Estimated reading time 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you want to be a disc jockey? Do you need to know how to get a professional sound? The term disc jockey comes from the early days of radio when on air personalities used to play disc-shaped records. However, it’s come to mean a whole lot more. If you want to be a DJ, you’ll need a pro sound, and to get that you’ll need the right gear. Keep reading to learn how to sound like a pro disc jockey.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission from purchases made through the links. I’ll only recommend products I use, use in lessons, or ones my students or colleagues have recommended.
How to Sound Like a Pro Disc Jockey: What Is a DJ?
What’s a Disc Jockey?
- It can mean many things. For example, the term can apply to radio personalities.
- It can apply to the people who work nightclub sound boards to create mixes for the club patrons to dance to.
- Some DJs have equipment that they own and bring to parties, such as weddings. They don’t usually create dance mixes. Instead, they work from playlists.
- Also, you have people who create hip hop beats that MCs rap over, which basically makes the DJ a collage artist whose medium is sound.
- All these DJs, except for radio personalities, must understand how to use pro audio gear.
How to Sound Like a Pro Disc Jockey: What Gear Do I Need?
What gear you need, or need to be familiar with, depends on the type of DJ you are.
Nightclubs
- You need to be familiar with how a mixing board works. (This digital audio workstation link leads to a post that gives you the basics of your main mixer controls and how to use them.)
- You’ll need to know how proper gain staging works and how EQ and compression work. (See the pro audio links below.)
- Plus, you’ll need pro-quality headphones so you can have seamless beatmatching and cueing.
Headphones
Weddings and Parties
Hip Hop
- If you create Hip Hop mixes, you’ll need the skills and gear of the first two categories as you’ll often play at clubs and parties.
- However, you’ll also be creating original mixes that you can record and sell.
- This means that you need to understand live mixing: where you’ll be doing a mono mix and use little to no reverb. However, you’ll still have to effectively use EQ and compression. You’ll also need to understand how a DJ player and software works.
- In addition, you’ll need to know how to mix studio tracks, where you’ll now pan instruments and apply reverb. (See the pro audio links below.)
- For studio mixes a DAW is a must.
Digital audio workstation
This post specifically focuses on how to create hip hop beats.
These posts will give you tips on how to effectively use pro audio gear.
- How to Mix Using a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
- What Exactly Is Attenuation for Home Recording Studios
- What’s Dynamic Range Compression and How to Use It
- How to Record Vocals for a Professional Sound
- How to Master Reverb (3 Tips to Tweak Your Mix)
- How to Inject the Power of Distortion into Music
- How to Employ Effective Equalization
Mobile users: for best results viewing the videos, rotate your screen 90o to the right.
Video: Using Pro Tools (DAW)
Video: How to Create Hip Hop Beats with Drum Loops and Samples
How to Sound Like a Pro Disc Jockey: Your Auditory Health
DJs at night clubs and parties often have the volume cranked up.
- In fact, it’s not uncommon to have the sound hit 110 to 120 decibels.
- Volumes ranging from 90 to 110 dB are dangerous if you’re exposed to it for longer than 30 minutes.
- 120 dB is immediately damaging.
To protect your (and your audience’s) hearing health, keep the volume around 70 dB.
For more information:
Recommended reading
Final Thoughts
Takeaway points:
- You need to know what type of DJ you want to be so you can know what kind of gear you need to have.
- Make sure all your gear is pro quality.
- Learn how to use your gear for the best possible sound. The links to the pro audio posts will help.
Have fun!
How to Deal with Students Who Act Out in Music Lessons
Music teachers, do you have students that complain that the music’s too hard? Or do they act out a lot? This happens when students worry that they will fail. How can we, as music teachers, fix the situation? Read more to learn how to deal with students who act out in music lessons. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Read More
Success Music Studio Blog Anniversary
Find out more about Success Music Studio’s “Successful Music Student” blog and what it covers as you read the blog anniversary article. Click to learn how the Successful Music Student blog helps you grow in your music.
Read More
Active Versus Passive Voice: How to Write Them
Are you confused about what’s the difference between active and passive voice? Do you need help writing them? You need to understand their advantages and disadvantages if you want your prose, poems, and songs to sound tight and be easy to listen to and read. Click “Active Versus Passive Voice: How to Write Them” to learn what they are and how they work. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More
How to Record a Professional Quality Podcast
Do you want to start your own podcast? Do you need to know what stuff to get and how to use it? Podcasting is hot right now. I mean, I recently walked into Target, and they had podcasting pro audio gear on display – in Target! That means there are lots of people out there who want to share their views with the world. If you’re one of them, click “How to Record a Professional Quality Podcast” to learn how to get a professional sound. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Read More