a little advice please!

L

laylz

Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2008
Location
Bristol
i started mixing in january and it was going really well and i'd even managed to secure a gig for the end of may. a couple of weeks ago i went to a mates house to practice mixing at his because he's got better equipment and realised some of the stuff i thought sounded good coming out of my shitty mixer actually didn't. after that i didn't touch my decks for a week. this week i've started mixing again but only for a few tracks at a time. i just can't seem to get back into it! i've got some new tunes on the way so i'm hoping that'll help.

does everyone get like this when they've had off days?
 
laylz said:
i started mixing in january and it was going really well and i'd even managed to secure a gig for the end of may. a couple of weeks ago i went to a mates house to practice mixing at his because he's got better equipment and realised some of the stuff i thought sounded good coming out of my shitty mixer actually didn't. after that i didn't touch my decks for a week. this week i've started mixing again but only for a few tracks at a time. i just can't seem to get back into it! i've got some new tunes on the way so i'm hoping that'll help.

does everyone get like this when they've had off days?
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yeh mate... everyone has off days/weeks/months....

you just need to out your head down and carry on mixin.... have you posted up any mixes on the forum?? if not... id suggest recording one or two sets and uploading them so people can give you abit of feedback....

I really wouldnt suggest playing out live if your not fully confident with mixing at home. Playing out live brings a hell of alot more challenges and problems.... if i had to list all the things that have gone wrong while playing out live then i could quite easily write a book.... but you just have to carry on..... if your not comfortable mixing and something goes wrong while your playing then its gonna be alot harder and thats where experience has to come in....



Anyway.... get some mixes recorded and post them up on here for peeps to give you feedback on... best way of improving mate....
 
RocksteadyUK said:
yeh mate... everyone has off days/weeks/months....
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thanks that makes me feel abit better!
as for recording a mix my mixer is only basic and doesn't have a record output, i won't be able to get a new mixer til the summer so it'll have to wait but i'll def post some here when i get round to it. and yeah, you're right about waiting to play out live. i was going on first so i knew there'd be no one there to hear if i fuck up! but i've decided not to bother until i'm shit hot, i don't want to get a rep for being a shit dj then i'll never get another gig!

cheers for the advice.
 
RocksteadyUK said:
yeh mate... everyone has off days/weeks/months....

you just need to out your head down and carry on mixin.... have you posted up any mixes on the forum?? if not... id suggest recording one or two sets and uploading them so people can give you abit of feedback....

I really wouldnt suggest playing out live if your not fully confident with mixing at home. Playing out live brings a hell of alot more challenges and problems.... if i had to list all the things that have gone wrong while playing out live then i could quite easily write a book.... but you just have to carry on..... if your not comfortable mixing and something goes wrong while your playing then its gonna be alot harder and thats where experience has to come in....



Anyway.... get some mixes recorded and post them up on here for peeps to give you feedback on... best way of improving mate....
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Word!!! Seriously needles not working, dodgy monitoring, confusing mixers. I have experienced all this and more and I am still only a noob to playing out live.
 
RocksteadyUK said:
yeh mate... everyone has off days/weeks/months....

you just need to out your head down and carry on mixin.... have you posted up any mixes on the forum?? if not... id suggest recording one or two sets and uploading them so people can give you abit of feedback....

I really wouldnt suggest playing out live if your not fully confident with mixing at home. Playing out live brings a hell of alot more challenges and problems.... if i had to list all the things that have gone wrong while playing out live then i could quite easily write a book.... but you just have to carry on..... if your not comfortable mixing and something goes wrong while your playing then its gonna be alot harder and thats where experience has to come in....



Anyway.... get some mixes recorded and post them up on here for peeps to give you feedback on... best way of improving mate....
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One people standing to close and bashing into the dex, just discovered that and it's sum what annoying:rinsed:

laylz said:
thanks that makes me feel abit better!
as for recording a mix my mixer is only basic and doesn't have a record output, i won't be able to get a new mixer til the summer so it'll have to wait but i'll def post some here when i get round to it. and yeah, you're right about waiting to play out live. i was going on first so i knew there'd be no one there to hear if i fuck up! but i've decided not to bother until i'm shit hot, i don't want to get a rep for being a shit dj then i'll never get another gig!

cheers for the advice.
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Regardless mate you should still go for it, like your saying being on at the start no one is gonna really hear you if you fuck up, the amount of gigs I use to chicken out of coz of confidence/skill ive major regretted cause when it comes down to it every djing experence is a learning one good or bad and that how you grow into a true player:)
 
I was thankin' the people on here for advice because I'm prob gonna venture down the DJin' road myself in the near future, as I only produce atm...so the advice works toward me as well..respect to ya' fellas for the words..pz
 
laylz said:
thanks that makes me feel abit better!
as for recording a mix my mixer is only basic and doesn't have a record output, i won't be able to get a new mixer til the summer so it'll have to wait but i'll def post some here when i get round to it. and yeah, you're right about waiting to play out live. i was going on first so i knew there'd be no one there to hear if i fuck up! but i've decided not to bother until i'm shit hot, i don't want to get a rep for being a shit dj then i'll never get another gig!

cheers for the advice.
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you see.. here lies the catch 22 about the situation....

you need experience mixing in a live enviroment.... so not taking up someones offer of a set feels kinda stupid.... but.... like ive said before... you really need to get comfortable mixin at home before venturing out into the live scenario.... but saying that.... when you have played out live it gives you that extra kick up the ass and a hell of alot of inspiration to make your mixes better....

so..... if its a small event and not going to have many people there anyway... and your doing the first set... id take it just so you know how it feels to be playing live. Worst part about playing out live for the first time is the nerves.... they're a killer trust me..... hands start shaking, start sweating, you begin to worry about how your mixes are going to sound and before you know it you've decided a few extra pints are in order to help calm you down.... and hour later your hammered and you finally get up to the decks and all of a sudden 2 decks have turned to 4 and the mixer has alarmingly turned into a 16 channel, 2 crossfader, million twisty knobed badboy studio mixing desk...... and your set goes down the pan cause you pick up the needle, try and place it on the deck and before you know it theres a huge fat line going from edge to middle of the vinyl and the needle has snapped off...... trust me... ive been there!!... still have the vinyl....

anywya.. just keep practicing bro... eventually you'll just realise that your ready to go out and play live.... you'll just know when the times right....
 
RocksteadyUK said:
you see.. here lies the catch 22 about the situation....

you need experience mixing in a live enviroment.... so not taking up someones offer of a set feels kinda stupid.... but.... like ive said before... you really need to get comfortable mixin at home before venturing out into the live scenario.... but saying that.... when you have played out live it gives you that extra kick up the ass and a hell of alot of inspiration to make your mixes better....

so..... if its a small event and not going to have many people there anyway... and your doing the first set... id take it just so you know how it feels to be playing live. Worst part about playing out live for the first time is the nerves.... they're a killer trust me..... hands start shaking, start sweating, you begin to worry about how your mixes are going to sound and before you know it you've decided a few extra pints are in order to help calm you down.... and hour later your hammered and you finally get up to the decks and all of a sudden 2 decks have turned to 4 and the mixer has alarmingly turned into a 16 channel, 2 crossfader, million twisty knobed badboy studio mixing desk...... and your set goes down the pan cause you pick up the needle, try and place it on the deck and before you know it theres a huge fat line going from edge to middle of the vinyl and the needle has snapped off...... trust me... ive been there!!... still have the vinyl....

anywya.. just keep practicing bro... eventually you'll just realise that your ready to go out and play live.... you'll just know when the times right....
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And the second,third,fourth........it never ends:cry:
 
Le gash said:
And the second,third,fourth........it never ends:cry:
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yeh the first few times actually... but after the first you know what to expect...

i dont really get nervous anymore to be honest.... maybe a little.... but it gets "normal" after a while i suppose.... just starts to feel as though your mixing at home...

with myself personally.... i never actually practice at home.... if im ever mixing its because i have something to do a mix for.... so therefore im always in a "live" scenario.... all be it that there maybe no crowd stood in front of me.... but still my mixin has to be tight and on form.....

same goes for when im on radio..... its not in front of a crowd but you still have hundreds of peeps listening and you still have to be on point...
 
I find that my nerves only kick in when puttin needle to record to cue up,(not the mixing or equing) there been times where it's like an earthquake going on im shaking that much but after first two,three records then it sorts itself out, also a little bit o nerves goes good for the adenline levels..

Besides a few jkdees sort them oot :)
 
i've got a relativley big event comin up...well for me it is....just wanderin do th nevers kinda subside after you've got into the set and does movin around help to settle em?
 
Personally i'd recommend playing at a few parties first, in front of friends but still to a decent crowd. I remember the first time i played in a club for a mates birthday, only been on the decks 6months, and i absolutely crapped myself. the first 10 seconds i was shaking like a shitting dog and then just snapped out of it and imagined there was no one there as if i was at home. there was no monitor speaker working so had to do it all in my headhones but just by forgetting where i was i still ended up smashing it, the best feeling ever!

You'll fuck up without a doubt, i've played out about 8 times now and i still have the odd hiccup. even the pros do so meh. Its all experience like Rocksteady said, the more you get the easier things will be :)
 
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Russla-DJ said:
Personally i'd recommend playing at a few parties first, in front of friends but still to a decent crowd. I remember the first time i played in a club for a mates birthday, only been on the decks 6months, and i absolutely crapped myself. the first 10 seconds i was shaking like a shitting dog and then just snapped out of it and imagined there was no one there as if i was at home. there was no monitor speaker working so had to do it all in my headhones but just by forgetting where i was i still ended up smashing it, the best feeling ever!

You'll fuck up without a doubt, i've played out about 8 times now and i still have the odd hiccup. even the pros do so meh. Its all experience like Rocksteady said, the more you get the easier things will be :)
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Yeah, true about the pros..I was at an A-Sides set and a DJ friend of mine pointed out what he called a "train wreck" in one of the transitions between tracks in the A-Side set.., so it does happen to everyone now and then..
 
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