Dj EarGazm
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Dj EarGazm
Memberjorn, post: 20057, member: 40 wrote: I have a contract that I’ve used, but am reticent to share it because I Am Not A Lawyer™ and do not want to give you legal advice. Still, there are some things you want to be of, and it’s up to you the extent to which you feel you need to have them in writing, if at all:
• P-p-p-power: At a minimum, you should be sure that you have access to a dedicated outlet near where you are performing. And by dedicated, I mean that you need to be sure that nobody is plugging anything into that circuit anywhere else. You’d hate to have your gig cut cold by a short in a rented champagne fountain.
• Other “physical” requirements: Do you have to haul your gear up some stairs? How much space do you need? Will you be in the way of other decorations, etc.? Do you expect them to provide anything else, such as a table?
• The Timing of Things: It’s important to have an agreement on when are you expected to start playing music for the reception and when it should and. Also, do they expect you to play dinner music? If so, are you prepared? Wrapped around all of this is set-up and tear-down time. Figure out how much time you need to setup and sound-check and insist upon it. I have often set up my gear for a 6pm reception at 10am. That allowed me to get my gear in place and ensure everything was working before decorators started pinning stuff up around me.
• What You Are Not Doing: This is a matter of who is responsible for what, and it can be pretty important. I’ll reiterate my IANAL disclaimer here. This is a private event; THEIR event. You are hired to come in and play some music; period. You are not a security guard, crowd-control, etc. Insurance, etc. is not on you. It’s not your job to help clean up afterwards or to track down a missing bride. (You can do those things if you wish. 😉 ) You are also not there to take anybody’s abuse, be it verbal or physical. I don’t mean to sound like a downer here; most wedding receptions are a blast. But, they are also a place where liquor is often flowing and people can be… emotional. Your plan is to stay cool. I bring this up because in most bar/club situations, they have staff dedicated to all this stuff. At a wedding reception, they have caterers, photographers and, well, YOU. Once the ceremony is over, you have several hundred people ready to party. Do not sign up to babysit.
• Have a Plan: I’m not talking about music here; I’m assuming you have that well in hand. (You’d better!) I’m talking about the traditional ceremonies that happen at a wedding reception. Things like the garter toss, couple’s first dance, dance with the parents, dollar dance, etc. You need to find out now if any of that is happening. If it is, YOU will be expected to run it and run it well. If not, be prepared for any of them to come to you as last-minute requests.
• This Isn’t ABout You: And… I’m going to start a raging debate here…. it’s not really all about the bride/groom/mother-of-bride (*gasp!*)…. it’s about all the guests as a whole. And, specifically, it’s about keeping as many people happy and dancing as long as you can. So, check your ego at the door and serve your room as if your life depended upon it. Nobody cares who you are, they care about having fun with their friends and family. What you are is their drug for the night. CONVERSELY, you are the expert here. You did not get hired for somebody to draw up a 4-hour playlist for you. If they want to do that, I recommend they rent a PA system and fill up an iTunes playlist and save money paying you. This is the delicate part of DJing, and it’s much much harder at a wedding reception. Your audience is broad, and there will always be somebody armchair-quarterbacking your work. Stay cool. Stay polite. Keep that dance floor bumpin’.
“Do you take requests?”
“Yes, I take them all. Some of them I even play!” 😀
thanks for the great advice. I was looking more towards the legal side but this helped even more than I expected
Memberok thanks for the advise everyone. I am doing it personally, not really trying to make it a pro business or anything. just as an extra income for equipment
MemberAs bad as that sounds, most DJ’s do make us look like glorified jukeboxes
MemberHey Quasi,
I’m not that young but I’m 25 Living in Seattle, WA. Been DJ’ing for the past 4 years now. Prior to DJ’ing All I have ever done is played a Trumpet in Middle/High School.
MemberD.J.Manhattan, post: 18853, member: 1201 wrote: Hmmm thanks for the tips, is there any software is should look into if i want to use just the laptop?
Try VDJ Pro. Its a good start. Very basic but easy to learn on. Mapping is easy on it too
MemberHee Won Jung, post: 18856, member: 948 wrote: Shure Headphones are AMAZING headphones…but i think they are geared towards more studio than DJing as the post above said they have a very flat response. Shure is known for studio/performance headphones and are more commonly found in other music genres…rock…metal…pop, for the headphones to goto…I think the only other headphones that compare would be ultimate ears…but then u are going to be spending over 1000 for them.
Good to know, thank you. I always thought that Shure was better for mics. After looking around I think I might go with the XD2-53. Phil’s review was actually really helpful. I tried some on and they are extremely comfortable and feel very sturdy. I don’t feel like they would break like the Pioneer HDJ-1000’s
MemberHee Won Jung, post: 18864, member: 948 wrote: The reason why i think its basic to just let a song play out is…if i wanted to hear that song i can play that song at home or just have a playlist of songs and not even DJ. In my view, i think its about letting people hear what they want…but making it different, adding drums, synths effectively to create additional aptmosphere. Mind you this has to be done correctly or else it can sound like garbage…having it so your songs are in harmony, in phase etc.
I will often use a very popular song at the time and just give them little hints of it here and there like 32 beats of the hook vocals or whatever…then 2 or 3 songs down the line Drop it in…or ill do the opposite and play that banging tune…and bring the vocal hook back in 2 or 3 songs down the line.
Its just about doing something different and creating energy…With todays day and age…EVERYONE has the same music if they spin the same genre…and everyone can hear that song being played. Espicially with controllers these days a lot of the time consuming work has been done for you with phase meters(traktor) and beat ticks(serato).
It is interesting that you say that. When mixing its all about keeping people happy. After all you don’t DJ to hear what you want to hear. It’s all about what they want to hear. I have been to clubs, bars, ect and heard a DJ mix a song with their own flare and sound completely different. To us it sounds great but when I looked out to the dance floor no one was dancing. That was because the song was so changed that they did not recognize it. then I have head a DJ just play through a song and people are on the floor loving it because they know what they are hearing. It kills me to say this but when I am Doing a set depending on the music I am playing I will mix accordingly. I have gone and played the song through with a “basic” mix but the crowd loves it. There is nothing I hate more then hearing a DJ just play an entire song after entire song. I do agree that it is a little boring, but it can be annoying to the crowd when they hear a song they love and the DJ cuts it short to the next song.
MemberHee Won Jung, post: 18864, member: 948 wrote: The reason why i think its basic to just let a song play out is…if i wanted to hear that song i can play that song at home or just have a playlist of songs and not even DJ. In my view, i think its about letting people hear what they want…but making it different, adding drums, synths effectively to create additional aptmosphere.
It is interesting that you say that. When mixing its all about keeping people happy. After all you don’t DJ to hear what you want to hear. It’s all about what they want to hear. I have been to clubs, bars, ect and heard a DJ mix a song with their own flare and sound completely different. To us it sounds great but when I looked out to the dance floor no one was dancing. That was because the song was so changed that they did not recognize it. then I have head a DJ just play through a song and people are on the floor loving it because they know what they are hearing. It kills me to say this but when I am Doing a set depending on the music I am playing I will mix accordingly. I have gone and played the song through with a “basic” mix but the crowd loves it. There is nothing I hate more then hearing a DJ just play an entire song after entire song. I do agree that it is a little boring, but it can be annoying to the crowd when they hear a song they love and the DJ cuts it short to the next song.
Membersdjm, post: 18785, member: 1969 wrote: The Shure DJ headphones you linked are extremely good. Be warned, along with their SRH440/840 monitors, however that they have a flat, neutral sound. They are well-made and sound great.
thanks that helps. I’m not completely sold on buying the Shure’s just quite yet but that definately helps hearing it from someone that has used it
MemberPhil Morse, post: 18781, member: 2 wrote: Never used the Shures, but we’ve just reviewed the XD2-53s: http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2012/04/review-video-allen-heath-xone-xd2-53-headphones-2/
thanks phil, how do you like the XD2-53s personally?
MemberI have mixed with the Mackie TH12A before and they sound great. Definitely good for a smaller crowd. If you can, I would recomend using the TH15a. They will sound better for a smaller crowd and a larger one if needed.
Memberwhat exactly do you mean?
April 6, 2012 at 7:00 pm in reply to: Lets all "Like" each others Facebook Fan Page. Post your links here! #18091Memberwhats going on everyone. I’ll add everyone!
MemberHarbinger APS15 15″ Powered PA Speaker are what I use now. they are cheap and sounds decent. You will need a subwoofer to add with them but they are great for small gigs. I recently did a birthday party for 200 people with just the speakers alone and i receive compliments on how good the music sounded. Guitarcenter and amazon sell these.
March 29, 2012 at 5:34 pm in reply to: how can I better apply myself in learning how to dj? #1003409MemberI agree with Phil. I only got better getting gigs. House parties are great because no one is there because yoru djing, they are there because well it’s a house party. I did 4 house parties in 2 weeks and by the time I was done I had compliments from friends asking if I’ve been doing it for a while.
A live set can really help you improve quick. When you’re at home you don’t get the practice of reading a crowd. Reading a crowd can help you fine tune the “little” mistakes you can make when practicing
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