Bad DJ Habits

I read an article titled The Bad Habits That DJs Grow Out of and would like to share my thoughts on the topic.

1)   Overusing FX

How many backspins can a dj do till it becomes too much? FX can be fun here and there but can easily be overused. They can be used for transitions of different music genres and/or different music speeds. But if someone gets FX happy then it just sounds overwhelming.

2)   Playing All the Best Tracks First

This can be tempting. Play all the jams right off the bat but after that what comes next? The energy in the room would be off the charts in the beginning then it would deflate after the hits are gone. One has to build up their set and keep the heaters till the end.

3)   Planning Every Track and Mix

There was one wedding that I had to play every song in a particular order. I am pretty sure the groom did not take notice if I put a song out of order since he was truly enjoying his wedding but I did follow the order. But at other events I do create a playlist and from that list I play music at the event. Everything depends on the crowd and what they are feeling.

4)   Drinking To Excess

There is a time and a place for everything. As a guest, it is fun to partake in the dancing and the activities. As a dj, you have to be responsible. There is a timeline to follow and one has to be alert incase there is a situation such as equipment malfunction or there is a change of events. 

A few weeks ago, I did a prom in downtown San Jose. The Tech Museum was the venue. When you think of the Tech Museum, one thinks of hands on activities of interesting concepts. Every few months they do change the theme so if one goes a few times a year then they do not see the same exhibits twice.

If you do not know, the Tech Museum can be an event venue that can be rented out. Three floors were used for the prom. One floor had the appetizers and fantastic food and drinks. The middle floor was the dance floor. And the top floor, prom goers could get their hands on the Tech toys, which drew lots of interest.

I was in awe of how helpful the staff was.  They helped me secure VIP parking and were very accommodating with the logistics with the location. I even got a phone call from the events manager to get important details. 

CARDI B  SHE BAD

CAMILLA CABELLO  NEVER BE THE SAME

 DRAKE  NICE FOR WHAT

ZEDD  THE MIDDLE

ANNE MARIE MARSHMELLO  FRIENDS

NICKI MINAJ  CHUN=LI

SEAN PAUL DAVID GUETTA BECKY G  MADLOVE

CALVIN HARRIS  FAKING IT

BAZZI MINE

LIL DICKY CHRIS BROWN  FREAKY FRIDAY

CARDI B BAD BUNNY J BALVIN  I LIKE IT

DADDY YANKEE  DURA

DJ KASS  SCOOBY DOO PA PA

RAE SREMMURD  FT JUICY J POWEGLIDE

SOB RBE KENDRICK LAMAR  PARAMEDIC

BLOCBOY  DRAKE  LOOK ALIVE

MIGOS DRAKE  WALKIT TALK IT

2 CHAINZ FT YG AND OFFSET  PROUD

Mixers are the brain of the PA system. A forty-dollar mixer can work but at the same time people get what you pay for. The professional mixers I recommend is the Yamaha MG06X and his bigger brother Yamaha MG10XU.

The MG06X is the size of an ipad. You can connect multiple microphones to it and have so much control of the gain, highs and lows. Also it has buttons to mute out a microphone if needed.  A 2 dj setup can be connected with this mixer. The beauty of this mixer is it can be added with another music system and it gives you more headroom to add more volume if needed. Each channel has a gain and then the master gain can be increased. If a dj decides to just play music and use microphones off his dj set up it sounds a certain way. Most controllers do not focus on the clarity of the microphones. They have other attributes it focuses on. But if the microphones are connected to the Yamaha mixer, it is so much clearer and it gives the option of multiple microphones. The mixer can be purchased for 120 dollars.

The older brother Yamaha MG10XU is a force of nature. Four microphones can be connected with the mixer. The highs, lows, and mids can be manipulated plus it has 24 effect programs that can add to the channel such as delay, flanger and echo. This mixer is so much bigger than his little brother so you would need more space for it.  This mixer can be purchased for about 200 dollars.

Both can do the job and it depends on how many microphones are needed and how fancy somebody wants the effect to be. 

The Perfect P.A. System: The speakers Part 1

When you purchase an item and use it then you start to realize it is all over the place. For example you purchase a Ford Flex, then all of a sudden you see them on the freeway or the parking lot. The exact same thing happened when it came to my P.A. system.

When I did the New Orleans Marathon, I noticed all the speakers by the stage were QSC powered speakers. QSC is known for the clarity of sound. The new K 12.2 monitors are the epitome of grade A equipment. The KW153 QSC 3- way speakers often pair up with the 12 inch monitors to perfect the sound. I stumbled upon the QSC discovery when I dropped off my JBL speakers to the shop. When I started doing music, I loved using my Mackie 450s, since they were flashy and sounded great, but I would blow them out. Next I went with the JBL brand, which were workhorses but eventually were blown out also. When I spoke with the speaker technician he said that QSC rarely came through his doors and is a fine speaker. When I looked into it, QSC offers a 6 year warranty on their speakers, so if any thing goes wrong QSC fixes it. Gone were the days of paying 200 dollars for a blown out speaker. The question was should I get subwoofers or a 3 way speaker. A sub would give you more punch in the bass. But say for example if the monitor (speaker) for some reason blows out then the sub would not work well since it would only have bass no mids or highs. The 3 way speaker would work  better with or without a monitor (speaker). 

I am currently reading a book, Write it Down, Make it Happen by Henriette Klauser. It has a basic concept but it can lead to monumental goals. One story mentions a football coach, Lou Holtz who was fired early in life. He then wrote over 100 goals on paper. Since he wrote them throughout his life, he has accomplished over 80 of his goals. It did not matter if his goals seemed to be impossible.

  He wanted to be the head coach for Norte Dame (one of the most powerful football programs in the country), and he made it happen. Also he wanted to have dinner in the White House, and it was done. Putting goals in writing puts it out in the universe.  It makes the goal setter more aware of the goal and causes the goal setter to see different avenues to reach the goal that they may have missed and not even know it.

   This year I had my ninth marathon on my to do on my March list. A marathon is 26.2 miles of goal right in front of the runner’s face. Unfortunately I had to take January off and only had a month of training. I had to start fresh in January with only running a half mile and build my way up. Each time I ran I would increase the distance. By the time I got to the last week of training, I maxed out with 7 miles.

 I was able to finish my marathon. Quitting was not an option. I was not going for time but just to finish. I was able to go 17 miles before my first break.  My marathon goal in my goal notebook now has been checked off. 

30 FIRST DANCE WEDDING SONGS

A wedding is the customized playlist for the newly married couple. There is no cookie cut playlist to play at every wedding. But there are songs that are commonly picked for the first dance. Often times the couple will want to pick  a song everyone knows. Sometimes the bride and groom cannot agree on what song to pick. Either they can flip a coin or can get a song sliced and diced so both of the songs can fit during the first dance spot. A good dj can blend two songs via software to make sure it fits the 3 to 4 minute dance routine.  I prefer to use Logic software  to do my first dance masterpieces.  Below are some first dance choices, but then again they are suggestions, it’s the couple who have the final say on what should be played:

HEARTLAND  LOVED HER FIRST

FRANK SINATRA  THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT

SNOW PATROL  CHASING CARS

LIFEHOUSE  YOU AND ME

AEROSMITH  I DON’T WANT TO MISS A THING

BRYAN ADAMS  EVERYTHING I DO I DO IT FOR YOU

SAVAGE GARDEN  TRULY MADLY DEEPLY

NAT KING COLE  L-O-V-E

TEMPTATIONS MY GIRL

GOO GOO DOLLS  IRIS

JOE COCKER  YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL

RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS  UNCHAINED MELODY

BEN E KING  STAND BY ME

BRUNO MARS  MARRY YOU

ELIE GOULDING  HOW LONG WILL I LOVE YOU

ELTON JOHN  YOUR SONG

JASON MRAZ  I’M YOURS

VAN MORRISON  CRAZY LOVE

LOUIS ARMSTRONG  WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

ERIC CLAPTON  WONDERFUL TONIGHT

ELVIS PRESLEY  CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE

JASON MRAZ AND COLBIE CAILLAT

AL GREEN  LETS STAY TOGETHER

JACK JOHNSON  BETTER TOGETHER

CHRISTINA PERRI A THOUSAND YEARS 

JOHN LEGEND  ALL OF ME

ETTA JAMES  AT LAST

SADE  BY YOUR SIDE

LAURYN HILL CANT TAKE MY EYES OFF OF YOU

K-CI AND JOJO  CRAZY

FEBUARY DEMO 2018 PLAYLIST

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE  SAY SOMETHING

ZEDD  THE MIDDLE

DRAKE  GOD’S PLAN

BRUNO MARRS  CARDI B  FINESSE

NF  LET YOU DOWN

MIGOS  WALK IT TALK IT

CAMILA  CABELLO  NEVER BE THE SAME

SIA DAVID GUETTA  HELIUM

MAROON 5 WAIT

EMINEM  RIVER

HAILEE STEINFELD AND ALESSO  LET ME GO

CHARLIE PUTH  HOW LONG

HALSEY  BAD AT LOVE

G-EAZY ASAP CARDI B  NO LIMIT

MIGOS  MOTORSPORT

ASAP  PLAIN JANE