DJing in bars | Digital DJ Tips

July 15th, 2012 Training

Over To You: How Can I Make My Controller Louder?

by Phil Morse

Keeping out of here is essential for great sound when DJing - but sometimes it's not quite that simple, as we find out today.

Digital DJ Tips reader Jeff in Florence, Italy, writes: “I’ve got myself a gig at this bar a couple nights a week. The problem is, last night while I showed them what I could do/tested my equipment on their system, I couldn’t get the volume to be quite what they wanted (their regular DJ could, even though in order to do so, he compromised the quality of the sound ie it was distorting the speakers).

“I think they really need a new amp/speakers, but they just want me to play louder. I’m using Traktor Pro 2, a Reloop Mixage (just like in your How To Digital DJ Fast video course) and a Dell Studio XP computer. I had the Reloop on full volume and for most of the songs (though it pained me to do so) also had them on full gain, and it still wouldn’t get as loud as the other guy’s stuff.

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June 10th, 2011 DJ Culture

Opinion: Why A Digital DJ Should Never Play From Behind The Bar

by DJ Stone Crazy

A band would never play from behind a bar, so why should a DJ?

I’m not going to front. I’m a newbie to the DJ game, a newbie in his early forties. But I want to tell you what I already know: that if you get a gig in a bar, you should do everything you can to avoid being made to play from behind the bar itself. Here’s why:

A year ago, my first gigs involved me plugging my laptop into the bar’s stereo system, a system located behind the bar counter. At first, I just worked for booze. As time passed, I began receiving a percentage of bar sales. Plus I kept tips and still received free booze.

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July 28th, 2010 DJ Culture

7 Easy Steps Towards Your First DJ Booking

by Phil Morse

DJing on your local pub or bar scene is a great way to hone your skills.

Whether it’s your first gig ever, a first booking in a new town, your first event for a while, or just a first play in a new venue that you’ve decided is for you: Getting that “first gig” is an art form in itself. And for today’s digital DJ, it definitely doesn’t involve sending out mix CDs or getting yourself an agent!

We’re not talking about playing in a big club with established DJ bookings and thousands through the doors; we’re talking about the kind of venue where you turn up, controller over shoulder, plug in and provide a DJ set – no fuss. The kind of place that functions fine without a DJ too. Places like your favourite music bar, beach bar, lounge bar, student venue or live music haunt. So here’s how to land that elusive first gig and start DJing out regularly:

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June 12th, 2010 DJ Culture

6 Ways To Survive When DJing In Sports Bars

by Phil Morse

Soccer and music definitely do mix, at least as far as French international Djibril Cissé is concerned.

Regular readers will know my views on bar-type gigs – for digital DJs, turning up with your kit in a backpack and playing in places that aren’t nightclubs (such as sports bars, cool cafes etc) gives you valuable tune-time in public and accelerates your mastery of the art of DJing. Bar DJing is where many, many good DJs learn the ropes and you should definitely be doing it as often as you can.

However, consider this scenario: You turn up for your regular gig oblivious to the fact that there’s a big game on tonight, then feel mighty uncomfortable not knowing what to do about whether you should be letting people watch the game, whether to put the music or the commentary on, and indeed whether you should be DJing at all. This is often made worse if the venue manager or owner isn’t around to tell you what he or she wants you to do.

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