how the hell to get sets in clubs?

[MattM]

Originally Posted by NeedleSharp

A case of beer says a program like that will become mainstream in 5 years... As appealing that is, a computer can not read a crowd and can not make new mixes to songs etc... and a computer that can is WAY down the road and im not afraid of that.

yea, if I knew anything about computer programming, software design, I'd be all over trying to code something like that. It's like that Mixed in Key software program. Some guy coded that, sells it for like 50 bucks or so, and is probably making a killing off it. I'm sure Ableton or some other companies already have something in the works..

Originally Posted by NeedleSharp

if you have any rhythm at all you have to somewhat care about beatmatching... i remember at my senior prom the dj was just a regular mobile dj. played the song from start to finish with no regard to tempo... i was dancing with my super hot date and there was nothing worse than
1. the last minute of the song because i was bored and
2. getting back into the groove every 4 minutes when a new song started.

my best friend (whitest, most non-rhytmatic dude you'll ever meet) is always listening to my mixed CDs or helping me lug around my gear at large gigs and at our prom he told me "man this DJ sucks... he needs to learn how to change songs more..."

one thing ive noticed is most reputable top 40 clubs (cirque, purgatory, uropa) have DJs that can mix. They might be 8 bar mixes and a few sloppy ones here a there but they can mix. i can dance all night with it and i appreciate that a lot.

haha, yea, just don't sweat it if you don't pull off 3-4 minute long mixes every time. As long as it's continous, and you don't trainwreck all of your mixes most crowds are cool with even a very basic level of mixing..

Anyways, you can make a living djing. I don't know if that's what you want to do. Anyone can within reason if they work at it and put in effort. But also, someone on here pointed out while back that if some dj's put the same time and effort they did into djing into something else, they would be pretty succesful at whatever that other avenue was..and pay will probably be a lot better than just free drinks and a couple guestlist spots too.. I personally did mobile gigs for a few years too, and made some ok money. But also, I realized while I loved dance music, djing was not something I wanted to pursue seriously. Not that I couldn't, I just became unwilling...so what do i know..

The best thing to do probably is to release and post mixes at a regular time frame. Release a new mix monthly or so, and make those mixes top notch.

[Roos]

Originally Posted by MattM

yea, if I knew anything about computer programming, software design, I'd be all over trying to code something like that. I

There are already programs out there that do this to an extent. Each song has parameters assigned to it like year, tempo, day part, in and out of song, energy, artist, etc... Then the computer chooses them according to the parameters you set. Most of them are used for radio though.

[matias]

Originally Posted by Roos

what dawg?

if you're established and you don't need to make your demos live, then do away with demos all together and record yourself at your gigs and put that out for people to listen to...

that's what the artists which I mentioned do

what's so wrong with being a believer that you should give people the exact product you will deliver when you're actually djing? please I'm all ears for a good reason against this. and no, having the chance your cat will jump on the tables is NOT a good reason because like I mentioned, you can just record a set from a gig and put that out as your work

[Eric Scholwinski]

matias, whats the difference in you doing a set at your house "live" on sound fordge, you messing up and then going back re-editing the mix (by re-doing the the part you messed up) then cut/pasting it back into the original mix.

that's no difference than using acid or abelton to make mixes.

i don't make demo's, no need to anymore, i make mixes for people to listen to. (But i do record myself live sometimes at clubs and post em, haven't recently cause i do not have a mp3 recorder at this moment, but will by the next lunar tunes)

everyone knows how i roll in this city (even the people i talk to and get gigs out of town / state) i have plenty of credentials (Record label stuff, 10 years in the biz, a weekly that people have talked about on various other msg boards from different states "Got House?") to back that i can program music and mix.

Just like Mike Roos and several other dj's in this town.

[Roos]

Originally Posted by matias

what dawg?

if you're established and you don't need to make your demos live, then do away with demos all together and record yourself at your gigs and put that out for people to listen to...

that's what the artists which I mentioned do

what's so wrong with being a believer that you should give people the exact product you will deliver when you're actually djing? please I'm all ears for a good reason against this. and no, having the chance your cat will jump on the tables is NOT a good reason because like I mentioned, you can just record a set from a gig and put that out as your work

limiting your options only limits your abilities and opportunities. if you play good music for a crowd, then that's all that matters. the medium in which you do it doesn't matter as long as you get the desired results (of course i would rather see a DJ using tables, but if he's rockin the house then it doesn't really matter). especially when it comes to making a demo that people only listen to and don't watch you create. if the demo sounds good, then that's all that matters. i could give you demos of myself that was done in all four of the formats and you wouldn't be able to tell me which one was what.

dawg.

[matias]

eric.. I, myself, will not redo a single mix and paste it back into the mix I fuck up. I record myself twice and pick the better of the two sets and if I'm having an off day, I just don't record at all on said day and come back to the project another time.

no one is dissing your credentials either man. I just don't see the problem of putting out your actual live sound as opposed to your sound through software if you're as good as you would be using software

and again... it's not about time or about your cat jumping on your decks, cause you can always put a mini-disk recorder or laptop to the record out of your 600 at moosh or your 500 at zubar and put those out as your mixes for people to listen to outside of the club

and mike, this isn't like the pepsi challenge where I would try to figure out whether it's an ableton-made mix or not. I just think if ableton is not the medium you usually use to mix live, you shouldn't use it for demos .. stay true to your medium - that's all I'm sayin

[Eric Scholwinski]

I don't see a need to make a demo of my "skills" (since all i do is straight mixing anyways). Like i said i've ran weeklies, a few monthlies, hundreds of guest spots, an internet radio show (I've ran for 2 1/2 years on myhouse-yourhouse.net) and guest on several different radio stations local and abroad.

If that's not good enough, well too bad.

When i am playing around at the house (usually i record) and i like the mix, i'll save it and probably post it. But a lot of times I really can't "Get into it" when playing inside my bedroom.

Other times i am just making a mix for people to enjoy in their home or car, most people can hear me dj out in Dallas 2-3 times a month, if they wanna see / hear my "skills".

You and i just see things differently, but i know people who think the same as you, as they do I.

No big deal.

[david austin]

i dont really see a problem with using ableton for mixes. i see the potential negs from a guy just starting out in a particular scene that nobody has really heard play... but frankly i dont really have enough time to spend doing a 'live' mix at home.

[david austin]

eric... title your next mix

ran vs run

[Eric Scholwinski]

Originally Posted by david austin

eric... title your next mix

ran vs run

lol shut up.

[Roos]

Originally Posted by matias

eric.. I, myself, will not redo a single mix and paste it back into the mix I fuck up. I record myself twice and pick the better of the two sets and if I'm having an off day, I just don't record at all on said day and come back to the project another time.

no one is dissing your credentials either man. I just don't see the problem of putting out your actual live sound as opposed to your sound through software if you're as good as you would be using software

and again... it's not about time or about your cat jumping on your decks, cause you can always put a mini-disk recorder or laptop to the record out of your 600 at moosh or your 500 at zubar and put those out as your mixes for people to listen to outside of the club

and mike, this isn't like the pepsi challenge where I would try to figure out whether it's an ableton-made mix or not. I just think if ableton is not the medium you usually use to mix live, you shouldn't use it for demos .. stay true to your medium - that's all I'm sayin

and my point is that when making a demo to get gigs, you want to give them the best possible one. doesn't matter what or how you make it, as long as you can live up to it at the actual gig.


silly argument. this guy is asking for advice on how to get a gig. not on how to make his demo.

[matias]

bro I'm not trying to discredit you or anyone else that records their shit on ableton

I just think that maybe by doing this, djs get comfortable and that translates into sloppier mixes at the club (which djs can get away with because systems are forgiving) and overall the standard of quality drops everywhere

but if you don't think that you're getting comfortable and you're doing everything you can to stay on top of your game and should someone take the ableton-challenge with 2 of your sets, one in ableton and one live, and not be able to tell the difference, then more power to you

I know I couldn't do that, and I know I wouldn't want to do that

again.. I am not trying to get into any arguments here or diss anyone, or anything like that. I am just trying to make a point that I don't think it's right to "front"

and david austin, I already mentioned this is not a problem of time, because you can get yourself a mini disk recorder and record yourself live at lotus.

and yes mike, you do want to give the best possible version of what you play and how you play it as your demo... so just record 5 of your gigs and pick the best out of the 5

[Roos]

Originally Posted by david austin

eric... title your next mix

ran vs run

"Eric RAN the crowd off the dancefloor."

"Eric will always RUN the crowd off the dancefloor."

Maybe that'll help him.

[david austin]

i haz gigs

[dj jonas]

Yep. Unfortunately, it is political in this town (and I guess most markets for that matter). We have tried putting local talent together that we thought fit the sound for our parties and were some of the better talents that don't get heard enough. Too often, though, It's a popularity contest in some regards to get any type of exposure. But, there are still plenty of opportunities out there if you really want to play. Just gotta get out there and network a little. Sometimes it helps. Other times it doesn't.

It also depends on what you play. In a town where 'electro' and Tech House seem to be popular, it's hard to get any playing time if you play anything else. I play Progressive and Techno and usually have better luck at gigs in other Texas cities.