Free DJ App to start your DJ Career...
Have you ever wanted to be the life of the party?
For most people, that's a DJ.
The classic look of having 2 turntables and a laptop on the side, and control different widgetssou to make everyone go crazy.
But all that gear cost money, and quite a bit.
The first DJ app that I found very easy to get into it, is a web based DJ console, free to use and to play around with.
The app is called You.DJ and you can check it out and see that it allows you to put some youtube video and have some sound effects as well as sliders, cue and effects.
What's a DJ
So before we get all excited or not, we should sort of define what are the things we need to be a DJ. A DJ in all esense is a manually handled Jukebox which not just put records but also have to master some core skills.
A DJ most read the room and elevate the vibe of the party and play the right record for it. Get the audience more pumped or more chill depending on the timing.
Flip records
Another important thing a DJ most provide is to keep the music playing. You dont want to hear a DJ pull out a record, put a new one and have silence in the middle. That's why the most common tool has 2 players and a volume mixer to go from one track to the next. That way the music never stops, you can load a new record while the other is playing and gradually go from one record to the other.
Here is where some skill is necessary as one thing a DJ should have is the rythm. Going from one record to the next, the rythm might change, and the transition is key to land the new record with no issues. Tecnically speaking, the RPM or revolutions per minute might not be the same between the song playing, and the next one you will be playing.
Beat Matching
This art is what we called the art of Beat Matching. Sync the beat between these records is something that the console can provide through the pitch and other tools. There is also automatic beat matching, but a DJ should have some play into it.
Record Scratching
This is probably the most signature of a DJ, is the record scratching. What was once considered an accident. It got perfected to become a sound of its own. The scratch will generate when the record is suddenly stop or rewinded and the needle will not capture the sound much and make a sound similar to a rip of clothing.
Dominating this art, and learning which scratchs will sound good will give the track more of a 'hip' sound. As the tech moved from vynil records to mp3, we have the famous platter or turntable shaped like vynil to emulate the disc doing the rotation.
Sound effects
Finally but not the only thing, we have the sound effects loaded on a pad, where the DJ can play at any point. Remember the Vuvuzella sound, or the 'OMG' pre-recorded sound bytes.
These are a sound version of what a meme is, we would throw it at key areas so people will get triggered by that sound. Sound boards can be shown on different scales. They can be your friend but could be your enemy as well if overused.
You.DJ - Web Version
I am adding a tutorial on how to use and explore the You DJ interface, with this you will have access to the tools I mentioned in the past.
A more specific tutorial should take care of each of the skills I mentioned but I dont want this publication to go on forever so here are some of what you need to know now.
MIXXX - Open Source version for Linux, Windows and OSX
These is one of the better clones to what Virtual DJ has, althought not nearly sa full featured as Virtual DJ which could be clasified as the internet standard. I wanted to offer an open source option first as the more people use it, the better it will get. Think VLC for DJs.
Virtual DJ - Windows, OSX
This is the premier tool for most DJs as it has a lot of history and a lot of development done on it. It also allows you to stream your sets as well as do VJing.
There are plenty of tutorials on Virtual DJ, I will put one but is easy to find support for this software.
Cross DJ - Android and OSX
Having a handy laptop might be a challenge for most people, but what about your good old phone or tablet? Cross DJ is the tool to use if that's the case as it also free and free enough to be dangerous and have a set. At least until those DJ checks are good enough to pay for those plugins effects.
So what are you waiting for? Even if you stuck on a boring cubicle you can now work on your Batman life, building cool sets. Playing online or at a live party. Become the man or woman you want to be and join the many ways you can become a great DJ.
If you want some proof, here are some cool DJs I follow on youtube.
Posted using BlockTunes