because I am a new DJ there, so what should I do?
Cruise the dollar stores in your area, every now and then you'll find a whole closeout bin of rubber ducks. Not all the squeakers will work but they are cheap, so you can buy up dozens of them in all colors. Then... right after Halloween when they're closing out merchandise, look for pose-able small plastic skeletons, like the kind used as party favors, you need to be able to swivel the arms and legs. You'll also need some elastic bands like girls use to tie up ponytails. Then line the rubber ducks up in a row, and sit a skeleton on each one's back. Snap a hairband around its waist like a little belt. Now you have a small army of skeletons on rubber ducks. It may not solve your 12 o'clock trim problem but it's SOMETHING. Works for me!
Sorry about that. ACTUALLY they're the ones imposing less control and likely some distortion on you as an operator, you just have to adapt and make extra slots in your mind for the position of each fader and make sure your relative fades stay smooth, make sure they get back there, much as we need to do with live instrument and vocal mixes where messing with trim during the performance will screw the monitor mix that finicky artists have pre-set. It is annoying and upsets the zen of it all, but is a worthwhile skill to acquire that will give you better command of live sound mixing.
Hi! Thanks for bundelling these classic dj'ing tips! Clearly done with nice examples. I'm not a very quick reader, could you, next time, show the text a bit longer? 2 sec is quite short. Otherwise, great video!
lol im coming from years of fl studio and thru the years used virtual dj lol now i got a deck but i need some ideas only thing on youtube is for eythe people with now idea what music is or its like this video lol like where can i find some tips plz
Well.. It's funny how you see so many people just mixing DnB 120-130 bpm tracks in DJ videos. How about someone showed how to mix Top 50 tracks or just something that is not all drums?
I have never really understood the loop, because i thought it was never used, because it is veyr hard to get it on beat? i dont know.... I have the CDJ400, would they be good to do this?
But i also like that your down enough to make this video and put it out to the world. You beleave somethings and cooll and by doint this you are provoking thought and substance.. which is healthy... good work i dont disagree because there are some FAKE and LAZY djz and i dont agree because you used the term "better way" in my opinion there is no wrong or write ... Work it!!!!!!
conclusion on DJing: a DJ is good when you dont even realize he is there, because his tracks flow so nicely as if he just pressed play and everything was mixed before :)
thats probably why going out these days is poop - a dj should let yah know they are there coz they are dropping bad arse tunes that make yah wanna run to and bust some moves on the dance, all the time wanting to the know the name of all the tunes they are dropping....
if you want to get good at something do it everyday. if you want to be good and unpleasant to be around criticize everyone else's work. i would like to mention though that silence within a set can be useful if used properly. my best advice to any dj is to: 1) play regularly 2) record yourself if you can 3)make mistakes and practice how to make those mistakes sound complimentary/intentional to your set(because you will make mistakes live...life is beautiful because it is imperfectly perfect) 4) above all have fun otherwise you will lose your creativity.
