What does it take to be a good DJ?

Basic conditions for wanting to be a DJ

In the era of rock and roll, it is the coolest thing for young people to find two or three friends, pick up guitars, bass drums and form a group, so you will see that many young people would rather scrimp and save money to buy musical instruments than give up the opportunity to play, stay at home and practice hard, just hoping to stand on the stage one day, no matter whether their dreams can be realized in the end. However, in the electronic music era at the end of the century, becoming a DJ is a new dream for young people all over the world. Don't believe it. According to statistics, the sales of DJ-specific discs of Technics have far exceeded the sales of Gibson guitars, and there is an increasing trend. In addition, the sales of synthetic instruments/electronic drums/samplers, which are necessary for electronic music, are even more amazing. This simple introduction can let more people know what DJ is all about.

To be a DJ, you must first know the following nouns:

Beats per minute

As the name implies, it is the total number of beats of songs in a clock. Because the turntable and the adjustable CD player have certain restrictions, and the sound of songs will become very cartoon and funny if the speed is adjusted too much, the speed of the two songs to be picked up should be similar, preferably between 5~ 10 beat. In addition, the rhythm and speed of each dance music type are similar, which is more related to the same type of concert, otherwise it will be very strange. For example, Trip-Hop and Raggae are about 80~90 beats, House is about 120~ 130 beats, Techno is about 120~ 150 beats, and Drum 'N' Bass is about150 beats.

point out

The starting point of a song is usually the first beat of a bar, but some people think that the second beat is more accurate. The purpose of grasping the cue point is to make the two songs have the same speed. The normal way of dance music is 4/4 beats (that is, 4 beats per bar, quarter note 1 beat). When a song comes out of another bar at the end of the fourth beat, the cue point in your hand will be played at the same time.

Scratch (scratch record)

The technique of using record anti-sound is usually used in Rap and Hip-Hop, and other music styles will be used according to the situation, but scratch will hurt your beloved records and needles, so don't abuse it even if it is dazzling; In addition, scraping is usually carried out together with cross gradient. For example, crssfader plays a record and comes out, and crossfader pulls it back and goes back to another track.

Overlapping songs

One of the most basic ways to receive songs, the so-called overlapping songs, is to use the pitch function of the special turntable and CD player to tune two songs to the same speed (there are acceleration and deceleration devices on the turntable and CD player), and then play two songs at the same time by using the prompt point. After overlapping songs for about 2-4 bars, the two songs will fade in/out. For example, the BPM of the underworld's Born Slippery is about 139 beat, and the PF project's Choose Life is about 136 beat. If you want to connect the latter with the former, you have to adjust it three times faster.

For example: a song │32345678│42345678│ fade out …

B song │ enters (1)2345678│ fades in (overlapping with the beat of A song at this time). Depending on the situation, the number of bars is lengthened, and it is suggested to take 32 or 64 beats when one song enters another song (basically pop music will repeat several bars). It may be uncomfortable to get in and out at other points.

Throw a song

The lost song was thrown at the end of the last song or at some point after the cue point was captured. Usually alternative rock doesn't pick it up, and the speed difference between the two songs is too big, but the genre is not picked up. For example, fat Silm's new song "The Rockatelle Skank" is the embarrassing beat of 152, too fast to get Big Beat, too slow to get Drum 'N' Bass.

For example: a song | 4 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | fade out.

B Gediu 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |

adjust

Just because the beat of two songs is right does not mean that the beat will always be accurate when they overlap. Occasionally, you should nudge the record with your left hand (speed up) or rub the turntable (speed down), and nudge or pull the pitch with your right hand to correct it.

class monitor

The volume of headphones should not be too loud. You should be able to hear the music playing on the loudspeaker outside. Sometimes you have to switch between listening to the song to be played and the music being played, and turn the volume closer to eq to avoid being too abrupt.

Officially entering the theme, to be a DJ, you must have at least two adjustable turntables. At least you must find a direct-drive turntable, and you will regret using a belt turntable! Or a CD player with Pioneer or Dennonw is better, a mixer and a sound system that is not too broken. Next, you need to start wiring.

Basically, there are two line input interfaces on the mixer: CD/AUX and Phono. The CD/AUX connector can connect CD, Tape, DAT and MD (the above outputs are all line level) ... The turntable must be connected to the phonograph connector, and don't forget the ground wire. The ground connector is often behind the mixer, and there is usually only one. If you connect two or three turntables, don't forget to connect all the ground wires to the grounding terminal of the mixer. The mixer has 2-3 outputs-main output, monitor output, recording output, etc ... Usually, the main output is connected with an amplifier to drive the sound of the dance floor. The monitor is connected to the monitor speaker. Rec Out can enter the recording stand. Attention!