DJing relies on some very simple principles and lots of practice. The principles are the same regardless of genre and equipment so get your head around those first.

1. Beat matching.

Beat matching means playing two tunes at the same speed. You have to train your ears to know which track is faster than the other – you can hear this in the shape of the noise the beats make when overlaid. This is the first thing to learn. Everyone can do it eventually, it's just a case of how many hours it takes before you understand what you're hearing. Start the first beat of the first bar of the incoming tune at the same time as the first beat of a bar of the tune already playing. Listen to the tunes play together. Use the platter to 'nudge' the incoming tune backwards (it's too fast, slow it down) or forwards (it's too slow, speed it up) so the beats stay on top of each other. Repeat this process using the slider to slow down or speed up the incoming tune until the beats stay matched as the tunes play together. The tunes are at the same speed. Restart the incoming track on the first beat of the bar, and on the first beat of a bar of the playing track. Do all this in the headphones before you raise the volume of the incoming tune. This is the beating heart of DJing. It takes hours of practice to get fast and consistent at this. Then, suddenly, it's obvious and you never have to think about it again.

2. Harmonic mixing

This means picking tunes that sound good together. Tunes are in different keys. Some keys work well together, some keys sound terrible. You can use reference guides like the Camelot harmonic mixing wheel to help you but, ultimately, you want to able to just hear whether it sounds good. Again, it's really just a case of ear training. If you have some musical theory that'll give you head start, but if not forget the academic stuff and just listen, it's not that hard.

3. Transition timing

Most (definitely not all) 'dance' tunes have four beats in a bar and groups of 4, 8, 16, 32 etc bars within which the interesting stuff happens. That drop you love, it's at the start of a group. That breakdown you can't get enough of, it's 16 or 32 or 64 bars long. In general try to begin and end your mixes at the beginning or end of a group of bars, e.g. at the beginning or end of the breakdown. If you drop a tune halfway through a group, it'll sound odd. By the time you've completed the mix the tunes will sound like they're going in different directions.

4. EQing

Use the high, mid and bass knobs on your mixer to turn up or down the different frequencies in the tunes as you mix them. Adjusting only the incoming track before you bring it in is sensible to start with. This helps stop the sounds in each tune clashing and is a key place where you add personality and difference to your mix. E.g. if the tune you're mixing out of has a vocal, you can slowly cut the highs and the bass as you raise the volume of the new track and just leave the vocal playing in the mids of the outgoing track. In the tune you're bringing in, keep the bass and highs up but the mids down, then you've got the vocal of the outgoing track playing over the incoming track. You've created something new, and smoothed the transition so it sounds blended instead of forced. If you've got your groups right, the vocal will end just as something interesting happens to replace it in the new track, switch the mids and you're mixed!

5. Learn your tunes & record your mixes

Everything above relies on you having a natural understanding of what's going to happen in the music you've picked. If you know your tunes really well then you'll start not thinking about what you need to do. You'll also avoid trying to mix a vocal over a vocal, or pulling the bass out of a tune just when you need it. Listen back to your mixes to learn what's working and what isn't.

Most of all: Think of learning to DJ as spending hours with your favourite tracks while messing about with them. Look up resources, there are some great guides by people who know loads more than me. Get your favourite tunes together, stick them on some decks and start actively listening to what happens when you touch the platter, press buttons and move knobs. Don't be put off, everyone starts at the very beginning. Start with beat matching and choose tunes that have very clear bass beats without too much distracting other stuff. Learn to beat match before you start relying on the sync button, you'll never make Top Gun if you rely on autopilot. In the time you spend at your decks learning to beat match you'll naturally absorb a deeper understanding of the craft because it forces you to really listen to the music in a way you probably haven't before. That will make EVERYTHING else easier. Enjoy it.

Well, this isn’t how I did it, but I would just pick up turntables or CD J’s and a mixer and practice in your living room. That’s like the easiest solution. For me, I didn’t really intend on becoming a professional DJ. I just threw parties and I would be the one playing records at those parties. So naturally, I learned how to DJ.

I think that one of the more important questions is, how do you get started DJing in front of people?

Today, the rise in the amount of DJs over the past five or 10 years is exponential. So, how does one person that just started get picked to play a show or open for a big DJ? How do you get there? My approach (and thought process) has always been, “Well, I’m not going to worry about someone choosing me. I’m going to throw my own party and invite my friends and let everything else happen naturally.” That’s how it started for me. I threw Dim Mak parties surrounding label and I would invite my friends to come DJ, who were all actually in bands. So, then the theme of these parties became bands. People in bands that DJ’ed were at Dim Mak parties like Interpol or the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. Essentially whatever bands were coming into town would come DJ. Then, these parties became more of a social gathering of like-minded people from that world. Through these parties, I was learning how to DJ and learning the philosophy of DJing. Teaming up with band DJs and just being in that club world will ultimately teach you all the different aspects of what it is to be a DJ.

If you’re going to do a live show, there has to be a balance of having fun, enjoying yourself, but also being prepared. If you’re too prepared and too stressed about your preparation, all of a sudden you’ll be too focused on your worries and then you looked stressed ono stage and the crowd just won’t, and can’t, have fun. You’re a reflection and/or representation of what the party should be. So, the music is a real connection with the crowd and you are the ambassador of that music. If you look like you’re just not in a great place mentally, then the crowd probably can’t vibe with you. They look at you as the conductor, so you better be on point. Stay balanced and don’t overthink it.

Like most things: watch, read, practice.

Pick up good PRELIMINARY books that talk more about techniques and practical methods/tools of bartending rather than just fancy drinks (I highly recommend Jeffrey Morganthaler’s BAR BOOK, as it is just that, AND is fun to read).

Go to classic cocktail bars. And not so classic. See if you can spot differences in how theyre set up. In how they make their classics (martinis, old fashioned, etc).

That’s the easy part. If you want to be an actual bartender, then you should also find a job as a barback at your local bar to get you introduced to the hospitality industry. Because “mixology” is romanticized my many a fledgling bartender who are too self-important and in love with their “craft” to realize that 90% of working behind an actual bar (craft or not) has nothing to do with how fancy their drink making skills are. But I’ll leave that for you to discover, if that’s what you were thinking of getting into. If so, however I hope this has all been helpful and I wish you good luck!

1) Learn the basics: You need to be good with the backbone of DJing: Beatmatching. Without this, you cannot learn DJing. Beatmatching is basically matching the tempo of two tracks inorder to mix them.

2) Join an institute if possible: It will polish your skills and help you save time.

3) Learn a software: Like Traktor, Virtual DJ etc.

4) Market yourself well: This is extremely crucial. If you cannot portray yourself as a great DJ, you will never make it big. There are DJs who lack technical skills but because they can market themselves they get a lot of gigs.

5) Become a producer: Go that extra mile. Become a great producer and learn some producing softwares like FL studio, logic, acid, etc.

6) Get a manager: This is optional. Zaeden if you know is exceptionally talented, but he also knows how to manage himself well which is why he is getting huge by the minute.

7) Upload your stuff on Soundcloud and enter contests: Entering remix / producing contests can give you a platform to showcase your talent. It's a one time oppurtunity so make sure to grab it with both hands.

8) Marketing: The reason I'm repeating this point is because this is EXTREMELY Important. No point being the next HARDWELL but just producing for your friends and family.

Upvote if you found this useful :)

Passion.

Plain and simple. You have to have passion for music strong enough to allow you to overcome the early days of learning the craft, honing your skills and having to play shyte gigs for next to nothing to gather enough experience and reputation to advance to better gigs, better pay and everything else. Passion that lets you say that even the worst gig spinning to an uninterested crowd for less money than it cost to be there is still worth it.

If you're passionate about music, then it won't matter where you have to go, what the gig is (anyone who says they enjoyed spinning at weddings either has no ambition or lies), or any other challenge that arises. Every gig you finish and get paid for (even some that don't pay) is another step along the journey.

It won't be easy, nothing truly ever is, but passion helps you focus on the big picture.

So now that I've whipped that horse, here are some tips.

• Don't limit yourself to one style when starting out. You may prefer EDM, house, D&B, hip hop, trance or whatever, but it's so rare to land a gig spinning only your favourite style off the bat that it may as well be impossible. Being more versatile opens up options for gigs and you may discover you enjoy some other styles.
• Practice your technique constantly. True DJ work involves so much more than hitting play on a laptop playlist and walking away (which I discovered is exactly what my replacement did at a club I was fired from). Real DJs mix their tracks without software to help them. Learn the different fades, frequency cuts and other transitions (crash fades are OK at weddings & strip bars but real clubs & bigger gigs require more variety).
• As you practice techniques, you'll realize some tracks naturally work well together. Don't be afraid to build mini sets of 2-4 songs that mix well together. Always listen to tracks with an ear towards how well they'll mix with other tracks.
• Know music. This should be evident, but the number of DJs I've seen with limited musical knowledge is astounding. This ties into my first point of versatility. The more you know, the better able you'll be to select appropriate tracks.
• As your knowledge of music expands, pay attention & look for transition tracks. These are particularly important when doing a mixed style gig & the like. Transition tracks allow you to maintain the flow when switching styles. Crossover tracks popular across genres are good for this. So are mashups.
• Watch people. Watch your floor and how the crowd responds. Even if you've got an ear for hits (a learned skill), the crowd on your floor may not always dig a track you're positive will blow up. Could be it doesn't work with the proceeding tracks. Maybe the vibe isn't right. Lots of reasons are behind if a crowd digs a track or not. Paying attention means you can switch it up to keep the floor alive. Every DJ has a night where something killed the vibe & the floor empties out. Good DJs can get it back & rebuild the energy. A good DJ can feel out the crowd and lay down a track to flow the crowd back out on the floor.
• Flow. Learn how to flow your floor. Some DJs try to keep the same people out on the floor all night. It's impossible and you may even lose out future gigs. The best DJs control the flow. A dancefloor is a living thing when a talented DJ spins. You want to bring some people out for a few songs, and slowly progress the flow so the first group rotates out & is replaced by the next & so on. This is important in clubs selling alcohol. If alcohol sales drop, how full the floor is becomes irrelevant. The club wants to make money & if your gig doesn't make them money, you'll lose future gigs. At least until you become a headliner. They get completely different rules. Sucks, but that's how it is.
• When you get the gig, you'll get pertinent info: when (date and time), where, duration, and relevant details. You need to determine how you'd like to build your sets. Some prefer to have a predetermined set list while others prefer to play it by ear so they can adapt to the vibe. I always preferred to have certain tracks that I'd definitely play like my intro and huge tracks but everything else was fluid & spontaneous.
• Be on time. Nobody is too popular or good to be replaced. Doesn't matter how good you are if you're not in the booth when you're scheduled to be. Don't be that guy.
• Related - unless you're doing a festival or similar where the crowd doesn't have access to you (or you're a headliner - again, different rules), you'll have to decide whether or not you'll take requests. It's a personal choice. Some like the interaction, some don't. Others simply hate having to deal with drunks who don't get why you can't play their song right NOW, dammit. It gets old real fast dealing with people who get more persistent the more they drink. The worst are the self proclaimed taste makers claiming everyone hates the current track and will love their request. Some gigs like private parties and weddings (shudder) require you to play requests. Those are where knowing your music helps to work them in.
• About weddings. Granted, many other paths exist to pay your dues & work your way up, but weddings are a common entry point. Whilst I loathe weddings and stopped doing them entirely well before I retired, they are a great way to learn how to flow the crowd and craft a set. With the variety of ages and preferences, you learn quickly how to work the crowd right. Once all the speeches and dinner are over and the first few dances happen, the rest is all you. I found the best way to run it was start with classic oldies for the grandparents, then work up decade by decade so that the old folks would be happy & after they leave, progress to more current stuff, leaving the major hits til late as the parents will likely be gone by then & you can play for the newlyweds and their friends. Just my experience.
• Be humble and courteous. Even if you're having a crap gig. Especially if the crowd can interact with you. They don't care that you've heard that super hot track a thousand times more than they have and are sick of it. What's going on in your personal life is of no consequence to them. You're an entertainer, they're paying to be entertained. Leave your baggage at the door, smile and do your job.
• Be prepared for your perceptions about clubbing to change. I retired well over a decade ago and still can't walk into a club without feeling like I'm at work. Every venue you go to is either one you have or could potentially spin at.
• Decide what your goals are. What do you consider the pinnacle? Your gold ring? Then what is the realistic goal you want to aim for as a secondary? Every DJ wants to reach the level of iconic superstar DJ, jet setting around the world for ludicrous paycheques at various festivals. It's a tiny club that a microscopic percentage of DJs ever join. Not impossible, but since there's very little room at the top, have an idea of other goals to reach along the way. Like a residency at a hot club, playing Ibiza, festival circuits, that sort of thing. Aim high certainly, but understand that reaching that level requires the same drive as it does to make it as a rock star.
• Invest in quality gear. Foremost, your cans. Go to a music store and test drive as many headphones as you can. Get the best you can afford. And understand, the best for you may not be top range cans costing the same as a month's rent in a downtown London flat. My all time favourites - which I still own and use are Sony MDR-V700DJ, which are clear, durable and inexpensive. Take a good reference track to test with. One that allows you to hear how the cans perform at all frequency ranges. The 2 pieces of music I've used as reference tracks to set EQ on systems and test performance are the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky, with cannon blasts, and Renegade Soundwave - Renegade Soundwave (Leftfield Mix). The Overture guarantees you'll hear every frequency and the cannon blasts make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when the EQ is right. The Leftfield Remix of Renegade Soundwave sounds completely unlike the original track, but features a rolling, loping rhythm track complementing the sharp percussion, synths and sub bass that vibrates your spine when the EQ is right (took me 3 years to find that track back in the 90s). You can choose whatever reference track you want. Next you'll need to invest in your hardware and software. Good, reliable laptop and control surfaces with mixer. Macs are incredibly popular with DJs, though Apple has been making some poor design decisions with the new MacBooks and their astronomical costs are making it less & less worthwhile. There are enough well built competitors available today that are viable alternatives at a fraction of the cost. Mixers and controllers have advanced a lot, but the Pioneer DJ controllers are still industry standard. Old school & vinyl guys will always talk about a pair of 1200s, but since Technics stopped making them, they're more difficult to find. Pioneer mixers are also pretty standard, though other brands are comparable. Look for a mixer with Allen & Heath faders to get the best audio. Pro DJ software is available, Serato, Traitor & Ableton are well known. A good idea is to check out controller & mixer compatibility with the software. Encoded CDs & vinyl provide compatibility with club & other systems.
• Invest in your music. Your tunes are your tools at the gig. Pay for it. You're getting paid to play it, the artist should be paid for making it. If the music doesn't get made, you can't spin it & you can't work. With the variety of options to purchase tracks, don't steal from your scene. Now, if you are given promo tracks, that's different. If you do make it to the superstar DJ ranks, you'll likely also have started producing tracks yourself & you'll want to get paid.
• Move to Europe. No joke. If you want to be a serious DJ, move to the UK or one of the European countries where your scene is strong. UK for anything electronic, Germany for trance, France or Sweden for house, etc. Unless you're into hip hop & rap, North America doesn't have as much of a DJ culture. Lots of clubs, but nowhere near the support or ability to spin. It's getting better, but DJs are considered equal to rock stars and artists in their own right in Europe and particularly the UK, where DJs still haven't reached that status here in North America.
• Get out there and network. Get known in your scene. Go out & check out other DJs spin. Listen to how they build sets, pay attention. Meet established DJs, talk to them. Get an agent & possibly a manager when you start getting bigger.
• Don't lose yourself to the party. When you work where people play, it can be easy to fall into the hard partying lifestyle. That is the quickest way to kill your career. Legality aside, party drugs have always been a part of every music scene. Getting caught up in them is never a good idea. Because it goes from a weekend thing to a $100+ a day habit really quick. Particularly with the sheer availability of it. And it never ends well. The deeper you get, the less reliable you are and the fewer gigs you get. Too many stories exist of talented DJs throwing everything including their dreams away.

I think I've covered just about everything. It's a lot, but DJing is about more than pressing play. It's a fun job and the rush from performing in front of a great crowd is unlike anything else. And as I said at the start, passion is at its core.

Cheers

This is how I started.

Walked up to the guy who I kinda knew who was DJ’n at a party early in the night and I asked him how it all worked.

Shortly after this I would turn up before the pub/club would get busy and lug the speakers about, help clear the dance floor, set up & take requests. After a couple of weeks he would let me open his set for the 1st hour or so while it was quiet.

It didn’t take long to go from that to actually having my own gig and being paid.

Really shortly after that I was working at least 4 nights a week as a DJ in the largest club in town.

I’m now officially retired having spent 15 years DJ’n at weekends, and who was there helping me lug speakers about, clearing the dance floor down and setting up and taking requests? Who looked after my setlist for half an hour while I took a break?

I think you know the answer. He’s also now one of my best friends having played countless gigs together over the years.

Take a risk, go out and just offer your help and see what happens.

I think the most important thing is to teach the basics and teach the basics on basic equipment. For example, I wouldn’t start someone out on my flashy full-sized DJ controller. Instead, I would start them out on a basic CD player (dual deck, or basic table tops). This beginner needs to know the basics of using a CD player, how to beat match, and how to use a DJ mixer — skills that I was shocked to learn quite a few of the DJs I’ve encountered aren’t too well-versed on.

When I was taught, I didn’t even start with equipment. My friend/mentor made a chart of BPMs and showed me how to calculate on the fly where to place a pitch slide based on BPM differences. And that has been an invaluable tool for me when working with other DJs and having to mix into their song from a different rig. Teaching basic things like that early on will make the person you are teaching and mentoring a better DJ in the future.

I would then start with the structure of dance music/edm: Intros, outros, phrase length, etc. I was taught all these things and it has made my mixes more seamless and creates a flow for the people on the dancefloor. An advanced topic would be tonal mixing.

I was told to pick 5 or 6 very familiar songs of the same BPM and to burn them to 2 identical disks. I had to mix into and out of them until I got it right. Then we tried the same thing but with 5–6 songs with DIFFERENT BPMS. I had to use what I learned about matching BPMs to make it work, and was surprised when that simple math formula actually worked.

Two things I wish I had learned earlier instead of through trial and error would be how to set-up and place a mobile sound system and how to evaluate and tune a club sound system.

Whatever you do, I’d arm your pupil with as much knowledge as possible about the WHYs of being a DJ — why we do things the way we do is almost as important as teaching them HOW to do something the way we do.

This may sound a bit of an unusual method, but it was how I was taught, and it worked! I had 2 lessons before I had my first nightclub gig. And while I was nervous as can be, it went off without a hitch — and I think that surprised even me. 13 years have gone by, and I’m still at it!

The following are all helpful:

• Develop a love for music, listen to as much as you can
• Get yourself some DJ equipment to practice, practice, practice
• Listen to lots of mixes from your favorite DJs, study the way they pace their sets, observe how they change the mood over time, etc.
• Go out to clubs and watch great DJs in person - things are very different in a live setting on a big system, take note of how the room responds
• Keep listening to more music and practicing, record your sets and listen back to them

The biggest misconception many people hold about DJing is that it is primarily a technical skill, i.e. that learning how to beatmatch, mix, and apply effects are the trickiest or most important parts.

In reality, DJing is mostly about knowing a ton of music inside out and being able to understand how to stitch it all together into a set that is properly paced and has a sense of direction. You do need a basic level of competence on the technical fronts, but only enough to avoid making mistakes that distract the audience from the music.

I've been learning/messing around with instruments since I was 9. I started DJing very casually in high school and slowly have gotten more into it. I've been focusing on it full time for about 5/6 years now just to give some context. I own a sound/lighting company in Boston specializing in Indian weddings. I cover all different styles of music (Bollywood, Top 40, Hip Hop, House, Bhangra just to name a few). Since I love house/dance music I'll use that to explain what I've written below.

1) Consume music like crazy. Whatever style(s) you love listen to it 30/10/400 and commit it to memory. This will allow you to mix between songs easily and know what parts of a song are nice to come in and go out with. Some of the most common stuff I play I can play in my head and know every part. Back in the day people would put little stickers on their records to keep track.

2) Depending on the style of music you like understand the basic elements that it consists of. Most house music producers create songs at about 128 BPM (beats per minute) in what I like to think of are blocks of 8 measures. That means at measures 9, 17, 25, 33 etc. things are being added/taken away form the song. I've noticed Top 40 and Hip Hop follow the same thing except mostly in blocks of 4 measures instead (shorter songs overall).

3) Experiment with different music production/DJ software. You could play all vinyl if you're a badass and have the money and strength to carry a solid collection :P. At the very basic level there's stuff like Virtual DJ which you can start with. It can be used solely on the computer and will help you understand the basics of mixing. I've used Serato for a long time and have cue points set in the songs I play . I honestly can't comment on other stuff like RekordBox and Traktor since I've never really used them. I do any/all production, mashups etc. with Ableton (which can also be used to DJ!). Go on Youtube and there's a zillion videos of people playing on these different platforms. The only way to properly experience though is to try it out which leads us to...

4) Hardware! Just like there's a lot of DJ software out there, there's even more hardware that connects with it. From compact all-in-one controllers to full-size turntables and mixers. Things have come a long way over the years and you can find something for almost any budget/need. I use the Pioneer DDJ-SX controller, it has 2 playing decks (with the possibility to work with 4 if you're daring) and 4 channel mixer in one unit. It works with Serato, is compact for travel, feels really nice, and has been very durable. Pioneer also makes the CDJ series of players which some would consider to be the industry standard. You'll find these in most clubs. Some people play mostly/exclusively on a computer which is possible. I used to as well but just don't like staring at the computer and in the end a keyboard just isn't meant for DJing. CDJs and controllers let you keep your hands on the hardware and a little less on the computer. There's also some really cool add-ons out there like the Midi-Fighter which let you add some cool improv and finger drumming to your mixing. Being a percussionist myself I want to try one of those out at some point.

5) Get out there!!! As you get better work on getting gigs! Talk to local clubs/promoters to see if you can become a part of what's going on and depending the scene connect with any and everyone you can so that they can think of you when it comes to a DJ. I focus a lot on private events/weddings so for me connecting with hotels, wedding planners, and wedding vendor organizations helps business! Someone else can probably help you a lot more with the nuances of club DJ and promoting.

Hope this helps! I wrote it fast and probably missed a lot so ask questions!!! Good luck and have fun!!

Helllloooo.

Welcome to the world of DJing! I can see that you are genuinely intrested in learning the art of DJing.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

1) Learn about song structure

Depending on your genre choice, each part of the song may sound different from another song of a different genre (Eg: Hip-Hop to Trance)

But usually a song can be broken down like this:
Introduction
Breakdown
Buildup
Fill
Drop
2nd Breakdown
2nd Buildup
2nd Fill
2nd Drop
Outro

Don't overlook it as a trivial thing, sometimes, song structure is not clear (I have trained juniors who can't differentiate the breakdown and the drop!) so you need to keep training your ear!

2) Train your beatmatching!

A DJ who doesn't know how to beatmatch is like a driver who doesn't know how to drive - hopeless.

With so much technology these days, people are asking why do we still need beatmatching with 'Sync' and all that.

First off, SYNC IS UNRELIABLE (Because your beatgrid is off sometimes) so DON'T use it (unless you're using it for an artistic purpose like turntablism)

What you can do is:

1) Play two different songs
2) Try to beatmatch them using the TEMPO/PITCH FADER and the JOG WHEEL.

Here's a breakdown of the parts:

Tempo/Pitch Faders:
The tempo/pitch fader controls the BPM of the song, the reason it's called a pitch fader sometimes is because when you change how fast or slow the song is playing, you're also changing the pitch.

Jogwheel:
When the song is at the same BPM, but one song is ahead or slower than the other, the jogwheel might help to fix that problem by 'nudging' the songs backwards or forwards.

Also, it's going to take a awhile to get the hang of it.

When I was trying to beatmatch songs with different BPM, I could not beatmatch by the time the song finish! But after a year, I managed to do it within the first drop.

Remember, practice makes perfect.

3) Don't worry so much about buying a controller.

Granted, it will really help you a lot, but they are alternatives out there to controllers, or cheaper options.

Also, the S2/S4, like all other controllers, is an expensive investment (I use an S2). As much as I love Traktor, there are other software and controller brands such as Serato (Software), Pioneer (Controller and DJ Industry standard), Stanton and many other brands!

Do a bit more research before thinking of buying a controller (I love my S2, but I wished I did more research!)

Hope this helps! And if you do find any errors, tell me and I will ractify them!

If you wanna live from being a DJ, you have to have your own music.

Learn, practice, make your own stuff, combine elements from other tracks and even steal a bit from others. Every day.

On the second hand, learn how to DJ. I recommend you Traktor Pro. NEVER USE VIRTUAL DJ! DJing is not hard at all but you have to know how to read the crowd. You have to see what they like and play some songs even if you don't like because DJing is being done for the others, not for you. Attend shows and see reaction of others and also pay attention to the set of the DJ.

Now, the most important thing. MEET PEOPLE. Yes, meet others who are into the scene. Not friends of your friends, I meant people at clubs, studios, musicians etc. Show them your music, mixes, skills. Be friends. Hang out with them often.

Before i answer your question i should tell you that DJing is not easy.

To become a DJ you need to do the following tasks :

1. Get a DJ controller or a pair of CDJs with a mixer . DJ controllers are way cheaper than CDJs. You will also a need a DJing software to assist you with the hardware, eg: Serato, Rekord box, Virtual DJ pro and many more. Research and choose the one which suits you the best.

2. Research on the available genres to choose the genre you want to play. Once you have done that , follow the Famous DJs for the respective genre and try to recognize there signature style.

3. Download best audio format of the songs you want to play. WAV is what i prefer. Organised track list would help you to select and play the right songs in sequence.

4. Now DJing is not easy, it is not just about playing tracks one after another. So you will have to learn step by step. First go for beat matching and nudging while mixing tracks with the concept of BPM. Also go for all the basics of using effects , samples, sequence loops and looping of parts of tracks. I would recommend you to visit DJ TLM’s channel on youtube. I follow him.

5. The last but not the least, learn the sexy and glamorous bit of DJing

“ Scratching”. Go for the DJ war videos online to pump yourself for inspiration.

Hope my answer helps you and inspires you. Peace and love.

Keep spinning!!

DO's
- Buy your favourite tunes. I said BUY !
- Buy, beg or steal (no, not steal...) some decks or mixing equipment.
- Play your tunes to everyone that you know whom have ears, all of the time. Monopolise that sh*t.
- Publish your music online (mixcloud and soundcloud are FREE to upload to !)
in fact you should check me out too ... https://www.mixcloud.com/dan-thompson/
- Give free CDs to everyone, especially any club or bar owners that you know.
If you don't know them, then why not ? They don't know you !
- Have a go at producing your own music. This will open doors to DJ ! (Also performing your own music live is a massive f*****g rush !)
- Be passionate about your music.

DON'Ts
- Do heart signs at the crowd behind the decks.
- Pretend that you are doing stuff with EQs on dead mixing channels... YOU WILL BE SHAMED !
- Play EDM.
- Compromise your style (unless its EDM, in which you can F' off !)
- say that "only true DJs use vinyl", or, "only true DJs scratch".
Yes you can beat mix or scratch on vinyl. Congratulations.

I have been in your shoes. Well, many of us DJs have. If you want some advice along with the information about controllers, it is this: don’t buy entry level crap. Just don’t.

I did, and regreted tremendously.

It is very normal to be starting out and setting your budget very low, because since you are not really getting paid, your investment on gear seems that much greater. But this is where you should think carefully. Because amateur/entry-level gear only goes so far. So, the minute you get a chance for a real gig, it will let you down. Don’t wanna miss that chance, right?

After going through the process of buying entry-level crap, moving to mid-level and so on, I would advice you to skip all that and get yourself some decent gear.

My personal choice? Native Instruments all the way!

You can start out by getting yourself an Audio 2 DJ soundcard. It is excellent, professional stuff. And it includes Traktor, the number 1 DJ software out there.

With this soundcard, a notebook and Traktor you can already DJ if there is a mixer available. No need for a controller. Or you can just do everything on you laptop - not ideal, but perfectly doable.

When you have the money for a controller, go for the X1. You can use it to mix or as an addon to the house mixer for loops and effects.

Good luck.

Start by learning piano. Study music. You probably wont stand out if you only ever use the white keys.

Then invest in a DAW (digital audio workstation). FL Studio and Ableton Live are common among younger producers because of the price but almost every professional studio in the world has Avid Protools as standard.

Next get famliliar with your DAW. You cant get ideas down fast if you do not know how to use it as an extension of your brain. DAWs are essentially limitless you just have to know how to use them so practice, practice, practice.

Finally, Always accept feedback and always accept advice. That’s the only way you’re going to get better.

Success my friend :)

For me, 16 years ago, I started with two House records. I learned that if I started with the first beat on my currently playing record and counted each bass kick until the number 32 (in my head), that the next count (33) would be a break in the beat or addition of an instrumental sound that was usually signified by a cymbal, hi-hat or some other change up at the 33 second mark. From there, I would “throw in” the new record’s beat and match the tempo/speeds together until the next 32 count change occurred, just after the change in instrumentation on the 32 count, after the speeds were matched sufficiently to my ears, i’d bring the bass down of the outgoing track and the bass up with the incoming track, and the other Hi/Mid levels accordingly, so that by the time that the next 33 count came, I’d have mixed into a new track completely and had a successful blend. Back then it was turntables for me, but after 8 years I bought CDJs (same beat-matching style of counting 32 beats then throwing into the mix on the 33 count) and then eventually on to a Digital Controller such as the Numark NS6. After 16 years It’s like riding a bike for me and pretty natural for me to successfully blend, beat-match and mix different genres together into one seamless, transition of one after another, aka a DJ Mix. Those are usually 30 minutes to 1 hour long.

I posted this originally in April.

A lot of people talk about gear. This answer is not about gear, but about your mindset.

A good DJ has a deep passion for music, an unquenchable thirst for expanding ones range of musical diversity. A good DJ can find cohesion across different musical styles and be able to create a musical collage that ties it together.

If you just want to beat match 4/4 dance thumper tracks, go ahead, but to me that's boring. Genres cross over all the time, and a good DJ can cross-pollinate many styles into an interesting set.

There is no roadmap to how to be a good DJ, but Mikey Dread summed it up very simply long ago.

“If you say you are Selector, you have to have good selections.”

You can play the deepest dopest rarest remixes that no one has ever heard, but you also need to drop in something familiar every now and then so people can connect.

My suggestion is to join a cool college radio station near you. You can learn about gear, and expose your mind to many styles of music previously unfamiliar to you. Build your personal library and expand your mind.

I started twenty something years ago with 2 turntables, a dual CD player and a mixer. You can get everything on a laptop now, but the old school set up still works. It doesn't matter if you have a 20,000$ rig, if your set sucks no one will care about your gear.

1. Learn the structure of music so its automatic:
Perhaps the best way to start is simply by listening to music. Music (and especially western music) is very formulaic. It has regular beats which are the building blocks of 'bars', and generally a song will change (an instrument added, a chorus begins, etc) at each bar transition. Start by counting the beats (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,1,2,3,...) and listen to when the music changes to identify the bar pattern. Some songs change after 8 beats (8 beat bars), some after 16, some after 32 etc. Listen to these beats, learn the bar structure. This knowledge is essential to knowing when to start the next song, and when its a good time to 'mix' (merge) two songs together. Do this while your listening to music in the car, or while your walking down the street with your earbuds in etc. Do it enough and it will be second nature.

2. Learn EQ's:
Downloading Serato DJ (free, but will be locked in No Hardware mode until you buy a controller) and have it analysis some of your tracks. It does a nice job of coloring the different EQ levels (Bass, Mid, Treble) and will help you learn what each sounds like.

3. Buy some hardware:
DJing is a trained skill. You will not be good at it automatically, it takes a lot of practice. You can't practice if you don't have any hardware (well i guess you can use ipad apps or Virtual DJ, but frankly they are rubbish). At some point you will have to commit to learning to become a DJ and fork over some cash. Luckily, these days, DJ controllers are cheap, so i recommend you start with a simple 2 channel all in one DJ controller. Alternatively, you could begin with turntables and vinyl, but the setup cost is huge (both in hardware and music). Its fine to start with a cheep controller, a more expensive one will have too many features and may overwhelm you. Start simple, learn the basics, then buy a better, more expensive controller when you know what YOU personally want.

4. Use the hardware:
Practice, practice, practice. Start with beatmatching. Beatmatching is the process of getting two songs to play at the same speed and have their beats fall at the same time. Learn to beat-match by ear. I know a lot of controllers will help do this for you, but don't let them. Beat-matching by ear is a valuable skill that helps you learn the structure and dynamics of music and will keep you agile when things don't go as planned (you have to use someone else gear, unknown BPM of songs, etc). Start by playing the same song on both decks, and slow one down. Then try to beatmatch by ear to get them in time again. Apply the knowledge gained in Step 1 and 2 to begin to mix two songs together.

5. More Practice:

6. More Practice:

7. Listen to other DJ's sets
Listening to other DJ's sets on souncloud/mixcloud will help you learn different techniques to add to your DJ repertoire. Try listening to a broad range of genres. Hip-hop mixing is very different to progressive house, but techniques from one style of mixing can be applied to great effect on other genres.

Good Luck!

It's not that difficult, but you will need equipment and that part can get confusing in the beginning as there are so many options these days: you can play with vinyl, CDJs or go completely digital with a laptop and controller.

Take my case for example. When I started I lived with my girlfriend in a very small one-room apartment and wanted very much to start DJing. I had friends with equipment and I could always go to their houses to fool around with CDJs and mixers and learn how to DJ. But I thought that would not be enough, I needed the equipment at home to practice at anytime. No way I could fit CDJs and a mixer anywhere. So I decided to go digital. I already had a laptop. Bought an an entry-level external soundcard and controller (around 250 dollars in all). Then there was the software choice. At that time almost none of my DJ friends where digital-DJs so I had to do some research. I came into Ableton Live, began fooling around with it, looked up some online tutorials and videos. At first it was very hard to even "create a setup" where I could comfortably do everything with my limited controller, but eventually I got the hang of it.

So I started to practice. Everyday, a little bit, half an hour or so. Some more on the weekends. If it was a particularly cloudy day, I would practice for hours until I got the mixes the way I wanted. When I felt I could do a 1hr mix, I did it. It sucked. I had to try three of four times until the number of mistakes in that 1 hour was accetable to put it online. I got some positive and negative feedback from DJ friends and people I met online while learning to dominate Ableton. And I kept going, improving my setup and makiing more mixes.

Eventually I grew tired of Ableton and moved to Traktor. Changed my whole setup and now I have a completely different set of equipments, both hardware and software. This is only to ilustrate how it went with me, but the key is: go for it, practice, suck at it, practice some more, suck a little less and always improving.

Hope it helped. :)

Well budget is always the first consideration, so with that in mind get the best you can afford. Consider you need a controller, laptop (although some will read off a USB device or phone) and headphones. Then you may also require speakers, cables etc too. Be sure to research everything you'll need.

Many controllers come with software or demo versions of. Try to get the most flexible package you can. It's easy to invest in a set up that can't be upgraded later because of software compatibility etc.

The one area I'd be sure to invest in is headphones and speakers. If you can't hear what you're doing, you'll never be a good DJ.

Now once you set your budget ask yourself what type of DJ so you want to be - a club DJ, a party DJ (i.e. Weddings) etc.

Most controllers fall into those two categories with either more effects or more mic inputs. If you play at Weddingns you might want a sampler that plays over both channels rather than per channel samplers.

As a starting point I’d suggest the basic two channel controllers from Pioneer, Numark or Denon. You can buy cheaper from Gemini, Traktor etc but those 3 have the best pedigree in DJ circles. YouTube has plenty of review videos on most models.

From there, get the best you can afford taking everything else into account.

One more thing - DO NOT use the sync feature. Learn to beat match tracks together. Sure, playbwith sync for a few weeks to get the hang of the controller and understand how to put tunes together, but don't become reliant on it. You need to be able to beat mix to be a DJ.

You can DJ without producing, that's fine. The two ambitions go together very often, but don't force it.

Back in the day, DJ-ing was buying tracks on vinyl, and knowing how to play them well off decks and a mixer. Producing was a separate, quite pricey gig. Most DJs don't produce at all. So by all means play around with it, but don't let it hold back your DJ career. I'd DJed for 10 years before I was confident enough in my productions to start releasing something.

I went from Vinyl to CDs to a controller.

Getting a controller is fine. S2 is a nice start. It's intuitive, well designed, and pretty well built for home use, although not super sturdy for the road. Also it re-sells well, if you decide the machine, or DJ-ing, is not for you. If you have the money, the Pioneer stuff is great too, especially the new all-digital decks. Their mixers are pretty beginner-friendly as well, although there are mixers that do sound better.

It's interface is similar to the industry-standard pioneer equipment, so if you train on S2/s4, the jump isn't too hard.

I advise against anything other than traktor or pioneer, simply because of the learning curve. the two share a design philosophy, while other equipment adds a bit of extra learning, as you'll inevitably start using pioneer equipment in clubs if you move up the ranks.

Usually Sync works fine, but you should train without it, and preferably gig without using it to begin with, so you know how to react when the sync inevitably fails. Also, manual beat-matching is probably the most fun thing about DJ-ing.

Main thing is though, befriend other DJs. Especially ones that are starting out as well. Share knowledge, tricks and music suggestions. You'll find them hanging around DJ booths, looking at what the DJ is doing with his fingers :D

Good luck and have fun!

I’ve been DJing for my living for the past 34 yrs. It’s taken me around the world and back and I still love it more than ever. An answer for your question depends on what type of DJ do you want to be? Are you looking to one day be the next Tiesto…clubs and concerts? That’s a long haul. Looking at primarily mixing and creating music? There are great DJ schools around that can teach the basics. Want to make great, steady money? Do events. For me, one of the best ways I leaned was joining a large DJ company that was busy every weekend with parties and events. Larger the better, as the best experience will come from observing as many DJ styles as possible. Then…once you have a few years experience and skills in place, you can start marketing yourself. My 1st time away from home was working for Club Med as a DJ. Best time of my life. Cruise lines are great as well. All the while, honing your skills and mixing. It can be an amazing life.

This is my opinion to help someone start.

1. Get two identical songs.
2. See if they can play both of them at the same time and keep the beat.
3. See if they can pull one back a few beats and have both songs play at the same time in sync.
4. Have the songs playing in sync and only one listenable to the ear then cut between the two songs to see if they still can keep the beat.
5. Play one song and will the mixer is in the middle where you can hear both songs then let the other song go in time with the song that is playing.

When they can do with with the same song then time to move on to two different songs of similar beat and then +/- 2 or 4, etc.

Traktor and Serato are literally the WRONG way to go to be a successful DJ. Let's assume a scenario where you get booked and you carry your gear. Your gear gets lost in customs and you have to go on in a couple of hours to perform.

a) Do you throw your cake on your face like Steve Aoki does and walk away?

b) Call someone else to take your place

c) Use your tracks you have (on your hardrive) or purchase online, throw them on a few CDs and play your gig?

Well I would go with option C as that was precisely what happened to me.

I started off learning how to DJ on turtables using Vinyl and slowly graduated into CDs and now into Ableton / Traktor / Serato. I can go between any medium easily without a problem.

I remember a time when everyone began to DJ on CDs. I was a resident at one of the finest clubs in Boston and the club owner at the time had asked me to let this guy open up for me. Sure, why not! One hour opening and I could just chill with a drink. The DJ shows up and I take him to the DJ booth and well guess what? The guy got stumped. The club had the Denon 1800F (check em out) and he could only play on the Pioneer CDJ 1000s. He threw a rant and a hiss and couldn't play that night. So I had to play the entire night, hey no complains there. I enjoyed it and so did the crowd!

The point is it is not the controllers you use but learning the art of DJing and lately, that is lost with all these controllers.

My first step for you is to

a) Get some old CDJs and learn on them. If you can't buy them then go to friend's place who owns a pair.

b) Learn the art of beatmatching. How many beats to a bar, when do you bring in the track, where is the breakdown in the track, when should I fade out...etc Your tracks should seamlessly blend in and out.

c) Train your Ears. Learn the key by listening to the track and not by a software Prior to software that was exactly what I did. Then use a Key software (which is available in Traktor) to see if your tracks came close to what you heard.

d) Practice Practice Practice. Enjoy DJing, don't let it be a bore. Practice is the only way you can get better at it.

Resources - Here are a few links to get your started

1. One of my FAV DJ channels and an outright nice guy. He has a wealth of information to share.

1. DJ Angel for Turntabiism aka scratching, tricks and other good stuff.
   

1. DJ Tech Tools - A terrific site of the latest news in DJing, Technology and all things related to Electronic music
   
   DJ TechTools - The largest community for DJ and producer techniques, tutorials, and tips. Traktor secrets, controller reviews, a massive MIDI mapping library, and more.
   
   
2. Digital DJ Tips - Another good site with all things related to DJing and Electronic music
   
   How To DJ With Digital DJ Controllers & Pro Gear - Digital DJ Tips

And there you have it!

Now go ahead and start DJIng :)

In 1996 I bought two record decks and a cheap mixer, around fifty vinyl records (I started collecting before buying decks).

I mixed every night, starting by trying to beat three tracks together perfectly (I remember that one was Dave Clarke - Red 3). I had two best friends, one who loved intelligent drum and bass (Photek - Rings Around Saturn) and the other loved Goa trance (Hallucinogen - Gamma Goblins).

Every day we spent hours trying to get our three records to mix. I recorded EVERYTHING on cassette tapes and spent every minute that I was out and about listening to my mixes on my walk-man.

Around six months in I had a 45 minute set which would have maybe one or two errors, but was still listenable. Then I started getting booked for gigs and parties.

Well for one be a lover of music no matter the genre. Understand the history/culture & respecting it. Collect the music. That is the easy part. Now you need to determine what setup to use. Do you want to spin vinyl, CDs or Serato (digital mixing). Well for me I use CDJs to get mp3s. However due to a lot of underground producer demanding their releases on vinyl you may want to invest in a turntable (which I own) or a turntable that at least can convert the vinyl into a WAV format for you to either burn to a CD or use for digital sets on computer. This is so you do NOT miss out on the vinyl only music. Lastly if you want your mixes to be heard you can get either a soundcloud, mixcloud or podomatic account for you to post your mix. Nowadays its much easier to do shows compared to when I started. Now you can have your own blog site & embed your mix on there to make it look professional. Hope this helps…

The first question I have is do you have the equipment to DJ?

If you have the equipment I would use two of the exact same records (songs) to learn how to mix beats. Try to get the two records to play at the same time and see how long you can keep them in sync.

The next step (with the same two copies of the record) is to have one play ahead and mix the other behind a few beats and see how long you can keep the beat in sync.

The next step is to mix it on the 1. That means, when record on turntable 1 is playing you move the fader to turntable 2 (which turns off the volume of turntable 1 and turns on the volume of turntable 2) while releasing the record on turntable 2 ensuring that it stays in beat.

Lastly, get two different records of the same BPM (beats per minute) and try mixing one into the other.

I started my career 20 years ago right out of high school with little money, no equipment, and no experience all while working a full time job. Here’s exactly what I would recommend doing today if trying to become a mobile DJ:

1. Get on Google and find a list of every DJ company in your city. Preferably look for multi-ops with more than one DJ on the team.

2. Call each and every (yes EVERY) company using the following script or your own variation… …

“Hello my name is (your name). I am calling to see if you have any DJ openings?” (They may ask you if you have your own equipment, bio page, ask what experience you have, ect.)

“I would like to be your free roadie to help you set up and break down and train to work for your company one day. I have a burning passion for music and I will be a huge asset to you if you give me this opportunity. Do you have any events coming up that I could assist you with for free?” Go to 5 to 10 shows and let them see you are reliable and dependable. Most DJs flake out so just by showing up and being helpful and positive, you are setting yourself apart.

Larger multi-op DJ companies are almost always in need of new talent to fill shows on busy dates. Plus, they can keep you busy if you are reliable. I get lots of people calling my business regularly but most vanish and never follow up so if you simply follow up, you are ahead of 99% of other newbies trying to launch their DJ dreams!

When you start training, look professional by wearing slacks, a long sleeve button up shirt, and tie. Never ask to be paid to train or you will be an annoying liability to the DJ and not an asset. Remember, you are trying to break into an industry. If you stick it out, Djing is VERY lurative!