Lessons Learned from 1st Gig
Results 1 to 9 of 9
  1. #1
    Tech Student
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    1

    Default Lessons Learned from 1st Gig

    I was lucky enough to play my first live gig over the weekend. A buddy put together a birthday party at a new local boutique men's apparel store/gallery (methodkc.com) here in town and asked that I'd help him with the music. At the peak of the night we had around 35-40 folks gathered. I took the first set of the night and queued up some house music for background as everyone shuffled in and hit the bar. As folks got liquored up, the birthday host joined me on his deck and we traded off the rest of the night with some top 40 and hiphop.

    All in all, things went fairly well. It was both of our first time playing in public. That in itself can be recipe for disaster, but then we decided to make things a bit harder on ourselves and try to do a combo set where we were playing off of each other. As a way to make sure this was a good learning opportunity, I put together a quick "lessons learned" the next day.

    What went right?
    • Practice - The night before the event, the two of us got together for a long 4 hour practice session. We were able to work on some of the transitions to use the next night as well working on some signals we'd be using in a loud environment.
    • Have a plan - Knowing a head of time who was going to play what type of music as the night progressed allowed for concentration on the task at hand and not constant clock watching.
    • No technical issues - I guess we lucked out here, but we didn't run into any gremlins during the night. All the equipment worked as it was supposed to without any.


    What to improve on for next time?
    • Know your music - I spent entirely too much time searching for the right song to queue up next. Before the next event I really need to spend a lot of time organizing the library in Traktor to make life easier.
    • Look up - Because of the item above, I was heads down in the macbook for most of the night. It is hard to get a feeling for the crowd when you don't look at them.
    • Have fun - First gig jitters and the feeling of constantly being rushed to get the next track queued made me forget the golden rule - this is supposed to be fun!


    A big thanks to all the members here on DJTT for sharing your knowledge and experience. Your commitment to this craft has inspired people like me to take a chance and in just three short months from the day the VCI-100se was delivered, play before a crowd of people.

  2. #2
    Banned
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Milwaukee, WI
    Posts
    1,794

    Default

    You'll get more comfortable the more you do it, and you'll learn real quick what tunes work and don't the more you play out. Just have confidence in what you're doing as you know you have the skills to do it. Also remember that most of the people there really could care less about the DJ per se or the transitions even so don't sweat it too much.

  3. #3
    Tech Mentor bmo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Toronto/ Waterloo, Canada
    Posts
    423

    Default

    best feeling in the world when the first gig goes well eh?
    My Mixcloud Page!
    Macbook Pro 13", Kontrol Z2, Kontrol F1, Kontrol X1, 2 x Pioneer CDJ-850, 2 x Pioneer CDJ-400, Traktor Scratch Pro, Audio 4 DJ.

  4. #4
    DJTT Moderator Dude Jester's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Noiseeland
    Posts
    12,426

    Default

    Congratulations mate, and welcome to the community!
    Acer E5 i7 16GB 512SSD 2TBHD ~ WIN 10 ~ TSP 2.11 ~ AUDIO 6 ~ DUAL X1s ~ DN-X1600 ~ SPECTRA ~ TWISTER ~ ATH-PRO500 MK2 ~ ZED6FX ~ AT2020

    " I’m the Dude, so that’s what you call me. That or, uh His Dudeness, or uh Duder, or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing. "

  5. #5
    DJTT Ninja Mod tekki's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Afterhour Ali's lap
    Posts
    11,358

    Default

    Like Jeste said, "Hi, congrats and welcome, don't be a stranger!"
    RSTRCTD | twitter | facebook (RSTRCTD) facebook (LJ) | vimeo | pinterest | my studio | soundcloud (RSTRCTD)| soundcloud (LJ)
    -- CHECK our DEBUT (DEEP)HOUSE EP RELEASE ON BEATPORT "RSTRCTD - EXISTENCE" --

  6. #6
    DJTT Moderator Dude Jester's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Noiseeland
    Posts
    12,426

    Default

    My second list from our first big party runs several pages long lmao
    Acer E5 i7 16GB 512SSD 2TBHD ~ WIN 10 ~ TSP 2.11 ~ AUDIO 6 ~ DUAL X1s ~ DN-X1600 ~ SPECTRA ~ TWISTER ~ ATH-PRO500 MK2 ~ ZED6FX ~ AT2020

    " I’m the Dude, so that’s what you call me. That or, uh His Dudeness, or uh Duder, or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing. "

  7. #7
    Dr. Bento BentoSan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    6,383

    Default

    grats and welcome

  8. #8
    Tech Guru Quenepas's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Puerto Rico
    Posts
    720

    Default

    Awesome! thanks for posting what you learned!!
    Erase. Stop. Start.

  9. #9
    Tech Mentor Phormula1.8T's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Atlanta
    Posts
    219

    Default

    its very very good that you see what went well and how to improve. even if you do awesome, theres always room to do better. great mentality dude, ur gunna go far.
    Durty Harry
    13" Macbook Pro, Numark TTXUSB, Vestax VMC002XLU (upgraded to cf-pcv crossfader,) Vestax PMC-05 PRO III, Audio 4 DJ, Kontrol X1, Traktor Scratch Duo. -----WWW.LABWERXDJS.NET-----

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •