Dizzle

Which software do you use? I’d recommend the Vestax VCI – 380. It has dedicated FX controls (albeit a little basic) but works really well with Serato Dj. Since the company seems to no longer operate, I’m sure you can find a new / used one at a great deal. It’s built like a tank and has great jog wheels

Soundcloud is great for building a collection of tracks that’s more true to your own brand/vibe. Start by searching for Hip Hop tracks & reggae tracks you love. The Dubstep remix of Dead Prez’s Hip Hop is a great start into that genre and as for Trap/Bass type stuff check out Tropkillaz, they have some fun reggae remixes/derived tracks.

Biased suggestion here: The Vestax VCI-300 is probably half that price used right now. Even the upgrade, the VCI-380 is probably only around $400 now. As for midi platters w/o drive motors, it’s tough to beat Vestax’s I used the 380… the pads and relatively compact size make it a great 2 channel midi mixer that has a built-in standalone mixer. Just in case you want to use it in a DVS setup as well.

I like using both cups of the headphones for beatmatching… you get the least amount of delay from your signal chain. Once the tracks are beatmatched though, it’s more advisable to only use one ear cup so that you can hear what the new track sounds like mixing into the old one over the booth monitor (and to a lesser extent the floor PA. The blending of the 2 tracks together in you cans will undoubtedly sound different to what the monitor and PA sound like.

yea it sounds like a misguided attempt to thin the heard of up-and-coming dis hungry to perform at one of DCs biggest venues. I feel like even worse than the no controller/computer requirement is that they clearly state that the competition is based on popularity.  I’m entered in a similar competition to ‘win’ a set at Webster Hall in NYC and the organizers will pick their favorite from the top 50 most popular entries, to help minimize the folks gaming the ‘popularity’ measurement.

Don’t sweat the no laptop thing… how exactly would they know that you mixed it on a controller when listening to the submission? If you do win, just pack your crate on some USBs and take your laptop with Serato and drivers for some common gear on it as they will most likely have some kind of DVS setup there for the headliner to perform on.

I was anxious about performing on vinyl and cdjs at first too (I learned to beatmatch using a vci-300) but as long as you can get in some practice you’ll be fine. The ‘touch’ is a little different, but if you can go round to your mates or practice on some gear in a venue in you neighborhood you’ll be more than ready to warm the place up.

I don’t know what time people go out in DC, but 9-10 is kind weak for a warmup set time… won’t the staff still be setting up then?

There’s a small community of listeners that check it out, I’ve had about a dozen folks in a room before. The beauty of the site is that you can schedule virtual events and invite your friends to join in, plus once your done, the site can post a recording of your mix to your mixify profile.

Certain labels employ methods of scanning websites for their content. I’ve had mixes and mashups removed from Soundcloud claiming copyright infringement, while my pro plan was activated. The last instance I can recall was a mashup with bass cannon by flux pavilion and a bounty killer (well-known Reggae artist) track. When soundcloud removed the mashup they informed me in their correspondence of infringing material.

Super Fun Time! is right, Mixcloud or possibly mxify.com ar probably your best bet. Mixify is cool because you can host a streaming room, perform to actual listeners and the interface can record your mix for hosting on their site and playback at a later time.

nick greek, post: 42690, member: 2957 wrote: personally i use mainstream hardstyle which is loud and different from the regular edm,i get noticed and the next dj that doesn’t know how to mix house with hardstyle seems a bad dj 🙂

You definitely get asked back more often if you try to make your transition smooth with the next dj. The average punter might not notice a poor handover, but promoters will. They’ll want to book a dj who plays well with others as opposed to one who tries to make the other booked djs sound bad.