My first DJ set. Any pointers?

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patgelose1

New member
I'm going to be DJing for some friends in about a week. I have a Behringer BCD2000 and a Behringer DFX69 Tweakalizer. I can figure out rhythmic scratching and stuff like flange and delay but how do I utilize both decks on the BCD2000 so I can make killer mixes? Like I need same BPMs or something?

Do DJs use accapella trax on one deck and instrumental on the other to create solid mixes? How do I keep the flow going?

I know it's a lot to ask but I'm very curious and quite clueless on where to finde this information.
 
if its ur first set, my advice would be just keep it simple, if u aint confident u can do somat, prob best not, if u cant mix dont try, ur better of just playin tracks, just make sure ur tracks are banging and itl be sweet, people come to party for good music, the more gigs u do incorporate more stuff to ur sets the better u get.
 
Best advice, just play one songs from beginning to end. When one song ends, start the other. Play some chill music in the beginning, then as people get there, start playing more popular music. When everyone is there, play the bangers.
 
patgelose1 said:
I'm going to be DJing for some friends in about a week. I have a Behringer BCD2000 and a Behringer DFX69 Tweakalizer. I can figure out rhythmic scratching and stuff like flange and delay but how do I utilize both decks on the BCD2000 so I can make killer mixes? Like I need same BPMs or something?

Do DJs use accapella trax on one deck and instrumental on the other to create solid mixes? How do I keep the flow going?

I know it's a lot to ask but I'm very curious and quite clueless on where to finde this information.
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at this point, i'd suggest playing tracks back to back. to mix, you need to learn how to match tempos and such. acapellas are especially tricky. i learned by mixing the acapella and the instrumental to the same song and experimenting.

if you don't have experience with beatmatching, i wouldn't try to blend records or acapellas. nothing is a bigger bummer than hearing mashed, out of tempo beats really loudly.

keep it simple and know what you're going to do before the party.
 
Mkern_22 said:
at this point, i'd suggest playing tracks back to back. to mix, you need to learn how to match tempos and such. acapellas are especially tricky. i learned by mixing the acapella and the instrumental to the same song and experimenting.

if you don't have experience with beatmatching, i wouldn't try to blend records or acapellas. nothing is a bigger bummer than hearing mashed, out of tempo beats really loudly.

keep it simple and know what you're going to do before the party.
Click to expand...

All i gotta say is BORING!!! son, if you're getting into Djing just to make a quick buck then yea take they're advice. People dont really care about the mixing and scratching, but if it really is in your soul to mix, and flip this and that, and just become incredibly sick at this magnificent art, then learn from the get go how to mix instrumentals, acapellas, count bars, etc. what helps alot and saves time is if you learn how to calculate the BPMs of a track when you're putting together ur game plan for the night. . . . all im saying is observe, jought down notes, and learn. Go the extra mile.
idk thats just me. If you're not gonna go hard, then why even go at all. . .
 
whenever I dj at parties around my college i always have

a handle of ketel one vodka right behind my mixer
3 redbulls
and a few of my boys come to the bangers, i dunno it just helps with my confidence

just sice the crowd with some heat, its not like theyre gonna throw tomatoes at you or anything son. every party you do, it makes you wanna go home and practice your scratches and **** even more. youll see
 
AceBeatz23 said:
All i gotta say is BORING!!! son, if you're getting into Djing just to make a quick buck then yea take they're advice. People dont really care about the mixing and scratching, but if it really is in your soul to mix, and flip this and that, and just become incredibly sick at this magnificent art, then learn from the get go how to mix instrumentals, acapellas, count bars, etc. what helps alot and saves time is if you learn how to calculate the BPMs of a track when you're putting together ur game plan for the night. . . . all im saying is observe, jought down notes, and learn. Go the extra mile.
idk thats just me. If you're not gonna go hard, then why even go at all. . .
Click to expand...

no, i agree with you. but, by his post, i think it's pretty clear that he doesn't have a whole lot of practice in beatmatching

no one wants to hear boom...bap...boom..bapbap.boom.boom.bap.bap and no one wants to hear someone who can't scratch...scratch. simple as that.

if you can't mix well, be creative and find tracks that piece together well with little effort. hell, you have an fx processor...throw some echo or phase out. just experiment.

dead air = bad.
trainwrecks = bad.
scratching =/= necessary


by all means, it's absolutely important to -learn- to dj. and the op should make every effort to do so...however, he had a week's time before his gig.

i suggest finding whatever means possible to not have silence without things going off-beat.

beatmatching is fairly simple but it takes practice. there are plenty of guides out there. it's essential to mixing instrumentals and acapellas alike.

http://www.djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31040


whenever you listen to music, count it. 1234, 1234, 1234, 1234...12345678, 12345678 however is comfortable...this helps understand where you'll want to mix tracks, etc. after 8's and 16's most commonly.

after you know where you want the track to be mixed, you have to sometimes adjust it's tempo prior to it being dropped so the tempo of both tracks is the same. when they are running at the same speed, you cue up the position you want the next record to start at and then drop it where you want it. you can let the first track ride in tempo or you can do a number of other things to create a fresh mix.


at your first gig...keep it simple. people will vibe and enjoy themselves. you will be confident and comfortable.
 
All this is helpful and on the right track...but KNOW that its your job to move the party...you're the conductor of the orchestra, so take control and be confident...Don't let people tell you what to play and when to play it if you really don't wan to...you have to make them happy of course, but you're running the show and you have to craft your own style, techniques, timing and forte'. Nobody can tell YOU how to do what only you can create...if all DJs were the same, there would be a single method but the beauty of a DJ is that each brings something different to the table. if scratching isn't your thing yet, have the best music knowledge and know when to play what...MOST PEOPLE don't even pay attention to how ****ty a dj is in terms of blends and matching (trust - I've seen it), so if you can get a few "ooooooooooooh"s when you switch songs they won't worry too much about how you got there.
 
Mistakes from my first set, a wedding reception:

-Not being 100% comfortable on my gear
-Not having the right songs to play (they wanted rock, I brought soul and pop)

It could have been worse. I still made them dance and everybody had fun, which is what counts. Just have fun and practice, practice, practice!
 
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