Get off the Internet and back onto your DECKS!!

Hee Won Jung, post: 34591, member: 948 wrote: I see this happening a lot and just wanted to voice my opinion here.

I see tens if not hundreds of the same threads on a daily basis, and its threads like how do i mix better, how do i use effects properly, how do i mix other genres.

10 years ago there was no internet, there was no social communites other than actual social events or going to the record stores. Even then there was not much of hey can you help me places for DJs or producers to go…so how did they all get really good? By FREAKING DJING!!!

What i am trying to say here is that there is no WRONG or RIGHT way to do anything that we do…it is an art form. Imagine a painter who likes to brush using circle movements, is he better or worse than someone that does left to right movements or up and down strokes? The whole idea here is to be creative…that is what DJing in a nutshell is…being CREATIVE, taking multiple finished products and making them YOURS not mine not Guettas, but JUST YOURS!!!

Asking Questions like when do i use a flanger, or how do i mix different tracks, is alright but nothing that anyone in this community says thats directly related to DJing is written in stone. With the advancement in technolgy these days the way Everyone mixes is totally different.

Now on the flip side asking questions do get you further ahead faster as there is a wealth of knowledge from more experienced people. A lot of the seasoned people in here never learned how to DJ by using forum boards or Youtube…it was spending the countless hours holed up in their bedrooms and just doing…making mistakes, screwing around having a great time…but in the end all we did was DO.

Bravo, I often think this and mirrors my experience of learning to DJ all them years ago. There’s nowt wrong with asking questions and I’ll happily answer if I can positively help, but nothing beats just getting on and trying, self learning if you will. Good post Hee.

I couldn’t agree with you more Terry ^^

Not all scenes in all countries are the same, in mine it is somewhat different – i do not know anybody personally who is into dj’ing. I have been into music forever but only recently got fully into dj’ing mostly with the accessibility digital has given me.

Where I am from it seams to be very ‘clicky’ in dj circles – as if you need to be dj shadow before some dudes offer help or support. I mean about 10 yrs ago i tried to get into dj’ing except i didn’t have my own turntables – and it was kinda tough.

So when i made ‘friends’ with some characters who had turntables and had a chance at a mix, no-one helped out, no-one gave pointers and my mixing was pretty terrible (somewhat embarrassing when u are quite young and no-one offers you support) – i would have killed for a place like this to turn to for help and pointers …

Anyway – as mentioned in the thread, use this place to learn the basics but as some famous saying goes “Blaze your own trail” – and then help out the beginners too 😎

I do agree people need to be just open to tinkering, playing, exploring.

In my career of web design, I honestly barely ever ask for help…I more do Google searches, and piece together different ideas into the one final product.

+1 Hee Won Jung, who once again give me (and many others) a refreshing kick in the ass!

I’m guilty myself spending too much time pressing QWERTY keys on this forum instead of the play button. It takes a full hour of mixing for me to really get into the “zone” as a DJ, while forum posts only take a few minutes. But once I’m in that zone, the insights from self-experimentation are far more substantial. Many questions just disappear or become irrelevant. You focus on the music and not the technicalities.

However, the temptations not to practice are one of the inherent drawbacks of digital DJing: its much easier to get sidetracked with MP3 tagging, file organization, online music searches and forum Q&A. It all seems so efficient. In the vinyl days, you had few options besides slapping your wax down and playing!

While practicing definitely is the way to go (practicing alot), there are things I just wouldn’t have thought up if I didn’t ask people much more experienced than myself. Gate scratching…….. never would have came up with that on my own.

Whether it is piano, djaying, or anything professional, I’d say turn to others for guidance, but don’t turn to others for emulation. I don’t believe in originality myself, but I believe in thesis/antithesis/synthesis. Take advantage of the wisdom of individuals who have been in the game for a while, mash different techniques and styles, and harness your sound through practice.