Dj tips 9

The three- (or four-) band equalizer on each
channel of the DJ mixer is your most valuable
tool for professional DJ performances. There are a
couple of basic rules to keep in mind when using
EQ; these can be applied to DJ mixers as well as
music production.
The first rule is — keep your EQ at 12:00 as a
default, unless you are making a particular
adjustment. That is to say, the EQ sounds best at
unity gain, so keep your EQ at 0db whenever
possible.
The second rule is — cut (don’t boost) the signal.
This requires thinking backwards through your
process a bit. For instance, if you are inclined to
turn up the bass, turn down the mids and highs a
bit instead and turn up the channel gain if
needed.
Another good rule of thumb to follow when DJing
is — only use one sub-bass source at a time.
Generally speaking, playing two tracks with heavy
sub-bass at the same time will create a muddy
mix and won’t sound good on a large sound
system. EQ is your best friend in these situations —
simply turn down the bass of one the tracks when
you’re mixing them together to keep the overall
sound punchy and tight. You can swap the bass
lines back and forth with the EQ knobs or use the
crossfader to mix between the two tracks, just
remember to only use one bass source at a time
for optimum sound quality and crowd response.

Dj tips 8

To achieve the best sound quality during a DJ
performance or recorded mix, make sure you are
getting a good strong signal both in and out of
the mixer, but always take care not to push any
of your levels into the red. This is a simple rule
but one that most DJs are guilty of breaking from
time to time. When the mix is hot and people are
jumping, most DJs want to pump up the volume.
But boosting the channel gain or master volume
into the red will distort your signal, making the
music sound degraded and killing the vibe. In
addition to this, most venues have a master
limiter at the final stage of the signal before it
goes to the house system, so turning up your
mixer past 0db will most likely not have an effect
on your overall volume anyway, it will just make
your music sound squashed. So always
remember: watch your master volume throughout
your set, and make sure to keep the meters from
going into the red by turning down your levels
and/or EQ controls

Dj tips 7

The best DJs I’ve ever heard all taught me a
similar method in how to approach programming
a DJ set. Some call this “the push and pull” — giving
the crowd just enough energy to dance and be
excited, but never giving it all up until the right
moment. Oldschool house DJs like Derrick Carter
have mastered this method, with sets that build
up into banging music and then down into
something deep for a moment, pushing and
pulling the energy of the set to make the crowd
more excited. It’s amazing how well this method
works, in a single DJ set and also over the course
of an event.