Digitall DJ

I recently DJ’d my first wedding – booked on the back of a recommendation – and am currently quoting for more. I am marketing myself as a ‘cheese-free’ wedding DJ, which potential customers seem to like.
However, from my initial experience I have learned that while it is important to get to know the Bride & Groom’s taste in music, when it comes down to it they are often not even around (in the bar, meeting and greeting, attending to children etc) and it is the families you have to play to, from 2 – 80 !! It’s not easy to explain that you don’t have those cheesy tunes because they wouldn’t appeal to the couple!
Whilst I have the music to appeal to wide age ranges, the real skill is in balancing the tunes throughout the evening to please as many people as possible, and any tips and advice regarding the programming would be gratefully appreciated.

First, well done for getting such a good set for a first gig!
My early gigs were all short and sweet (60-90mins). Based on that experience my main tip was going to be plan your set before the gig. In the case of such a long set I’d certainly plan the first 30mins. You will have lots to think about at the beginning of the night – setting up, working out connections, getting levels right etc. and invariably the booth is a busy place as the staff set up lighting etc, so I find it a great advantage to be able to load a playlist and go without having to think about track selection.
When I say plan, I mean not just the tracks, but also the transitions – put cue markers in to remind you when to mix out and set load cues for all tracks. It’s time consuming and sounds too clinical but you will be grateful when you are there. As soon as you are settled in and relaxed, you can of course abandon your playlist and go with the flow.
I would also echo the advice above – set up playlists for segments of the night – that way the night will have a good structure.

Final tip – enjoy yourself! There’s nothing better than seeing those first groups venture onto the floor!

Let us know how it goes – good luck.

At the end of the day it depends on your style and workflow, but as I tried both of these at BPM last week, I thought I’d offer my thoughts!
The NS6 is a real step up from Numark – it feels solid, construction seems good and it does everything we have come to expect from the now ‘standard’ platter based controller. I don’t scratch but the platters seem tight and responsive.
So, solid, well made and I would imagine reliable. BUT……dare I say….uninspiring?

Onto the Twitch – I was looking forward to trying this kit, and was not disappointed! Within a couple of minutes of popping on the cans I was mixing, looping and manipulating tunes. It’s hard to describe, but it really is great fun. It’s intuitive to pick up – the well lit buttons are really helpful and the controls are all solidly built. The touchstrip felt really strange as an alternative to platters but after a few fun transitions I was wondering why anyone except turntablists would ever want a platter. Also loved the fader FX and really accurate rotary pitch adjuster.

The unit is solid and feels pro, yet is light and portable. Good connections and USB power all add to the package and have put the Twitch clearly at the top of my wish list.

As I began, it’s down to how you play, but hope that helps!

Currently using a pair of SONY MDR-V500s for reference and gigging. Light, robust and fold up small.
Formerely had a pair of Citronics which were useless – they broke on both sides at the weak point where the headband joins the ear-piece. This section is metal on the Sonys.
Use Sennheiser earbuds but have lost one of the rubber ear-pieces! Doh!

I said on one of these threads that I find it difficult to pigeon hole music into genre, and I am proving this – I would have Skrillex down as Electro! I said above that I don’t DJ dubstep, but maybe I do – I’ve been playing Rock’n’Roll for about 6 months!
When does electro become dubstep?

Dubstep is definitely breaking into the mainstream here in the UK, with special nights now becoming more common.
I don’t DJ it myself – am I the only one who finds it really hard to dance to?!!