The Digital DJ Tips Podcast

As Pioneer DJ slowly fades from view and AlphaTheta takes over, we start this episode highlighting what we see as the five big issues the brand has to address to continue its success.

Most DJs opt for gear with four-channel mixing capability - but how important is this? We look at what those extra channels are for, and share the real numbers on how many DJs actually use them.

It really does make sense to dabble with livestreaming in this day and age, and it needn't be difficult or expensive, so we finish off the episode discussing the three easiest ways to do it and what you'll need.

As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of student feedback. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It really does make a difference.

TIMESTAMPS 

0:00 Intro 

0:15 Episode overview 

1:23 Five issues AlphaTheta needs to deal with

20:10 DJing with four channels (demystified)

30:38 Three simple ways to DJ livestream

Want to get your question answered on an episode of this podcast? Digital DJ Tips course owners get to ask questions in their student-only group. Your first step to getting involved is to buy a DJ course, so come and join our community at https://www.digitaldjtips.com.

Welcome to our podcast answering another batch of questions asked by real students in our DJ school. This time around we started with a question about the best way to mix in just your headphones (out of the two most common methods), before moving on to talking about something that comes up again and again and doesn’t get any easier as our lives get busier – finding a way to fit DJing into your life!

With the cost and capabilities of modern DJ lighting both moving in the right direction nowadays, it’s no surprise many DJs are dabbling. We talked through your options as a DJ when it comes to adding lights to your set-up, especially if you really feel you want to concentrate on the music when DJing. And finally, we talked about how to keep techno/trance sets exciting, with the added twist of performing online with no visible audience.

As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of student feedback. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts - it really does make a difference. 

WATCH ON YOUTUBE

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

0:15 Episode overview

1:21 What's the best way to mix in headphones?

5:29 How can I start adding lights to my DJ set-up?

12:37 Any advice on having more time for DJing?

21:49 As a trance DJ, should I mix quickly or play the full track? 

Want to get your question answered on an episode of this podcast? Digital DJ Tips course owners get to ask questions in their student-only group. Your first step to getting involved is to buy a DJ course, so come and join our community at https://www.digitaldjtips.com.

So you want to be able to DJ like a pro, but it's hard to know where to start, it's hard to know what to practise, and it's hard to know if you're getting better.

This proven five-step formula, first popularised in our book Rock The Dancefloor! (which has now reached its second edition and is a global bestseller), is your answer.

Each of the five steps in this teaching method identifies an area to work on. When you work in all areas, it has a "multiplier effect". By approaching your DJing hobby this way, you’ll get noticeably better – fast – and you’ll have more fun doing so. You’ll find you’re never stuck for something to do, and your progress will be obvious, not least to you!

Here we’re going to look at step five, which is success. We covered the previous four steps – gear, music, mixing, and performing – in earlier episodes. 

Success is all about where you go with your DJing skills. Once you’ve mastered the other four steps – you understand how DJ gear works and you’re comfortable on different types of gear, you have a functional music collection that you’re highly familiar with and happy to DJ with, you’ve got a well-chosen and practised selection of skills that you can use in front of any crowd, and you have enough experience of playing DJ sets like a pro – I promise you, you’re going to want more and more!

But while this is an enviable position to find yourself in, it pays to make the most of it once you get there.

This episode covers five tips that will help you master this area of DJing. Enjoy the show!

As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It really does make a difference.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

0:14 Episode overview

2:12 Tip #1 - Make the time

3:42 Tip #2 - Find your community

5:05 Tip #3 - Celebrate your wins

6:04 Tip #4 - Know your next steps

8:33 Tip #5 - Don't wait to help others

Want to get your question answered on an episode of this podcast? Digital DJ Tips course owners get to ask questions in their student-only group. Your first step to getting involved is to buy a DJ course, so come and join our community at https://www.digitaldjtips.com.

So you want to be able to DJ like a pro, but it's hard to know where to start, it's hard to know what to practise, and it's hard to know if you're getting better.

This proven five-step formula, first popularised in our book Rock The Dancefloor! (which has now reached its second edition and is a global bestseller), is your answer.

Each of the five steps in this teaching method identifies an area to work on. When you work in all areas, it has a "multiplier effect". By approaching your DJing hobby this way, you’ll get noticeably better – fast – and you’ll have more fun doing so. You’ll find you’re never stuck for something to do, and your progress will be obvious, not least to you!

Here we're going to look at step four, which is performing, before moving on to look at the final step, success - we've already covered steps one to three in previous episodes.

Nowadays, we define performing in a very broad way. What we're talking about here is delivering the finished product of DJing. In other words, creating something that others can enjoy. It's one thing to have mastered one or two transitions that you do over and over again in private, but that's not really DJing - they're just tricks. Delivering the finished product is what makes you a DJ.

This episode covers three ideas that will help you understand this area of DJing. Enjoy the show!

As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It really does make a difference.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

0:14 Episode overview

2:44 Idea #1 - Livestreaming

4:31 Idea #2 -Mixtapes

6:32 Idea #3 - Just for fun

9:49 Next steps..

Want to get your question answered on an episode of this podcast? Digital DJ Tips course owners get to ask questions in their student-only group. Your first step to getting involved is to buy a DJ course, so come and join our community at https://www.digitaldjtips.com.

So you want to be able to DJ like a pro, but it's hard to know where to start, it's hard to know what to practise, and it's hard to know if you're getting better.

This proven five-step formula, first popularised in our book Rock The Dancefloor! (which has now reached its second edition and is a global bestseller), is your answer.

Each of the five steps in this teaching method identifies an area to work on. When you work in all areas, it has a "multiplier effect". By approaching your DJing hobby this way, you’ll get noticeably better – fast – and you’ll have more fun doing so. You’ll find you’re never stuck for something to do, and your progress will be obvious, not least to you!

Here we’re going to look at step three, which is mixing, before moving on to look at the next two steps in order (the order is important). We’ve already covered the first two steps, gear and music.

Mixing is what you do with the music you worked on in step two, using the gear we covered in step one.

A big mistake beginner DJs make when they want to learn to DJ is try to start here, at step three. As we’ve already seen, without a solid grounding in the first two steps, you’re going to come unstuck quite quickly, because either you’ll get frustrated with the gear and it will hold you back unnecessarily, or you’ll find you haven’t got the music you want (or you can’t find the music you want quickly enough) to make the mixing part fruitful.

However, if you understand and are also working on the first two steps, you’re ready for this one. And of course, it is this one that often ultimately draws DJs to the hobby, because we all see DJs doing a great job and want to emulate them.

This episode covers three tips that will help you master this area of DJing.  Enjoy the show!

As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It really does make a difference.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

0:15 Episode overview

1:09 Where beginner DJs get stuck..

2:41 Tip #1 - Get the volume right

4:30 Tip #2 - Noticeable mixing is OK

7:33 Tip #3 - There's no "correct" way to DJ

11:09 Bonus tip - Record your sets

Want to get your question answered on an episode of this podcast? Digital DJ Tips course owners get to ask questions in their student-only group. Your first step to getting involved is to buy a DJ course, so come and join our community at https://www.digitaldjtips.com.

So you want to be able to DJ like a pro, but it's hard to know where to start, it's hard to know what to practise, and it's hard to know if you're getting better.

This proven five-step formula, first popularised in our book Rock The Dancefloor! (which has now reached its second edition and is a global bestseller), is your answer.

Each of the five steps in this teaching method identifies an area to work on. When you work in all areas, it has a "multiplier effect". By approaching your DJing hobby this way, you’ll get noticeably better – fast – and you’ll have more fun doing so. You’ll find you’re never stuck for something to do, and your progress will be obvious, not least to you!

Here we're going to look at step two, which is the music, before moving on to look at the next three steps in order (the order is important).

Hopefully, this is why you got into this. Finding, choosing, buying, organising, and learning the tracks and songs you'll be dealing with is obviously an integral part of DJing. But that doesn't mean it's easy. And indeed, with today's abundance of digital music and the necessity to use computers to organise that music, this is a huge pain point for many DJs.

This episode covers three big steps that will help you master this area of DJing.  Enjoy the show!

As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It really does make a difference.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

0:14 Episode overview

1:35 Tip #1 - Develop a weekly routine

4:11 Tip #2 - Discover old gems

6:25 Tip #3 - Learn about your music

Want to get your question answered on an episode of this podcast? Digital DJ Tips course owners get to ask questions in their student-only group. Your first step to getting involved is to buy a DJ course, so come and join our community at https://www.digitaldjtips.com.

So you want to be able to DJ like a pro, but it's hard to know where to start, it's hard to know what to practise, and it's hard to know if you're getting better.

This proven five-step formula, first popularised in our book Rock The Dancefloor! (which has now reached its second edition and is a global bestseller), is your answer.

Each of the five steps in this teaching method identifies an area to work on. When you work in all areas, it has a "multiplier effect". By approaching your DJing hobby this way, you’ll get noticeably better – fast – and you’ll have more fun doing so. You’ll find you’re never stuck for something to do, and your progress will be obvious, not least to you!

Here we're going to look at step one, which is the gear, before moving on to look at the next four steps in order (the order is important). 

This is the "geeky stuff". It's no surprise that DJing attracts its fair share of nerds, and I do mean that in a nice way. Here at the school, we have a disproportionately high number of IT workers and technology fans among our students.

However, this isn't everyone. And the gear (which also includes the software nowadays) can be a very scary area if it's not something you're naturally drawn to or feel you easily understand. Especially nowadays, this can be a real obstacle. And yet without basic knowledge here, you're in trouble before you've even begun, because basic competence, understanding and confidence in this area is necessary to progress as a DJ. 

Enjoy the show! 

As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It really does make a difference.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

0:14 Episode overview

0:55 Why this step matters

3:11 Tip #1 - Read the manual

5:46 Tip #2 - DJ on something new

7:44 Tip #3 - Switch off DJing "aides"

9:30 Bonus tip - Move past the gear

Want to get your question answered on an episode of this podcast? Digital DJ Tips course owners get to ask questions in their student-only group. Your first step to getting involved is to buy a DJ course, so come and join our community at https://www.digitaldjtips.com.

This one was recorded on 4 July, but despite the date, we still had a busy show answering questions from students about a wide range of topics.

We covered the fallout from Pioneer DJ deciding not to support older controllers in the latest version of Rekordbox.

We talked about the right way to promote events and why, despite loads of advertising and hard work, most of the people at one student's event were just people they already knew.

We talked about whether it's ever okay to play parties with DJ monitor speakers, or whether you should always use speakers that are correct for the job.

And, we covered the idea of playing tune-up gigs to get you ready for playing important shows, and many more questions, including lots of valuable live feedback from our student community.

As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of student feedback. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts - it really does make a difference. 

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

0:15 Episode overview

1:31 Why doesn't older Pioneer DJ gear unlock Rekordbox 7?

10:57 Can I use studio monitors to DJ parties?

23:26 How can beginner DJs prep for a big gig?

32:10 Tips to feel more comfortable on DJ livestreams?

34:58 What's the best way to get DJ gear repaired?

38:10 How to use stems on standalone DJ gear?

42:15 Advice for promoting new DJ events? 

Want to get your question answered on an episode of this podcast? Digital DJ Tips course owners get to ask questions in their student-only group. Your first step to getting involved is to buy a DJ course, so come and join our community at https://www.digitaldjtips.com.

Is it time to redefine DJ success? Drugs, groupies, private jets, insomnia, amnesia, hearing loss, mental breakdown: Say you're a DJ without saying you're a DJ, right? Well, we say no! It's time for a grown-up definition of DJing success - and I had one to propose to start the three topics we covered in this month's Inside Track.

We moved on to "The strange world of DJ software". "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold" said poet WB Yeats (over a far more important subject), but that's how it feels with DJ software nowadays, as the market matures, takeovers loom, and DJs get perhaps understandably more and more confused. We shared what we think the problem is and where it all might lead.

Finally, I talked about things I've learned returning to DJing (with 7" singles!). As a fun side hobby, I've been building a collection of 7" records to DJ with on cheap, portable, battery-powered record decks. What I'm learning has lessons for any DJ who feels trapped rather than freed by technology.

Here's a link to the equipment mentioned in the show:
https://www.stokyoworld.com/collections/stokyo-record-mate-set

As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of student feedback. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It really does make a difference.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

0:15 Episode overview

1:38 Redefining DJ "success"

23:52 The strange world of DJ software

41:22 Key takeaways from DJing with 45s

Want to get your question answered on an episode of this podcast? Digital DJ Tips course owners get to ask questions in their student-only group. Your first step to getting involved is to buy a DJ course, so come and join our community at https://www.digitaldjtips.com.

We started with a question that a lot of people resonated with, which is the lack of exciting new DJ gear recently, and we looked into some of the reasons why new equipment might have slowed down. Also this week, we had lots of DJs working on their first gigs, but one in particular who's returning to DJing after 40 years wanting to know what might have changed.

And we had a reticent British guy who felt that not only was he too humble to ask people to listen to his work, but also that as an artist, somehow the work should find the audience, and it's below DJs to go hawking their mixes and mashups around to the world. We gave him some home truths - plus answered loads of other questions from our awesome community. Hope you enjoy this episode!

As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of student feedback. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts - it really does make a difference. 

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

0:14 Episode overview

1:21 Why is there less DJ gear being released?

7:24 At more relaxed gigs, should I quick mix or play the full song?

14:37 How is the upcoming DJ Jazzy Jeff scratch course different from Scratching For Controller DJs?

18:22 What should I prioritise when returning to DJing after a break?

23:01 Should I use a music streaming service when DJing a house party?

25:37 How do I prepare to use a venue's DJ set-up?

29:09 What DJ apps do you recommend for Android users?

32:33 How can I gain a fan base when I don't like promoting myself?

38:33 As a new DJ, how can I impress everyone at my next gig? 

Want to get your question answered on an episode of this podcast? Digital DJ Tips course owners get to ask questions in their student-only group. Your first step to getting involved is to buy a DJ course, so come and join our community at https://www.digitaldjtips.com.