to detailed week wise courses info.

3038 North 102nd Street Omaha, NE 68134 • www.omahadjacademy.com • 402-991-2999
Week 1 - Equipment Overview/Basic Mixing Controls
• Basic DJing requires 2 decks (turntables or CD players), a mixer, and a set of headphones. DJing, in its
most basic definition, is the practice of taking two songs, matching the tempos for each, then fluidly
mixing the music from one song to another; seamlessly allowing the beat of the music to never stop. • Turntables are a rotational way of playing and controlling music. They also control the tempo/pitch of the
music. • Mixers control the master volume of the music, as well as control the individual volumes and EQ for 2 or
more channels of audio. They also serve as a preview listening device for the DJ. The specific functions
and features of a mixer vary by model, but it is the responsibility of the DJ to understand theses functions
and use them to mix the music as creatively as possible.
• It’s very important to understand the inputs and outputs of your DJ mixer. There are a large variety of
input/outputs for mixers including (but not limited to): RCA, 1/4inch, Phono, Line, XLR, Midi, USB. It’s
also useful to know if your mixer has multiple master outputs, Booth Outputs, Microphone inputs, or
Record Outputs.
• There are basically 3 different styles of DJ mixers: - Battle: Usually 2 channels, narrow shape (not wide), simple design, few or no effects, specialized
crossfader
- Electronic: Usually 3 or more channels, relatively longer (wide) shape, complex design, built in effects,
midi controls, integrated sound card (high end only), EQ Cut Buttons
- Hybrid: There are many combinations of these two kinds of mixers that companies manufacture for the
DJs that want a little of both styles. • Widely used/Trusted Brands and Models of Equipment
Turntables
- Technics: High quality brand since the 60s and still trusted today. Today’s more popular DJ models
are: 1200 MK2/MK5, 1210 MK2/MK5/M5G, - Numark: TT500, TT1650, TTX, V7(software controller)
- Vestax: PDF-2000, PDX-2300 MKII Pro, PDX-3000
- Stanton: ST-150 S Tone Arm
CD Players
- Pioneer: CDJ 1000, CDJ 800, CDJ 2000, - Numark: CDX, HDX, NDX 400, NDX800
- Denon: DN-S3700
Mixers
- Vestax: PMC-05 Pro, PMC- 06 Pro, PMC-07 Pro
- Rane: TTM-57SL, TTM-56S, Empath
- Pioneer: Almost anything from the DJM line
- Numark: X9, X6, M2, M4, X5 (mostly newer models are good, older ones not so good)
- Mackie: D.2, D.4
3038 North 102nd Street Omaha, NE 68134 • www.omahadjacademy.com • 402-991-2999
Week 2 - DJ Software/Controls/Hotkeys
• As technology continues to change every aspect of modern life, so it effects the art of DJing. Over the
past 5 years or so, the introduction of computer programs that manipulate music as a DJ has become
increasingly popular. Although computers alone are still incapable of controlling music as creatively
and accurately as a human with turntables can, they have become an extremely popular tool for DJs
to integrate into their equipment. Computers allow the DJ to be incredibly more organized and also
introduce the ability to understand song format at a glance through visual representations of the audio
signal. They can also digitally manipulate the audio in the form of various effects and looping. • Most DJ programs can: - set and remember cue points in songs
- organize songs into various groups, or “crates”, which are specified by the user
- detect song duration, BPM, and overall loudness and save these characteristics in a database
- search through music by title, artist, genre and many other criteria via text input
- reorganize lists of music in a matter of seconds by almost any criteria the computer can recognize,
either alphabetically or in chronological/numeric order
- adjust the tempo of the music without affecting the pitch of the audio
• Most DJ programs can be controlled by either a mouse, computer keyboard, midi/usb controller(s), or
timecoded CDs or vinyl records. The mouse is the simplest, yet slowest and inefficient way to control
the program. Most of the functions in the program have a keyboard shortcut which allow you to trigger
a function by pressing a single key or a combination of keys. Midi/USB controllers send machine control
signals to the computer through a variety of methods (buttons, knobs, faders, drum pads, piano keys,
foot pedals, guitar strings, etc.) that can be manually assigned to virtually any function in the program.
Timecoded CDs and vinyl send an audio signal containing specific frequencies which are received
via a sound card and translated by the computer into actions through complex computer algorithms
(equations). • Crates and folders are used in DJ software to organize your music. Having your music organized can
make a dramatic difference in the sound and ease of your performance. Common practices in organizing
music are organizing by: music genres, musical eras, BPM ranges, and song versions(clean, remixes,
intros, etc.). The more specific you can be with your categorizing, the easier it will be for you to find music
. This allows for faster song playing and more time to take requests or talk on the microphone. • Hotkeys enable the DJ to quickly perform common functions at the press of a button. Some of the more
common hotkeys that can dramatically increase your speed are: cue points, loop points, autoloop, clone
deck, deck switch, BPM edit, effect activate. • Setting cue points in your songs is absolutely crucial. It is best practice to set at least 3 cue points for
every song, but at the very least, a DJ should always have at least cue point set per song.
3038 North 102nd Street Omaha, NE 68134 • www.omahadjacademy.com • 402-991-2999
Week 3 - Reading the Crowd/Selecting Music
• It’s important to know the crowd you will be DJing for. Therefore, some important points to consider
before and while performing anywhere are: occasion of the event, location, cultural demographic, and
average age. Each of these points can have a crucial impact on what songs to play and when to play
them.
• As a DJ, you will be judged by EVERY person that can hear you. It is important that a DJ keeps
a focused and almost competitive state of mind while performing. A good DJ causes as much of
the audience as possible to feel thoroughly entertained; a GREAT DJ does it creatively and almost
surprisingly well.
• When you start DJing, you will find many people will want to request music from you. Requests can
be helpful, but also be annoying and sometimes catastrophic if you don’t know how to handle them.
Usually, people will listen to what you are playing and make requests that make sense with what you
are playing. However, there are some times when people will come request inappropriate, unpopular, or
just plain stupid (lack of a better explanation) music. It is important to always keep your musical goals
in mind and trust your instinct over those that (many times) might be intoxicated or not in tune with the
mood of the venue. For example: If you are DJing at a club that normally plays Top 40 or up-to-date
dance music, and you get a request for 80’s music, consider the reaction of the rest of the people in the
establishment before you decide to play that 80’s music request. Chances are, that person requested
because they are older or are there with an 80’s themed group of people that wish to stand out in the
party. Whatever the situation may be, when you get a request from someone remember to A) be polite
and thank the person for the request B) keep in mind that it is in fact exactly that, a request...not a
demand.
• The most important thing to remember when you are selecting music to play is that you need to assume
what kind of music the majority of people in attendance feel like listening to at that point in time. For
instance, around the middle of the night you might want to play music that is more energetic and dancy;
but later in the evening, most people are usually intoxicated (assuming alcohol is served at the gig) and
slightly tired, so slower more exotic music might be more to peoples’ taste (plus this is also a great way
to get people calmed down before the venue tells them they have to pay and/or leave).
• Do....
...play at least some music that is up to date (unless it’s a themed party or something)
...make sure you cater to the people that are actually dancing
...always play whatever the person is paying you tells you to play
• Don’t...
...irritate ANY of your audience if you can help it
...play explicit music if children are present
...talk too much...or too little (make yourself known but keep in mind people are there to party, not
listen to you talk)
...try to do tricks you are not comfortable or skilled at performing
...DJ when you are under the influence or intoxicated
...stop the music unless there is a fight or it’s the end of the night
3038 North 102nd Street Omaha, NE 68134 • www.omahadjacademy.com • 402-991-2999
Week 4 - BPM/Basic Mixing Techniques/Transitions
• BPM - Beats Per Minute - is the unit of measurement used to indicate the tempo (speed) of music. Most
music falls in the range of 60 - 140 BPM. • Songs can also be measured in what are called measures or, more commonly, bars. A bar of music
usually consists of 4 beats. • Knowing your music is the #1 most important aspect of DJing. You must know everything about your
music, for example: title, artist, tempo, duration, genre, and song format. • There is no set format to write music to, therefore, there are simply common song formatting practices
that are used, but never guidelines to be followed. Most music consists of an intro, body, and outro. The
body of the song usually consists of verses and choruses (also known as “hooks”). Hooks are usually
8 bars long. Verses are usually 16 bars long. Again - THESE ARE THE MORE COMMON PRACTICES there are frequent exceptions to these generalities. • In most cases, there are three parts to a music mixing transition: intro, duration, and outro.
- Intro: The point at which you introduce the next song to the audience. This is usually done in a very
subtle matter, the idea is for people to not immediately catch on to this. - Duration: This is the creative part of the transition where the songs are allowed to cooperate with each
other in harmony and artistically blend in a manner that is fresh, but also familiar at the same time
- Outro: This is probably the most important and most difficult part of the transition. Like the dismount
of a gymnast at the end of a gymnastic routine. The song must tastefully be removed from the mix in a
fashion where it is not missed by the listener. This has most to do with timing, EQ, and volume.
3038 North 102nd Street Omaha, NE 68134 • www.omahadjacademy.com • 402-991-2999
Week 5 - Sound/PA Systems
• As DJs, we rely on speakers to project our performance to the ears of our audience. Therefore, it is in
the best interest of every DJ to have a solid understanding of how speaker systems (PA systems) work. • The most basic systems consist of two basic parts: speakers and amplifiers. As the size of the system
grows, the complexity of the system grows as well. The speakers are always the end of the chain, the
last piece of equipment the audio goes through before it is introduced to the environment where the
audience resides. Before the signal is sent to the speakers, it is amplified by an amplifier. - In some cases(usually smaller systems), the amplifier is built into the speaker. In this case, the speaker
is called an active or powered speaker. In other cases (usually larger systems), the amplifier is separate
from the speakers. In this case the speaker is called a passive speaker. - Speakers: Come in a variety of shapes in sizes. Some (usually smaller varieties) are designed to put
out a wide range of frequencies. Others (usually larger varieties) are designed to emit only a specific
range of frequencies (ex. tweeters - high frequencies, subs - low frequencies, etc), but usually at much
higher levels (decibels - dB). - Amplifiers (Amps): Amplifiers receive/input an audio signal at line level, then amplify or boost that
audio to a level that is appropriate for the speakers it is outputting to. The size, strength, and number of
necessary amplifiers is dependent on the size, quantity, and loudness of the speakers it is outputting to. • Medium to Larger size systems, in addition to speakers and amplifiers, also consist of crossovers,
equalizers, mixers, and power conditioners. In the case that all of these are present the audio chain
would go in this order: mixer - equalizer - crossover - amplifier(s) - speakers. The power conditioner is
not included in the audio chain, as the audio does not go into it, it simply supplies a steady stream of
power to all of the units. - crossovers: A crossover receives an audio signal and separates it into anywhere from 2 to 8 different
outputs, depending on the kind of crossover, the complexity of the system, and whether the signal is
stereo or mono. It separates the audio according to frequencies. It can take all of the lower frequencies
and send them to the amplifier for the subs, and/or take all of the mid range and higher frequencies and
send them to the amplifier for the speakers designed to output those frequencies. This way, the subs
don’t have to deal with any unnecessary signal and can therefore push the signal cleaner and louder. - equalizers: Equalizers simply receive the audio signal and boost certain ranges (bands) of frequencies
that make up the overall audio. These are simply used to raise or lower the bass/treble/highs/mids/lows
of the sound being output to the system before it gets to the crossover. - mixer: the mixer, like the mixer between turntables, is simply used to micro manage the different sound
sources going to the system. • Cables connect all of our equipment together. They send the signal (like a hose) to all of the different
pieces of equipment we use. Any audio cable is either balanced or unbalanced. Balanced means that
the cable can carry a stereo signal alone without any additional cables. Unbalanced cables usually
come in pairs because they only send 1 channel of audio (either left or right). Here are some examples
of each:
- Balanced: XLR, TRS (1/4” or 3.5mm) **Note - even though XLR cables are balanced, they are
commonly used in pairs as mono cables)
3038 North 102nd Street Omaha, NE 68134 • www.omahadjacademy.com • 402-991-2999
- Unbalanced: RCA, Mono (1/4” or 3.5mm), regular speaker cable
• TRS is a kind of balanced cable (usually has a 1/4” plug) which is capable of transmitting a stereo
signal. TRS stands for Tip, Ring, Sleeve.
• DI (Direct Input) boxes are commonly used with turntables when the amps and mixer for a sound system
are very far from the DJ setup and the signal has to travel through a lot of cable. The DI box takes
(usually) a 1/4” unbalanced cable, slightly boosts the signal, and sends it to an XLR cable. There are
other variations of DI boxes with different inputs and stereo configuration, but this is the most common
kind.
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3038 North 102nd Street Omaha, NE 68134 • www.omahadjacademy.com • 402-991-2999
Week 5 - Recording/File Formats/Promoting