5 Reasons Why You Should Video Yourself Mixing

Phil Morse | Founder & Tutor
Read time: 2 mins
Last updated 27 March, 2018

Carl
Carl Cox in the Pioneer DJ studio recording a mix in 2014. You don’t need to be in a cool studio or have multiple camera angles – you can do all of this from your smartphone in your bedroom.

Have you done a DJ mix yet on video? We’ve actually been doing an awful lot of these recently here at Digital DJ Tips (filming material for our forthcoming Digital DJ Lab training – more on that later…), and we think it’s something every DJ should have a go at.

So whether you’ve thought about it and not known where to start, or not even considered it before, here’s why you should make doing your very own video mix a priority:

  1. Videos of DJ mixes get watched and shared much more than mixtapes – Let’s face it, we live in a video world. If you make a mixtape, but film it too, you’re going to get far more traction than if you just record an audio mix and throw it out there
  2. They’re so simple to do nowadays – You can use your phone to record the whole thing; get a phone tripod, and a TRRS audio cable for recoding the audio direct into your phone from your controller or mixer, and you’ve got all you need. When you’re done, upload it to a site like chew.tv, which is specially for DJ mixes
  3. Perfection is not as important on video as it is on “audio only” – As part of the aforementioned Digital DJ Lab training that we’re currently making, we deconstructed a Carl Cox video (you can see it here), and it struck us how it was all about having fun and trying things out, not mixing perfectly. If Carl Cox can play free and loose when using this format, so can you!
  4. Videoing yourself behind the decks gives you a chance to see how others see you – We’ve always encouraged people to record their mixes and listen to them away from their decks, because then you hear yourself like others hear you. By filming what you’re doing too, you get the chance to study your body language, behaviour and techniques in a way not possible with mere audio mixes
  5. They’re currently a really cool thing to do – Skrillex did a live Boiler Room from IMS in Shanghai a few weeks ago that broken all viewing records for DJ mix videos. Now is definitely the time to get on board and get comfortable with doing this
chew
Chew.tv is custom designed for DJs to stream and host their DJ mixes on video, and it’s all completely legal. It makes the “getting your mix out there” side of things easy.

People have long moaned that DJ mixtapes don’t attract any interest nowadays, and if you think the same, this is a simple way to breath lots of new life back into your mixing. Get one in the can and share it with the world!

Here’s your chance to share your DJ mixes on video with us, too. Feel free to post a link to any videos you have of your mixing below in the comments. Don’t forget to tell us a bit about your mix too, we’d love to know the background of anything you share.

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