So, you want to learn how to DJ?

Try some of these tips, they will get you started!

First, you need to remember that you need patience if you're starting from the beginning.

It's not easy, and often you will feel hopeless in succeeding at things, so keep chanting to yourself...this will take time, have patience.

Try to remember I did all this notes in a matter of a few hours, so I will try to come back and update it.
Feel free to contact me (details at the bottom of this page), for additional help! The world needs more DJ's!

Here's the learning process (Trance / Progressive / Techno / Hardstyle / Hard Trance / House / Hard House)

1. Start your music collection. Hit up www.BeatPort.com, www.AudioJelly.com, your local music store or online mp3 stores, etc. You need music! It's plain and simple, you can't become a DJ if you don't have music; i'd recommend MP3 for now, just because it's easier to get! Even if it's old music...If you can afford to buy CD's, make sure you buy Full Length high quality Singles, of the genre you really love. Always get 320kb quality of your tracks! Once you have hundreds of songs to choose from (your collection will get bigger as you progress), then you are ready to start the learning experience. Organize your music however you like, but make sure you have plenty of a genre you enjoy. If you get WAV or FLAC, it makes it easier if you convert down to 320kb, through a software like Sony Sound Forge 9. I use Sound Forge 9 to record my live shows, as well as convert WAV's. To convert FLAC's you actually have to use a setting in Winamp, just google: how to convert FLAC files; then you convert from FLAC to WAV, and from there down to MP3.

2. You need a way to mix your tracks. I would recommend for starters, to get Virtual DJ, www.virtualdj.com. Don't get mixmeister or anything like that, because those are WAY too easy, and all you will learn is how to be real lazy. At least with Virtual DJ (VDJ), you can have a little bit of hands on and visual of what's going on, interacting with the flow is key! It's recommended to start with software since it's so easy to get around in it, plus it's how I started learning. I would recommend version 3.4, mainly because the newer ones are so much more technical, but you just need the basics! You may find it difficult to learn in the later versions. Once you've conqured VDJ, you should buy some Hardware, 2x CDJ 800 MK II's and a DJM 400 is what I use. But that might not be in your budget, so get whatever you can afford, that will allow you to use MP3's. Then once you have the CDJ's and DJM,

3. Science of music - Selecting the right tracks to mix. There's actually science behind all of the music! It's called Keys. You can analyze track keys by downloading a nifty little program called Mixed in Key. http://www.mixedinkey.com is the web site address. Now let me explain what keys are. For example, these are the same keys like on a piano, and each track has key that its built upon. For example, A minor, A major, etc. Mixed In Key will categorize them as 1A, 1B, 2A, 2A, all the way to 12A & 12B. You can learn what each key is by using the Camelot wheel: http://community.mixedinkey.com/Topic.aspx?ID=3194, there's a forum post there with a big picture of it... This wheel shows you what Mixed in Key has categorized your track as. I would highly recommend reading up entirely on keys, because a lot of famous DJ's use them to help find tracks that sound right with what's playing, and you can music CAN mix well even when your ears aren't in charge of it. You should also try and learn these keys by ear, it will help you identify what another DJ is playing, so you can mix into it! Mixing in Key some call "cheating", but there's no such thing as "cheating" if you're giving your listeners a great show! Don't be the guy that puts on a wrong track and it sounds like shi*!

4. Beatmatching and when to start mixing. Both are common issues with newcomers. Beatmatching usually isn't the hard part, it's when to start mixing. In all forms of Electronic music, you can tell when a full riff is starting. For example, sometimes theres a short break that will define the startup of a full riff in the song. This is most likely a melody or harmony that tells you a story. It ranges from Vocal to Non Vocal types of music, and you will generally hear the full riff 3 to 4 times throughout the entire track. It's why the track is made, to express this melody. Generally, the melody is the "beef" of the song, progressed stronger 3 to 4 minutes into the song (or 45-55% into the song). When you learn how to identify the beginning of these melodies, you now know when to begin mixing into the next track. Your next track should start at the beginning of the incoming track. Lets say for example, Deck #1 in VDJ is playing a tune... This tune is 7 minutes and 39 seconds in length. You're now at around 3 minutes till the track "ends", and your track is coming out of the break (the break is like a no beat symphony in the middle of the track, to add Euphoria-- in Techno or other Genres this may not apply the same, so you just need to find the right spot to mix out around 3 to 2 minutes and 30 seconds to begin mixing out). You would want to start at the beginning of your riff on the first beat, and now you have 2 songs playing from the beginning of their riff's (the beginning of their story). Proceed to matching the beats, and bringing in the mids and highs of your incoming track. You will want to wait generally 50-55 seconds to 1 minute and 26 seconds or so (depending on your current BPM! at 140 BPM your bass change will usually happen at around 55 seconds into your incoming track (deck 2)), when you feel it's right to change your bass from one track to the next. You want to wait this length of time to give your incoming track enough time to progress into it's full bass, this way when you switch you are preserving momentum of your bass and feel. If you mix out too late, then momentum of your set will lose its integrity, and feel, so try to keep the flow steady. This is one of the most difficult parts of DJing to learn, but once you have it down you're unstoppable. This stage later on will help you define your style in mixing. It's different for everyone (but in trance commonly the same for many, just because a lot of electronic music is built to match up to be mixable--some special circumstances apply, if you're talented enough to find them or if you know your music well enough to be creative, you will find in your years to come how creative you can get with the start points of your next track; this is part of what makes certain DJ's unique, aside from their track selection).

5. Building a show! Don't even think about trying to make a show until you've spent roughly 2 to 5 hours a day for 4 months learning everything I told you about above, because you're going to look like an idiot when you send your recorded set to a friend and it sounds like a 4th grader made it. Compare your show to one of the popular DJ's like PVD, Tiesto, etc, hell even compare to a few of my later ones. Make sure your transitions sound good..minor beatmatch misalignment is fine, sometimes people don't even notice it (however, DJ's do). Make sure your volume levels are good as well, and that the songs you have chosen make sense. If you start fast and end up slow, then you're not giving your listeners a buildup vibe they are expecting. Once you've got a show you know your friends will go nutts over, send it to them and get an opinion! Try to remember, shows need to build up. I find it's easiest to start slower, like around 134 bpm, and build up for 6 to 8 songs progressively, all the way up to 138 bpm, then when the feel is right, drop a banger. Banger's are just .... badass! Straight up slammin' in the face tracks that knock your listeners on their ass. Once you've got your show ready, record it. I find it's best to record in 320kb, and then convert afterwards to 192kb to give to friends & listeners.

6. The next phase. Once you've done all of this and you have a set you're happy with, send a link to me to download it and I will throw my opinion back at you. Hell, if you're doing good enough I can provide tips with Hardware mixing, and perhaps even help you get your own show on an internet radio station so you can start getting listeners!

I'd like to thank DJ Javs originally for helping me get started, he's the one who put me through the software VDJ, told me how to start my collection, etc. Try to remember to give your teacher credit, and never forget where you came from!

Feel free to msg me on MSN or AIM:

MSN: setis@synergysessions.net
AIM: GabrielSetis

E-Mail: gabrielsetis@gmail.com