I was feeling low the last few days, and this evening I hit what felt like rock bottom. I spontaneously went to pick up my decks and started off with my go-to breakup song, which then mixed into something a little more high energy, but still a pretty moody ambience. Then at one point I thought "you know what? Let's give it all I've got" and reached for the heaviest dub and techno stuff in my library, and the change in energy didn't even feel off. I pulled off my best transitions so far, the energy was perfect for the crowd (me) and my glasses flew off my face from the headbanging, along with one ear pad from my headphones (it was pretty loose because the pads were aftermarket).

This must be close to what actual musicians feel like when using music as an exutory, and it was incredible. I even got to try a few tricks that I had recently found online.

A while back I made a post about having an "age crisis" and, through the discussion, there were a handful of comments saying they'd "kill for a crowd that size" and that I'm doing "what many here wish to do."

So, I figured I'd do an AMA and share my progress and what has been working for me.

Long story short, I was bit by the performance bug, and decided that I wanted to start throwing Emo Raves (Emo x EDM).

I am in Central Pennsyltucky so anything beyond "Sweet Caroline" and "Wagon Wheel" covers is a tough sale. I approached some venues that seemed interested but never really got to the planning phase. Finally, one offered me $100 to do it, 9pm-2am, because "nobody knew who I was." I said I'd do it for free IF I could charge a cover and keep the whole thing. He was very excited about that deal...until he saw the crowd. That first night, I brought in 88 people with a $10 cover. I don't think he even wanted to pay me lol

Anyway, I booked another one there and, some upset locals decided to throw a free event on the same night, and I ended up pulling in 55 people on the 2nd one. I don't know if I'll be returning to that venue. I've learned it has a bad reputation that it can't shake and those grumpy DJs I previously mentioned decided to try to emulate and throw their own raves. Unfortunately, they were flops and I heard someone say they would not be going to my Emo Rave because of those ones sucking so bad...then I heard some podcast talking about "don't let your venue define you..." but...I'm rambling...

Anyway, the next event, I did in another town, they paid me a flat rate of $600 and I brought around 200 people in. That one sucked, capping my income like that…but it set a baseline I guess.

Next, was another new, local town, and I packed about 100 into that venue with the $10 cover.

Most recently, I brought in two other DJs and hosted an Emo Rave at a local arcade/brewery. That brought about 140 people with the $10 cover.

My advertising strategy has mostly been creating lame shorts on for the socials using TikTok Autocut features and light editing, a lot of posting and sharing in local FB groups, and I've ran $50-$100 in Meta ads targeting geographic locations.

My setup consists of an FLX10, 2x RCF J8s, 1x RCF 705, 1x Gigbar Move. Only the first two events had house audio/lights but, if I were to go back there, I'd bring my own equipment.

AMA

New dj here. My house mixes generally seem more seamless. You need to be paying more attention to hear the transitions cause they are just slower. My dnb dance mix is not slow. It's drop to drop bass swap on one bar and it's very clear when a new track stops. I'm supposed to play a house party this weekend and getting cold feet. Does this seem acceptable for dnb mixing style?

Listen to 30min DNB by Goodenuf on #SoundCloud

https://on.soundcloud.com/MDJRNI89QLzeF3FxA4

Thought I would come back and give everyone that had seen my post a week ago an update on what occurred.

CONTEXT - I was given a week to learn how to open-format DJ for a ball event for a family friend, who had essentially lucked out on every DJ he knew declining his offer to play on such short notice. I came here ask for some advise on what I should do considering the circumstances, and received a lot of feedback about what I could do to prepare for an event.

To everyone that did comment, thank you! I didn't end up actually taking the deck for a spin and seeing what one weeks worth of YouTube lessons got me, but I did end up standing there with my computer and queuing songs that I thought would roll well from one to another. I think everyone has seen it somewhere, but I kinda got inspiration from something along the lines of some of the best parties can be had on iPods, so I thought I would give it a try to see what the reactions were to it.

And it went great! For what its worth, I just had to rely on the fact that there was an open bar tab involved in the night, and that it wouldn't take much for university students to get up and dance. But, I found it to be an incredibly good way to learn a lot at once.

For starters, I think the main thing I got from it was people watching and reaction. People needed the impulse of new songs constantly, and I found myself using small ways to get from song to song without skipping when it got boring to make sure everyone stayed entertained. The other thing I got was probably confidence, and it probably doesn't make sense, considering all that I did, but I was winging all of it, trying to find the next best song to get people going for 2ish hours straight. This will all help me later on when I do eventually find myself on a stage.

This doesn't stop me from saying that I will do this again, cause I won't. I need to really learn to hone my skills for live performance and get to a level that I am comfortable performing a set that I am happy with! So keen to share what I get up to in the future with here!

I was DJ-ing a party this Saturday and the PA-system was so loud I had a hard time hearing details in the music. Even listening to the cued music in my was quite hard. Luckily the party didn’t ask for a lot of mixing, so I got by, but I’ve been in this situation before. I don’t do big gigs and usually work with bar owners, not with professional sound technicians.

I was wondering whether bringing a monitor speaker could be a solution to hear more details. I have some Adam T5v monitors at home which I don’t want to carry around. Ideally the speaker can stand next to my controller in the dj booth. I have a Roland DJ-808 which isn’t too big, so there’s usually some space.

I’ve been looking at a couple different solutions but haven’t found a good one yet. Also I’m wondering if a monitor speaker will solve my problem. Will I hear more details from a monitor if the music is already very loud?

Curious to hear your thoughts!

My boyfriend has been DJing in South Korea for a couple years now. He is an open format DJ and works at 4-5 clubs. He likes all genres. Currently, he plays mostly Hip Hop, R&B, and Pop music. This also includes popular songs from different countries. Anyways, he is wanting to explore what a career would look like in the US. I am just looking for any advice or tips in getting him started in that.

looking to upgrade from the hercules inpulse 200 mk2

Numark Mixstream Pro Go

I am snow birding for 6 months and taking my rx3 would be overkill for just chilling, also I think this portable one I started off with would be great for rooftop chilling and beach public performances lol.

But yeah, the battery, it's not exactly detachable, maybe I can see if it's easy to open with screw drivers and have that part in carry on?

I just got my hands on a xone 24c mixer.

When I crank up the headphone volume, I first get a buzzing (kinda like a saw wave) that is notably more audible on the right side, and then that turns into noise when I crank it even more up. I observe this, when there is no sound playing and even if I have no cue track selected.

This happens no matter whether I have phono, line or usb selected as input, even if I remove any input cables. This is not the background noise of the phone amps.

Also another issue: when I crank up the volume of the headphones, I can also hear the master output at a low volume even if I select cue output only.

Both these issues are mostly apparent when the headphone volume is on levels that would be unsafe for my ears when actually playing music.

I had sent it in for repair due to an unrelated issue (documented here https://forums.allen-heath.com/t/xone-24c-odd-behaviour/31578). I’m
Unsure if I should return it again or if this is normal behaviour.

Hi everyone,

I’m having a frustrating issue with my Pioneer DDJ-FLX4 and Pioneer DJ DM-40D speakers, and I’m hoping someone can help me figure out what’s causing it.

My setup:
Pioneer DDJ-FLX4
Pioneer DJ DM-40D active monitor speakers
Windows laptop running rekordbox
3.5 mm to dual RCA cable
The DM-40D has one active speaker (plugged into the mains) and one passive speaker connected to it via speaker wire.

The problem:
When I connect the speakers to the FLX4, only the passive speaker plays music. The active speaker is powered on but produces no music, just a little static.
I’m connecting the single 3.5 mm jack to the stereo-mini input on the active speaker, with the red and white RCA plugs connected to the FLX4’s Master Out sockets.

Here’s what I’ve tested so far:

Tested both speakers using my laptop: I connected the 3.5 mm end of the same cable to my laptop’s headphone jack and the red and white RCA plugs to the active speaker. Both speakers play audio normally.

Tested the RCA plugs individually with the laptop: Using only the red RCA plug, the passive speaker plays. Using only the white RCA plug, the active speaker plays. With both connected, both speakers play normally. This suggests both sides of the cable and both speaker channels work.

Swapped the red and white RCA plugs at the FLX4: The result stays the same — only the passive speaker plays.

Tested the FLX4 master outputs: When I connect the red RCA plug to either the red or white Master Out socket on the FLX4, I get sound through the passive speaker. When I use the white RCA plug, I don’t get sound. This makes me unsure whether the issue is with the controller’s output, the cable connection, or something else.

Checked rekordbox audio settings: The audio device is set to DDJ-FLX4. Master Output is set to DDJ-FLX4 Master, and Headphones Output is set to DDJ-FLX4 Phones.

Tested the FLX4 headphones output: My headphones work correctly through the controller, with sound in both ears.

My question:
Given that both speakers work with my laptop, the cable works with my laptop, and both FLX4 Master Out sockets produce sound when tested with the red RCA plug, why tf doesn’t it work when everything is connected normally?

Could this be a fault with the FLX4’s master output circuitry, a software/routing issue in rekordbox, or something else I’m overlooking?

I’d really appreciate any suggestions for a diagnostic test that would narrow this down. I’d prefer not to buy another cable or replace anything until I’ve identified the cause.

Thanks!

Hey all, I’m new to djing and i’ve just bought my first controller, just wanna know whats a good laptop for beginners?
Even telling your experience helps too.

I know the first answer I'm probably gonna get is "you can't", but this doesn't seem to be true from what I've seen online.

I've seen people mixing songs like "New York" by Frank Sinatra and "Empire State Of Mind" by Jay-Z, and they're totally in sync.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6HP81dJoHk

Check around 3:05 for what I'm talking about.

Maybe I'm missing something, but there doesn't seem to be much else other than STEMS (there seems to be a fireworks sound effect, but I don't see how that would affect the beat matching)

No change in pitch, no difference in speed between the two, no echo out or reverb, no braking or fading away.

Just the drums on both tracks perfectly in sync.

A few other examples are "Gucci Gang" by Lil Pump mixed with "Vanished" by Crystal Castles, and "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin mixed with "WATCHU KNOW ABOUT ME" by GloRilla.

None of these mixes seem to be using FX, and appear to be made using STEMS.

My main question is how are people doing this??

I'm talking about gaps such as 86 BPM to 111 BPM.

You can't do half or double grid on these because they don't match up.

When I try do this myself, one of the tracks sounds way too fast while the other seems way too slow.

Any help would be appreciated as I'm trying to mix songs that have this issue.

in the below scenario:

- track A has 16 bars left in its outro

- you bring track B in which has 16 bars until its pre drop breakdown

- you want to keep the low end of track a in until it finishes, but you swap the mids and highs during the 16 bar window

how do you handle the low swap?

when mixing in my ear phones at home with no speaker, id usually just bring the lows up on track B really quickly when it hits its breakdown and track A ends, and it sounds OK in my headphones.

when i did this over the weekend at pirate studios (in a practice room with big speakers) it was really noticeable and sounded a bit crap as the volume of track B jumped really noticeably when i bought the lows up.

i find swapping the lows during the 16 bar window doesn’t sound very good, and often i don’t want the bass groove of the mix to change mid phrase

any ideas? i suppose gradually bringing the lows up as the breakdown progresses is an option, but it can sound a bit hollow when the track hits the breakdown and has no lows

Hey everyone! I started DJing when I was a young teen and played gigs in Thailand back then, mostly by approaching bars that weren’t busy and offering to play, as well as doing house parties. I eventually took a pretty big break from DJing, and now I’m back at it in Montreal, working on finding my footing in a new scene.

Since coming back, I’ve played my first paid gig in Montreal with a really cool local collective and hosted open deck nights at a local venue a couple of times. I’ve met some amazing DJs and organizers along the way, and the support from the community has been great.

At this point, I’m confident in my skills and the sound I’ve been developing. I’ve also started identifying collectives, venues, and event organizers whose nights I could see myself playing at or collaborating with. Some of them have even followed me already.

I’m wondering what the best way to approach this next step is. Do you reach out directly to organizers with a short introduction and a mix? Do you focus on building relationships by showing up to events and getting to know people first? Or is there a better way to turn those initial connections into actual bookings?

I’m not necessarily trying to play everywhere. I want to find the right spaces and people that align with my sound and build genuine relationships within the scene.

For those of you who’ve established yourselves in a new city or returned to DJing after a long break, what actually helped you get from those first few gigs to more consistent bookings?

What would you do differently if you were starting over in a new scene?

Beginner DJ here only been at it a few months. I'm mostly mixing ukg and a bit of house. I'm finding that songs are clashing in my transitions, especially the drums and I'm trying to get them more seamless. Best way I can describe it is they sound like this

music-music-music-music-MUSIC-MUSIC-MUSIC-MUSIC-music-music-music-music

Ive tried keeping the highs and mids at 10 oclock but still sounds off. Any advice would be much appreciated

Whenever I try to start something on my own it's just meh, but it seems like whenever I match the vibe and energy of the DJ before me those sets just flow better and my best mixing in terms of music selection and dynamics.

It's hard to get it out in words, but it's like the burden of setting the vibe makes me overthink and make poor choices.

I'm 25M and fairly new to DJing. I've had a few lessons already and know some of the basics, but I'm still struggling with things like transitions and getting my mixes sounding smooth.

I've recently moved to London, so money is a bit tight at the moment, but I'm really keen to improve and eventually start playing gigs. I'm mainly interested in techno, particularly hard/industrial techno.

I was wondering if anyone knows of any studios or places around London that offer free DJ workshops or beginner sessions?

Alternatively, are there any DJs who might be willing to help me out, show me a few things or even just have a casual mixing session together? I'd love to learn from someone with more experience and meet people in the scene.

I'm also open to any free online lessons or communities that might be worth checking out.

Any advice or recommendations would be massively appreciated. Cheers!

EDIT:
I am a Graphic Designer for work and happy to offer my skills in this in return for some free lessons if that may be of interest.

Curious how folks have programmed their controllers to work with djay pro. I’m switching from Serato and mapping stem control for starters (ddj1000)

TLDR: I want DJ course recommendations that are an improvement on what's available for free and am having trouble deciding.

I started "DJing" for fun about a year ago (only for myself - not really posting or looking to get booked) but it's a fun way for me to disconnect.

I started just on my laptop but bought the DDJ-FLX4 about 6 months ago. I've definitely gotten better, but I still have a huge way to go.

I've taught myself primarily through YouTube, experimenting, and Googling something when I want to do something I don't know how to do - and overall it's worked great! I know you CAN learn anything through YouTube and free resources, but I really really benefit from a structured course format (ADHD and perfectionism tendencies).

Anyway, I'd love some recommendations of creators or educators that their paid courses are actually worth investing in over the tons and tons of free content available online. There's so many available that I just want some user feedback before making the purchase.

Note: I understand this can all be accomplished for free and because it's just a hobby, I probably don't have to invest - but this is a style of learning that works for me!

I’m not a DJ, I consider what I was doing is selecting, turning tracks into a mix in Audition for a radio show for more than a few years now. Currently, I don’t have the ambition to be a live DJ, but I might be open to it. And as I’ve grown, I’m looking for new ways to challenge myself and do my thing in more creative ways and more as a “mix”.
Using also only software has become a bit tedious, so I’m also looking at hardware for some help, especially for things like Traktor or some other software.

I've looked at basic beginner controllers, S2 Mk3, DDJ Flx4 or DDJ400 second hand as something that my budget would allow.
- I'm undecisive about them because of the price, being 2 channell
- not sure how much I need jog wheels? sure it would come in handy if I ever dj to know how to work with it, but I guess if am doing a performance thats not in a club, I could bring my own equipment.

XONE k2/K3 / Native instruments X1 (plus z1?)

- I am really low on desk space so portability would be a big thing.

- I cheaper if I go only K2 route

- how much do X1 and Z1 make sense as I basically have to use them together? wouldn't then an S2 make more sense, or could I go 4 channels with other gear I mentioned?

Some more recommendations? maybe something like Novation launckontrol xl mk?

While mentioning Ableton I’ve realised people also use it as a “DJ tool” though I have not explored that path enough yet, but I’m more than interested as I’m already familliar with it. Ideas for hardware that could help?

What am I looking to do? Mainly mixes that I would upload for my own enjoyment and share them and I have some ideas for a radio show again, but as I said I am not looking to do just a drag and drop in audacity/audition.

I’m specifically trying to work with Graceful Degradation by The Algorithm.

https://youtu.be/jokvsOn50wU?is=hXXqW-EuS90xEl51

According to a bpm counter I downloaded, the song starts out around 136.9 and then slowly shifts up to about 139 during the middle, then back down towards 136 at the end.

The obvious answer is just to know the bpm at the start and end and keep the tempo slider at baseline, then match. But if I were to need to change the tempo slider, knowing the new bpm offhand seems tricky.

Anyone have experience with something like this?