How to study djs

T

Tnelson2

New member
i am a producer but i know learning the art of djing will help me alot, but i dont know who what when where to research or what can anyone help
 
The exact path that lead you to aspiring to or becoming a producer is what will lead you to understanding the world of DJing. I can tell you from first hand experience, there is no set formula, path, or technique that will streamline your career as a DJ. You can do whatever you want. The branding is what matters most, because at the end of the day, your a salesman who's selling a service.
 
If you have the equipment to do so, I would recommend finding a mix that you really like and trying to replicate it yourself. By approaching it this way, you have a point of reference. Try to make your mix sound as close to your point of reference as possible. This way you'll be able to understand why they blended here, cut there, etc in certain points.

As with anything in life, we learn by doing. The more mixes you can replicate and understand, the more tools you'll have in you toolbox. After a while you'll get a feel for which tool is best for a given situation.
 
Make sure you absorb all this info, because it is all true. As long as you are committed to learning the art you'll be fine. There's no substitution for experience, so the sooner you start the better.
 
Theres no substitute for practice. Like the guy above said, there are already to many crap dj's relying purely on software/hardware to tidy up their skills, its ridiculous.
 
what type of "DJ" are u trying to be? I Club DJ that plays top 40, skratch DJ or Turntablist, mixtape DJ. a service DJ that does garage parties, weddings, special events etc etc.

Skratch is a good documentary if you want to learn the history of the art of turntablism.

Id watch Skratchon 2000 and some mid releases of Turntable TV from the Invisibl Skratch Piklz that give u pointers on DJing like counting bars, when to throw in mixes, how to splyce etc etc.

Learn the OG way with 2 turntables, a mixer and a crate of records. After you master that, software will be a piece of cake for you.

Skratchcon 2000 gives you the history lesson on DJing but also educates you on the art and how to go about it with routines that follow each explanation. here are some vids of that seminar which you can cop on DVD.









 
them vids are so dope ,nice one for sharing dude

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the j-rocc shows mighty turntablism ,man if he could lace my beats with them skills that be awesometastic
 
This is a topic I like to talk about. I'm a DJ and Producer and I talk about this very topic during the HIP HOP 101 class I teach @ Temple University. I started out being a dj. It was a natural thing for me because I love music. As time passed I realized I wanted to produce the music I play as a dj. It was a natural progression for me. Generally good Dj's become producer's not the other way around.

I can break it down for you like this: both create and manipulate sound(music) for people to listen to. A dj is like a Broadway actor...they are both live in front of an audience or crowd and have to perform on the fly. No second takes or cut-let's do it again!!!

A producer is like a Hollywood actor...they both are in a studio or set and when they perform they have the luxury of second takes and cut-let's do it again etc. I have to say that actors, dj's and producer's have to have some sort of talent to become good at what they do.

I would go to Youtube and search dj performances, scratching, mixing, beat matching etc. There are 100's of tutorials you can look at. BTW the dudes that call themselves dj's and are very popular but have no dj skills(they know who they are) I don't acknowledge them as dj's.

Good luck!!!
 
i used to mix but i lost my inspiration

---------- Post added at 01:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 PM ----------

anyone know how i could get it back?
 
BRBeatz said:
i used to mix but i lost my inspiration

---------- Post added at 01:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 PM ----------

anyone know how i could get it back?
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Kinda hard to find inspiration when it comes to the "Mixing" part of Djing. Maybe you can watch The Beat Junkies, DJ Craze or the Triple Threat DJs rock sets.

I was in your boat. I mixed hip hop and I lost inspiration when mainstream hip hop died and decided to stick to Turntablism and producing beats. I know DJing is all about knowing your environment, reading the crowd, finding out what type of music this crowd likes, knowing what songs to play. Thats the job of a "Mixing" DJ. I mixed because it was fun to mix real hip hop that people liked to dance to. Now I cant stand mainstream radio these days so you wont catch me mixing Justin Bieber, Black Eyed Peas, Soulja Boy, Katy Perry etc etc.
 
RaySwift said:
Mixing can be fun. Try incorporating beat juggles, skratches and mashups.
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I'm just tired of it. Been doing it for 10 years. Started off playing house, then some mash up stuff, more recently hip hop and old soul. The only way I'll dj now is if I only have to bring my laptop. I'm over taking $8 grand worth of shit to gigs, just to get a few hundred bucks.
 
^Agreed. You can pick yourself of a midi controller for a couple hundred bucks and teach yourself pretty much everything about mixing (not scratching) by just googling and checking out dj forums. In my opinion mixing is more important than being able to scratch because no one wants to hear a DJ just baby scratching random tracks into each all night long.
 
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