Today's crowded DJ booths call for good manners at switchover time.
Digital DJ Tips Reader DJ ANON writes: “My question is regarding DJ changeovers in busy DJ booth. As I’m sure your aware, one of the downsides of our craft now that there’s so many different set-ups is that we have to mess around behind a club mixer in a dark environment, and sooner or later, experienced or not, stuff’s gonna go down!
“I was wondering if you could provide any feedback on how to streamline this process – not necessarily dealing with the mixer as that’s pretty simple, but more tips on etiquette, the ‘fewer feet we tread on’ etc. ”
Digital DJ Tips says
The first thing is to learn all about club mixers so you’re not caught out, and always have a torch (hint the torch apps on iPhones and other smartphones are great for this). Carry spare leads. Carry mains/AC adaptors.
Don’t spend two or three tunes fiddling around, which is bad form.
I find having your first tune prepared so you can hit “play” and be going gives you time while the previous DJ’s last tune is playing to set up. Don’t take his last two or three tunes fiddling around, which is bad form.
However, I am sure there are plenty of readers who handle digital gear switchovers week in, week out, and I’d love to get their opinions on this too.
So – over to you! How do you handle DJ switchovers, with all the varieties of modern DJ gear and the challenges that faces us with? Got any nightmare stories? I’d love you to share your tips and experiences in the comments.
Now go to:
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Really looking forward to other tips and comments on this one. My big problem is switchovers. A DJ before me plays with CDs because he’s more experienced, and I feel more comfortable using my laptop for now. I’m at the point where I simply can’t afford CD Decks so practicing is so hard: My best point of practice is putting a sheet of paper in front of my laptops screen so I can’t see BPM counts etc.
So my question to all is simple: How can I swiftly go into the booth, setup my laptop onto say, CDJ 900s/2000s, and get out without disturbing the flow of the music? It’s my biggest nightmare that my music just won’t start, so I always have CDs/a memory stick with me
[ link ]I do not believe you can set up fast hooking your laptop into the CDJ 900 or 2000. I DJ every week as a resident with 2x CDJ 2000′s and I use them for Traktor with an X1. I have the benefit of being the only one who uses the DJ booth and it still takes me about 5 – 10 minutes to connect my cables, set up my USB hub, put up the laptop stand, start computer, link the CDJ’s, connect the X1…. If I was going to play in any other club I would just use CD’s. It is just so much easier when you are playing with other DJ’s.
That is just my opinion and like yourself I would like to know a fast way of doing the above as well.
[ link ]If using traktor or anything like that sometimes it is best to use normal vinyl or cdjs just to free up some space then you can introduce your preferred setup when the booth is all clear without the stress.
[ link ]Make sure the mixer has many many inputs: any new A&H or similarly decent mixer has a fair whack of line inputs with a matrix selector.
Then, run spare RCA cables to *every* line input on the mixer. Any that aren’t plugged into house gear (CDJs, etc) should be taped to the booth, tagged with colour-coded tape and have the channel/matrix WRITTEN on the tag.
That way, DJs just grab a labelled RCA lead, plug into it and know which channel they’re getting.
[ link ]Amen!
[ link ]I has may X1 Prepared so i Can Switch On The Fly between Internal and Scratch Mode, when the Dj before me Use Timecode, i put my Line RCA`s in the Mixer let him pack his Bag and then i Callibrate my DVS System! If it doesnt work, i have 2 optional Ways to Play my Set! But most i Play the First & Second TRack without Timecode, and it Works fine in Tiny Dj Booth`s!
[ link ]+1 on this as I use this method too. Having a secondary method of playing tunes is always good practice.
[ link ]Well, sometimes you have to prepare 2 to 3 tracks before the previous DJ ends if you don’t want to stop the music in between the switchover. I had this very same issue last weekend where they had placed all their Ableton controllers above the flightcased CDJ2000s (therefore CD or USB playback not really possible), so I had to at least connect the Audio 8 to the DJM800 in advance and check if the inputs were working properly before putting on my first song.
After playing the first tune, which connected their dubstep set with the style I was playing really well (more house/electro/party like) and instantly got the crowd going, I set up the rest of my timecode CD gear, playing an additional song with the X1 to get more time to put things right.
In the end the switchover worked flawlessly without the crowd even noticing, which I think is really important – otherwise those sometimes awkward changeover gaps can easily destroy the good vibe…
[ link ]Oftentimes it’s not very difficult for me since I don’t use timecode. I just set up my equipment, use a line out and plug into a spare channel on the mixer (like, when then previous DJ was mixing his last tune on Channel A, i unplug channel B (after asking him) and plugged my line out in) and manually beatmatch my first record to the previous DJ’s last one. when he’s done, I set my channel to through (i.e. not affected by the crossfader) and I’m done!
[ link ]but things can get more complicated using DVS/external mixer setup, I’ve never really tried. maybe just as above but plug the channel in one by one?
I was JUST thinking about this subject and channeled my thoughts across the pond to Phil. Magic! But I have a side-bar comment question. Whenever Im at a club and watch the DJ change over, I get annoyed that there is NO disernable change in the music. The same music/beat/tempo just continues right along and makes me wonder, why bother changing DJ’s if the next guy does the same thing? Granted, there’s something to be said for hooking up in a tight space without messing up the beat but personally, I’d want people to know like, BAM – here’s something different to keep the party going.
[ link ]Interesting point that you have raised.
[ link ]It has made me think..
Traditionally the courteous thing to do is try to compliment the previous DJs final track. It is kind of rude to upstage the previous DJ by slamming on a floorfiller when he has been playing trip hop or rare grooves.
Although there is nothing worse than the way most club DJs manage to make a whole night of music comprising of three or four different DJs sound like one intro and nothing else.
If I wanted to listen to nothing but a 4×4 kick drum for 8 hours I would stay indoors and ponce around with an 808 drum machine
[ link ]Its funny how people get so caught up in not having a break in music, I did for years too. I recently went to a party where everyone was playing on Traktor with vinyl control but only 1 soundcard, so at the end of each set they stopped the music, switched laptops and started again. Only a break of 1 min or so between tunes but it was great to put a close to one set then open up the next set. A minute or two of no music isn’t going to kill anyone… That said – I always have a cd wallet so I can mix into the previous dj and hook up my S4 at my leisure…
[ link ]I was at a club a few nights ago which was having a “DJ Battle” with 8 djs or so, each playing 30-ish minutes so there were many crossovers. I noticed that the dj ending his set let the last track run then started helping the oncoming dj set up. I imagine it definitely made for a quicker, smoother, transition. It was also pretty cool to see that kind of community between competing djs (although they could have just been friends playing one after the other). Even so, it won’t hurt to know and at least be on amicable terms with those you’re playing with in order to streamline these transitions.
[ link ]Call me a cheat if you will but a bring a few cds with recordings of my mixes on.
I whack in an hour long mix then set up my kit.
It rarely takes more than 10 mins but occasionally something goes wrong and I have to start unplugging everything, it’s those times I am glad I bought a mix CD along.
The trick is to have a mix for every occasion so if you are following a DJ dropping jazzy hip hop or drum n bass it’s no problem because you have the perfect CD in your bag
[ link ]I always start my set using c.d’s, then if the booth has enough space and the previous DJ has finished unplugging serato or whatever else he’s using i’ll plug my s4 into one of the channels that isn’t being used on the mixer. I think this is the best way to use a controller if your going to because if your laptop freezes you can quickly resume the situation by using the cdjs whilst you restart your laptop. Its never happened to me however, but you can’t be too careful!
[ link ]I had to switch out from a vinyl DJ playing Jungle to my Kontrol S2 on friday. Fortunately the mixer was a DJM800 which had channel 1 and 4 hooked up to CDJs so I just unplugged the RCA running from channel one into the CDJ and plugged that into the RCA on my Kontrol S2. Cued up the gains on the mixer from the master on my controller to match the volume of the Turntables and let the last vinyl play out then drop a funky breaks track to start my set. Setup was easy, using my Crane Standard Stand for my Laptop. And I put my controller on top of one of the CDJs using a nice piece of foam as a cushion so it wouldn’t scratch the top of the CDJ. The party really got into high gear once the girls started shaking thier booty’s to funky florida breaks I played!!! I have to give credit to Phil and the rest of the DDT writers who helped explain how best to setup in a club environment!!!
[ link ]if possible , having the NI multicore cables is a real life saver, I was able to switch out to another dj in 3 mins. I played my second to last song as timecode in tracktor. my last song was a 5 min song on a cd. during the cd, we could unhook all of my gear with the music still playing. we hooked in his dvs, and he mixed out of my last song into his first song timecode. worked so well, don’t know how we would have done it without the NI multicore cables. -2cents
[ link ]The SELECTOR DJ DVS Line Switcher or MAGMA SWITCHBOX. L
[ link ]I work in a club that has a serato SL3 and a native instruments audio 8… I use vdj so can use either, so whatever is available. SBDJ has also created a tool that allows you to save your soundcard settings and load when required before opening the program…
I have the asio drivers for both on my system. and mappers for any HID/midi controller I have come across in the booth.
then when loaded I just plug in the usb from the cdj2000′s on the free player assign the deck with a macro command, play my first track, when the other one is finished I plug that in, reassign the controllers again with a macro to make sure there is no problems of the decks being reversed, done
[ link ]It is definitly a good idea to have various DJ applications on your laptop and to know them well. This will be helpful in case you have to use an interface hooked up by a fellow DJ or on a rare occassion the club may have their own interface set up. Otherwise invest in a SELECTOR DJ DVS Line Switcher or MAGMA SWITCHBOX.
[ link ]Spare CDs or iPhone (synced with my latest iTunes playlists) to stick on to get my music going works for me, I don’t like having to asking the DJ I’m following to play another tune or me to rush and mess about with DVS setup with two DJs trying to pack/unpack in a crowded booth. Then when I’ve go going I can relax while setting up the cabling. Only problem is avoiding disturbing a CD or vinyl playing on Deck A while connecting timecode to Deck B then hurrying to setup Deck A with before the track on Deck B finishes, not too bad as by then at least the laptop is up an running and you know things are working. A short mix CD/MP3 would help here especially if you need more than 5 mins to do this (and good for toilet breaks too!)
Totally agree you don’t want to upset other DJs too much or having the crowd booing because of a break in the music.
[ link ]DJMUKLUK NIGHTMARE i landed a pretty big gig and when i got there it was set up sound was intense bass but clear bass and i was like whoe But…. when i looked at where the sound was coming from (CDJs) i didnt know wether to say i dont know how to use these or to say i know them well and i still get the party started instead of panicking and saying i do not know how to use those i went up on stage NOT knowing CDJs at ALL i asked the owner of the Equipment i said you dont mind if i use these cdjs right ? owner of the Equipment says that is why they are there man use em if not use what ever you want i didnt bring anything because they said they had everything so i just got on there looked at there collection of cds and just started to use cdjs WITH OUT serato or Traktor or anything just straight cross fading my self and thru in a few scratches was i awesome at them NOPE but i played music and kept the hype up then 1 hour later the DMC champs comes around and says you know cdjs i said nope he said right on man ur doing awesome for some one that has not used a cdj or a turntable before when i first started i was a cd player dj or ipod one time a recorded tape lol so that was kool
[ link ]