Traditional House
Progressive House
Tech House
Techno
Electro House
Trance
Electronica

United States
United Kingdom
Germany
Italy
France
Spain
Netherlands

Playing A Silent Disco @ Music Festival This Summer...

Home :: General Discussion :: Playing A Silent Disco @ Music Festival This Summer...Reply

Playing A Silent Disco @ Music Festival This Summer... Posted on: 19.03.2013 by Kevin Brandin I was asked to play and I'm really pumped about it. Its the 4th year for this festival and the first time for a Silent Disco in these parts. Anyone ever done one of these? What should I expect other then silence?
Leota Morgeson 28.03.2013	Originally Posted by johney how do you dj on a silent disco? i mean is there some sound or are you just djing in your headphones? You'll need to mix in the headphones by using the Master and Cue settings on the mixer. You can hear the music that the audience is hearing through your DJ headphones by setting the input to the master. Then when mixing, just turn up the level of that deck, or switch between the Cue and the Master. You should also get a set of the silent disco headphones as well, which will basically act as your monitor, allowing you to hear exactly what the audience is listening to. When switching between DJs, ensure there is no dead air to keep the momentum going on the dance floor. Some other tips: silent disco is very dance-friendly. Since its very visual for those who do not yet have headphones, having an energetic dance floor will draw people in to join the party. Another attention grabber is when those listening to you sing along with the music - so if you have any music with familiar lyrics, great! If you're comfortable with a microphone, we highly encourage bringing it and interacting with the listeners. Guests react very well to the DJs voice - its like you're speaking directly into their ears - and the louder you can make them all scream, the better the effect will be for those yet without headphones. You'll love the experience -- have a blast! George Silent Disco by Silent Storm
Jerica Salava 21.03.2013	Originally Posted by Karlos Santos Ive played loads of them and they are shite I hate them They just turn into obvious sing-a-longs where DJs just try to play tracks that everyone knows the words to and can dance to. HOUSE OF PAIN - JUMP AROUND 14,million times. Still, people seem to love em and I always got drunk and people loved it so... cant complain (although I just did). The reason I am cranky is that I have to have my diabetes blood tests tomorrow and I have to fast for 12 hours and and im f*cking starving. good luck on the tests man. >
Delfina Suedmeyer 20.03.2013	Originally Posted by kooper1980 That may be be how you run YOUR business but it definitely isn't what happens in the UK. Creamfields, Global Gathering, SW4, Glastonbury, V Festival, Reading Festival ALL have silent discos that run concurrent to their main stages. As I said its definite NOT noise reduction that makes these popular. It could possibly be to get people more familiarized with the concept of silent disco. I've seen it at San Francisco parks where its used due to noise ordinance but I have also seen it at festival. And my guess, is that, its to add extra activities to the event. Yes you have your huge music stages with big sound systems, your ferris wheel, etc etc. But to add more varieties, they have silent disco. I don't know what the big fuss is about. I believe it's cool and plus they play disco/bass house (which is what you're not going to get from the big stages).
Isa Erik 20.03.2013	Originally Posted by donstone If it's not for noise pollution, then what is the meaning of them? What benefit does a silent disco have over an actual sound system? I'm curious, maybe I'm running the business incorrectly. i do believe one other reason are DJ "battles" i.e. two or more DJ's mixing, crowd deciding what DJ they want to hear (blue LED/green LED)
Jerica Salava 20.03.2013	Originally Posted by tgcasals Its not like its going to ruin the good ol' times of huge stacks that shake the ground. Yes it is. It's a great excuse for the authorities. Channel 4 news will have Captain Gonzales saying "we gave them a viable option and they resisted, therefore we had no other choice then to shut down the concert." It's NOT a viable option to speakers. >
Oretha Afful 20.03.2013	Originally Posted by kooper1980 That's bullshit mate because EVERY silent disco I have been to has occured adjacent to a full scale festival tent. Creamfields in the UK has a silent disco that lasts all day and evening . Doesn't scream noise reduction to me! That sounds like it is there for more of a novelty as opposed to being useful. The noise pollution issue is not bullshit. 1000 headphone setup in the united states rented for 3 days costs about $8000. Why would a festival spend extra money on something when they already have a sound system rented for 3 days? Who would rather listen to headphones other than the super awesome sound system the festival had? What hillbilly town in the United States doesn't have a noise ordiance past midevening ? Any festival that can have sound all evening would much rather run their actual sound systems than just have a tiny silent disco setup late evening . Festivals that have noise issues add silent discos so they can keep playing music late evening The whole concept is built around having a party when noise is an issue. you can even read about the whole damn history of them on the wiki where it plainly says they were started to avoid noise pollution. lol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_disco I've been performing at and running silent discos for 5 years now. This is the MAIN reason they exist. I have never had a promtoer say to me, "Hey I want to rent your gear and still run my main stage sound all evening to", It's always "Once we have to turn off the main stage, we want to have a silent disco to keep the party going" If it's not for noise pollution, then what is the meaning of them? What benefit does a silent disco have over an actual sound system? I'm curious, maybe I'm running the business incorrectly.
Kristofer Krauel 20.03.2013	Originally Posted by donstone Actually most festivals incorporate them exactly for noise ordinaces. I own a few hundred pairs and rent them to local festys here and this is always the reason given. If they could have sound all evening , most festivals would. You can also rent ALOT more speakers for the price of renting 500 headphones. Most areas of the country do have noise ordiances and even though they do allow festivals to got later than the ordiance, it is rare where you'll find some town that is going to allow 100K watts of sound at 5am. So silent disco's make perfect sense. Miami is one of the worst places for noise ordinace. 've been to Nikki beach countless times where they've had to have the sound turned to to a very minimal level. Ultra ends it's sound at midevening so there are no issues with it's sound. Yes we clean the headphones before giving them out before. The headphones we use also have a gree and blue led on them so you can actually tell what the whole crowd is listening to. So if you're DJ A and have blue led and see a sea of green leds, it might be time to switch up the tunes. When I've dj'd them, I usually keep a pair of the silent headphones around my neck and then DJ split cue in my regular headphones and check the silent headphones randomly. That's bullshit mate because EVERY silent disco I have been to has occured adjacent to a full scale festival tent. Creamfields in the UK has a silent disco that lasts all day and evening . Doesn't scream noise reduction to me!
Oretha Afful 20.03.2013	Originally Posted by kooper1980 Its like i thought.... you dont like them because you dont understand them. Thats human nature though. You've COMPLETELY missed the point of what silent disco's are about. Let me tell you though that it has NOTHING to do with noise levels and wanting to keep the residents happy. Actually most festivals incorporate them exactly for noise ordinaces. I own a few hundred pairs and rent them to local festys here and this is always the reason given. If they could have sound all evening , most festivals would. You can also rent ALOT more speakers for the price of renting 500 headphones. Most areas of the country do have noise ordiances and even though they do allow festivals to got later than the ordiance, it is rare where you'll find some town that is going to allow 100K watts of sound at 5am. So silent disco's make perfect sense. Miami is one of the worst places for noise ordinace. 've been to Nikki beach countless times where they've had to have the sound turned to to a very minimal level. Ultra ends it's sound at midevening so there are no issues with it's sound. Yes we clean the headphones before giving them out before. The headphones we use also have a gree and blue led on them so you can actually tell what the whole crowd is listening to. So if you're DJ A and have blue led and see a sea of green leds, it might be time to switch up the tunes. When I've dj'd them, I usually keep a pair of the silent headphones around my neck and then DJ split cue in my regular headphones and check the silent headphones randomly.
Leota Morgeson 28.03.2013	Originally Posted by johney how do you dj on a silent disco? i mean is there some sound or are you just djing in your headphones? You'll need to mix in the headphones by using the Master and Cue settings on the mixer. You can hear the music that the audience is hearing through your DJ headphones by setting the input to the master. Then when mixing, just turn up the level of that deck, or switch between the Cue and the Master. You should also get a set of the silent disco headphones as well, which will basically act as your monitor, allowing you to hear exactly what the audience is listening to. When switching between DJs, ensure there is no dead air to keep the momentum going on the dance floor. Some other tips: silent disco is very dance-friendly. Since its very visual for those who do not yet have headphones, having an energetic dance floor will draw people in to join the party. Another attention grabber is when those listening to you sing along with the music - so if you have any music with familiar lyrics, great! If you're comfortable with a microphone, we highly encourage bringing it and interacting with the listeners. Guests react very well to the DJs voice - its like you're speaking directly into their ears - and the louder you can make them all scream, the better the effect will be for those yet without headphones. You'll love the experience -- have a blast! George Silent Disco by Silent Storm
Delfina Suedmeyer 21.03.2013	when it was at the treasure island music festival, i didnt have problems with the headphones. it was a lot of fun but it does give you sweaty ears so i can see why people are over it quickly. but nonetheless, still great music and had fun.
Ralph Alderette 21.03.2013	..expect people to be amazed. make sure to be on your toes. shitty, wireless headphones don't do anything to help your mix. You'll see people come and go a lot faster at festival tents, and even more-so at the silent dance parties.
Ralph Alderette 21.03.2013	Coachella has one at the Camping grounds every evening after curfew. The dance floor has wooden panels with subwoofers under them so you actually still feel the bass.. not sure HOW it works, but it does. I loved it. In fact, EVERYONE did. That's one of the most fun parts of Coachella. No sing along tracks either, pumping techno and house later in the evening .
Jerica Salava 21.03.2013	Originally Posted by Karlos Santos Ive played loads of them and they are shite I hate them They just turn into obvious sing-a-longs where DJs just try to play tracks that everyone knows the words to and can dance to. HOUSE OF PAIN - JUMP AROUND 14,million times. Still, people seem to love em and I always got drunk and people loved it so... cant complain (although I just did). The reason I am cranky is that I have to have my diabetes blood tests tomorrow and I have to fast for 12 hours and and im f*cking starving. good luck on the tests man. >
nayit ruiz jaramillo 20.03.2013	Ive played loads of them and they are shite I hate them They just turn into obvious sing-a-longs where DJs just try to play tracks that everyone knows the words to and can dance to. HOUSE OF PAIN - JUMP AROUND 14,million times. Still, people seem to love em and I always got drunk and people loved it so... cant complain (although I just did). The reason I am cranky is that I have to have my diabetes blood tests tomorrow and I have to fast for 12 hours and and im f*cking starving.
Delfina Suedmeyer 20.03.2013	Originally Posted by kooper1980 That may be be how you run YOUR business but it definitely isn't what happens in the UK. Creamfields, Global Gathering, SW4, Glastonbury, V Festival, Reading Festival ALL have silent discos that run concurrent to their main stages. As I said its definite NOT noise reduction that makes these popular. It could possibly be to get people more familiarized with the concept of silent disco. I've seen it at San Francisco parks where its used due to noise ordinance but I have also seen it at festival. And my guess, is that, its to add extra activities to the event. Yes you have your huge music stages with big sound systems, your ferris wheel, etc etc. But to add more varieties, they have silent disco. I don't know what the big fuss is about. I believe it's cool and plus they play disco/bass house (which is what you're not going to get from the big stages).
Isa Erik 20.03.2013	Originally Posted by donstone If it's not for noise pollution, then what is the meaning of them? What benefit does a silent disco have over an actual sound system? I'm curious, maybe I'm running the business incorrectly. i do believe one other reason are DJ "battles" i.e. two or more DJ's mixing, crowd deciding what DJ they want to hear (blue LED/green LED)
Kevin Brandin 20.03.2013	great feed back thanks guys. also I was unaware of the built in LED's.
Neil Daavettila 20.03.2013	I do these quite a bit. Great at getting round noise restrictions, and really good when there are multiple channels with multiple DJ's. My advice would be get used to mixing in your headphones, and also, make sure you are given a set of the silent disco headphones when you arrive, so you can keep checking what everyone else is hearing and set your levels correctly.
Kristofer Krauel 20.03.2013	That may be be how you run YOUR business but it definitely isn't what happens in the UK. Creamfields, Global Gathering, SW4, Glastonbury, V Festival, Reading Festival ALL have silent discos that run concurrent to their main stages. As I said its definite NOT noise reduction that makes these popular.
Oretha Afful 20.03.2013	All I'm saying is that most of the time a promoter hires a silent disco company is because the live sound system is not an option. It's definitely a rare occurrence when a promoter will run a silent disco at the same time as all their main stages and if they do chances are the silent disco goes on after all the other stages shut down too.
Jerica Salava 20.03.2013	Originally Posted by tgcasals Its not like its going to ruin the good ol' times of huge stacks that shake the ground. Yes it is. It's a great excuse for the authorities. Channel 4 news will have Captain Gonzales saying "we gave them a viable option and they resisted, therefore we had no other choice then to shut down the concert." It's NOT a viable option to speakers. >
Stan Brevil 20.03.2013	I'm surprised there's so much resistance to this on the community . I don't believe they're something spectacular but at least its different and it mixes up the gig a bit so why not? If people have demonstrated willingness to cover the increased cost, who cares? Its not like its going to ruin the good ol' times of huge stacks that shake the ground.
Oretha Afful 20.03.2013	Originally Posted by kooper1980 That's bullshit mate because EVERY silent disco I have been to has occured adjacent to a full scale festival tent. Creamfields in the UK has a silent disco that lasts all day and evening . Doesn't scream noise reduction to me! That sounds like it is there for more of a novelty as opposed to being useful. The noise pollution issue is not bullshit. 1000 headphone setup in the united states rented for 3 days costs about $8000. Why would a festival spend extra money on something when they already have a sound system rented for 3 days? Who would rather listen to headphones other than the super awesome sound system the festival had? What hillbilly town in the United States doesn't have a noise ordiance past midevening ? Any festival that can have sound all evening would much rather run their actual sound systems than just have a tiny silent disco setup late evening . Festivals that have noise issues add silent discos so they can keep playing music late evening The whole concept is built around having a party when noise is an issue. you can even read about the whole damn history of them on the wiki where it plainly says they were started to avoid noise pollution. lol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_disco I've been performing at and running silent discos for 5 years now. This is the MAIN reason they exist. I have never had a promtoer say to me, "Hey I want to rent your gear and still run my main stage sound all evening to", It's always "Once we have to turn off the main stage, we want to have a silent disco to keep the party going" If it's not for noise pollution, then what is the meaning of them? What benefit does a silent disco have over an actual sound system? I'm curious, maybe I'm running the business incorrectly.
Kristofer Krauel 20.03.2013	Originally Posted by donstone Actually most festivals incorporate them exactly for noise ordinaces. I own a few hundred pairs and rent them to local festys here and this is always the reason given. If they could have sound all evening , most festivals would. You can also rent ALOT more speakers for the price of renting 500 headphones. Most areas of the country do have noise ordiances and even though they do allow festivals to got later than the ordiance, it is rare where you'll find some town that is going to allow 100K watts of sound at 5am. So silent disco's make perfect sense. Miami is one of the worst places for noise ordinace. 've been to Nikki beach countless times where they've had to have the sound turned to to a very minimal level. Ultra ends it's sound at midevening so there are no issues with it's sound. Yes we clean the headphones before giving them out before. The headphones we use also have a gree and blue led on them so you can actually tell what the whole crowd is listening to. So if you're DJ A and have blue led and see a sea of green leds, it might be time to switch up the tunes. When I've dj'd them, I usually keep a pair of the silent headphones around my neck and then DJ split cue in my regular headphones and check the silent headphones randomly. That's bullshit mate because EVERY silent disco I have been to has occured adjacent to a full scale festival tent. Creamfields in the UK has a silent disco that lasts all day and evening . Doesn't scream noise reduction to me!
Oretha Afful 20.03.2013	Originally Posted by kooper1980 Its like i thought.... you dont like them because you dont understand them. Thats human nature though. You've COMPLETELY missed the point of what silent disco's are about. Let me tell you though that it has NOTHING to do with noise levels and wanting to keep the residents happy. Actually most festivals incorporate them exactly for noise ordinaces. I own a few hundred pairs and rent them to local festys here and this is always the reason given. If they could have sound all evening , most festivals would. You can also rent ALOT more speakers for the price of renting 500 headphones. Most areas of the country do have noise ordiances and even though they do allow festivals to got later than the ordiance, it is rare where you'll find some town that is going to allow 100K watts of sound at 5am. So silent disco's make perfect sense. Miami is one of the worst places for noise ordinace. 've been to Nikki beach countless times where they've had to have the sound turned to to a very minimal level. Ultra ends it's sound at midevening so there are no issues with it's sound. Yes we clean the headphones before giving them out before. The headphones we use also have a gree and blue led on them so you can actually tell what the whole crowd is listening to. So if you're DJ A and have blue led and see a sea of green leds, it might be time to switch up the tunes. When I've dj'd them, I usually keep a pair of the silent headphones around my neck and then DJ split cue in my regular headphones and check the silent headphones randomly.
Doreen Schurle 19.03.2013	The thought of wearing headphones that hundreds of other people have worn is just... argh, I don't even wanna believe about it lol.
Kristofer Krauel 19.03.2013	Originally Posted by loverocket not for me man. I like speakers. In fact I love speakers. Nothing better than feeling the beat through your body and ears. This silent disco BS is a cop out. I live in Miami where Ultra come once a year. All the residents (old boring easily offended people) complain every year. And the city tells them to 'shut up or move." We are not ruining thousands of peoples fun times for a few party poopers. Bring on the bass. > Its like i thought.... you dont like them because you dont understand them. Thats human nature though. You've COMPLETELY missed the point of what silent disco's are about. Let me tell you though that it has NOTHING to do with noise levels and wanting to keep the residents happy.
Jerica Salava 19.03.2013	Originally Posted by kooper1980 Have you even been to one? Thousands of people at one festival alone would disagree with you. not for me man. I like speakers. In fact I love speakers. Nothing better than feeling the beat through your body and ears. This silent disco BS is a cop out. I live in Miami where Ultra come once a year. All the residents (old boring easily offended people) complain every year. And the city tells them to 'shut up or move." We are not ruining thousands of peoples fun times for a few party poopers. Bring on the bass. >
Kevin Brandin 19.03.2013	Originally Posted by kooper1980 Have you even been to one? Thousands of people at one festival alone would disagree with you. I agree with this. I've attended countless festivals in the US and unless you want to wait in long lines your not going to get a set of headphones.
Kevin Brandin 19.03.2013	I believe you just DJ from your headphones. There is a curfew issue with the festival location so they came up with this idea so bring the party into the wee hours of the evening . I'm looking forward to it, I like a challenge. Reading the crowd will be difficult but at 2-6 in the morning anything goes.....
Kristofer Krauel 19.03.2013	Originally Posted by loverocket Ever since I first heard this idea, I said no. Can't believe this stupid idea is still going. Have you even been to one? Thousands of people at one festival alone would disagree with you.
Jerica Salava 19.03.2013	Ever since I first heard this idea, I said no. Can't believe this stupid idea is still going.
Augustine Mitzen 19.03.2013	how do you dj on a silent disco? i mean is there some sound or are you just djing in your headphones?
Donovan Mandy 19.03.2013	It's very very difficult to judge the crowd reaction unless you're playing big sing-along tracks. You can kind of judge it a bit by where the drops/build-ups are in your track and compare them to what the crowd is doing dancemove-wise. But it's hard. In my experience... not as much fun as a usual gig.
Alphonso Deitchman 20.03.2013	Practice mixing without speakers? Get used to mixing with the Cue/Master mix knob.

<< Back to General Discussion Reply

Copyright 2012-2023 DJRANKINGS.ORG n.g.o. Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan	Created by Ajaxel CMS
Terms & Privacy

The best DJ in Venezuela is:

Playing A Silent Disco @ Music Festival This Summer...