The Skills And Equipment Of DJs

By Carol Brown


You would be hard put to imagine a wedding, birthday, corporate party, or any fun gathering of sorts without the quintessential pastime, music. This is a job we delegate to disc jockeys, and the really good ones are quite few and far between. If you are in the RI area, see about these rhode island djs.

Being a DJ entails a lot more nitty gritty than just playing songs. Some innate talent can never go amiss, especially with mixing songs, recognizing harmonies, keeping in time to the beat, you name it. You also have the technicalities tow worry about, such as with mixing on the fly, structuring a set, et cetera, et cetera.

DJs who play live mix music or songs recordings of their choice, typically utilizing different mixing techniques from more than one source, so as to ensure that the music flows nonstop. There are many techniques, like scratching, beat matching you name it. The seamless transitioning from one song to another is of utmost importance here.

There are many skills a disc jockey should take upon himself. Of course, there should be the creativity that goes with the job, such as the faultless proclivity that goes with choosing, mixing, and playing music. Perhaps more importantly, there are the technical skills. That includes how well he can operate specific equipment, and ensure its topnotch use in ensuring smooth transitions, and so on and so forth. Some people skills can never go amiss. The DJ should be good in people reading, which would guide him or her in choosing the most suitable recordings up for taking.

DJs use much specialized audio equipment. At the very least, the gizmo should be able to play from at least two sources, so that different music can be recorded and played together simultaneously, so that they may be smoothly mixed. When done properly, that enables a seamless transition to occur between recordings and create different song mixes.

When looking for a DJ, you would want to make sure that he knows his beats. This basic, fundamental, elementary, and principal thing is what ensures that the smooth transitions of the songs. Some equipment, especially mixers, are equipped with a BPM console. But nothing beats having knowhow of the beats per minute oneself.

The software used by DJs is well suited to new technologies. Long ago, vinyl records, audio consoles, and record turntables were used. New software nowadays enables the storing of large collections into one nifty storage. It can also do as much work as two hefty and lugging equipment, such as the ability to play two music files simultaneously.

There are a few basics that need reiterating and reminding. For instance, one should take good care not to mix to vocal songs together. That will create an awkward and cacophonous noise. There is also a need to develop your own feel and sound. This involves quite a lot of practice and experimentation. One should explore different sounds, tools, and others. Add effects and some such tasteful blending.

Needless to say, this is a DJ has to have multidimensional talents and skills. It should subsume both artistic and technical capabilities. They should have the creativity to pull off a newfangled style or genre, and they should have the knowhow in handling audio equipment, using mixing consoles, and some such. One qualification that is often relegated to the sidelines but is nonetheless important is their ability to develop rapport with the audience. Their knowledge regarding their genre should be pretty much extensive, but ideally, it should stretch well beyond that.




About the Author: