Reading the OP -- that you are a spazz is going to make this harder. Then as we get more information and it seems that you not only want to replace this guy but you also want to change the type of music that is played -- most crowds are not that versatile and even a great DJ is going to fail miserably with a crowd that is not into the genre of music he plays. I'd be surprised if the owner would o along with this unless the club was struggling as it is fairly risky to switch formats like that.

Quick question: Is this about a girl?

Thanks for all the advice. There is no house equipment. The DJ's bring their own gear. I'm not really interested in playing with CD's (do they even still make those?) nor vinyl. I decided I'm gonna learn the ropes of Ableton Live and use that as my mixing software together with a midi controller.

Not about a girl.

.

ok finally have to time post in here. For starters when I first posted in here, I thought perhaps you were looking for advice on how to become a famous/high paid DJ, as opposed to just any dj. The answer to this is a lot easier for me now that I've seen you want to become just any DJ.

1) hardware and software

For starters you need Ableton and a Mac (this will be debated ad nauseum). I prefer the Mac because it takes more punishment, and it crashes far less often. This is obviously essentially when you're dj'ing. A crash means your set is over until your PC reboots. That's even more frustrating if you're playing a pre-recorded set. Once you have Ableton Live and a Mac, read this:

http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/...-ableton-live/

There are a dozen articles like this, and excellent Ableton forums too. Future Producer is an awesome forum for questions on specs. But a 15 inch macbook pro for example is a nice setup. Screen size matters for this. I'd go with no less than 4 gigs ram. But a lot of people use a lot less than this for dj'ing, which isn't very memory intensive.


Now how Ableton is actually going to connect to your mixer is where the most work and options are. DJs and producers will argue night and day on this. The industry standard has become the DJM 800 mixer. That said it really isn't a must, there are so many permutations. You could go pretty simple/old school and use the kind of setup that connects an analogue mixer (so not the DJM 800). Oddly enough this little diagram in the video is pretty helpful to help paint the right picture for you on this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mck3zRcVeUw

That's the setup I've had to toss together many times for when Ableton was just starting to get used. It's dated now given the new midi controller setups and midi friendly mixers like the DJM 800. If you want to go midi, you could look at something like:

http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?t=39073

There are a lot of ableton controllers ilke the novation launchpad, but frankly I've never seen anyone choose to mix on one. You're going to have all sorts of connection troubleshooting questions that I'd save for the ableton forum if I was you (read the FAQs first).

2) Music

Someone mentioned that you need to know a lot about music, or listen to music blogs. This is entirely untrue and not required. For DJs playing electronic stuff, make an account here:
http://www.beatport.com/

If you're playing hip hop and dance music, just go with

http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/charts/hot-100


The last things you actually need to know are how to mix, or anything about music. Ableton will do most of your mixing for you, and to please 95% of your clientele, you certainly don't need to be picking cutting edge obscure music that nobody has heard yet.

I could get into the specifics of how a really talented and more classic type dj may want to build a set, but again it's going to be wasted for what you're trying to do. Play big tracks, watch people dance to them, if they don't dance you're playing the wrong style. Try another genre, if it works, keep playing it. Btw the kind of music you play certainly influences your "mixing".


disclaimer: I've essentially shown you how to be the sort of douchebag dj that I have zero admiration for. But this specific template could keep you happy and busy in your bar for as long as you want. The effort is minimal, but cost on the other hand is not. There's a lot of gear to be purchased here, and you'll need to be compensated accordingly. Typically a dj brings his laptop+headphones+custom cables if he needs them, but all the other stuff should be there. If you're building the whole setup, this is going to be thousands of dollars.

It's been amusing for me to watch a lot of djs try to build careers, while assuming that skill was anywhere near the top of the list of things required for them to succeed. It's really one of the last things you need. I'll end by saying that I have never once attempted to be a dj, or ever mixed two songs together.

Oh my god, this was the first time that i feel way too old for teh intternet.

Also: DJ formerly known as fat French idiot who thinks he's the ****

Get the Instant DJ Toolbox

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_4GPAUPWbM

Yeah the thread title might be a little confusing Thanks for your input rafiki! Definately something I can work with.

I have an Alienware laptop with 8GB ram so might as well just use that to start out with, although I get your point. I'm confident enough in it's stability to take the risk.

I've been a member of beatport for a few years, you're probably right in that aspect as well.

Might not be the place to ask this question, but I don't understand how a DJ can play a pre-recorded set. All he has to do is press play? Haha

For ableton you can just program a set, hit spacebar to start, then pretend to fiddle with the mixer all night.

FYP.

1. go to amazon
2. search under books the word "mixing", filter for 4 stars+ read the books that show up
3. then do the same for the key word "djing", but keep in mind these books will teach you less imo.
4. download software called ableton live

you know have all the tools to create good mixes. you make these mixes at home, and practice in the software. ableton is a good djing software b/c it works very well live during the performances. but it is just as capable at making tracks in studio. It also allows you to use other software in it via rewire. So you can use Propellarhead's Reason in it (I think reason is prolly the most popular semi-pro music creation software on the market)

keep in mind, Reason is not great for mixing or djing, but it is really fun. Lots of great synths you can use to create some precussion or baselines to work into your mixes. Ableton + Reason is a great combo.

The 1st gear of hardware I would get (assuming you have a computer) would be a midi keyboard controller. m-audio, akai, alesis, etc... these don't produce sound, they control synthasizers and effects in your software. They can be programmed to do lots of tricks, that can give your mixes a more professional feel. It is a way of controlling your mix w/ hands.

dubstepforum.com is a pretty good forum. but idk if they talk about mixing, I just read it for tips when I feel like trying to do dubstep, which is pretty ****ing hard compared to most electronic music. Although too many people copy eachother and make tracks that I feel I have heard a thousand times before.

dooooooooon't play pre-programmed sets. if the audience doesn't like it, you're in trouble.
a good dj feels what works and what doesn't and selects the next tunes accordingly.

also i'd stay away from synths and other fancy stuff as long as you don't have a clue how to do simple mixes.

keep it simple. if you play good tunes and know a little bit about mixing, you're good to go.

In theory you can play a wav file or whatever, sure. But that only tends to fly when you're massive like Girltalk. He plays prerecorded stuff 100% of the time. But he knows people will eat it up. You won't be in that position.

a needle

As a DJ with 24 years experience here are the 6 easy steps that I tell all prospective DJs to follow. sorry for the TL;DR

Step 1:
Step 2: go to the goodwill store and buy the douche-iest clothes they have

step 3: tell the owner of a club you are a dj (tell him the cool dj name you come up with) and that you have a bunch of experience (don't tell him it was playing at house parties or in your garage)

step 4: after being hired, walk into club like you own it (look super cocky and maybe a bit of a tool, but not too much)

step 5 (and the least important): pick out maybe 100-250 songs per genre of music that is normally played at club/bar you are playing at. put them in a playlist and hit randomize

step 6: move your hands a bunch to make people think you are playing with computer and turntables. mute popular songs every now and then when the most popular part of the song comes on (don't over do this too much, but it is a great go to) yell a lot of semi-douche things into the mic at random times

banhbanmickey, do you somehow coach every single DJ ive ever met ?

Does anyone know of a good place to listen to full DJ sets?

Usually for parties I'll just load up Pandora and choose something appropriate for the crowd (top 40, electronic, indie, etc), but the big downside is the really crappy transitions between songs.

Would love to find some full sets I can learn from.

lol this is pretty much every top 40 dj in every ****ty college based night club.

Every DJ I know loads their mixes onto Sound cloud you can try that.

Soundcloud for good dj sets

http://serato.com/forum/discussion/5250

there's tons of mixes on that link. theirs some good djs on there, and new mixes all the time.
one of mine is on there too.

Op, dont use ableton as your prime piece of dj equipment. thats geigh and clownish.

get something like this:
http://www.djdeals.com/blog/new-nova...troller-mixer/

or one of these
http://serato.com/itch


what kind of music do you want to dj? do you have a lot of mp3s?

on a side note: almost all djs you see at a bar (especially in a non major city) unless its at a major club are going to be pretty terrible. the art of djing is cheapened with mp3 age. any hack can get some cheapo piece of gear and some mp3's and voila, instant dj. its sad =(

I 100% defy you to prove that statement with something factual. Because I guarantee you I can disprove it. I'm really not trying to be a dick, but the statement is just straight up wrong. I understand what you believe in your heart, as it relates to what dj'ing once was. But I'm telling you now from an industry standard, that your nostalgia has zero impact on OP's chances of success at doing this. It's like occupy Wall street, but for dj's. The rich dj's please the 99%. The 1% really don't matter.

Now if OP needs to be able to scratch and mix hip hop, yes I'd say serato. But he's not going to as far as he's explained.

lol at something a DJ uses being called a "toolbox"

If you're looking for new music to play, I'd check out http://thissongissick.com/blog/. Lot's of good but not really known stuff there.

i dont care if op can get by at this local bar with ableton.
the factual information about using ableton to dj is that it IS geigh and clownish. its not really up for debate.
its different if you want to record a flawless mix in your spare time at home, but using it live is LOL.