Party/Disco DJing

[Yoshimitsui]

Howdy,

I wasn't all that sure where to put this but here goes.

Im wanting to do the music/DJing for a christmas party and have acquired all the equipment of people i am however unsure what DJ programme is best to use for real life events. I am only really familiar with SAM for online and what not and was wondering if anyone could give some suggestions.

Thanks, Yoshii

[Recursion]

Sam Party DJ, Spotify or iTunes all the way.

[Yoshimitsui]

What's the difference between party dj and broadcaster? Also it seems you have to buy spotifiy and Itunes doesn't have kind of semi-professional interface i want to use.

Cheers.

[HD-Christopher]

Use a turntable. a mixer and itunes. that is what my friend uses and he does it for clubs, parties, and more.

[sgraham]

As a mobile DJ myself, I'd recommend you check out Traktor Pro/Scratch or Virtual DJ.

http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/dj/traktor-pro/

http://www.virtualdj.com/

Both offer Windows and Mac compatibility, however if you're a Mac user and new to the mobile DJ scene and want a cheaper alternative you might want to have a look at djay, for $49.95 (or £36.40) it's a real steal.

http://www.djay-software.com/


Any questions feel free to get in touch, and good luck.

[Yoshimitsui]

The thing is i am only planning on doing this the once and i have never done it before but just know the basics, and so is there any alternatives that you don't have to buy?

Thanks!

[awelsh]

Itunes/winamp????

Winamp does the fade effects etc, and is simple to use :) would prefer that over itunes anyday, cant stand itunes :P

[sgraham]

In that case, just stick with iTunes.

Set up a playlist (for a school dance, just stick to what's in the charts mixed with the old and new essentials), enable Song Crossfade with the default setting and you should be good to go.

Finally, check out www.djtutor.com for tips, advice, tutorials and gig logs from some of the best mobile DJs (and some club DJs also) in the industry.

I'd highly recommend you watch a few of their videos before you set up or use any professional DJ equipment, especially if you're renting/borrowing it.

Good luck.

[Yoshimitsui]

Use a turntable. a mixer and itunes. that is what my friend uses and he does it for clubs, parties, and more.

It's where to get hold of a mixer and the whole set though, and itunes seems to basic.



Itunes/winamp????

Winamp does the fade effects etc, and is simple to use :) would prefer that over itunes anyday, cant stand itunes :P

Never really took to winamp and i can easily use SAM if it will work correctly. I want a bit more technical than the basic play list on itunes and what not.



In that case, just stick with iTunes.

Set up a playlist (for a school dance, just stick to what's in the charts mixed with the old and new essentials), enable Song Crossfade with the default setting and you should be good to go.

Finally, check out www.djtutor.com for tips, advice, tutorials and gig logs from some of the best mobile DJs (and some club DJs also) in the industry.

I'd highly recommend you watch a few of their videos before you set up or use any professional DJ equipment, especially if you're renting/borrowing it.

Good luck.


As i stated above i am quite competent with the more technical side of things and would like to use something realistic, i have gotten used to SAM and will that work fine if i wer to just use that?

The equipment is off people my parents know and is compromising of speakers and AMP i believe, although i have checked that site and most of the videos have been removed.

On another note, would i be able to use the trial version of VirtualDJ just for a one off? And what sort of speakers would you recommend for a room around the size of an average pub?

Thanks, Yoshii

[sgraham]

Well, from experience as a mobile DJ, 99.9% of the time, people don't care if you are mixing like a pro or not. They just want to enjoy themselves and that's your job as a mobile DJ.

So yes, SAM Party DJ would be fine for the average gig or you could try VirtualDJ free, no limitations for the first 20 days. The average gig would return around £200 (will vary depending on your area), so after a couple of gigs, you could easily afford a genuine license for VirtualDJ.

Trial: http://www.virtualdj.com/download/
Buy: http://www.virtualdj.com/buy/

However, if it's a one-off gig, don't buy any equipment, just continue to rent until you have established yourself as a local DJ and will have the bookings to return on your investment.

One concept you might want to note, from the DJ Tutor - Ellaskins is that you can turn loud speakers down, but you can't turn small speakers up. So don't limit yourself by buying the cheapest and smallest speakers going, think about the possibility of larger gigs in the future.

http://www.djtutor.com/dj_tutorials.php?subgroup=gear&pagename=gearmisc&ref=3xcTuu0JXBA

In terms of buying equipment in the future, I'd recommend you find a local shop that specialises in DJ/audio equipment and try before you buy. You're most likely to get the best deals from a local vendor as an added bonus, as well as support if you're new to DJ scene.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

[Jamieb]

Hello,

If I was you I would go for CDJ's but can cost alot.

If you want turntables you want something like virtual vinyl and a mac, as mac runs the progam (virtual dj) better.

Or you could buy an all in one with 2 cd players and a mixer.


Hope I was a help,

Jamieb