New Years Eve, in American at least, is a cash grab for djs. The chance to try and make up for all the money spent on gear and actually make a few dollars. Its not un-usual to ask for at least double your usual rate when playing for a club but there are some expectations that go with that kind of money so you should be prepared for your set. Here are a set of tips to make your NYE set an epic one for everyone and a few bonus mp3s that will make the 12 o’clock hour easier to manage. Continue reading New Years Tips and Tools
Archive for December, 2008
Predictions and Projections
We are on the verge of a very big year. Although it may seem trivial to discuss djing when there are so many important things happening in the world sometimes its nice to have a fun place to escape. So what should you expect in 2009 for the world of djing- will it survive the economic meltdown? Here are my guesses at what might come down the pipeline for the coming year:
Happy Holidays
Since we are met by holiday greetings from every corner of our lives, does our dj blog really need to be one of them? Normally I would say no, but I just cant help myself. This has been such a good year for us that I want to say thank you and give everyone a present; 15% off anything in the store*. This is not a sale meant to get you to buy things, as we sell out too quickly to have sales. Instead its just my way of saying thank you for all that you have done for the site. It also might make it easier for those that have come up on hard times to get something they wanted. Have you been thinking about grabbing a firmware upgrade kit? You might want to head over there quickly because they are almost sold out! Dont forget there is always free shipping worldwide for orders over $60.
Merry Christmas everyone!
*To use the discount enter the code “DjTTYO398QOJ1″ at checkout. This code is good until December 31rst and does not apply to arcade button mods. We will be closed for the holidays on Friday so there will be no articles and orders will ship the following Monday.
p.s. Thanks a lot for the forum thank you thread- it was very kind.
Get more Controls- Modifier basics
Every knob, button and fader on your controller has a function assigned but there are still more things you need control over! What to lose? How do you cram in more functions? Then it hits you- wait a minute, some of these buttons I only use a few times during a set, what if they could serve 2 purposes? Fortunately, Traktor pro introduced a powerful feature that makes it easier to do that. Lets take a basic look at modifiers and show you how to make a jog wheel work for both scratching and track browsing.
Fader FX Theory
Djing is a visceral activity much like painting. You want to reach out, grab a tool and shape the music into your own without thinking but sometimes technology can get in the way of that process. The VCI-100SE was originally designed to provide that kind of intuitive performance in Traktor 3. Fortunately for all of us Traktor Pro adopted many of those ideas into the software directly allowing us to take the concept much farther. I have have been working very hard to take fader fx and controllerism to the next level by solidifying those ideas into the “fader fx theory” which everyone can use in their own unique way with any controller or controls.
Small, Loud and Stable- AudioFire Review
The quest to find a good sound card that is portable, dependable and easy on the wallet seems to never end. There are several decent options out there, many of which we already covered in our under $200 round up, but nothing really stands out as a must buy. Some of the more expensive cards try to be the all in one home studio solution offering a variety features but not really excelling at any of them.
A basic dj sound card should have:
- reliable, rock solid drivers
- loud, clear outputs
- good A to D converters
- headphone jack on the front (with volume control)
- a pair of master outputs
That’s it! Make it portable, rugged, easy on the wallet and bingo you have a easy sell. Well my friends I am happy to report that the audio fire2 just about fits the bill. Lets look at its many strengths and a few of the drawbacks in closer detail.
Times Are Changing
Remix, the popular American music publication, is not going to be printing a monthly magazine anymore. Instead they will print a quarterly publication for the Remix hotels and focus on their website. That means my last “digital dj” column should print exactly 3 years after the original article first hit news stands. In that time we have seen digital djing go from fringe to mainstream as the column went from unknown to respected.
In January we had planned to give “the digital dj column” a birthday celebration so it is with some sadness that I will instead put it to rest. Remix will continue in some capacity online but we have lost what really was a damn good magazine. The articles, reviews and tutorials were always well written, on point and helpful. Remix was a hi class mag and it will be missed just as much as I will miss the opportunity to write for it.
Saudade aside, these are great times and Dj TechTools has picked up where the column left off providing information that would have never been possible in a print mag. Without lighting fast publishing times, real community interaction and embedded multimedia content there is no other way we could have kept up with the pace of a web 2.0 world. In memory of the column which actually birthed Dj TechTools, lets take a quick walk down memory lane and explain how we got here in the first place.
iTunes Power Tips Part 1
by Mike Charles
In the “old days” I would head over to my record shelves, pull down 60 to 80 pieces of vinyl, toss em in my record bag, and go spin records. I hated this, because it limited me to only that one crate of records and many times the perfect tune had been left at home. You try to prepare, but vibes shift in a nightclub, and a good DJ should cater to that shift, keeping people entertained. Today my record “shelf” is my MacBook Pro, which solves that problem nicely but has posed some new challenges. Managing a collection of 500 to 1000 tunes and finding the right one on the fly can be pretty difficult so here are some tips that might help you in the digital age of multiple artists, sub-genres, and sub-sub-micro genres.
Chick Magnet
It’s assumed by the female species that most djs do nothing but search for music and take girls home from the club. While there are those among our ranks that deserve this distinction, the fact of the matter is actually hooking up with girls while you are djing is not as easy as some might think. So, for those of you that are new to the game, here are 4 rules for getting the girl at the gig:
* we do have female readers so I hope they will see this post as funny, and not offensive :)
