So... someone explain to me "DJ-ing"

[Noizemaker]

I have been a musician for several years now, and I have just gotten into the world of edm music and production. I am looking at becoming a DJ to promote my tunes and just have some fun. However, I don't really know anything about the technique behind it or what equipment is necessary. Also, I would like to incorporate elements of live instrument performance into my DJ sets (live drums, guitar, etc.) but I don't know what hardware/software is typically used for that kind of thing.

So yeah... lots of questions. Any information will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Organique beats]

Sounds to me like you should check out Ableton live. Its a great program for incorporating live elements into the world of DJing. There are a ton of tutorials on Youtube and I have a feeling you can trial Ableton from there website. Of course, like with mastering any skill, it will take heaps of practise and dedication. But the results are epic. One great things about that particular program is that whereas traditional DJing involves simply blending one track into another, Live gives you more creative control with mixing various elements of a track, adding bits & bobs musically as well as being a great tool for producing music itself. If you're just starting out though, perhaps try a program like Virtual DJ to get to grips with beat-matching (Which is made significantly easier on programs like these as it will automatically 'sync' the BPM). It'll help you get a flavour for mixing one track into another, and what works and doesn't.

 

[Wapiti]

I have been a musician for several years now, and I have just gotten into the world of edm music and production. I am looking at becoming a DJ to promote my tunes and just have some fun. However, I don't really know anything about the technique behind it or what equipment is necessary. Also, I would like to incorporate elements of live instrument performance into my DJ sets (live drums, guitar, etc.) but I don't know what hardware/software is typically used for that kind of thing.

So yeah... lots of questions. Any information will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Many musicians I talk too rip on DJ's and say they go to see "real musicians" play. First step in understanding DJing is you are not going to see a performance. Yes live instruments are super cool in a DJ set. But your first priority will ALWAYS be to keep people dancing. even 8 bars is an incredibly long time for people to not be dancing. I would suggest going to some DJ and listening to what they are doing and observe the crowd, why are the good ones good and what did the bad ones do?

First step, good music
Second step, don't let them stop dancing (although peaks and valleys are important) just because they need to be dancing a simply HH airy floaty bit keeps them moving

 

[dizkojockey]

Hi, I've been DJ'ing snce 1998, focussing mostly on the trancey style of music.

As for the DJ'ing side, it all firstly depends on what type of DJ'ing you want to learn.

The options mainly available now would be mixing CDs (using something like a Pioneer CDJ) or mixing MP3s using a laptop and DJ controller. You can get the latter considerably cheaper than the CDJ option, but again the choice is yours.

I began on vinyl, then later progressing to MP3. As for the basic artform, the first thing you will be learning is beatmatching, being able to sync to tunes up to the same tempo and hold them there. Granted, much hardware now has facilities that can do this for you, but many DJs feel this takes away from the actually artform of DJ'ing and is a bit of a cheater's game.

So firstly make sure your beatmatching skills are solid. Aside from this, you will also need to know the structure of EDM music. If you listen to any professional DJ, you will notice that not only are tracks synced up tightly, but their musical phrases (events) are also matched. This is one if not the MAIN thing that sets apart an amateur DJ from a pro. So learn about the structure of music.

The final part technically is the actual mixing itself, using EQ properly. Judicious EQ use combined good EQ and phrase matching are what makes mixes sound great. EQ can be explained, but after a time it's more of an instinctive thing I think. When I'm doing a mix, I focus mostly on the basses of the tracks to avoid clashing, but the mids and hi's I adjust very quickly an instinctively based on a combination of feeling and hearing, this comes with experience.

Aside from all this it's all about finding tracks that complement each other. You need to be always thinking ahead of what you are playing, what will mix in well and what will sound good, also what direction you want to go - an upward curve (more energy an excitement), a downward curve (a kind of mellowing out) or a flat line (steady ongoing rhythm). Most importantly though, is to do your own thing and have you own kind of sonic stamp.

 

[speakproper]

the most important element in DJ IMO is the MUSIC. As the DJ you pretty much control the party, you have to know what kind of music to play and when to play it. I've been to DJ sets where they werent very good at the technical aspects of DJing but their song selection overshadowed that and people were really vibing.