Why Virtual DJing is Becoming So Popular

As you may know from a couple of my previous articles I am not a big fan of mobile Djing, but I have done it before on more than one occasion. And to be honest with you I find that using laptops and virtual DJ software is the best way to go with mobile DJing. Most mobile jocks nowadays are now starting to use this type of format. I think the fact that not having to transport bulky equipment, CDS and vinyl's everywhere is making more and more DJs change over.

Also most pubs and venue's have sound systems already in place so it is just a case of hooking up a aux cable to your laptop and you are good to go. In my personal opinion I would recommend taking one CD deck and a couple of CDs just in case of any errors with your computer. But I suppose that depends on how confident you are with the durability of it.

One of my favourite reasons for using this format of Djing is you can pre-set your mixes, and just play them when you get to the gig, you dont have to mess around cueing up songs and mixing them just press play and let the virtual DJ software do the work for you. Which then leaves you with more time to interact with the crowd and entertain the party.

You can even slip of for a quick pint or go the toilet without fear of your track finishing.






Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_S_Drew

How to Become a DJ - How to Get Started DJing

DJing is an art as well as a science. It requires a lot of talent, passion and hard work to become a successful DJ. But without knowing exactly how to become a DJ, any and all your talent or skill will be wasted.

The first step in becoming a DJ is to learn what being a DJ is all about. A DJ is more than someone who plays good music at a club. He is a music connoisseur who stays abreast of the latest happenings of the music scheme. He is a charismatic leader who controls and dictates the action and rhythm of a party. Most importantly, he is someone who is completely in love with music and has devoted his life to it.

Once you know what being a DJ is about, you should get started on how to become a DJ.

Since I've stated already that DJing is as much art as science, it would be good to pick up a professional course and learn all the technical aspects of DJing. Plenty of full time DJs run their own courses, and you can easily find one in your city. They'll teach you everything from the technical aspects of the instruments such as turntables, to techniques such as mixing, scratching, etc. and will also help you get a grip on rhythm. As an aspiring DJ, a professional course is the most important investment you could make.

Next, peruse your music library and try to understand your own style of music. Every DJ should have a unique, signature style, and this can be formed only once you know what you yourself love to play. This may sound like a trivial step, but it can be the deciding factor in your success as a DJ.

Finally, the most important thing is to go out and get playing. This is easily the toughest step as it takes a lot of confidence to be the DJ at a party. Get started, even if its something as small as a friend's birthday party. Once you gain in confidence and ability, try to get some gigs at the local club. Network as much as you can - this is one skill no DJ can live without.

Remember that DJing is about charisma, and you can develop this only if you practice enough and put yourself out there. It can be intimidating at first, but landing your first few gigs is the most important step.



Next, get the inside scoop on how to become a DJ [http://www.howtobecomeadj.net] from real DJs at this great resource:
www.HowToBecomeaDJ.net [http://www.howtobecomeadj.net]




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Newcomb

If You Don't Breathe You May Choke - The Benefits Of Silence

Good phrasing in scratching is a lot like writing a good sentence. If done well it will contain all the necessary punctuation to get your point across. If you have a lot to say in one sentence, it helps to break things up by adding commas(or even parenthesis). Sometimes you may need to blatantly pause... for effect. All of these elements create a conversational tone to what you are writing.

If you choose to ignore punctuation in your phrasing, at best you are most likely irritating the listener. It is very typical for a lot of scratchers to do this. They go and go, yet rarely stop to see if the listener is still paying attention. When that happens the listener will usually tune out due to overwhelm. Fortunately enough for us, this issue can be remedied.

Are Your Ears On Break?

It may seem obvious that there are countless ways to use silence in scratching. In all honesty though, there are a lot of ways that I was unaware of. One of the key ways is to become a better listener. Even in a conversation, if you're the dominant speaker, it helps to give the person you're speaking to the chance to acknowledge what you're saying. This can come in the form of words like: okay, yes, right, I see.

When this concept is used in a scratch solo, the other person becomes the beat you are scratching over. If you never pause to hear the beat, it can be difficult to know if your scratching is really meshing well. In fact, if you really aren't paying attention you can really start to clash rhythmically. This is similar to when someone is ready to respond to what you've said and they do, but you don't notice because you're still talking. It can be a total train wreck!

Picking Up The Pieces

Clearly, unless you enjoy embarrassing moments, avoiding the above scenario is desirable. So let's define our goal. We want to captivate people with our scratching and give them an enjoyable and memorable experience. If they really enjoy what you do, they'll likely be back for more.

Pausing regularly, even for brief moments, is a great way to keep track of where you are in the beat and stay in sync with the rhythm. When this happens you will flow more smoothly. You'll be more at one with the beat and the listener WILL notice. Even if they aren't really into scratching, you have a better chance of capturing their interest. If they enjoy the beat you're scratching over, they'll likely be more into you, simply because you're blending in with the beat more successfully.

A Strong Accent

There are defining moments in a beat that you should definitely pay attention to. You can save yourself a lot of trouble by taking advantage of this. One such typical way is to pause at the end of a loud snare drum. If one particular snare drum is louder(more dynamic) than the rest, try pausing as soon as it ends. This will naturally bring out more strength in that part of the beat and your solo.

I get an image of a drumhead being punctured or a speaker popping. It's also similar to adding multiple exclamation points to your sentence!!! Be wary not to overuse this idea as it can become too predictable, but when used in moderation it can really catch your listener off guard. As we all know, being too predictable equals boredom. The opposite is also true. When no one knows what to expect things can get VERY interesting.

No Need For Crutches

So as you can see, boredom is not a friend of ours. We need to take extra caution to make sure that we're not over dependent on silence in our scratch solos. The saying, "all good things in moderation, including moderation", applies here.

There are times when silence can actually be detrimental to what you're trying to express. You may have a whirlwind of fast, crazy emotion to unload on the listener. If you were to use silence throughout that part of your solo, much of the impact would be lost. By waiting to add silence after you've expressed those emotions, you not only get the full idea out properly but you add extra impact by ending in an abrupt manner.

The Balancing Act

Ultimately we want to control silence. Not let it control us. You do this by developing a great sense of when to use it and how much of it to use. Experimentation during practice is a great way to further improve upon this skill. I highly recommend recording and reviewing your scratching to hear if you are violating or emulating the principles laid out in this article.

It may be painful at times to hear mistakes you are making. However, awareness of one's faults is extremely vital to effectively improving as a scratch dj. You may not even catch all of your mistakes. If you are new to this concept it can be tough to perceive what is right or wrong. That is okay. Going through the process of thinking things through on your own, will do wonders for your awareness. Thus, you'll find that you're increased awareness will lead to improvement in many other areas of your scratching.



For more information on how to improve your scratching, go to http://kwotemusic.com and sign up to my newsletter where I feature free lessons monthly.

Kwote

http://kwotemusic.com

© 2011 Kwotemusic




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Kwote

Pitch Variation - A Matter Of Urgency

Scratching is a lot like your emotions. It can be very reserved and almost non expressive, or it can be full of intensity. Imagine if you had an emergency and you had to convey it immediately to the person next to you. It's safe to assume that if you kind of mumbled the message in a lifeless way, they probably wouldn't take you seriously. However, that is not the typical way we express ourselves during an emergency situation.

The opposite can also be true. If you were at the dinner table and you were asking the person next to you to pass the salt, you probably wouldn't act too alarmed about it. However, many times in scratching we tend not to express the right emotions at the right times. Even worse we simply don't express much at all. Working on pitch variation and the timing of such variations is a great way to pull yourself out of the dark cell you may be currently imprisoning yourself in.

Don't Throw Away The Key

Speaking of prison, if you were in a jail cell and you had the key you'd most likely open the cell and make a break for it. So why is it that we often place ourselves into boxes we think we can't get out of? Often times it boils down to focusing too much on the problem and not the solution.

A great way to avoid self imposed limitation is to focus in on pitch variation. Whether you're a beginner or advanced at scratching, you've probably painted yourself into a corner enough times. By taking what you already know and working on expanding the pitch range of it, you can greatly expand your expressive capabilities.

Hey! Look Out!

Various pitches communicate various things. Extremely high pitches communicate tension and intensity. On the other hand, extremely low pitches communicate release or a relaxed state of being. There are times to be intense and there are times not to. Our goal when relying on pitch to express what we want is to use it at the times it is necessary to convey such emotions.

The range of pitch in scratching is immense. For those familiar with turntables that have ultra pitch functions, you realize the pitch can go 50% faster or slower than the original speed of the record. With such a vast amount of octaves to play in the options reach far and wide. The best part is you don't even need an ultra pitch turntable to access this amazing pitch range. It can all be done manually when executing your techniques.

This is a great attribute for scratching to have because it represents all the different levels of intensity that scratching can have. Some examples of situations that call for certain levels of intensity would have to do with the melodic and rhythmic content of the beat you are scratching over. If the melody of the beat is laid back, you could compliment the beat with some lower, more even tempered pitches. If the beat is fast and the drums are pounding strong, high pitch scratching would be a great way to add to that intensity. Likewise, you may want to subtract from the mood at times when it becomes too intense by scratching in the lower pitch range.

Woah Nelly!

There are times when you may want to cut the variations down and simply stay within a tighter pitch range. Situations like this may include a beat where the overall mood is very static and you want to match that mood throughout the length of the track. Or perhaps the chorus is meant to only express one type of feeling and you want to match that emotion. These examples are by no means all inclusive. The challenge and the fun for you as the artist is to think and discover multitudes of ways to use pitch variation to your advantage.

To The Moon Alice!

As you can see, there's a myriad of possibilities within the concept of pitch. It is important to realize that for every scratch you can do, there's a chance to do it in a variety of alternate pitches. It's truly a multiplier of all your scratch vocabulary. Whether it's a scratch you've been doing for years, or something you just picked up, the concept of pitch expansion can and should be applied.

A good way to get tons out of this concept is to place limitations on yourself. Imagine you're a painter and you've decided to paint a mountainside. However, you only have three colors on your paint palette. You want to paint a brown mountain that has many different cracks, crannies, nooks and shadows. The three colors you're restricted to using are brown, white and black. While that may seem like an extreme limitation, the reality is anyone with decent painting experience could tell you it's more than enough.

Floodgates Unleashed

Now that you have a better idea of pitch and its function in the greater world of self expression, it's an excellent time to start experimenting with it. Even if you just begin using it a little bit, you'll notice quickly how much of an impact it will have on your ability to express yourself more effectively. You may even have extensive experience in building your pitch vocabulary. Despite that fact, it is likely you are neglecting at least some aspect of your scratching that could benefit from a wider range of pitch choices. Start being heard more. Demand people's attention!



For more information on how to improve your scratching, go to http://kwotemusic.com and sign up to my newsletter where I feature free lessons monthly.

Kwote

http://kwotemusic.com

© 2011 Kwotemusic




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Kwote

DJ Success - Top Tips to DJ Success and Earning Great Money

Most aspiring DJs end up selling their expensive gear for a considerable less amount than they paid for it.

Why?

Because they did not know the secrets of becoming successful. As a professional DJ and trainer of professional DJs, I know what it takes.

Here is the top list of problems holding most DJs back from success -

Arrogance - Getting behind the decks with an attitude is a great way to kill your career before you even get off the ground. Aim to have a personality, not attitude.

Poor dress - If you are paid as a professional DJ, it is your responsibility to dress respectfully. Dress to suit the occasion. Just because you are a DJ does not give you the right to turn up to a "suit and tie" event in a T-Shirt and jeans.

Music Fixation - I have seen so many potentially great DJs run a very short career path due to the fact that they only play the music that they want to hear. A good DJ will play what the audience wants to hear.

And the #1 reason most DJ's fail...

Poor Music Knowledge - So many DJs don't have anywhere near an acceptable knowledge of music. A good DJ should be able to fit into any function and play music that will keep the audience happy. This is the most important, but also most overlooked problem area for DJs.

I know as I'm writing this, that there will be people who will read this and believe that the last point does not apply. Believe me, it does! No matter how well you think you know your music, chances are you don't!



Want to learn to mix like a pro?

Learn to mix it up with a course that has been featured by Ministry of Sound.
A DJ that has worked with some of the greatest DJs on the planet!

Mixing Course




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=N._R._Edser

Getting Started With DJing and Buying the Right Equipment

Getting started with DJing can become a very expensive and confusing process. There is so many different makes and formats of turntables that the whole thing can become quite overwhelming.

The first thing I would recommend is that if you have never used any turntables before or done any type of DJing try and find somewhere were you can have a little play around on them and get a feel for the whole thing first. I'm pretty sure the guys in your local record store will be more than helpful.

DJing can become a very expensive past time so you do really need to be 100 % sure its something you want to take up. Having a great love for music is a must so if you don't eat sleep and breathe music then don't bother you will only be wasting your time and money.

Choosing the right set of decks is crucial if your serious about taking up DJing its defiantly worth while investing in a good set of turntables like technics or Vestax, there is an awful lot of cheaper models but they just don't perform half as good. Technics and Vestax turntables can cost anything from £400 upwards for one turntable.

So they can become to expensive depending on your budget, if you can not afford to invest the money for Technics or Vestax, other models such as Nu mark have very good starter packages for under £300 which usually consist of two decks and a mixer, what ever set of turntables you decide to purchase try and only buy a set with direct drive motors as they work a lot better then belt driven decks.






Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_S_Drew

They Say That Graffiti Can't Be Considered As Art - But They Are Wrong

I recently came across a newspaper article in which narrow minded people with a snobbish mentality seemed to deny graffiti the quality of being considered as art. As a defender of artistic expression and having quite a good knowledge of urban culture, I would like to raise my voice today in order to defend graffiti as a full part of urban culture that goes along with rap music, Djing and break dancing.

If we consider art to be the products of human creativity, then we should be aware that graffiti totally fit into that category.

Not only are graffiti an original way of artistic expression, those drawings are also the voice of the youth in the ghetto.

Narrow minded people who often live in a comfortable bubble gum world would preferably like to deny ghetto youths their own way of expressing.

Let me tell you something: if you consider Picasso's Guernica as a modern artistic expression and you praise it by any means, then you should also consider graffiti as pieces of art.

Very often, the fear of the unknown prevents many people from discovering masterpieces. If you are afraid of Chinese people, for instance, how are you supposed to discover the colorful buildings of China Town in their whole beauty?

It is not because artistic expression is different from what you are used to that it should necessarily be considered as crap. Be open minded towards the unknown, explore different cultures, learn how to appreciate the difference and the originality of a genuine style that represents a culture.

Hip hop culture might be a subculture. It is nevertheless the voice of numerous people from the underground. Try to understand instead of shutting the voice of several generations down.

People using their spray bombs won't ask you for permission while creating their picture. Their art is present de facto and there is probably nothing you can do about it if you don't like it. Those people don't have the means to pay for gallery exposure, but they want to be the representatives of a voice our governments would prompt to shut down.

Don't censor a beauty that is still unveiled in front of your eyes: open your mind and try to understand the voice of the oppressed and underprivileged. If you really make the effort to go into detail, you will be able to see the hidden beauty of a human heart's cry.

Copyright©2006 by Isabelle Esling

All Rights Reserved



My name is Isabelle Esling. I am an Eminem biographer and a freelance music journalist. I teach English and German at public schools.




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Isabelle_Esling

How To Become A DJ - Learn To Play DJ Gigs

Still wondering why you should become a DJ?

From the girl who can't keep away from the music at her friend's party to the cocktail bar DJ right through to Carl Cox and Deep Dish; any music fan who feels the need to spread the music passion is essentially a disc jockey in one form or another.

If this sounds like you, then you can become a DJ too. If you love music, you feel like you want to make people happy and have an inbuilt radar for knowing what tunes make people smile and why, and you can make them enjoy themselves then you can become a DJ. Even if your mixing and technical skills aren't as advanced as other DJs, you can still be successful.

Do you have the passion?

You have to love music, love sharing it and understand why people enjoy it. This passion will transmit itself into people's nights out. They'll feel your vibe and enthusiasm. You'll be responsible for transforming people's evenings and therefore their lives. There are few better feelings than when people dance, love the music you play and let you know about it. You'll see why if you try it.

What do I get if I become a DJ?

If you are the kind of person who gets a buzz from making other people feel good, then it's a great start because that's what many DJs are like too. First of all, you'll make people feel good. There's no price on contributing to others' happiness.

You might just lift the spirits of that cute girl who's just been dumped by her loser boyfriend or a song you play that night may get a couple together, who may then reminisce fondly on how it happened years later. Try it and see how you feel. It's the (second) best natural high.

The song 'Last Night a DJ Saved My Life' by Indeep was written for the best of reasons and inspired by a night out when a DJ injected energy and life into an otherwise dull evening.

A cool hobby at weekends?

Next up, you'll benefit from having an interesting hobby, one which you're paid to do. People dream of getting paid to do their hobby for a living. DJing for a night out can be more enjoyable than a night out with your friends, plus you get paid in money and drink, instead of paying for your own drinks and club entrance fees.

You'll feel more confident having this cool new alternative moonlighting activity. Yes and you'll cruise past that doorman who used to make you wait outside to get in with a smug look on your face.

Club DJing

Maybe you see yourself as a future club DJ, getting paid handsomely to fill dance floors in your preferred genre of house, electro, hip hop and so on. Maybe you are happy earning some pocket-money at weekends and having the local DJ status which gets you friendly respect whilst you keep up your day job. Maybe you just want to share some musical love.

I want to become a DJ, but what if I fail?

You don't have to give up your day job which pays your loans and/or rent and bills to become a DJ.

You can play in the evenings and at weekends. When you start DJing, generally the pay won't be very good anyway, you'll have to take what you get.

Where do you start?

To start with, you can be a bar DJ who does occasional parties and small dance floor gigs. Your friends think you're cool as do any new girls or boys you meet who suddenly perk up when they hear you DJ at weekends. You still have your day job though.

Where you go from right now depends on quite simply what you want to do with your life. Whatever it may be, the best advice you can get is for you to follow your dream or at least have a crack at it. The last thing you want is to arrive at 50 years old regretting the fact that you never gave your dream career a try.

Success Story

French DJ David Vendetta was working in a pharmacy and was nearly 30 years old before giving it all up for music and if he succeeded, you can if you have what it takes and you have the motivation to persevere.

Of course, you'll need to know how to make it, which is why this site exists aside from helping you understand why you may want to become a DJ. Some tips on promoting yourself in the DJing world and some advice on how to learn to DJ won't go amiss either to help you on your way.



Many more other DJ tips, reviews, advice and a free guide to getting DJ gigs can be found at The Total DJ Site




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Challands

Beat-Matching Tutorial For Beginners

What is Beat-matching?

It is the art of mixing two musical compositions together seamlessly by speeding up or slowing down one of the songs to align their rhythms.

Basically, you need to be able to hear whether the beat you are adjusting is faster or slower. In order to do this you need skill which comes from an ear for tempo and lots of practice.

A good DJ knows how to beat-match, and I'm going to share with you 7 steps to getting started.

Step 1:

You need to have a way to listen to one track in the headphones while another track is playing on the main sound system.

Step 2:

Play a track though the sound system.

Step 3:

Find another track in your headphones you want to beat-match with the one playing. (This is done on a DJ mixer by turning on the Cue for the track you want to listen to.)

Step 4:

Find the first beat of the track you are going to mix in, and hold it right there. If you're using turntables or CDJs you can just grab on to the top of the record or CDJ to essentially pause the track where the beat begins.

Step 5:

Listen to the beat playing through the main speakers. Wait for it to get to the first beat of a cycle. (Music in 4/4 timing usually is all built around cycles of 4 and 8 counts. ie. 4 beats in a bar, and 4 bars segments that lead to builds and changes in the music.) When you feel the music hit on the first beat with a crash or whatever, that is right when you want to play the beat you are mixing in. (in your headphones only)

Step 6:

Immediately after releasing your hold on the record or CDJ, you must listen closely in your headphones with one ear to detect whether the beat you are mixing in is going slower or faster than the one already playing. If it's going slower then adjust the pitch slider, and maybe even give it a little push to help it catch up to record A faster. If it's going faster than record A then turn down the pitch slider on the turntable or CDJ accordingly to make it the same speed. You may even want to touch the side of the turntable plate or CDJ to slow it down faster.

Step 7:

Once you have the beats aligned perfectly (or close to anyway), move the cross fader on the DJ mixer to the center with the bass cut on the beat you are mixing in. (you don't want the basses of both tracks going at the same time) Then when it seems like the right moment switch the basses either slowly or fast and the switch over to the next track on the first beat of first cycle.



This articles was written by DJ Story who has been a DJ/Producer since 1999, and you can see beat-matching examples in his Electro House [http://www.intuitivebeats.com/news/multimedia/demo-mixes/] mix videos on his website. Make sure to explore IntuitiveBeats.com for updates, tutorials, and music downloads.




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dj_Story

How to Start DJing Online

Live radio stations online appeal to a great amount of viewers, especially those who like to watch DJs in action.

For new musicians, online radio is a great way to make their music known to the public. Young and talented DJs who may not have a lot of experience can broadcast online and be heard by a larger audience than on a traditional radio. At the same time, they can make a live video of their personal or professional activities via the use of a mobile device.

Getting Started

How do newcomers to the music industry create their own stations? It all begins with following these general procedures:

Acquire a fast internet connection. Doing so will prevent buffering as your online radio station plays.

Find a radio broadcasting program you would like to use and download and install it onto your computer (such as UStream or LiveCast).

Add songs to this software's library.

Choose a third-party server that can host a stream of your radio show.

Configure the settings on the broadcasting software as supplied by your third-party server. This will establish a link from your software to the stream needed to make live broadcasting possible. You will need the bit rate (stream quality), the server IP address and your personal output with a password. 6. Make your site known by marketing it. While you do, begin mixing.

Licensing

Obtaining a license is compulsory only if you plan to play other artists' material. If not, you are free to run as many streams over the internet as you like. To get a license, you must pay a single fee to the licensing agency. This fee is distributed amongst the copyright holders whose material you want to play and ensures that artists who create music get paid for their hard work. Licensing rules vary in different countries so check the rules for your country before you apply.

There are five types of online radio station licenses available depending on the nature of your station: 1. Small radio service - the audience cannot influence what they listen to by pausing or skipping songs. 2. Standard radio service - listeners cannot adjust what they listen to by pausing or skipping songs. 3. Customized radio service - the audience can control what artists or genres they wish to listen to, can skip or pause songs, but cannot dictate which songs will be played. 4. On-demand program streaming - though music is not downloadable, listeners can choose and stream music when they desire to. 5. On-demand clips of recorded music - listeners can stream music when they want based on 30 second sound recording clips that cannot be downloaded.

Attaining a license to use copyrighted music for your online radio station can cost a huge bundle of money. Also, there is a great deal of paperwork that must be done. Most all startup online broadcasters don't have the capital or the expertise to deal with the legalities of obtaining a license. Fortunately, there is an online service to help new internet radio stations get established: Live365.

Live365

What is Live365? It is an online radio network that offer great breadth and depth of high-quality streaming music in addition to talk and audio. Live365 also serves as an end-to-end broadcast platform that offers easy-to-use tools and services such as royalty coverage accessible to anyone with their own computer and internet access. Such individuals can build their own online station with minimal cost, enabling to reach audiences worldwide.

Royalty fees are arbitrary and depend on how you plan to play the music and which of the five formats as mentioned above, you choose for your radio station. Also, there are three major organizations that nearly all songwriters' songs fall under: BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC. Now consider a band's songs you want to play. Which one of the above three music agencies does their music fall under? This can be found by looking at the sleeve or liner notes of the CD. If it isn't listed here, you'll want to contact the band's management by visiting their website. You can purchase a separate membership from each or purchase a "blanket insurance" policy from companies as Live365. To save money, paperwork, and legal risks, it's best to purchase the latter than going it alone.

Online Broadcasting Rules To Note

Once you are licensed, there are certain rules designating what you can and can't do while broadcasting online. If you should break a rule, you are potentially subject to a lawsuit, even if you paid all necessary royalty fees. Rules set by the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) are as follows:

If you have a "set" of songs you commonly play, that set must be at least three hours long.

You cannot play too many songs from a particular artist or album within one day.

Listeners of your station cannot place requests for songs or artists they want to hear.

Your site cannot enable its listeners to download songs for their own use offline.

As a song is playing, the artist, title, and other significant info must be displayed, but not before then.

You may not post a schedule of what's to be played on your site and when.

LiveCast (based in Vancouver, Canada) is a popular service that makes it possible to attain video streaming to cell phones, web-enabled PCs or Macs, tablets, and mobile internet devices. This service is currently being used daily by prominent TV news channels and live-to-air media, city transportation monitoring services, and security activities regulated by governmental agencies.



Christine Rage has worked as a Club, FM/AM and online DJ for over 15 years across 5 different states. She hosts an online blog at http://themixinvixen.com with articles on how to become a dj, music production and music business.




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_Rage

Using Filters to Mix Music

Although it's possible to create a decent mix without any filters at all, they are sometimes very useful. In addition they can be used to change the fundamental character of a sound, rather than just boosting or cutting certain regions to make small adjustments. But how do filters really work?

Most mixers are equipped with a filter section which has a bass, mid and high frequency region that you may boost or cut. In many cases there's one knob for the bass, one for the high frequencies (treble) and one or two knobs for the middle region(s).

If the filters have one knob for the bass, one for the treble and two knobs for the mid range then you cannot choose exactly which bass frequencies that should be boosted or attenuated, nor which treble frequencies these knobs should boost or damp.

Instead the bass knob works as a low-pass filter which cuts at a fixed frequency , for example 100 Hz, and then adds or subtracts the result to or from the original sound. The treble knob works like a high-pass filter which cuts at a fixed frequency , for example 10000 Hz, and then adds or subtracts the result to or from the original sound. The mid frequencies can sometimes be adjusted both in terms of which frequency band that should be boosted or attenuated and how much. Or they work on a fixed frequency region, which is neither bass or treble, but somewhere in between.

Pros usually need to sweep not only the mid range frequency, but also the bass and treble frequencies. However, that doesn't necessarily mean your mixing desk (or mixing software) must be equipped with such filters, to work like the pros. You can use external filter modules (or plug-ins), such as equalizers, to achieve the same result.

What newbies often forget is that filters, such as the bass and treble knobs adjust the volume. Yes, the volume. The bass knob, for example, is used to decide how many dB you should boost or cut in the bass region. Moving the knob to the left cuts a certain amount of dB. Moving it to the right boosts a number of dB in the bass region. Thus it boosts or cuts the volume in the bass region.

If you check the marks on the bass knob and move it 6 dB to the right, then you will increase the volume on that track with 6 dB, but only in the bass region. Consequently, filter changes result in volume changes, but only in certain frequency regions.

Boosting the bass with 6 dB means that the volume will increase although you didn't touch the volume slider. Assume that you have decided to use an almost perfect a slap bass sound, but you want to adjust it. Then you might notice that you get almost the same effect by turning the filter's knob as you would by turning the mixing desk's volume slider. That's because the slap bass sound contains bass frequencies only (well, almost). So if you're using filters to the change the color of the sound you might boost or cut a lot of the volume on that track just by turning a filter knob.

The two knobs for the middle region allows you to choose the frequency (knob 1) and how much that frequency region should be boosted or cut (knob 2). It's the same here with these knobs and with the treble knob as with the bass knob. If you're using an instrument on that track which has its frequency content concentrated to the mid region, then boosting and cutting the mid region will have almost the same effect as moving the volume slider on that track, so be careful.

A common mistake is to boost only. That is to tweak the amount knob to the right all the time. But filters are indeed used to remove frequencies as well. Sometimes if you feel that you need to filter a sound, it can be useful to try cutting a couple of dB somewhere, rather than boosting. The snare drum is such an example. Often it takes far too much space in the mix, because it contains a lot of high frequency content, in its unfiltered state. Cutting the high frequency content of the snare drum can make it "sit better" in the mix, blending in with, say, the vocals or other instruments. It becomes more subtle.

So when should you boost the filter and when should you cut frequencies? Well, there are a couple of easy answers. Microphone hum should of course be cut away using the bass filter. Some mixers even has a low frequency filter, which is a button rather than a knob. It cuts say 12 or 24 dB between 0 and 50Hz, to get rid of hum.

But there are other situations when it's more difficult to judge whether you should boost an instrument in the high region or cut another. One rule of thumb though is to balance the filtering almost the same way as you balance the panning. You cannot just boost all the tracks in the high frequency regions. It's pointless. It's the differences which create the result. The problem is often that two tracks are too similar and something needs to be done about it. Thus boosting both of them won't make much of a difference, but cutting one of the tracks with say 3 dB and boosting the other in another frequency region with, say, 3 dB can make a difference.

Boosting from 2000 Hz and upwards or cutting the lower frequencies of the sound, starting at 2000 Hz is practically the same. The frequency responses are similar. The only difference is that the boost resulted in a higher overall volume.

Attenuating a region of sound and raising the volume will have the same effect as boosting the region of the sound which wan't attenuated.

Almost all mixers have different filters and consequently they all sound different (mixers from the same manufacturer often have the same type of filters though). There are a few things which determine how the filters sound and how good they are. One of the most important characteristics of a filter is how steep the slope is, or in other words how many degrees the filter has.

Some manufacturers say their filters are 4th order low-pass filters or 2nd order high-pass filters. 4th order or 2nd order means that the filter cuts 24 dB per octave or 12 dB per octave. So how did we get 24 and 12? 4th order means 6 dB times 4 equals 24. Each "order" means 6 dB.

Thus each order of a filter means cutting (or boosting) the volume in half (or boosting twice). In other words, the order of a filter is measured in terms of how much it cuts (or boosts) if you move an octave up or down in the frequency spectrum. Confused?

A low-pass filter cuts off more and more of the high frequencies as you move the knob anticlockwise (down in frequencies). So if you turn a low-pass filter knob and set it to, say, 2000 Hz, then the audio below 2000 Hz will be preserved. However, frequencies at 1000 Hz will still be heard. They won't be silent. But they will be reduced with 12 dB. Why 12 dB? Because we use a 2nd order filter (2*6 = 12 dB) and one octave below 2000 Hz would be 1000 Hz. And since the filter damps 12 dB per octave then frequencies at 1000 Hz will have the volume reduced with 75% (12 dB). So how did we get 75%? 6 dB is half. Yet another 6 dB (making 12 dB) cuts in half again and half of a half is a quarter (25%). Thus, only 25% of the original sound remains and it will be damped with 75% at 1000 Hz.

But let's say you used a mixer which has a 4th order low-pass filter and you filtered it the same way as above, at 2000 Hz. Then the slope of the curve would look "more vertical" because it would cut more efficiently.

A 4th order low-pass filter looks almost the same as a 2nd order one, but not exactly the same. The slope cuts even when you move to the left (down in frequencies).

So if you tweak the 4th order low-pass filter knob and set it to 2000 Hz, as with the 2nd order filter, then it'll cut more of the frequencies below 2000 Hz than the 2nd order filter did. Frequencies around 1000 Hz will still be heard, but as you can see they are almost silent as compared to the 2nd order filter where they were only reduced by 75%.

In the 4th order case they will be reduced with 24 dB, because we use a 4th order filter (4*6 = 24 dB) and one octave below 2000 Hz would be 1000 Hz. And since the filter damps 24 dB per octave then frequencies at 1000 Hz will have the volume reduced with 93.75% (24 dB).

So how did we get 93.75%? 6 dB is half (50%). 6 dB again (total 12 dB) means 25%. Another 6 dB (total 18 dB) means 12.5%. And finally the last 6 dB (total 24 dB) means 6.25%. Thus, only 6.25% of the original sound remains and it will be damped with 100 - 6.25 = 93.75% at 1000 Hz.

With a 4th order low-pass filter which cuts at 2000 Hz you will still be able to hear audio which is located around 2500 Hz. It'll be damped, but it might still be possible to hear it. On the other hand, with a 4th order low-pass filter you'll hear less of the audio at 2500 Hz.

That's why it might be more difficult to create a good mix with certain filters. In general I'd suggest that you use at least 3rd order (18 dB / octave) filters when you're mixing. If your mixing desk features only first or second order filters, then you might consider using external filter modules or plug-ins as inserts.

But there are a number of different filter types as well and not only the order decides whether it'll be useful or not. Let's have a look at some filter types, which can be used to solve mixing problems, rather than to change the sound itself.

There are a number of filters on the market and they complement the traditional, low-pass, band-pass and high-pass filters which most mixers are usually equipped with. You might consider using them as inserts to solve problems on certain tracks.

The notch filter removes a certain frequency range (thus it creates a dip in the frequency spectrum).

It's the opposite of the band-pass filter, which passes through a certain frequency band.

So what can it be used for? Well if you don't own a dedicated de-esser, then you may use a notch filter to remove regions in a vocal recording which cause problems. And you may reduce or remove 50 Hz hum caused by bad cables or just get rid of frequencies which you don't like and which don't seem to work in your mix. Bass, mid and treble filters let you attenuate certain bands, but their frequency range might be too big sometimes, when all you want to do is to reduce a small region, such as 40-80 Hz. Then a notch filter might be useful.

A comb filter creates a metallic sound. It's frequency response is quite interesting. Different implementations have different frequency responses, but in general it looks like a comb (or saw teeth) with dips and peaks. That's why it's called a comb filter.

As you might understand, It's not the kind of filter which you use in every mix and on lots of tracks, because it changes the sound quite a lot.

However, if you're working with a sound which is dull and needs processing to become more exciting then it can be worth a try to process it using a comb filter, possibly in combination with an effect, such as a chorus or a flanger.

One of the better ways to make a sound more living and interesting is to process it through a formant (or vowel) filter. Formats are regions in the frequency spectrum which are associated with different vowels.

For example, the vowels a, e, i, o and u have a set (around 5 or 6) of peaks and cuts in the frequency spectrum and they look different for each vowel. A formant filter lets you apply these boosts and cuts in the formant regions on your track.

A formant filter can make a dramatic change to the sound, a much more dramatic change than using a simple low-pass or high-pass filter. The formant filter makes the audio sound more like the vowel which the formant filter emulates.

There are filters which adapt their frequency response to a track and make it possible for you process your track(s) using these settings. You could feed your favourite music through the filter. It checks the frequency response of the recording and then you may apply that frequency response on your own recording. E.g. you can make sure that your track has almost the same general frequency response as some of your favourite commercial tracks. How does it work? Well, assume that you know a recording which sounds excellent. And you feed it through the filter. The filter then analyses the recording and adapts its frequency response.

The filter allows you to apply or impose the frequency response of the analysed track on your own recording.

The filter adjusts the overall frequency response so the higher region of your own recording sounds more like the higher region on the original recording etc.

These type of filters can can actually transform your recording from something which sounded like a relatively dull mix to a recording which has commercial qualities.

There are two types of schools when it comes to mixing. Either filters are used to make very subtle changes to the sound, for example by cutting or boosting with 1-2 dB in a region. The other school makes use of extreme filter settings. Filters are applied to a high degree on each track, to make them sound as different as possible, making it easier for you to blend them together in the final mix.

Whichever method you choose is up to you. It also depends on which type of music you make. If you're into synths, mostly, then the synth sounds themselves have been filtered to a high degree before they reached the mixing desk. Alternatively, the filters in the mixer become part of the actual sound generation rather than being tools to put the mix together.

Filters can be used to make tracks work together in a mix. If two sounds are very similar and they are competing for the same space in the frequency spectrum, then it can be a good idea to apply some filtering on one of the sounds, or both.

Try boosting or damping a region like crazy on one of the two tracks, and try boosting or damping another region on the other track. Then their frequency spectrum's will be much more different then they used to be and the similarities will be reduced.



Arthur Andersson works at MHC Synthesizers and Effects http://www.mhc.se where he does graphical design and writes the newsletter. He's also involved with sound design and runs his own music label.




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Arthur_Andersson

3 Essential Vinyl DJ Music Tips What You Need To Know Before You Buy

Vinyl is a dying format but that doesn't mean that you can't find it in store, shops or within communities online and offline. Crate digging is a loved pastime for vinyl DJs but it can prove to be difficult to find the right deal on vinyl since it's not regularly available anymore. This article will share three tips you need to know before you buy vinyl music.

Check the condition of the jacket and extras

First off, check all of the ascetics of the vinyl record such as the vinyl jacket and inserts. You may not want to pay high dollar for a record which is in severe damage on the outside because it often means it wasn't taken care of during its lifetime.

Check the condition of the vinyl record

The most important thing you should be looking at when buying vinyl records is the overall condition of the vinyl record. If possible, try to give the record a play prior to the purchase to ensure it doesn't skip. If you don't have access to a record player than take a deep look into the surface of both sides of the vinyl for scratches or cuts.

Always haggle for a price

A lot of vinyl owners will base their prices on books or what they find online but let's face it: everyone can be haggled. Never settle for a single price because there aren't a ton of vinyl record buyers; use this to your advantage to find the best deals.

Conclusion

This article took you through three of the most crucial things you need to know about buying vinyl records as a DJ. Crate digging can become a hobby for you but you should also avoid being burned on your money - it's yours after all. Use the tips within this article to find the best prices and then get out on the floor so you can drop these killer new tracks!



Can't get enough of that old school vinyl feel or long to spin in front of thousands of adoring fans? Perhaps it's time that you learn how to DJ and really land a gig of a lifetime.




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Murray_D._Lunn

DJ Lingo - What Did That DJ Say

I wanted to write this fun article for those of you just starting to DJ, or who may be friends with a DJ and need to learn the lingo.

DJ

What exactly does DJ mean? DJ is short for Disc Jockey. It's someone who jocks discs (vinyl records). There are different types of DJs, including Club DJs, Mobile DJs (private parties/weddings etc), and Radio DJs. Different DJs may use different techniques, but it is generally someone who selects, plays and mixes music for a crowd.

Beat Matching/Mixing/Spinning/DJing

This refers to the main meat of DJing- making the two songs the same speed. This is so that when they play the two songs together, they are seamless. There is no stopping or mish mash of beats. Speaking of mish mash...

Trainwreck

This is when a DJ doesn't quite get the beat matching right. When the two songs are faded into each other, the beats are not matched and it sounds horrible. Also called shoes in the dryer because of the sound.

Rinse

When a DJ rinses it, it means he did an incredible job. Everyone was dancing, his mixes were impeccable, it was all around amazing! "Man, that DJ RINSED it last night!" It actually originates from old English language, where they used to use the phrase "A rinsing good time!" Rinse is most often used in electronic music circles, including Techno, House, and Drum and Bass.

BPM

This refers to the beats per minute, or how fast the song is. Just like a heart rate, it is calculated by counting the number of beats per minute. This is very helpful when determining if you can mix two songs together, as they have to be similar speeds to do so. For example, you can't mix a 80 BPM song ("American Woman" by Lenny Kravitz) with a 150 BPM song ("Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison).

Scratching

We're not talking about an itchy back. This is a DJ technique that is used a lot in Hip Hop. It is the sound that is made when a record is moved back and forth and those sounds are cut in various patterns. It takes quite a different skill than beat matching. They are a lot like mathematical patterns put to a beat of music.

Doubles

Doubles refers to when a DJ has two of the same records/songs and is using them at the same time. A DJ who is using doubles is often referred to "Rocking Doubles." You rock doubles a lot of the time when you are...

Beat Juggling

When a DJ has doubles of a record, and picks a certain part of the record to repeat or layer on top of the other. It is used to create interesting patterns of the same beat or phrase. This takes a very fast hand and great degree of skill.

Turntablist

These are DJs that specialize in scratching and/or beat juggling.

Battles

When DJs battle it is like a sort of exhibition where each DJ has a certain amount of time to show the audience what their skills. Turntablist battles are very popular.

Mash-Up

This is a type of music that was popularized by DJ Z-Trip. It is a layering of one song over another. It is most often the vocals of one song over the beat of another. It is often a mish mash of genres such as a rock beat with hip hop vocals over or vice versa.

Now that you know the Lingo of the DJ, you can better understand DJs and what they are talking about! I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I did writing it!



S. Leung is affiliated with Calsound.com [http://www.calsound.com/home.php], an online retail store for DJs by DJs since 1997. Calsound sells everything a DJ needs from DJ equipment to music and accessories. Get a free MP3 download by using coupon code "ezinemp3" at checkout [http://www.calsound.com/digital-downloads-c-532.html]




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=S._Leung

Easier DJing on the Road With WiMax

While it used to be that teenagers wanted to get out there and go wild with their bands, today it seems like DJs are the new rock stars. And it's not just with younger kids who are looking at having some fun. Some adults who had long ago put away their turntables are now looking at this new wave of plenty for those behind the decks and thinking that it's definitely time to get back into it. While DJs were always important enough in certain genres of music, today, it's not enough to have a bar or a lounge that has CDs going--you need a live DJ for the right kind of atmosphere.

For those who are getting into DJ culture, or for anyone who is just messing around and giving it a shot, there are a few pieces of gear that are helpful. While considering the world wide web a resource first and foremost might seem weird, the truth is that anyone with a computer and a solid WiMax connection can get high-quality MP3s from literally anywhere in the world. And this means that it's never been easier to try the craft of DJing, especially out on the road or in an increasingly mobile world.

It's easy to see the benefits of a WiMax connection for any sort of working DJ who needs quick access to a plethora of songs. You could go the route of scouring websites for your favorite edits that are long-forgotten and buried in dollar bins around the country, or you could actually take requests at the venues where you're playing. This becomes a whole lot easier if you have a speedy internet connection that's not going to cause any trouble with software you might be running, too. This means if you're in a banging club or at a demure wedding party, either way, if someone manages to get a request to you, you can just hop right on Turntable Lab, Amazon, or Beatport and download it in a record amount of time, in 320. For those who aim to please, this can be an incredibly helpful way of getting things accomplished.

Of course, wireless internet and the era of the digital DJ isn't just about those who are already famous or established. It's also about just being able to mess around and play music from anywhere, and that means sometimes just DJing a friend's party using iTunes or YouTube. For every DJ who fronts and says that they don't use things like iTunes, there is definitely someone more famous who is quick to point out that sometimes, it is the low-fi approach that matters the most. While it might be difficult to compare something that requires MIDI controllers and 4G networks to noodling around on a guitar or jamming together, the truth is that DJing with iTunes is a lot like picking up someone's acoustic guitar and just strumming a few chords.

So whether that's your approach to live music, or if you're doing something entirely different, having the best technology in your corner can make all of your DJ dreams a reality that much faster.



With clear internet, professionals and aspiring DJs alike can get online whenever they need to. Let clear wireless make things easier.




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Tandle

Equipment Necessary For DJing

Being a DJ can be a very rewarding hobby or career, but it can be stressful and expensive to get all of the right equipment. You need to make some hard decisions about what style of equipment you want to use. Many DJs these days are using primarily a laptop. If this is your preference, you may not need much more equipment if you already own a laptop. You'll need to get DJing software, headphones, and perhaps an external audio interface which will allow you to listen to one song while another is already playing.

These days, most DJs are using CDs. To do this, you will need a pair of headphones, a mixer, and 2 DJ CD players. Keep in mind that you will need special CD players meant for DJing that allow you to change the speed of the music and other features that are meant to emulate how vinyl records can be manipulated. Pioneer makes the most popular and industry standard players which are known as CDJs. The mixer connects the two CD players, allows you to choose which is playing, and make changes to the sound itself.

Traditionally most DJs used vinyl records. Though on the decline, this is still popular today. The main advantage is that records allow a DJ to play the music more physically and organically rather than depending on computers. The Technics 1200 direct drive turntable is the DJ standard, though other companies make similar products. You can find cheaper turntables, but they often won't have the power and speed adjustments that are necessary for real DJing.



Jim Tonkins writes about an outdoor furniture bar on http://outdoorfurniturebar.com.




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Tonkins

The Top DJ Tips, Tricks and Advice for Club DJing and Making People Dance

Here's my multi steroid booster, magic bullet little blue pill designed to make you perform like the best hot list of 6 key DJ tips:

1. Be the Master of your equipment

Don't think you'll somehow get by without enough practice.

You may not want to hear it but you'll need to know your DJ gear inside out and like a real pro.

Read the manuals, look up the best video tutorials, practices and advice on how to use it and try some little tricks with it yourself in the weeks and days leading up to events.

Develop your own little techniques and wizardry. Take it to the max.

Be the geek who knows all about how to make the most of your gear.

Make sure it's 100% reliable and carry out all the maintenance checks you'll need. Take a back up solution if you can.

Back up gear

For example: if you have no back up for your laptop, burn some tunes onto CDs. At least if your laptop crashes you'll be able to play from them.

Know exactly how everything works. Be relaxed with it. This'll free you to think about other things, such as..

2. Know your music

Knowing exactly what tunes you've got in the bag, case or on your hard drive is a huge bonus.

Knowing when to play the right tunes and who to play it to is just as important.

A deejay who cannot perform should either not be playing or has forgotten to check through his or her music recently.

Check my pro DJ tips on knowing all about your music.

3. Watch the crowd

Now, you can master your DJ equipment perfectly well.

You have the best tunes in town.

But if you're not paying attention to the heart and soul of the party, then none of that matters.

A real pro will be watching the crowd every few seconds.

He or she won't be just looking up every ten minutes, they'll be feeling the dancefloor out, connecting with them.

A top deejay won't be so immersed in their mix that they can't look up. They are comfortable enough with their mixing techniques that they can afford to check out who's dancing, who's going crazy and they'll see if people start to sidle off the dancefloor.

Reading reactions

You'll be able to gauge people's reactions. Maybe they're happy, drunk, drugged up, boys or girls, black, brown, white.

All of this is important when deciding how to react by choosing your next tune.

It's the intuitive part of DJing and it's why some make it and others don't.

Luckily you can find out much more about DJ Tips to read the club dancefloor.

4. Look great when DJing

Like it or not, how you look is part of your image and impact.

Some people even prefer a good looking guy or girl to someone who puts on the best tunes.

No really, it's true.

Ask your image conscious friends some tips on how to dress and adapt to the venue you're playing at.

People will relate better to you if you at least make an effort.

I'm not saying you have to look like Brangelina, but be smart, adapt and make the most of what you have.

When I say adapt, I mean that you'll need to know about the people who hang out there and they'll react better to you if they relate to your image.

You'll go further if you do that.

5. Don't get distracted from your set

It's all to easy for the weak willed boys amongst us to get distracted by a hot gorgeous girl coming up to the booth with a flirtatious smile and asking for Lady Gaga right this minute, because it's her birthday, she says. Be respectful, but remain in charge Be polite, but don't get distracted. Speaking to her is not more important than getting your mix right. Now, maybe it's just me but people always seem to ask me for stuff right when I'm lining up a tune and I need to concentrate. I just ignore them until I'm set and satisfied. Then I'll answer them, quickly. Remember your priorities Don't let them distract you from your set. Listen, be nice, but they can't change the course of a night that's going so well. The priority is your set. You need to remember that before some big breasted dolly puts you off. If you find that you have difficulties with saying no to requests then see exactly how best to handle them with my tips on dealing with booth requests.

6. Play the music they want and not what you want

Now let's get this straight.

While it's hard not to think this is all about you, numero uno, number one son of a gun and the king of the booth, it isn't. I know I just said you shouldn't get distracted by hotties asking you for music, leave that until the end. One of the best DJ tips is for you to pay attention to the whole crowd, not just one person asking for Lady Gaga. You see, people are there to have a good time and very few of them will actually be looking at and wondering about how cool the deejay actually is. It feels grand to lay down tunes that make people dance from a club booth, but you're here to make people dance. You're not playing to jerk yourself off in a booth. The more people that dance, the more successful the night will be and the more chance you have of getting bigger and better paid future gigs. So it's up to you to adapt to the crowd and not the other way around. The above DJ tips should help you play your set better, get invited back for more gigs and rock the dance floor.



This article and many more other DJ tips, advice and a free guide to getting DJ gigs can be found at The Total DJ Blog




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Challands

The DJ Business - Starting And Making Money With DJing

Do you need to know how to start a DJ business? If you play out then you are ALREADY in the DJ business. Many people earn money from DJing and for some, DJing is your sole source of income.

Generally, the DJs who make a bit more money and enough to live off are mobile DJs or wedding DJs. Some club DJs can also make enough for them to live.

The super star DJs like Tiesto, Van Buuren and Guetta and the rest of the top DJs can make a living from DJing too, and much more than the rest of us. That's pretty obvious.

Everyone has a chance of getting there, but what if you don't? The guys that do school discos, functions and weddings generally just rely on DJing and maybe another one or two other activities to live off.

Not the coolest guys in town admittedly, and no, they wouldn't be invited to play at my party. But they often know how to run a successful DJ business, so you have plenty to learn from these guys.

I don't know if you'll want a "real job" and to DJ on weekends. Or if you want to set up a DJ business as a mobile DJ, doing weddings, hotel functions and events, that's fairly lucrative. You can have other activities on the side to improve your income.

You may need to concentrate on not just depending on DJing for a living. After all, you want to earn more cash from the DJ business.

What's the best advice for making money from DJing?

If I was to condense all my advice down to you about this, I'd try to get into this mindset: Try to earn good money by doing what you enjoy. You need a decent level of cash to live normally and secure the future. Doing what you enjoy separates you from the crowd and makes you happy. Most people don't really like what they do.

Build yourself a DJ website

The obvious tip here that you may be overlooking is to build your own DJ website. This is especially useful if you're a mobile DJ and DJing at events and weddings is your main source of income. You want to attract bigger and better paying clients.

How do you do this? By appearing high up in the search engine rankings. Many DJs fall into the trap of failing to make their websites appear in online search engines. Starting a DJ business is not easy, but possible using clever networking techniques, internet bookings and video marketing.



This article and many more other DJ tips, reviews, advice and a free guide to getting DJ gigs can be found at The Total DJ Blog




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Challands

How a DJ Set Is Like a Four-Course Meal

I love food almost as much as I love DJing. Which got me thinking one day...programming a DJ set is a lot like a meal - a four-course meal to be exact.

Whether you are a veteran DJ or just starting out you'll find this a fun analogy that will help you plan your DJ set. I have included approximate times corresponding to each course. Each club or venue will differ so find what's right for you and your crowd.

Course #1: Appetizer (9pm-10pm)

Preferably you want to start your meal with something light that gets your appetite going for what's to come. The opening songs in your DJ Set should be similar. Start with something light to ease your crowd into the night. Showcase the kind of style that you're aiming for but don't come out swinging with your main course yet!

Course #2: Salad/Soup (10pm-11:30pm)

The soup and/or salad course is when your appetite gets going. Even though the salad or soup may be really awesome, but it's not what your guests came for. At this point your DJ set should start taking off with some more substantial songs, throwing in some favorites here and there but not quite going all out yet!

Course #3: Main Dish (11:30pm-1:30am)

Let's get down to some serious eating! The main dish is the star of the show. Hopefully you'll be drawing ooohs and aaahs at this point. Likewise, the "meat" of your DJ set should be comprised of your best songs, hottest hits, and dance floor killers. The dance floor should be full and everyone should be dancing!

Course #4: Dessert (1:30am-2:00am)

Dessert is a sweet treat that everyone looks forward to. Likewise, the last hour or so of the night should be sweet. You could still be playing some hits, but remember, the people in the club have to walk out into reality when they leave! Slowly add some lower energy songs that will ease the club-goer back to earth.

Don't forget your favorite alcoholic beverage!

Throughout the meal you will be sipping your favorite cocktail or wine. You pick up your glass every so often and enjoy the punch of the alcohol. Treat this like DJ's choice. Add some of your own personal favorites throughout the night, giving the crowd a different taste here and there!

The next time you're planning your DJ set I hope you think of this fun analogy to help you with your selections.



S. Leung is affiliated with Calsound.com [http://www.calsound.com/home.php], an online retail store for DJs by DJs since 1997. Calsound sells everything a DJ needs from DJ equipment to music and accessories. Get a free MP3 download by using coupon code "ezinemp3" at checkout [http://www.calsound.com/digital-downloads-c-532.html]




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=S._Leung

Do's and Don'ts While DJing a Wedding

If you work in the mobile DJ business, there is a pretty good chance you will DJ a wedding. Actually, you will probably work at a ton of weddings and makes some great money doing it. But weddings are a different kind of gig, and they require a different set of rules for DJs. This article will cover a couple do's and a couple don'ts you should know about.

First, let's look at the don'ts. Never show up at a wedding without your playlist prepared. You should be playing songs that the bride and groom enjoy. If you don't know what music the like, ask them first. Showing up without this basic information is a death trap.

Don't let your clients walk all over you. At wedding, many people drink to excess and want to dance all night. If you aren't being paid to work the extra hours, you shouldn't be working. Talk with the bride and groom in advance about your fees for extra hours at the event. Decide on something fair, and stick to your guns!

Do ask the happy couple what you're responsibilities are for the event. If you are supposed to announce the bride and groom, announce the special dances, etc... you might want to know.

Finally, do thank the family for asking you to DJ the event. Be a gracious entertainer, and ask them for a testimonial or referrals. If you did a good job, they will be happy to tell their friends. Or you can get a short video clip of them praising your performance.

Remember that a wedding is a very special day that only happens once (supposedly). You are part of that special day, and it is your job to perform well. Be professional, and refer back to these tips if you need to.



Want to start a mobile DJ business and succeed right away? Here's how to start a DJ business that makes amazing profits by this weekend.

You read that correctly. Anybody can be in the DJ business and enjoying life by this weekend. Check out http://mobiledjprofits.com




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Reuben_Rock

The Advantages of Being a Digital DJ With a DJ Console

Knowing what the advantages of being a digital DJ are can be very useful if you're starting to DJ today or thinking of transitioning finally from CDs and vinyl to digital.

Some people have referred to the digital music format disease and are displeased by what they perceive as low quality compression leading to disk jockeys increasing their volume levels to compensate.

For those from a vinyl and CD mixing background, who have had far more sets on real decks than anything else, this is an interesting point of view. Over the past few years, DJs have been using digital controllers in venues and it's been so convenient that they get used to it. It's pretty important for you to understand why a digital DJ has plenty of advantages and why it will inevitably end up taking over the DJing world completely. This can help some of you make choices in choosing your digital equipment when it comes to making decisions.

Why being a digital DJ is great 1. DJ Gear and music is easy to transport

Rather than carting crates of vinyl or CDs on public transport only to for your records and CDs to be stolen or scratched later on you have a neat little gig bag to take with you. The weight of your gear is manageable enough to carry on your shoulder (with the laptop included).

2. You can find your music instantly

Instead of rummaging through your crate and having a panic attack when you can't find what you need, finding music using a controller is easy. You either scan your organised playlists, type in the name of a tune or search in your hard drive. Whatever may happen, you can reach a wider selection of tunes at your fingertips in far less time.

3. You can carry as much music as you need

Any experienced DJ remembers a time when he or she either forgot the right music or simply didn't bring a good selection for the crowd.

Reading and reacting to the crowd in the right way is what makes the best DJs even better. Having instant rapid access to 100 times more tracks than you could possibly manage in non-digital format boosts your confidence and ability to adapt to different crowds. Now you just have to get to know your music.

4. You can take it out afterwards

Just like a new girlfriend, you can take your digital DJ controller gig bag out with you to a party or a club.

With a DJ controller you can play the best gigs and then join in the after party afterwards without having to worry about where to put your heavy gear and record bag.

5. Mixing is easier

It's true; mixing tracks is far easier using a USB controller.

Prior to the digital DJing age, disk jockeys would practice mixing for hours and hours before they could learn to beat match. The best disk jockeys would practice for 7 hours a day in their spare time. Nowadays, a DJ controller makes it much easier, freeing up resources for you to concentrate on finding new tracks, remixing and relooping current tracks and dropping effects.

There are many other advantages of being a digital DJ too, some which can help you to get DJ bookings in far less time.



This article and many more other DJ tips, reviews, advice and a free guide to getting DJ gigs can be found at The Total DJ Blog




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Challands

Whether to Hire a Disk Jockey Or a Live Band For Your Reception

What's the best form of entertainment for your wedding reception, a Disk Jockey or a variety band? Without question it is always a live band! A live band will really impress and can add a great touch of class if they also have a horn section. A live band has far more energy and mystique than a Disk Jockey because the band members are putting on a show as well as playing music and the live get-up-and-go of the band often packs the dance floor far more than a Disc Jockey.

Unfortunately, its not the joyous union of you and your fiance that your guests recollect most but the entertainment of the evening. You will hear many more congratulates on the band you hired than you will compliments on what a lovely ceremony it was, and you will rarely hear compliments on what an unbelievable DJ that guy was. the entertainment of the evening is instrumental to a fabulous reception.

Some advocates of DJs will say that a live band has a limited song list but this is not always true as most professional live bands have over 16 hours or more of music and can easily pick and choose the strongest songs according to crowd response to make sure that the dance floor stays packed and the energy never fails. Also, live bands act as a DJ on band breaks and this is a good time to have them play some of your favourite tunes that might not be in their song list. Also, during breaks should be when you do all your wedding activities such as garter and bouquet toss, cutting the cake, and best man and bride's maid toasts.

This will give your guests something fun to do while the band catches their breath in between sets and the remainder of time left on break can be filled with the band DJing your favorite dance tunes. You can also have the best of both worlds with a live band DJing tunes on their breaks by having the band DJ special genres of music for relatives of particular ethnic groups that may be at the reception such as South American, Korean, Japanese, or whatever style of music your special nationality of guest favors.

Don't forget in your perusing of bands, that there are many bands out there and they are all very different in how professional they are. Make sure you take a look at the band's song list to see if it is comprehensive and it should have a good assortment of songs from all musical styles. A group that has been around for a long time will recognize which songs work best at making people dance in the varying age groups at weddings and will know which songs are adored across all age groups. An instance would be Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison which is just as effective at getting guests in their mid 20's on the dance floor cutting a rug as it is getting people of 60 or more on the dance floor.

A good live performance will have all this information in advance and will wield it like the hand of Thor in keeping your reception rocking and rolling through the entire evening. As Well, most professional wedding bands will have a band leader that acts as Emcee announcing the bride and groom, the wedding party, cutting of the cake and bouquet and garter toss. Check to make sure that the band has an emcee that will do this for you.

Now for the cons of a live band. Live bands will almost always be far more pricey than one man spinning tunes. Great variety bands can cost anywhere from $1500 to $10,000 for the flag ship cover bands and DJs can cost anywhere from $300 to $2500. Most of the time, you usually get what you pay for. More high-priced bands are more expensive for a reason. They normally sound a lot better and have much more of a crowd pleasing performance than more low-priced bands.

In sum, a troupe of great live entertainers always show you a much more successful reception than a DJ by sheer entertainment value and can also act as a DJ playing specific obscure songs you may want that are not on the bands song list. The groups emcee will always know what songs to play from his years of experience dealing with the diverse age groups at a wedding reception and know what songs are appropriate to play at different times during the event. If your entertainment budget allows a fabulous live show, the obvious choice here is a live dance band for your wedding reception.



Ron Ronhaar is the owner and band leader of the "The Grooves" which is one of the well-known Austin cover bands, well known for their ability to keep the dance floor packed all night with hit favorites from all genres. He has performed with his group for a living in Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and throughout Texas for weddings, corporate parties, society parties and fund raisers. After Ron started the band in 1991, the band rocketed to the peak of Austin musicians and then took the state of Texas by storm. Ron and the Grooves Band are now in strong demand across Texas and are considered the finest of all Austin bands available for any event.




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Ronhaar

DJing Class Reunions Confidently and Effectively

How frustrating is it to DJ a class reunion? These events are probably the most annoying parties to DJ due to the ego's of the guests attending trying to look and sound "cool" to classmates who thought they were "cool in school". This is an informative article offering tips of effective music programming techniques and perfect responses to annoying guests. By the end of this article you should be confident and excited to DJ class reunions.

The Ego's of the party really depends on how old the crowd is. The older the crowd, generally, the more tame a crowd you'll have. The younger the crowd, prepare yourself for a night of bad requests, people telling you how to do your job and what to play, a few insults, and possibly the longest night of your life!

This article will teach you about choosing appropriate music, ways to format your music program, and what to say when guests come up to you when guests have requests and what to say to those guests who try telling you how to do your job. If you take this advice, you'll actually have a TON of fun DJing Class Reunions. Learn to Stay Cool and have fun because You have Total Control!

Hour 1: Choosing Music

What Year did they Graduate: Look up on the internet "Top Songs" from the year they graduated. Like, "Top Songs from 1994" if the class graduated in 1994. Make sure you put together a bunch of songs from that year and a few top songs from "around" that time period. EX. From 1993 and 1995. For about the first hour you want to play this type of music.

Hour 2: Play Some Current up-beat top 40 rock stuff

Hour 3: Open up the dance floor with Current Beat Music (Current Hip-Hop and some Current Rock Beat Music)

Hour 4: Play a few slow love songs for the couples to dance to and then open up the dance floor again with some really good dance music (try different sets and see how the crowd responds: Older hip-hop, Motown, Classic Rock Dance Set, Spanish music if the crowd may like Spanish (if the crowd looks like they like it keep going with it, if they look like they are getting bored, change up the set.)

End the night by asking the host what song their class song was. Play That and your night musically should have been a great success.

What do you Say When Guests request songs? "I've already played that" or "I'll work that in later on"

What do you say when a guest tells you what music you should be playing? You can say politely, "Thanks for the suggestion, but let me be the DJ and go enjoy yourself with your friends, we'll get to your stuff later" (smile)

When guests really, really want a song and they are pushy but not rude, they say things, like; "Come on if you play (This Song) everyone will dance to it." (people hardly ever do). Say ok. Play their song and announce that this person requested (THAT SONG) and said everyone would dance to it. People will then be hesitant to request songs, leaving you in control of the party.

What do you do when a guest gets belligerent about requests? With a smile say: "Would you like to DJ?" Show them your mixing board, and say, "ok have fun". Then walk away leaving them behind your booth, watch how fast they panic.

This is your party, your music, and you will never see these people again, so be super confident in your choices and decisions. Always be as polite as possible and never get angry (this shows that you are losing control). If people ever get super angry at you and may pose a danger, shut your equipment off, pack up, and leave. It's not worth you getting emotionally destroyed or hurt. Stay Cool and Calm because you really are a great DJ!



http://www.mixesthatwork.com is a site made for DJ's by DJ's. I am an entrepreneur and I am always seeking ways to make things better and run more efficiently. MixesThatWork.com is a site that is about to revolutionize the industry with instantly connecting DJ's to each other never leaving DJ's without a great mixes and programming.




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_J_Peterson

Fader Hand Tension - Why Less Equals More

Have you ever felt like you were putting way too much effort into scratching? You push and push and yet your results seem to be pretty stagnant. Well there are several symptoms that could be at the root of your suffering. In this article I plan to focus in on one of them.

This issue typically plagues the beginner worse than anyone, but make no mistake, this can and will affect anyone. I'm talking about unnecessary tension in the fader hand. I want to share with you some ways you can begin to alleviate this problem so you can focus on your development as a scratch dj more freely.

Taking An Assessment

First let's take a look at your average beginner scratch dj so we can get a better understanding of what I'm addressing. You begin scratching and the fader is all over the place. You just can't seem to control it. You're having trouble getting together any proper technique. You're probably strong arming the fader way too much and straying way too far from the cut off point.

Does Equipment And It's Settings Play A Role?

Now two things have to be made clear before I go any further. If you want to get the most out of your scratching in the short and long term you need to have your cutoff point set as close to instant as possible. Also it's ideal to have a very loose fader. I personally love the fader of the Rane 56, but regardless of what mixer you have, nowadays there are options for using scratch friendly faders regardless of what type of mixer you're using.

No Fader Control, No Dice

Obviously if you have a hard time controlling the fader you will have basically no hope of getting any decent scratches pulled off. The solution to this may seem as obvious as taking the power you're exerting back a few notches and in a way it is. In fact the solution is actually not much more complex than that. What you need to realize is that although this will help, you are not through correcting this problem.

Ultimately you need to discover with experimentation what the least amount of power is needed to control the fader and only use that. Simple right? Well not so fast. Understand that this is not a fix and forget issue. Only through consistent, highly concentrated awareness can you really reap the benefits of focusing on this method.

Why All DJ's Will Benefit

This is truly a lesson for scratch dj's at any level. No matter how well you grasp the concept of minimum power you can always improve your current technique. I personally can attest to this as I've gone through many stages of this issue.

Sometimes you may be taking on a new technique and have yet to really gauge what is needed to pull it off. You may be starting off slow and not ready to put a lot of speed into it. You may be doing one technique that requires more energy and power than another technique. Not to mention all the combinations of things you already know. As you can see it begins to become somewhat intricate.

Narrowing Down The Process

What we need to do right now is take things down a notch. Several notches in fact. Take the most simplest fader based scratch possible. We'll use a forward 2 click transform for this exercise.

Execute a simple forward transform over and over at a low tempo such as 60 beats per minute and pay close attention to how much power you're exerting. Is your forearm, wrist or hand getting sore? Are you pushing the fader too far away from the cut off point? Is the sound of the record running out before you have a chance to finish? These are things you should be asking yourself as you're performing the transform scratch. If the answer is yes to any of these, try relaxing and releasing as much power as you can while still maintaining control.

Is Doing Nothing A Solution?

Well yes, it can actually be a highly effective solution. However you would not simply be doing nothing and stopping there. You would be resting between each repetition. This is one of the easiest ways to avoid unnecessary tension. So always make sure you bear that in mind.

While it is typical while learning new scratches that there will be some forearm burn, you can usually reduce it substantially by following the advice outlined in this article, especially this particular point. In fact it really doesn't matter what technique or combinations of techniques you do. Resting between every transition will make a HUGE difference.

What Else Is Choking The Life Out Of Your Potential?

There is another culprit that creates unnecessary tension and that is unnecessary tension in the body. While it may seem obvious by now that you need to have just the right amount of tension in your hand, wrist and arm, it's important to note that holding extra tension in other parts of your body can be detrimental as well.

The biggest key here is awareness. You have to pay attention to how you're feeling while you're scratching. If you notice that you're tightening up in your neck, back or another area you'll need to consider changing your posture and sending a message to your brain to relax. This is a process that will require consistent, focused monitoring so keep alert.

Keeping Things At The Forefront Of Your Mind

One final point I'd like to mention is that you shouldn't just read this article and then let it leave to memory. Use this information to your advantage on a regular basis. You can potentially shave off years of frustration by following this advice. Stay aware, focused and above all else have fun!

If you are interested in more information on how to further improve your scratch technique, go to http://kwotemusic.com and sign up to my newsletter where I feature free lessons monthly.

© 2011 Kwotemusic



Kwote

http://kwotemusic.com




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Kwote

Mobile DJ's

Mobile Disc Jockeys (or Mobile DJs) travel or tour with mobile sound systems and play from an extensive collection of pre-recorded music for a targeted audience.

In the past, Mobile DJs utilized formats such as vinyl records or cassettes. During the Disco era of the 1970s, demand for Mobile DJs soared. Top Disc Jockeys in this era would have hundreds of vinyl records and/or cassette tapes. The equipment used in this era was enormous and usually required roadies (similar to those who work for bands) to set up. While many Club Disc Jockeys still use vinyl, most Mobile DJs currently use Compact Discs, computer-based files (such as MP3s), or a combination of sources. In addition, professional-grade equipment created by a variety of companies expressly for Mobile DJing has allowed for faster set-up and break-down, as well as improved quality of performance.

The audiences Mobile DJs play for may be at one of many different types of events including wedding receptions, bar and bat mitzvah receptions, company parties, school dances, anniversaries, birthdays, etc. Mobile DJs also perform in public at bars / taverns, nightclubs, or even at block parties.

Bands had long dominated the wedding entertainment industry, but with the advent of the less expensive and more versatile Mobile DJ, their market share dwindled. Mobile DJs offer the advantage of being able to play music in a wide variety of styles by a wide range of artists, as they use the artists' own original recordings. In addition, audiences or planners that formerly could not afford music for their event are now able to hire a Mobile DJ while still staying within their budget.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Mobile DJs began to form and expand associations and create professional business networks, which now include annual trade shows and Internet discussion forums. Today, many Mobile DJs also promote themselves as an event's planner, organizer, and MC (Master of Ceremonies). Working closely with their customers, their guests, and other vendors (such as venue staff and photographers / videographers), today's professional Mobile DJs strive to provide quality entertainment that fits the event in question in terms of style and performance.

In addition, a good Mobile DJ should be able to play a client's specific requests by incorporating them into a repertoire of party favorites. This is called "reading" the crowd.

Today, a large selection of music, professional-grade equipment, good organizational skills, vocal talent as an MC, mixing skills, quality lighting, insurance for liability, and on-site back-up equipment are all essential customer expectations when purchasing Mobile DJ services.

Some current topics of debate within the professional Mobile DJ community include moving from CDs to MP3s, full-time vs. part-time DJs, pricing, and multi-ops vs. single-ops. (A multi-operator company offers several difference DJs on staff for an event, while a single-operator company is owned and run by one DJ.) The chief argument between most of these positions in the professional Mobile DJ community is that of quantity vs. quality, but the debate itself indicates a thriving professional business community attempting to continually redefine itself for its customers' ever-changing needs.



I've been a mobile DJ for quite a while and now I've gathered enough knowlage to write you about this business!

Our mobile DJ website: www.sonorizare.srv.ro




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pavai_Lorand

Mobile DJ Equipment - Mobile DJ Gear Advice For Success

Advice on mobile DJ equipment is much easier these days.

Just a few years ago, mobile DJs would pack crates of gear into a heavy-duty truck, pay someone to help them, hurt their back in the process, then crash their truck and break all the gear (without insurance) on the way to their event.

And all this was after investing a fortune in some decent DJ gear.

Mobile DJs going digital

So what do we need now we're in the digital DJing age? Digital DJing has almost fully taken over.

And whether you like what digital music brings to you or if you prefer using vinyl decks to digital, then think about going digital, whatever your preferences may be.

Digital gear is far easier to pack, the music is stored directly on the hard drive, you can carry any kind of music with you (mobile DJs need to carry as much as possible) and the set-up and pack-up is much faster.

DJ consoles cost less than DJ vinyl or CD decks with a mixer. The music also costs far less and is quicker to find and download.

Mobile DJ Equipment list

Below is a useful list for mobile DJs to follow:

- Digital DJ Controller with software

- Laptop

- Stand

- Robust Headphones

- Robust audio cables x 2

- Equipment case or bag (to carry the above)

- DJ big room disco amp

- DJ hardcore big room speakers

DJ controller

If you come from playing CD and vinyl decks, knowing which DJ controller to cause some confusion.

What does your controller need to do?

What DJ software does it need to have?

How many decks do you need?

Sound quality? Scratching or not? CD or vinyl simulator?

And it goes on...

The best advice is that you invest in a decent mid range DJ console.

Low-cost controllers won't be up to mobile DJing standards and are unlikely to be robust enough to stand all the bumping around your truck or car will go through.

Qualities you need:

- robust enough (not industrial strength, but not weak and flimsy)

- decent sound quality

- vinyl and CD emulation (preferably scratching)

- an industry standard mixing software

- decent search and music organisation facilities (you'll be scrolling through loads of your tunes)

DJ headphones for mobile DJs

Your headphones should be far easier to get.

But again, investing in cheapo gear here is not advised. Mobile DJ equipment gets a rough ride when you travel around and constantly set up your gear, week after week.

And again, robust, strong headphones are the only way forward here.

Investing more will be cheaper in the long run for you.

Why? Because your headphones are mission critical. If they break in the middle of a set you'll end up DJing like a buffoon and it could ruin your business.

That could cost you a fortune! Instead, headphones that last for years and years are a better investment

Mobile DJ equipment should be strong, robust and able to support your demanding schedule. Investing more in the right equipment will be an important and beneficial business decision for you.



This article and many more other DJ tips, reviews, advice and a free guide to getting DJ gigs can be found at The Total DJ Blog




Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Challands