Home Page Icon
Home Page
Table of Contents for
Cheat Sheet
Close
Cheat Sheet
by John Steventon
DJing For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Introduction
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond this Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I: Getting Started with DJing
Chapter 1: Catching DJ Fever
Discovering DJing Foundations
Equipping yourself
Making friends with your wallet
Knowing your music
Researching and discovering
Connecting your equipment
DJing Takes Patience and Practice
Working as a DJ
Chapter 2: Starting Up with the Bare Bones
Making a List, Checking It Twice
Considering Input Devices
Thinking about turntables
Deciding on CD decks
Musing on MP3s and PCs
One Box to control it all
Monitoring Your Music with Headphones
Powering Things Up with Amplifiers
Figuring Out the Furniture
Considering ergonomics and stability
Selecting store-bought stands
Killing vibration with bricks and air
Locating Your DJ Setup
Chapter 3: Shopping for Equipment
Taking Stock Before You Shop
Trying before you buy
Budgeting your money
Crossing over with digital DJing
Buying Brand New
Cruising the high street
Opting for online shopping
Buying Second Hand
Bidding on auction websites
Scanning newspapers
Dipping into second-hand and pawn shops
Making Sure That Your Kit Works
Checking cables
Testing turntables
Vetting CD decks
Monitoring mixers
Assessing headphones
Sounding out amplifiers and speakers
Chapter 4: Retro Chic or PC Geek? Buying Records, CDs and Digital Music Files
Researching and Buying Your Tunes
Buying digital music files
Purchasing CDs and records
Choosing what to buy
News and reviews
A tangled web
Weighing up Classic and Current
Protecting Your Records and CDs
Storing records
Cleaning CDs, records and needles
Repairing vinyl
Fixing warped records and CDs
Repairing scratched/cracked CDs
Backing up digital libraries
Part II: Stocking Up Your DJ Toolbox
Chapter 5: The Tech Revolution: Format Choices
The Contestants
Finding Your Music
Circling around turntables
Polishing up on CD options
Digital – all music, all night
Choosing Analogue or Digital Sound
Mechanics: My Way Is Best!
Vinyl is more aesthetically pleasing
Turning the tables on controllers
Turntables and records are heavy and cumbersome
Turntables don’t have built-in effects
You can’t see the music on CD
Bars don’t have turntables any more
Turntables are more expensive than CD decks
Chapter 6: Getting Decked Out with Turntables
Avoiding Cheap Turntables
Motoring in the right direction
Watching out for pitch control design
Identifying Key Turntable Features
Start/stop
On/off
Strobe light
Platters
33/45/78 rpm
Target light
Pitch control
Counterweight/height adjust
Anti-skate
Removable headshell/cartridge
45 rpm adaptor
Customising Your Sound with Advanced Turntable Features
Pitch range options
Pitch bend and joystick control
Tempo reset/quartz lock
Master tempo/key lock
Digital display of pitch
Adjustable brake for start/stop
Reverse play
Different shaped tonearms
Removable cabling
Digital outputs
Battle or club design
MIDI controls
Setting Up Turntables
Platter
Tonearm
Peripherals
Servicing Your Turntables
Chapter 7: Perfecting Your Decks: Slipmats and Needles
Sliding with Slipmats
Choosing an appropriate slipmat
Winning the friction war
Getting Groovy with Needles and Cartridges
Feeling the Force with Counterweight Settings
Nurturing Your Needles
Chapter 8: Spinning with CDs
Getting to know the DJ CD Deck
Laying out the design
Navigating the CD
Adjusting the Pitch
Smoothing Out Vibrations
Working with the Cue
Locating the cue
Storing the cue
Checking the cue
Starting the tune
Taking Advantage of Special Features
Digital music file playback
Master tempo
Hot cues
Loop
Sample banks
Reverse play
Beats-per-minute counters
Digital DJ software control
Having Fun Experimenting
Chapter 9: Bits and PCs: Digital DJing
Designing Your Digital DJ Setup
Processing computer hardware
Memory and processor considerations
Stability
Controlling the Digits
Laptop/computer only
Enhancing the basics by adding hardware
DVS using records and CDs
Connections and requirements
Adding Hardware Controllers
All-in-one hardware controllers
Putting CD decks and mixers in control
Your way is the best way . . . for you
Picking Out the Software
Software designed for DJs
Controlling Decisions
Livening up software choice
Exploring Alternatives
DJing with iPods, iPads and USB drives
Mixing on the move
Chapter 10: Stirring It Up with Mixers
Getting Familiar with Mixer Controls
Inputs
Outputs
Input VU monitoring
Cross-faders
Channel faders
EQs and kills
Gain controls
Headphone monitoring
Balance and pan controls
Hamster switch
Punch and transform controls
Built-in effects
Effects send and return
Built-in samplers
Built-in beat counters
Beat light indicators
MIDI and USB controls
Choosing the Right Mixer
The seamless mix DJ
The scratch DJ
The effects DJ
The rock/party/wedding DJ
Servicing Your Mixer
Chapter 11: Ear-splitting Advice about Not Splitting Your Ears: Headphones
Choosing a Good Set of Headphones
Single-sided coiled cords
Swivelling earpieces
User-replaceable parts
Cutting the cord
Sticking it to your ears
Remembering that the Volume Doesn’t Have to Go Up to 11
Using Earplugs
Chapter 12: Letting Your Neighbours Know That You’re a DJ: Amplifiers
Choosing Suitable Amplification
Settling on your home stereo
Purchasing powered speakers
Opting for separates
Allowing a power margin for error
Working with Monitors
Working with the speed of sound
Positioning your monitor
Noise Pollution: Keeping an Ear on Volume Levels
Protecting your ears
Neighbourhood watch
Realising that you only need one speaker
Chapter 13: Plugging In, Turning On: Setup and Connections
Getting Familiar with Connectors
RCA/phono connections
XLRs
Quarter-inch jack
Plugging Into the Mixer
Connecting turntables to a mixer
Connecting CD decks to a mixer
Connecting iPods and personal MP3 players to a mixer
Choosing your mixer inputs
Plugging in your headphones
Connecting effects units to a mixer
Connecting mixer outputs
Connecting a mixer to your home hi-fi
Connecting a mixer to powered speakers
Connecting a mixer to your PC/Mac
Troubleshooting Setup and Connections
Everything’s connected and switched on, a record (or CD) is playing, but I can’t hear anything from the speakers
I can hear the music from the amp now, but I can’t hear anything through the headphones
One of the turntables is distorting and the high frequencies sound fuzzy
Why do my needles keep jumping when cueing?
I hear a really strange humming noise coming from my turntables
Why is everything distorting badly when I play a CD?
Why is everything really quiet when using my turntables, even when everything is turned up to maximum?
Everything sounds nice through the mixer but distorts through the amp
Music is playing through the mixer, but I can’t get any music into the PC
I’m able to record what’s going in, but nothing is coming back out of the PC
Why doesn’t my recording device seem to record anything when connected directly to the mixer?
Part III: The Mix
Chapter 14: Grasping the Basics of Mixing
Knowing What Beatmatching’s All About
Discovering How to Beatmatch
Choosing skills over thrills
Setting up your equipment
Locating the first bass beat
Starting your tunes in time
Adjusting for errors
Knowing which record to adjust
Using the Pitch Control
Understanding bpm
Calculating bpm
Matching the pitch setting
All hands (back) on decks
Playing too slowly or too fast
Taking your eyes off the pitch control
Introducing Your Headphones
Switching over to headphone control
Cueing in your headphones
Centring your head with a stereo image
Practising with your headphones
Using new tunes
Quick Beatmatching
Chapter 15: Picking Up on the Beat: Song Structure
Why DJs Need Structure
Multiplying beats, bars and phrases
The sheep can dance
Counting on where you are
Hearing the cymbal as a symbol
Everything changes
Actively listening to your tunes
Studying Song Structure
Repeating the formula
Accepting that every tune’s different
Developing your basic instincts
Listening to a Sample Structure
Chapter 16: Mixing Like the Pros
Perfecting Placement
Intros over outros
Melodic outro
Melodic intro
Mixing with Breakdowns
Controlling the Sound of the Mix
Sliding the cross-fader into play
Unleashing channel faders
Letting you in on a big, curvy secret
Balancing it out with EQs
Using Mixing Tricks and Gimmicks
Spinbacks and dead stops
Power off
A cappella
Cutting in
Remixing with multiple decks
Effecting the transition
Mixing Different Styles of Music
The wedding/party/rock/pop mix
The R&B mix
Drum and bass, and breakbeat
Beatmatching tunes with vastly different tempos
Chapter 17: Scratching Lyrical
Setting Up Equipment the Right Way
Weighing up needles
Fixing the hole in the middle
Wearing out your records
Giving slipmats the slip
Touching up mixers
Making the mixer a hamster
Preparing for the Big Push
Marking samples
Scratching on CD, MP3 and Computer
Marking bits and bytes
Mastering the Technique
Getting hands-on with vinyl
Changing sample sounds
Starting from Scratch and Back Again
Scratching without the cross-fader
Introducing cross-fader fever
Combining scratches
Juggling the Beats
Offsetting
Practice, dedication and patience
Part IV: Getting Noticed and Playing Live
Chapter 18: Building a Foolproof Set
Choosing Tunes to Mix Together
Beatmatching – the next generation
Mixing with care
Changing gear
Getting in tune with harmonic mixing
Keying tunes
Knowing how much to pitch
Developing a Style
Easing up on the energy
Changing the key
Increasing the tempo
Avoiding stagnation
Respecting the crowd
Demonstrating your style
Chapter 19: Creating a Great Demo
Preparing to Record the Demo
Programming your set
Picking and arranging the tunes
Bridging the gaps
Practising your set
Practice makes more than perfect
Setting up to record
Correcting recording levels
Looking After Sound Processing
Keeping an even volume
Setting your EQs
Testing, testing
Adjusting the amplifier
Performing the Demo
Staying focused
Becoming a perfectionist
Listening with an open mind
Making a Demo CD on Computer
Editing your mix
Burning a CD
Creating a track-split CD
Sending Off the Mix
Chapter 20: Getting Busy With It: Working as a DJ
Marketing Yourself
Flooding the world with your demo
Playing for free
Internet broadcasting
Joining an Agency
Researching an agency
Meeting the criteria to join
Keeping agencies in your musical loop
Cutting your losses
Networking Your Way to Success
Selling yourself
Making friends
Going undercover
Marketing Yourself on the Internet
Chapter 21: Facing the Music: Playing Live
Investigating the Venue
Scoping out a club
Gearing up to party
Preparing to Perform
Selecting the set
Organising your box
Knowing What to Expect at the Club
Dealing with nerves
Getting used to your tools
Working in a loud environment
Playing Your Music
Reading a crowd
Handling requests
Taking over from someone else
Finishing the night
Part V: The Part of Tens
Chapter 22: Ten Resources for Expanding Your Skills and Fan Base
Staying Current with Media
Music
The scene
Your skills
Visiting DJ Advice Websites
Getting Answers through DJ Forums
Reading Other Books
Getting Hands-on Advice
Uploading Podcasts or Hosted Mixes
Listening to Other People’s Mixes
Participating in Competitions
Hosting Your Own Night
Immerse Yourself in What You Love
Chapter 23: Ten Answers to DJ Questions You’re Too Afraid to Ask
Do I Need to Talk?
What Should I Wear?
How Do I Go to the Toilet?
Can I Invite My Friends into the DJ Booth?
How Do I Remove the Beat or Vocals?
How Do I Choose My DJ Name?
Do I Get Free Drinks? (And How Do I Get Drinks from the Bar?)
Who Does the Lighting for the Night?
Should I Reset the Pitch to Zero After Beatmatching?
What Do I Do if the Record or CD Skips or the Software Crashes?
Chapter 24: Ten Great Influences on Me
Renaissance: Disc 1
Tonsillitis
La Luna: ‘To the Beat of the Drum’
Ibiza 1996, Radio 1 Weekend
The Tunnel Club, Glasgow
Jamiroquai: ‘Space Cowboy’
Digital DJing
Alice DeeJay: ‘Better Off Alone’
Delerium: ‘Silence’
Sasha and Digweed, Miami 2002
Chapter 25: Ten DJing Mistakes to Avoid
Forgetting Slipmats/Headphones/Laptop
Taking the Needle off the Wrong Record
Banishing Mixer Setting Problems
Getting Drunk while Playing
Surfing while Mixing
Leaning Over the Decks
Avoiding Wardrobe Malfunctions
Spending Too Long Talking to Someone
Leaving Your Last Tune Behind
Getting Paid Before You Leave
Chapter 26: Ten Items to Take with You When DJing
All the Right Records or Bits
Making It Personal with Headphones and Slipmats
You’re a Star! Taking a Digital Recorder/Blank CD
Spreading the Music with Demos
Always Being Prepared: Pen and Paper
Packing Your Tools and Saving the Day
Keeping Fuelled with Food and Drink
Keeping Moving with Car Keys
Have Wallet, Will Travel
Just Chilling: Chill Mix for the Ride Home
About the Author
Cheat Sheet
More Dummies Products
Search in book...
Toggle Font Controls
Playlists
Add To
Create new playlist
Name your new playlist
Playlist description (optional)
Cancel
Create playlist
Sign In
Email address
Password
Forgot Password?
Create account
Login
or
Continue with Facebook
Continue with Google
Sign Up
Full Name
Email address
Confirm Email Address
Password
Login
Create account
or
Continue with Facebook
Continue with Google
Prev
Previous Chapter
About the Author
Next
Next Chapter
More Dummies Products
To access the cheat sheet specifically for this book, go to
www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/DJing
.
Find out ”HOW” at
Dummies.com
Add Highlight
No Comment
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click
here
login for view all page.
Day Mode
Cloud Mode
Night Mode
Reset