Anyone Do Any DJ'ing

[lilcrate]

I was proposed a gig for my band in a couple weeks. The person is having a party and wanted us to cover 3 hours or so. We are a fairly new band and really only have about an hour of "for sure" material. Could probably squeeze out a bit more, but to the point. I told the person I am not a DJ but would DJ for the extra time in an amateur fashion for very cheap. So my question is, what is the easiest way to go about mixing/fading songs? Or does it even really matter that much given the circumstances? I was thinking about getting an affordable external soundcard and trying it manually with my mixer. Any ideas/tips to turn a laptop/music and a basic PA into a semi-DJ setup?

I came here to ask because I know real DJ's would chew me a new one.

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

if you bring a mixer with more than the channels you need, then you put the output of your turntable (or CD Player, iPod, whatever) into 2 inputs, pan them hard left & right, and fade between the two signals using your fingers on the sliders (assuming you have sliders).
A lot of mixers these days have stereo inputs that can be controlled with 1 knob, and those are useful as well.

In those situations, I usually just make a playlist beforehand and let it run when we are not playing, and people dig it.

If you are gonna DJ DJ though, then you will need 2 or more sound sources and something to mix with.

 

[gearhead1972]

http://www.virtualdj.com/

 

[bass12]

I DJed for fifteen years using strictly vinyl and CDs (never used a laptop). There is software out there that will basically set up your mixes for you but I don't know if you want to go down that road. The two most important things when it comes to DJing is knowing your music and knowing your crowd. Most people in a house party setting won't care about how well you mix, as long as they like the music (and you don't massacre every transition with abrupt stops or dreadful beat clashes). Don't sweat the mixing part. If you know your music and have a sense of flow, your ears will guide you in terms of what will work well back-to-back. And don't worry about all the bells and whistles on the mixer (if it's a DJ specific mixer there are likely to be all kinds of digital looping functions, for example - just forget about those). All you really need to worry about is the faders/cross-fader and maybe the EQ. Fade outs are always better than butchered beat matching so, if you don't have time to practice and get comfortable beat matching, don't concern yourself with non-stop mixes. Again, most people just want to hear music they know and like (be prepared for some requests that might turn your stomach). Keep your cool and be courteous (people can quickly become obnoxious when dealing with a DJ - especially if they are inebriated) and have fun.

 

[lilcrate]

Sounds good folks. I'm not going to over-think or overdo it. I'm just going to prepare a handful of playlists, read the crowd, take requests, and keep it simple. I'll try to keep a consistent flow and do gradual changes, but I'm not going to get into the fancy DJ tactics. I don't think they will care much. It's a house party and the pay will be very low.

 

[Silas Stingy]

One of my bands has used OTS Turntables for years, does a pro job and rock solid stable with a half decent laptop. No need for sound cards and auto mixes (not beat matches) really well. Download a free trial. Not worth the trouble of a hardware mixer and soundcard IMO.

 

[jad]

So my question is, what is the easiest way to go about mixing/fading songs?

When I play amature DJ at parties, I use an android app called Party Mixer, usually in automatic mode. All I do is juggle the order of songs on my party play list, and adjust the volume to keep it consistent.