Got my first "real" gig! Nervous and need some tips! Help?
Got my first "real" gig! Nervous and need some tips! Help? Posted on: 26.02.2013 by Corrina Mews So I'm a beginner DJ in Lexington, KY. I've started DJ'ing at house parties but recently got asked to DJ a sorority formal dance. This isn't until April, so I have plenty of time to prepare, I'm just nervous since this is the first big gig for a lot of people. Any tips or helpful comments? | |
| Jerica Salava 27.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by SantotoMT
|
| Gaynell Rydberg 26.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by freakouthunter
|
| Corrina Mews 26.02.2013 | So I'm a beginner DJ in Lexington, KY. I've started DJ'ing at house parties but recently got asked to DJ a sorority formal dance. This isn't until April, so I have plenty of time to prepare, I'm just nervous since this is the first big gig for a lot of people. Any tips or helpful comments? |
| Jerica Salava 27.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by SantotoMT
|
| Corrina Mews 27.02.2013 | Thanks for all of the help everybody! Great tips and I'm really excited about this gig! |
| Becky Momjian 27.02.2013 | good luck du,be confident. |
| Emelina Chillson 28.02.2013 | Arrange a time for you to be there early to set up with the event organizer. Bring your own table/stand. Unload yourself unless help is offered. Dress professional yet casual. Take a microphone with you. Be prepared for requests. IE utilize wifi in case its somehting you dont have, you can go buy it real quick. Don't stress out. Only other DJ's will notice when you mess up. The average listener only hears the music. Do not under any circumstance let anyone who does not know how to use the gear touch the gear . Dont be rude just hand them the microphone and tell them to give a shout out. Watch out for beer near your gear. Above all!!!! Have fun mate and much luck with your first gig. |
| Marilynn Rengers 28.02.2013 | if its like the formals i've been to (i've been in a fraternity for three years) these are the easiest gigs you can get. Once the girls walk in they'll want to dance so play something upbeat. At the best ones I've been to the dinner portion was slower pop, country, soft rock. Then they'll want to dance again, followed by speeches/awards/pictures/whatever else. By then everyone is significantly drunk and wants to dance to anything you play. As long as the girls recognize the songs you're playing they'll have fun and like you. Ask id they "have a song". Every sorority I know has one song they will all go nuts to hear. Make sure that gets played. If you have any other questions you can PM me. |
| Beulah Heintze 26.02.2013 | I agree with what everyone pretty much said already. Just have fun, play to the crowd, and I'm sure you'll do fine. I always found these private parties/formal parties were always a little easier to DJ since it is mostly popular music and there is usually an hour or so for dinner/awards/misc stuff. Good Luck!!! |
| Reid Barreiro 26.02.2013 | yea requests suck, get ready for those, best thing i find is just be honest and say ur in a set and will fit it in ASAP since im a dj i always make the best requests tho lol they always fit the DJ's set |
| Doreen Schurle 26.02.2013 | Be prepared for assloads of requests, and to use the mic a lot. Given the type of gig, you're not there to perform as such, you're there to basically be a jukebox and play tracks people recognize. They won't care/notice if you use awesome combinations of loops, samples, effects, etc; nobody's REALLY going to be paying any attention to you. Just don't screw up massively (ie, let the music die completely for like 2 minutes) and you'll be fine. |
| Yu Santellano 26.02.2013 | Get the technical stuff nailed down - scout out the venue beforehand and make sure you've got all the connectors, cables, booth space and such that you're gonna need. Make sure your gear can handle extended play periods as someone has said - I've often read cases where it's gone wrong for people because they haven't factored in the heat generated by people inside a club, and the mostly manageable heat generated by their laptop has suddenly become unmanageable. If the technical stuff is off your mind, then you've just gotta worry about the creative stuff. |
| Gaynell Rydberg 26.02.2013 |
create a set that you can KILL and play it in the middle of the event
|
| Reid Barreiro 26.02.2013 | ^great post youve already done half the battle u know what playing live is like, so playing for a bigger crowd will be easier in some respects (more people to dance) But if you mess up, itll maybe feel worse. just rmember that people r gonna do what they want when it comes to dancing, so by midway thru the evening ull know how many people are up for dancing, after u figure it out, dont worry about the people who refuse to dance, it just gets stressful its a formal so BE professional thyre gonna want loud sound so if your speakers arent up to par, go ahead and buy some new ones or just rent some, if youre comfortable doing so u can charge them how much itll cost to rent gear . if you mess up, dont worry about it, just look as cool as possible when it happens, lol my CD's would skip sometimes, so if yours do, or your music starts bogging or something like that, if ur mic still works; just blame it on the crowd lol ("heyyy you guys are dancing soo hard my gear messed up woohooo!!!") Be PROFESSIONAL get there early, superrrr early cuz your probably going to forget something. set all your stuff up and do adequate sound checks. make sure your gear can handle extended play periods (u prbly already know if it can or not) make sure u have faith in ALL your gear , if you dont, get ir resolved, because malfuntioning makes the evening supperrrr stressful. be professional handle your money well, and yourself . create a set that you can KILL and play it in the middle of the event and lastly, have fun |
| Gaynell Rydberg 26.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by freakouthunter
|
| Judi Sissel 26.02.2013 | I've never gigged live so I wouldn't be of much help answering your questions, but what would be helpful are the other threads on the subject. I've seen plenty of threads concerning this specific topic here on DJTT, and on the reddit/dj subforms. I am almost sure you'll find a wealth of knowledge in those threads. Good luck, enjoy, and KILL IT! |
<< Back to General DiscussionReply