Be Your Own DJ
It doesn’t take much to get started in the DJ biz. You can liven up a party with a playlist on your iPod and some powered speakers, or with a PC full of music and a streaming device. But that’s still a step or two from being a real DJ; a pro knows the audience and knows the music. If you intend to DJ an event such as a wedding or other large gathering, your job is to create a mood with music, adjusting the tempo as the event goes on. Here are a few tips on how to keep the crowd happy and groovin’.
The Beat Goes On Disk jockeying evolves into a true art form when you can get people dancing and keep them dancing. For that, the usual song-to-song delay is unacceptable. At the very least, you need two music sources, such as CD players or iPods, and a cross-fader that lets you move smoothly from one song to the next. But the real art is beat-matching as you cross-fade, so that the dancers are barely aware of song transitions. This was originally (and still is) done with vinyl on turntables, but technology always finds a better way, especially when it means not having to lug milk crates full of vinyl or CDs.
What You Need
You can do a DJ gig with nothing more than your laptop and a pair of speakers with built-in amplification. While a few titles dominate the software scene, there are at least 20 to choose from. PCDJ is the dominant commercial title, with three versions increasing in sophistication and ranging in price from $50 to $430. PCDJ does an on-screen simulation of two decks, where you cue up your songs, typically from a playlist. You can search for songs while a track is playing and can drop them into the list to handle requests. PCDJ also does automatic beat measurement and beat-matching for smooth transitions.
Pump It Up
Amplification is an essential hardware element. Many modern public-address speakers have amplifiers built in. They are typically a pair designed to be mounted on a tripod for good room coverage. Your system should include a microphone channel so you can make announcements and whip the crowd into a frenzy.
A time-honored rule of thumb in sizing public-address systems is 1 watt for each person in the room. But wattage alone doesn’t determine how much sound you can project—there’s also the number and size of the speakers in each enclosure. Most PA enclosures have a 12- or 15-inch round speaker in each enclosure for the bass and lower midrange and a molded horn for mid to high frequencies. The best are biamplified, with a separate amplifier for each speaker. A pair of 12-inch speakers is adequate for small to medium venues (50 to 150 people), with costs ranging from $500 to $1,500 per pair. For larger venues, you’ll need a pair of 2-by-12s or 2-by-15s. Popular brands such as JBL and Mackie are rugged, reasonably light for their size, and powerful; they are typically priced around $1,000 to $3,000.
Finally, backup is critical. You should have a fallback system, even if it’s just a cheap MP3-capable CD player and a couple of MP3 players with some appropriate playlists. Cables break. Mics get dropped. Be prepared.
The Digital DJ
At the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas is Tryst, a stunning night club with indoor and outdoor dance floors and some of the best music mixes ever to make a rump shake. Up in the DJ booth, you’ll often see DJ Justin Hoffman at the controls, scratching records and working the fader. But if you look closely, you’ll see he’s also using his Apple laptop.