Congratulations you have taken the first step. At SDS (Sydney DJ School) we take great pride in our work and our goal is simple: to give you all the skills needed to thrive as a DJ.
I guarantee you will see measurable results fast, but not only that, when you are ready, you can submit a mix-tape, incorporating everything you have learnt in our classes, for grading and once you pass you will be given the opportunity to play live at our club events.
The key to being successful at anything in life is to know what you want and why you want it. It is said, “life without goals is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle without the box-top”.
There are many types of DJ you can be, and the clearer your vision, the better your results will be as you can keep your focus on what you want.
Different types of DJN
- Playing at Clubs
- Private parties
- Functions / weddings
- Cafes / bars
- Personal hobby / bedroom
There is a massive difference between all these styles of DJing. For instance if you wish to be a bedroom banger (play for yourself at home), you can play whatever tracks you like and can forget all about the marketing side of things. But if you are playing in clubs, or have found regular work playing functions / private events, you will need to know what kind of music is most appropriate and play to the crowd, assuring the best possible atmosphere at events. When you think about it this is the main goal of a DJ, contributing to and building atmosphere.
Knowing what you want makes a huge difference. It helps you to fast track your success. I remember watching the “I am Hardwell” documentary and it had an interview with Hardwell when he was 15 years old. He was saying his dream was to be the number 1 DJ in the world and the interviewers laughed. 10 years later, his dream became a reality.
These days if you want to be a DJ, it definitely helps having a computer, as it acts as a music library and is a great way to research, find and download new music. Once you have your music, I suggest preparing it for playback using DJ software like Rekordbox / Serato / Traktor / Virtual DJ.
By getting lessons at Sydney DJ School you will fast track your success and you could potentially learn, what has taken many self taught people years to master and perfect, in a matter of weeks.
Once you are committed, I would suggest buying some equipment. Sure it's great to have what they use in clubs in your own home, but it can be expensive. You will find that many of the controllers out there (all in one systems) have the same basic operations as the club gear, and are portable, in case you want to take them to events and private functions.
At Sydney DJ School we have a close relationship with Pioneer and can get students significant discounts on all DJ equipment, so if you decide you wish to pursue DJIng after the course, we can arrange equipment for you at a fraction of the price.
To be a DJ, you need to stay up to date with music trends and their are many ways to do this. A great idea is to become familiar with what other DJs are doing and find some inspirations. I suggest finding sets DJs have played (live / radio / even podcasts), listen to them (see what your inspirations are playing), listen to how they transition between songs and even get tracks listings (this is a great way to find new music and become familiar with DJs / what’s popular).
Some sites
By going to the above sites you can find the sets your favourite DJs are playing, listen to the set, see the tracklistings and by doing so, you become familiar with new music, new artists and basically have the ability to see what DJs at the top of their field are doing.
You can also listen to the radio, spottily, follow artists on Soundcloud, go to lots of live gigs and whenever you hear a song you like, hit SHAZAM on your phone to get the track name and keep notes of the tracks you like and you feel people would resound well to. Then, next time you are downloading music, find these tracks and add them to your library.
A huge part of being a great DJ is your music selection. Careful song selection and commitment to your craft, whether you're searching, shopping or mixing, are essential if you hope to develop a sound that's yours alone.
Some well known and popular places to find / download music:
Beatport is regarded as one of the leading DJ sites in the world. It is where DJs go to find and buy music and see what is popular.
library into playlists. To find and buy new music, simply go to the Itunes store, see categories up the top, select music, and pick the genre you like, then hit “see all” to see the top 200 selling tracks of your preferred genre. This will give you a good idea of what songs are popular right now.
RECORD POOLS:
Record pools are great for DJs that are constantly on the look out for high quality music (old and new). At a fraction of the price of what you would pay for songs individually, subscribing to a record pool for unlimited downloads may be your best bet.Here are some of the big ones.
The advantage of buying songs from reputable places is, songs will most likely be full club edits and the file size (bit rate) will be high quality so when you play your music in the club it will sound amazing.
UNDERSTANDING BIT RATEs (song file size)
If downloading music from free sites (e.g.: Youtube), please make certain the bit rate (file size / quality of the song) is over 256 kphs (anything less, will sound bad (poor quality) in a club and is not useable.
** To find out what the Bitrate of a song is, open the song in itunes, and if it doesn't show bit rate already (next to song and artist information), hit ctrl J, then select "File" tab, then tick "Bit Rate" and it will appear next to track information.
Once you have built a collection of songs, it is time to organise your music.
The best way to organise music is by creating playlists (iTunes) or folders. The advantage with using iTunes is, the playlists in iTunes sync automatically with most DJ Software. If you are using folders, I suggest you have sub folders within your main music folder on your computer / or a main music folder on an external hard drive.. It is import to stay organised and have one central place where you keep all your music.
You could organise your music by genre, BPM, favourites, club songs, date added.
Want $1000 worth of free music?!?! If you want free club edits of all the main songs, from all the main genres, simply speak to the teacher and he will make sure you have everything you need to get started. We will help you to get your music library into a very healthy place, with all the big songs, old and new, and will also share insights on the best way to organise and prepare your music for playback on DJ equipment using DJ software.
I suggest that you download Rekordbox: www.rekordbox.com
Rekordbox is the DJ software, designed by Pioneer, used by all the professionals to prepare their music, to put onto USB, for play back on club standard equipment. Rekordbox DJ is also compatible with most DJ controllers.
Rekordbox is free and it has a 2 player mode, so if you do not own your own equipment, you can use Rekordbox to practise your phrasing and also to find songs that go well together.
1. Think about your goals as a DJ and the kind of songs you wish to play / genre of music
2. Listen to some mixtapes / live sets made by your favouirte DJs
3. Research music, see what’s popular, find cool tracks
4. Build / strengthen your music library with songs you may want to play as a DJ
5. Make sure your tracks are at the correct bit rate
6. Organise your music into playlists
7. Download and become familiar with Rekordbox