Do you plan your sets?
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  1. #1
    Tech Convert
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    Default Do you plan your sets?

    I don't know about all of you, but it seems to me more and more DJs are premaking, preplanning, or using a load of mashups in sets more than they used to.

    I've seen entire sets filled with mashups, others that seemed to play what they came there to play rather than what the crowd actually wanted..

    This lead me to think about something.. how many people are planning out the tracks they play before they go out? Am I missing the boat by trying to keep it "on the fly"?

    I'm not talking about DMC or controllerism routines, those are separate from a live set I feel, and sometimes need practice to master..

    ..but I find more control when I don't rely on a set playlist, or even benchmark songs. Mashups are very limiting because I find it more exciting to perhaps cue up and drop a different song on the fly?

    Not trying to hate, I just wanted to know if people are using a combination of preplanned element or if everyone is trying to make every set live and improvise?
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  2. #2
    Tech Guru Sherlock Ohms's Avatar
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    Bin dun a million times - check search to get everyone opinion on this one ...
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  3. #3
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    No I don't plan my sets. Recently however, I have created a playlist containing 100 songs that suit my particular style that I have crafted for myself. With this playlist I plan on adding and subtracting songs as I see fit, as time progresses. This playlist gives me at least 3-4 good hours of messing around with room to improvise. Of course I deviate from this list when I feel the urge.

    When you have too many songs, it is probably in your best interest to "narrow" down the good songs from the so-so songs. This is what I have done and I don't find myself pulling hairs trying to find the next song to mix into.

  4. #4
    Tech Guru lethal_pizzle's Avatar
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    I think this has been done again in the last week
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  6. #6
    Tech Convert
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    Totally my bad.. but at the same time, I have a hard time finding any discussion on mashups which are my biggest issue right now..

    I have literally seen tracklistings for mixes with not one original, they are all mashups.

    I use virtually no mashups for my sets, maybe I'm missing the boat?
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  7. #7
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    I spin techno and house, so no mashups for me unless they're done on the fly. The most I'll do is maybe combine two tracks into one for a pre-made intro but that is it.

  8. #8
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    Dirty,

    I play open format and always play tons of mashups mix in with plenty of orginals as wells. I used to plan my sets to the T, untill I got very comfortable with my songs and which ones went well together and my "go-to" transtions, etc. After a while I just started creating crates by timeblocks 10-12am warm up 12-2am Peak 2-4am closing. 400-500 extras. This way i didn't have to go nuts looking for tracks. I'd say now, 80-90% of the tracks I play in a night come from these crates unless i am inspired to play something on the fly I think the crowd will like, but I used mashups and especially remixes that add some funk to a track.
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  9. #9
    Tech Mentor DJ ATX's Avatar
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    That cause these DJs do not know how to DJ. Throw em a request and they would not know what to do with it.

    There is a lack of skill with todays DJ. Ask half of these kids to go on vinyl and do a transition. They would not know what to do. How to count bars. How to phrase a song for smooth transition or even how to beat match without looking at the screen.

    This is due to software DJing. To much reliance on cue points. To much reliance on wave forms. To much reliance on auto BPM counters. So the basics go out the window and makes it difficult to free form a mix and go outside of your set. Also a lot of software DJs nowadays tend to not do open format, so they don't know or can't or don't want to read the crowd.

    Software DJing is fine. I do it. I use the most hated software out there, VDJ. But one needs to learn the basics before even calling themselves a DJ. I wholeheartedly believe that EVERY DJ out there start off with vinyl and the basics before moving on to CD or worse software.
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  10. #10
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    [QUOTE=Bl4ck3n3D;397492]No I don't plan my sets. Recently however, I have created a playlist containing 100 songs that suit my particular style that I have crafted for myself. With this playlist I plan on adding and subtracting songs as I see fit, as time progresses. This playlist gives me at least 3-4 good hours of messing around with room to improvise. Of course I deviate from this list when I feel the urge.[/QOUTE]

    This is exactly what I do!

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