For example… did you know that you can actually create a build up in the middle of a track without a build up just by looping? Try it… Set your loop in and loop out points on your CDJ or digital djing system for 4 or so bars. The music will be looping over and over and over. The same four bars… All you have to do to create a build up is to turn a little “echo” or “delay” effects up on your mixer and then start to turn the jog wheel on your pioneer CDJ.
The result? The loop starts to get shorter… and shorter until it is almost a static noise similar to what can be heard at the climax of a build up!
Then you just hit the exit button to exit the loop and pick up right from where you left off in the track!
I get a lot of emails asking How To DJ with Serato and weather DJing with Serato and Traktor is different from learning how to dj on DJ CD Players or vinyl turntables. (For more advice on DJ Gear like Serato, Beatmatching, Mixing and Getting Gigs make sure you sign up for our dj training newsletter by CLICKING HERE NOW!)
Now for those of you that don’t know, Serato and Traktor are digital mixing systems that let you mix just off of your laptop or the conventional CDJs or turntables while still being able to play the MP3s off of your laptop.
So instead of explaining the differences myself I found a great walk through of the serato dj software and dj mixing system online.
You will also quickly realize after watching this video that DJs are really just technology nerds that somehow get mis-placed as cool…
When watching this video that I was sent by a new DJ names Katia that signed up for our video DJ Lessons newsletter… I couldn’t help but laugh because someone went to the trouble of designing a robot that could DJ and dance (its better at dancing lol) but the robots, despite being so technically advanced are playing on DJ turntables (technics 1200s). Whats up with that?… He should be rocking out on Ableton Live!
Seriously though this video raises the question. Is this the future of DJing? Will we ever see these types of DJ robots in the nighclubs and at raves? What do you think?
This past week I had a chance to rock it out on Pioneer CDJ 2000s. And to be honest I LOVE them!
If the CDJ 1000s weren’t good enough (they’re the nightclub and music industry standard) These new CDJs take traditional DJ Mixing and digital djing with dj software to the next level. (To take your DJing to the next level sign up for our Dj training newsletter by clicking HERE now!)
This awesome piece of dj gear will store all of your music, it can play all of your music from USBs, SD cards, MP3 CDS and even DVDS. The 2000 works VERY well with ableton live and has built in controls to work smoothly with traktor and serato scratch live!
I just found this awesome dj video featuring the best piece of dj equipment on the market right now:
So you want to know How To DJ! At the very least you are interested in DJing….
You have probably already asked yourself a lot of questions. When I started out I was asking similar questions:
Do I want to learn how to dj mix so I can be a party dj for my friends or do I want learn how to dj electronic music at clubs, raves and parties? Do I want to know how to dj electronic music or hip hop? Do I want to learn how to dj vinyl or learn how to dj on cds? How do I dj remixed tracks? How do I beatmatch? What gear should I choose? How do I get gigs?
I send out FREE video dj lessons pretty every few days to help new DJs like you get answers to your questions so you can get DJing quickly. Sign up for free DJ Training Videos by clicking HERE right now!
It doesn’t matter if you want to learn how to dj techno, how to dj trance, how to dj electro or any other genre of dance music… the LearnToDjFast.com video dj lessons newsletter will help you learn how to dj mix quickly!
The first frustration that DJs usually find is choosing and learning how to use dj equipment, dj software and mixing software like Ableton Live. The next challenge is learning Read the rest of this entry »
Last night I treated some friends and took them to the grand opening of a brand new club here in our city. Despite there being a MASSIVE line up outside of the nighclub, we all rolled right past the line.
I love getting my friends into nightclubs and hooking them up with free drinks. If you want to be able to do things like this as a DJ, sign up for free DJ Training Videos by clicking HERE right now!
After the grand opening we headed to another nightclub where Superstar DJ Joachim Garraud from France was Djing. Again, getting my crew past the massive line wasn’t an issue.
I thought it was going to be a solid night out at the nightclub where I would groove while watching the DJ and talk with djs in training with aspiring DJs at the club. I didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary.
I ended up getting BLOWN away by the DJ show that Joachim put on. The guy busted out this piano guitar (a DJ keyboard that was hung around his neck like a guitar) and started jamming out on it while he was mixing!
The crowd went nuts. Its so simple but its creative, fun and it takes DJing and DJ training to a whole other level.
Lets be honest, nobody likes to see a DJ with his head stuck in a laptop up in the DJ booth. He might as well be checking his email or writing up his grocery list for after the gig!
You have to give programs like Ableton Live and Traktor DJ Studio credit. They are kickass pieces of DJ software that can do some pretty incredible stuff. Even just the ability to get the Dj Software to beatmatch for you opens up so many doors for your DJing. If you want to learn more about digital DJing, sign up for free DJ Lesson Videos by clicking HERE right now!
But the obvious downside was that all of this computer based software did not do well with the performance aspect of DJing…. until now.
Over the past few days I have seem some really cool pieces of software that really get the DJ involved. Take the video above for example.
A dj from Uruguay, Gustavo Bravetti, does an awesome job of demonstrating how creative you can get. He shows how you can use ableton live and Nintendo Wii controllers for your DJing. Read the rest of this entry »
To learn to dj like a pro you will have to train like a pro dj. What does this mean?
First of all get the Free Dj Training video lessons by clicking here NOW!
Lets take a look at 5 of the top pro athletes in the world right now: Tiger Woods, Lebron James, Syndey Crosby, Wayne Rooney and Payton Manning. These guys are the top of their field and live their dream lives and yet they all still swear by a number of things: The first is coaching. Even the best have coaches to make their learning process easier and faster. They all have training aids such as videos. They all study other great players in history.
My point here is that if you want to be a HUGE pro DJ, follow the footsteps of the pro DJs that have already made it. There are TONS of resources out there for DJs. There are dj videos, dj manuals, dj guides, dj books, dj dvds, in person dj lessons, online dj academies and even biographies on successful DJs now and from the past.
Get out to parties, nightclubs and raves by yourself. Hang around the DJ booth and watch the DJs mixing. You’ll learn a TON. Check what dj equipment they are using. CDJs? DJ Turntables? DJ software like Ableton Live or Serato… How are they mixing? How much time do they spend looking at the crowd? What are they looking for?
“What dj equipment do you recommend I start with?”
This is a question I get asked daily from my Dj students. Its usually proceeded with “I have a budged of $xx and I’ve been told I should buy turntables or CDJs…”
While I have a FREE DVD coming out that will teach you everything you need to know about DJ Gear, let me give you the answer to this in a few words. In the meantime, you can learn a lot about DJ Gear through our Free video DJ Lessons. Get yours now by clicking HERE!
Don’t buy turntables if you are just starting out.
Don’t buy expensive CDJs (Pioneer CDJ 1000s – dj cd players).
Don’t buy a $2000.00 laptop
Most DJs that start out want to get the coolest pro DJ gear possible. This is a waste of money at the start because you will just be learning basic mixing techniques to begin with (cue & throw, beatmatching, pitch riding etc).
Instead of throwing away thousands on gear when you start, buy some cheap CDJs and a cheap mixer, or even better a DJ Software and digital controller package. These will be low cost solutions that you can learn mixing on quickly and easily.
The best part is that you will have tons of cash left over. Use this cash to build your music collection (which is most important) and to learn more about DJing by getting dj lessons or buying some programs (DVDs) to get you mixing better, to learn to promote yourself and to learn how to get big gigs!
I wanted to post this video as an example to help answer a question that I get asked a lot: What is a Re-edit? Different variations of this questions usually get thrown my way:
“What is the difference between a remix and a re-edit?”
“How do you do a re-edit?”
“Why do DJs re-edit?”
Its simple, a remix is where you take a track and completely rewrite it. A re-edit is where you take different pieces of the track and re-organize them as this crazy David Guetta video sort of illustrates.
For those of you that don’t know, the hip hop sample of the guy speaking “body moving….body moving….body moving” is from a Run DMC track from the early 90s. David guetta re-edits one of his favorite tracks Bodyrox – Yeah by dropping in this well known hip hop sample before “Yeah” kicks in. He isn’t mixing this in live….he edited this at home in the studio.
Of course the next question is, why would DJs want to re-edit a song? Its usually because they don’t like a certain part of a song but they like another part. So they cut the part they don’t like out and add more of the part they did. Or maybe they think a certain vocal would sound great over a grooving track so they’ll throw that in there during the break down. Or they want to make a song a little more interesting for the dancefloor by dropping in a sample from another popular track (as illustrated by David Guetta).
The top pro DJs in the world use re-editing a little differently though…
1) How To DJ. Advice To Help You Learn How To DJ: How To DJ 2) Advice On DJ Lessons For Beginners: DJ Lessons 3) How To Be A DJ. Advice On How To Become A DJ: How To Be A DJ 4) A Review Of The Best Dj Games: DJ Games
