Soundsystem advice for DJs

[RDR]

A lil' ol' thread for do's and dont's advice for DJs running on sound systems.

1. Keep your levels out of the RED - occasionally they'll go there either through inattention or over enthusiasm, but you need to ensure that you dont see RED, or the sound bwoy WILL! Also the sound will distort.

2. Try to ensure that the levels of each of the tracks are the same. set your EQs flat and pay attention to the gains.

There are plenty more, but i'd like to hear some input from other DJs.

[dirty_bass]

Yeah, it`s red for a reason, it means stop.
Keep your tunes out of the red, people can hear em, all your probably doing is cutting in the limiter on the rig, and making the tunes sound shite, as well as damaging the mixer.

A good engineer will have set the levels way below the red anyway, so keep em there.

With spinbacks and scratching, back of the bass a little.

Take utmost care on your track levels. The bigger the rig, the more pronounced small differences in levels become. Go by ear and also by the pfl meter.

When you first come onto a rig, especially in a loud environment.
Turn the headphone output right down. Plug yourself in.
Wait 10 seconds or so, and then slowly bring the volume up to a comfortable level. your ears will love you for it, and you`ll find mixing much easier.
Some DJ`s just rip the volume up, and pound their ears to submission.

Never pump the Bass beyond flat on the EQ, unless you know the headroom you are dealing with, if in doubt, talk to the engineer.
Who will probably sneer at you and tell you not to do it, but it`s better to ask.

Monitor levels. If you can set the booth monitor level, do the same as the headphone trick. Stick your headphones on, turn down the booth level. Set your headphone level, then bring up the booth monitor to match.

Your monitoring level, how clear and comfortable it is, is probably the most important thing to ensure you get good control over your mix. It is the lifeline to the rig, it may seem obvious, but make sure you get everything as comfortable as possible.
It`s far more important than slappin a tune on as quick as possible.

Filters and effects.
Again be careful with the levels on these. Nothing worse than some DJ wackin the res right up on a high pass and caining the hell out of the tops on the rig.
Flange is also one to be careful with.

[eyes without a face]

that's presuming most clubs we play in actually has an engineer of course, ive done many a gig where the promoter is trying to run it all themselves and dont have a clue about teh soundsystem or why its just decided to turn itself off

good tips tho definately

[Dj Swannie]

One thing i find that can work well & makes mixing more enjoyable is... as you are about to play your first track bring down the volumes on the ch slider or gains a little bit, dont bring them down too much otherwise everybody will notice on the dance floor & start complaining ! It may seem wrong to do this as its your first track but i find that it gives you more headroom as you can use this saved volume for impact when bringing in a mix later in the set or playing a quiet vinyl/album. Volume can be the best dj tool & effect on the mixer if used correctly, it can really help build a set.

In some cases you wouldnt need to do this if there was adaquate headroom on the mixer before you started but its worth trying at a club or party where the mixer & soundsytem are on or close to its limits, even if they are not its handy to have alot to play with ;)

This tip is by no means fool proof (nothing is) Its just something i have done when reqiured & it has worked well most occasions when i have done it.

[FIK]

I hate switching with a dj who's allways in the red.

[fresh_an_funky_design]

9 times out of 10 your get on a rig everything is in the red, there's only so much you can pull it back without it being a lot quieter and the crowd losing interest.