What an amazing journey! Wouldn't have made it without DJTT & the forum! THX guys!
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  1. #1
    Tech Mentor jshawpro's Avatar
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    Default What an amazing journey! Wouldn't have made it without DJTT & the forum! THX guys!

    Nice to meet you guys!

    I'm a producer out of Destin, FL. Recently, I got an offer to DJ (no experience) at a club on Pensacola Beach all Spring Break and Summer ...

    I took the deal and had about 3 weeks to get ready. Thanks to the resources on DJ Tech Tools and this forum. I was able to prepare ... get decent ... and get confident for my opening night. My 10+ years of beat making / production didn't hurt things either.

    I'm a huge Macbook Pro, Ableton, Native Instruments, advocate .... So ... I chose Traktor 2 / Kontrol S2 for my setup ... I incorporated my Novation Launchpad into the system, as well.

    After immersing myself in practice, articles online, and building / preparing my library ... I just had my 3rd night last night ... First 2 were weak ... No crowd to play with ... But last night was POPPING!! Thanks to this resource, I was able to keep that club rocking ALL night. The manager said that it was the first time they had EVER stayed open later than the more "popular" club right next door.

    As a producer not in a major market ... I wish I would have got into DJ'ing a long time ago. I feel like I'm 16 again ... Discovering some AMAZING sounds and artists ... And the whole experience should be pretty profitable and extremely valuable experience / knowledge to inject into my productions.

    Now that the club has essentially payed for my Kontrol S2 rig ... I'm thinking about picking up a pair of Westone UM2's to compliment the setup!

    Thanks again for maintaining such an awesome community!!

    I produce and now DJ under the alias "breed" ...

    I'll be around!

    #APPRECIATIVE
    My debut EP is FINISHED!! Now back to being a DJ!!

    http://soundcloud.com/iambreed <-- NEW EP! "Hello. My Name is Breed"

    #RESPECT

  2. #2
    Tech Mentor
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    Only 3 weeks to learn how to beatmatch by ear. That is a pretty good effort!

    if you could elaborate on your experiences more so that others can learn from your experiences I think that would be awesome.

  3. #3
    Tech Guru djproben's Avatar
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    Welcome and congratulations! Sounds like you're off to a great start
    "Art is what you can get away with." - Marshall McLuhan

  4. #4
    Tech Mentor jshawpro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kaek View Post
    Only 3 weeks to learn how to beatmatch by ear. That is a pretty good effort!

    if you could elaborate on your experiences more so that others can learn from your experiences I think that would be awesome.
    I'm sorry ... Should've noted that I don't or ever really plan to beatmatch by ear.
    My 3+ hour set was pretty seamless. Great response from the crowd. I chose to learn to use "SYNC" w/ harmonic mixing so that I don't ever have to time stretch my songs too much. So I can basically just walk up and down my tracklist regarding BPM and Key also.
    SYNC locks it in ... So that I can do more chop effects, in key, with the fader ... Echo out of for transitions ... Or blends, swapping basslines and stuff.

    I'm 29 years old ... I look 21, tho.

    I got into making beats at 16 ... FL Studio was called Fruity Loops ... Ableton was in its infancy. I've touched and tweaked DAW's, softsynths, hardware synths, drum machines ... DAMN NEAR every day since.

    I've placed beats with Tech N9ne, Haystak, Blood Raw ... Some pretty big independent rappers.

    My background + "SYNC" (which I use proudly) + beat gridding (simple if you're familiar w/ Ableton warp) = It was actually pretty easy to get some very creative transitions, blends, and slices/cuts going.

    I plan to make a more dynamic (and more potentially valuable) set / routine that will go beyond just playing songs ... My goal is to get so dope with Traktor that someone can request any song ... Especially classics ... And I quickly and in HOT fashion manipulate, slice, and chop it up into a "club" sound on the fly.

    I can't wait for the next version of Traktor.
    Remix decks = Ableton session view INSIDE Traktor!
    My debut EP is FINISHED!! Now back to being a DJ!!

    http://soundcloud.com/iambreed <-- NEW EP! "Hello. My Name is Breed"

    #RESPECT

  5. #5
    Tech Mentor jshawpro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by djproben View Post
    welcome and congratulations! Sounds like you're off to a great start
    thanks alot!
    My debut EP is FINISHED!! Now back to being a DJ!!

    http://soundcloud.com/iambreed <-- NEW EP! "Hello. My Name is Breed"

    #RESPECT

  6. #6
    Tech Mentor jshawpro's Avatar
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    Honestly, I found greater challenges in the club than learning the software / controller. 3rd show ... and I'm still not 100% dialed in w/ the acoustics of the place. Which change as people come and go. And SEEM to change as your ears get fatigued. Not to mention the guy's ADEQUATELY powered ... Poorly wired sound system. It's challenging ... but so much fun.
    My debut EP is FINISHED!! Now back to being a DJ!!

    http://soundcloud.com/iambreed <-- NEW EP! "Hello. My Name is Breed"

    #RESPECT

  7. #7
    Tech Guru keeb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kaek View Post
    Only 3 weeks to learn how to beatmatch by ear. That is a pretty good effort!

    if you could elaborate on your experiences more so that others can learn from your experiences I think that would be awesome.
    When I learned to beatmatch, I did so in about a week... It's not rocket science. I suppose I had already trained my ears by using sync for a while, but it's not nearly as hard as some of the "old pros" around here would have you believe. I really don't have any issue with someone who's primarily a producer using sync in order to play his productions live, as long as they don't act like they're beatmatching for "street cred." About 90% of the time I see someone playing out on an S4/S2 they're syncing anyway so at this point I assume they are until I'm proven wrong. Apparently jshaw killed it his third time playing out - sync or not, this man deserves props.

  8. #8
    Tech Wizard
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    congratulations bro! i really hope DJing is something that you keep up with cuz as you mentioned all it can do is open doors to new music but more than that, new experiences, friends, and new outlooks on music! glad you took the plunge!
    Numark Mixtrack Pro - Novation Launchpad - VDJ 7 PRO (dont hate I like VDJ) - Ableton suite 8.x.x - Thinkpad 13' Laptop

    Quote Originally Posted by PeteWoods View Post
    It shouldnt matter how you make people dance, just as long as you do.
    ...that last bit is completely sig-able if anyone chooses to.

  9. #9
    Tech Mentor jshawpro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by keeb View Post
    Apparently jshaw killed it his third time playing out - sync or not, this man deserves props.
    Thanks alot! That's what it's about. Do what YOU do. The fans/crowd will speak. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat. I didn't take this opportunity to impress other DJ's. The club owner didn't request a DJ that beat-matches in a particular way. Whatever you do ... Just make it hot!
    My debut EP is FINISHED!! Now back to being a DJ!!

    http://soundcloud.com/iambreed <-- NEW EP! "Hello. My Name is Breed"

    #RESPECT

  10. #10
    Tech Mentor jshawpro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DJelixeR View Post
    congratulations bro! i really hope DJing is something that you keep up with cuz as you mentioned all it can do is open doors to new music but more than that, new experiences, friends, and new outlooks on music! glad you took the plunge!
    Thank you!! I will pursue DJ'ing right alongside my aspirations as a record producer for as long as I breathe. It is a very FUN way to make money. I've also LEARNED a ton!!
    My debut EP is FINISHED!! Now back to being a DJ!!

    http://soundcloud.com/iambreed <-- NEW EP! "Hello. My Name is Breed"

    #RESPECT

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