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Topic: Worst DJ Experience + Tips

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So I haven't been on the forum lately. Sorry. Anyways, tell us your worst DJ experience. Either it was you or someone else. I'll go ahead and start by saying this: The other day there were two DJs at a party. Focusing on making their logo rather than actually DJing. They played the song "Radioactive" twice in a matter of 5 minutes, and transitioning was bad.They were transitioning from on song straight into "Thrift Shop", which the bpm was no where near each other, and you could hear "what what what what..." in completely bad places. Also, since the DJ is pretty much the life of the party, what are some things that I should stay clear of? I may have an upcoming party this Saturday, my first gig ever. Thanks!
 
Posted Mon 26 Aug 13 @ 9:51 am
Don't mix vocal over vocal. Don't let the crowd run your set with requests. Well known songs is almost always better than creativity (finding cool unknown songs). People need to know the song to have fun for some reason, unless it is just that amazing that they don't care. Play stuff from you patrons high school days. It takes them back, sparks a connection, then bring up the mood to get them dancing.
 
Build you sets -- start with familiar high school/ college tunes interject some newer stuff but keep it familiar... build the bpms requests are fabulous but set them in the right spots don't force the request in relax and HAVE FUN the crowd is gonna look to you if you are having fun then they will .... let us know how you make out Zibs
 
Hi guys, I am new to the dj world and had my first official gig on Saturday. It was all going great until my laptop froze in the middle of the song. This happened twice about 2 hours in and about half an hour between one another.

Please could someone help, not sure if it is my Gemini cntrl 7 or my laptop.
Tnx Andrew
 
DHoude wrote :
Don't mix vocal over vocal. Don't let the crowd run your set with requests. Well known songs is almost always better than creativity (finding cool unknown songs). People need to know the song to have fun for some reason, unless it is just that amazing that they don't care. Play stuff from you patrons high school days. It takes them back, sparks a connection, then bring up the mood to get them dancing.


So far, I like all of your advice. But I have a question for you DHoude. I'd like so let a little bit of people have requests. But if I let one person have a request, do I just turn down another person? Do I say something like, "get back to me in a few minutes" or just not take it? Thanks!


ANDYBOY33 wrote :
Hi guys, I am new to the dj world and had my first official gig on Saturday. It was all going great until my laptop froze in the middle of the song. This happened twice about 2 hours in and about half an hour between one another.

Please could someone help, not sure if it is my Gemini cntrl 7 or my laptop.
Tnx Andrew


Well I don't know what the problem is, but what I'd do is record a mix in VDJ before a gig on a CD. Then, if anything happens, just pop in the CD into your laptop or CD player.
 
DJ Zibs wrote :
Anyways, tell us your worst DJ experience. Either it was you or someone else.


Have had many in my years. Here are a few:

1) New Years Eve 2009/10 was using Traktor Back then. Bar was packed 300+ ppl. Party in full swing. 11:30PM I start prepping for a countdown. Traktor freezes. Luckily I had my set backed up on CD's, so I just switch the CDJ from HID to CD mode. But the 30-60secs it took to do that was death with everyone booing and looking at ya like you're an idiot. Not to mention trying to build up the energy again.

2) Got a wee bit tipsy....ok, I was hammered!! Halloween. I kept grabbing the CDJ that was playing and trying to cue it. Played it off like I meant to scratch it. Luckily it was only an hour set, but I did it like 4-5 times. LOL I wouldn't have lasted a 4 hour set. I blame partly the club owner who kept giving all of us DJs shots. I had like 4 before I even went on. Part of the blame goes to me for not turning it down. :D

3) This happens every so often. Happened 2 Saturdays ago. Get caught up talking to a chick and track ends. Doh!! Always keep an eye of your tracks that are playing.

This next one happened to a DJ friend of mine. I was helping him out DJ at a club. I was suppose to open for him. Well he gets there and sets up his turntables only to find out he forgot his laptop of all things. hahahaha, luckily I was there. He was a bit unfamiliar with my tracks but he muddled through it. And he was also lucky, I have Serato, Traktor and VDJ on my laptop (he is a Serato user)
 
I had a night that I think tops them all but I can't find the OLD post.

I was doing a wedding and the bride had slept with the best ban the night before. The best man wanted to be honest and put it all behind him. he decided to do this by making an announcement on the mic. He told EVERYTHING!

Groom and Best man start fighting, Bride sitting on the floor crying. Groom knocks best man out and he fell on the speaker stand which then makes the speaker fall directly on the crying bride.


If anyone knows how to find the original thread, please post it here.
 
Wow xcakid and djcity. Those are good stories! Thanks!

EDIT: I read your whole post from '08 djcity. What a night!
 
 
DJ Zibs wrote :

So far, I like all of your advice. But I have a question for you DHoude. I'd like so let a little bit of people have requests. But if I let one person have a request, do I just turn down another person? Do I say something like, "get back to me in a few minutes" or just not take it? Thanks!


Write all your requests down and play them all. Some of my shows get 30+ requests. That many will quickly change the mood. At this point, play one or two from each guest. You don't need to play a list that guests give you. Everyone thinks they can do a better job. Just sprinkle them in where they work.
 
DHoude wrote :
DJ Zibs wrote :

So far, I like all of your advice. But I have a question for you DHoude. I'd like so let a little bit of people have requests. But if I let one person have a request, do I just turn down another person? Do I say something like, "get back to me in a few minutes" or just not take it? Thanks!


Write all your requests down and play them all. Some of my shows get 30+ requests. That many will quickly change the mood. At this point, play one or two from each guest. You don't need to play a list that guests give you. Everyone thinks they can do a better job. Just sprinkle them in where they work.


Lists... Great idea! I also have a plug so if somebody has an iPod or iPhone I can just plug it in. Thanks!
 
My most important bit of kit is my request notepad & pen.

I write down all requests in my notepad, then I find the request in VDJ and drop it into the playlist at the right of the browser screen.
When I have played the request I put a line through to show it has been played.

If the computer crashed, I would lose the playlist of requests.
After a re-boot, the requests in the playlist can be rebuilt from the notepad. ;-)

Here is a copy of my request notepad and the actual list of songs played on Sunday night, 25th August, 2013, 10pm til 2.15am.
I have marked all the requests in red that were played. You can see that the requests were not necessarily played in the order they were received and you can also see how some were padded out with other songs that go together with them.

There\\\'s a couple I forgot to write down as it was near the end of the night.

Incidentally, these are videos, the majority are from Promo Only.
 
Hey great idea soulman! I need a notebook to use. Anybody else have any other advice or bad stories?
 
I Was the DJ for my cousins wedding. I ended up keeping them on track. So if its just show up and play then your good but if they have a time line then get to know it.

iPods and MP3 players could be fatal. Bring up the volume slowly because you could blow the speakers if you don't - this is a tip I have heard from YouTube more then once. I have a Mixdeck so I can play USB's just incase the laptop fails. So have a back up plan.

When I asked this same question I was told to play the same genera for 15 min then change. This is where moderating your requests comes into play.

Update your computer and content unlimited stuff before the gig so it's all fresh.

That's all I can think of right now.

Brendan
 
I don't care what the situation is, you can never, never, ever, give me a cd or any kind of media player to plug in. You could actually get pimp slapped, for even asking me something so disrespectful. At no time did I ever put text across the screens, asking for help, to do my job. I take request at kid parties, and senior gigs. At clubs, my reply is usually, "I'll see what I can do". Weddings, no request, and this is done with the blessing of the bride and groom. If the club wanted the client to pick the music, they would still have a jukebox. I'm sorry the ipod plug in thing drove me crazy. Now back to our previously scheduled program.
 
99% of the mobiles I do I have my wife with me she runs lights and takes requests she also has a flash drive to download them and hands it to me to copy to the external drive. I keep a request folder on the drive then dump every show into the main folder so its clean and ready for the next gig works great

plus she entertains the kids when they come up for questions ect leaves me free to do wha t I do best keep the party flowing.

 
i had 2 really bad experiences, one time my partner hooked up all the power wires to the furman drive-rack causing a power outage. i had no clue what he did as we were running late cause the hall didn't let us set up (we had 40 min to set up, they had a morning wedding)

i couldn't power up the backup system no power so it took me a good 10 minutes to figure out what he did, which felt like 1000 minutes.

never again did i let him wire stuff up!

another time we did a wedding after all the pleasantries were done the party started to bump well 10 minutes in a huge fight broke out fists flying everywhere... cops came arrested like 10 guests all over a handshake.
 


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