DJ

DJ equipment is constantly changing and advancing, and since you can’t DJ without the equipment, the gear involved plays a big role in how DJ’s perform and produce. In this blog, we take a wide overview of the history of DJ gear as we know it and how various technological leaps have accelerated its evolution. Here, we’re going to focus on the main game-changers: the technology that caused the biggest shift within the DJ-verse. Where did it all start? Back in 1971, with the introduction of the audio mixer.

Guestblogger Rob Brummans (AKA Mindru) shares five simple tips to help live-streaming DJs to make things more interesting for themselves and their viewers and listeners. He also gives us a look inside the kitchen where he preps his live streams.

When it comes to setting up a DVS system, a lot of DJs find it either too tricky or believe there’s no benefit in using traditional gear alongside software, neither of which is necessarily true. Read through this article and by the end of it, you’ll realise that building a DVS (Digital Vinyl System) is fairly easy and that working with timecode vinyl or CDs can add an extra dimension to your sets. Depending on how you look at it, it’s like going digital without replacing all of your gear, or adding an analogue aspect to your kit without losing out on the perks of digital.

The sync button: every DJ controller, tabletop controller and DJ software programme has one these days, but does it spell the death of manual beat-matching and the art of DJ-ing as we know it? The discussion within the DJ-verse is currently hot, to the point where, on one side, it means the end of DJ-ing and on the other side, the sync button gives DJs even more room to play. In this blog, we take a look at both sides of the argument and offer a little advice on how to get the best out of this seemingly harmless little button.

“The mp3 era is over! Streaming is the future!” Is that right? While it is kind of right, and while a lot of beginner DJs can fall into the trap of believing that they can use their DJ controller with Spotify, unfortunately that might not be true because, a couple of years ago, Spotify stopped working with any DJ apps.

Our guestblogger, Menno leads a double life as DJ Supa-Dupa Rental and, over the last ten years, has racked up plenty of experience playing wedding parties that have ranged from the dramatic to the unbelievable. Back when he was still learning the ropes, wedding gigs would prove stressful undertakings but they were always well worth the hassle. In this blog, he passes his hard-earned tips and tricks on to the less experienced wedding DJ.

Dance music relies on rhythm, contrast and… tension. If your listener is just hearing the same thing again and again, they can quickly drift off, so any good EDM producer wants to keep things interesting and keep the tension building. The break is a great opportunity to build tension, since it gives your listener a chance to catch their breath before you shift things up a gear with the build-up and smack them with the inevitable drop. Here, Guestblogger and DJ/producer Rutger Steenbergen offers up seven tips for building up to the ultimate drop.

Booth monitors – also called booth monitor speakers – are speakers set up in the DJ booth so the artist is actually able to hear the sound that’s being sent out to the crowd. Here, Guestblogger, Amar Amlani (DiceDJ) explains why booth monitors are so essential and what you need to look out for when setting them up and using them.

Amsterdam Dance Event, known as ADE, is one of the busiest and most interesting weeks of the year for dance music industry professionals. People from all over the world gather in Amsterdam for one week to discuss the upcoming year and to make their upcoming plans. It’s a true spectacle and celebration of dance music, and one of the most important weeks of the year for our community. The conference is a lot of fun, but it’s also a very valuable way of growing your network.

If you want to make a living from music – partly or entirely – then it’s worth having a good think about where exactly the money is going to come from. Almost every professional musician and music-maker has multiple sources of income, which in business-speak is referred to as a ‘revenue model’. To help you build yours, Guestblogger, Maaike lines up ten possible money-making options for your consideration.

Unfortunately, there comes a time when everything breaks, and the same is definitely true of music gear, whether it’s speakers, valve amplifiers, or your electric guitar or bass. In the worst case, you’ll need to get it fixed by a professional, but there are some smaller, more simple repairs that you can actually carry out yourself. With a voltmeter, a soldering iron and a little solder on your side, you can get more done than you might think.

Already put in the hours honing your skills on your DJ controller, turntable, or full DJ-set-up and built yourself a massive collection of floor-fillers and bangers? Then it’s about time you booked your first gig and took your set into the booth. Courtesy of our in-house DJ-specialist, Matt (AKA DJ Konna), we kit you out with some tips and tricks for booking your first gigs.