Daryl Northrop, post: 35449, member: 2350 wrote: Great question, J Brown! I’ll admit, I use the sync button quite a bit. My fav part of DJ’ing is playing new and exciting tracks, or presenting old tracks in a new setting. Make me more of a “selector” DJ, vs a beat-jockey.
Same here! I’ll also admit that I love the prep work before trying to do a practice live set. Listening to tracks over and over, going over beat grids in Serato (I’m all about the sync button as well, I see it as a reward for proper prep – a shortcut back to the work I did earlier, which allows me to focus on things like EQ and phrasing), finding good mix-in/mix-out points, etc. And getting a feel for things like energy level, rhythm, and even lyrics to try to find connections between songs, or groups of songs. I too would like to think that track selection and programming is my strongest suit – making those connections based on the feel and content of songs.
I did a bit of improv comedy for a number of years, and I’m always struck by how similar it is to DJing. The ideal relationship between practice and performance are pretty much the same. You practice to get the principles down, to get a feel for how the elements work together, etc, even though you might not be using the material you create in practice in a performance. It’s the principles you’re trying to refine, the way your brain works, not necessarily the exact content. And that’s another art form where so much importance is placed on “authenticity” – of performing in the moment, not faking it.
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