athompson
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How To Plan A DJ Set – (10 Ways To Do It)
In this video, Lawrence gives you 10 ways you can plan and prepare your DJ sets.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or need some inspiration, use these tips to make you a more confident DJ the next time you step into a DJ booth.
00:00 – 00:46 Intro
00:47 – 01:28 Listening To Music
01:29 -…
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46 comments
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Well, i learned this in audio engineering school back in the days but this apply to everything about music: use your ears. If you like what you hear, let's go. And don't stress about key, there is no rule, just the music. If it sucks, you'll hear it anyway in your headphones.
Brilliant. Thank you. Great tips, especially for beginners.
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As someone who is NOT an open format DJ (Only playing Techno or DnB/Jungle), the one thing that upped my game over the last 8+ years has been tagging/sorting tracks by vibe. When I first started playing, I was doing preplanned/semi-preplanned sets but tbh, personally that gets very boring and the more you play the more you realize the value of being flexible (playing a longer/shorter set then you were booked for, playing on faulty equipment/equipment you are not familiar with, trying to match the vibe of the person playing before/after you etc.)
The tags you use can be entirely personal to you. As an example, for my techno collection, I have 4 primary folders that I have segregated my tracks into:
– Deep hypnotic (usually staying in this folder since that's my sound)
– More upbeat/with breakdowns or melodies. (Use this sparingly, at peak times)
– Groovy/percussive faster paced (Fun to get into this folder towards the end of the night. Some crowds really dig this groovy stuff over the deep stuff so if I get that vibe, I'll spend more time in this folder)
– Flexible (usually can use these tracks to shift between the vibes above if needed)
I usually try to keep 40-50 tracks in each folder so that I am covered for as long as I need to play. I rotate in and out of the tracks on a weekly/monthly basis (removing tracks that I realize Im not playing and adding fresh tracks that I have found).
In terms of practicing transitions, I feel like with experience your ears get trained to instantly know which sounds will blend together but early on the more practice/trial the better.
For those who DJ a range of genres, if your software allows you to, pick a few tracks from each genre that transitions well from another genre and add that as a comment (i.e. you might have a hip hop track that you comment “transitions well from house”). That way, if the energy of the crowd moves, you won’t be scrambling to find a genre switch that works well.
Hi Thank you for your advises 😊 I do all what you told about in this video. But… I love to create some music story preparing the order of all tracks for set. Music journey… trip.. Especially in my KittyCat mixes (on my channel) I tryed to lead the energy in that way I felt. Sometimes I start to build the mix from the middle "deepest deep diving" track :). sometimes I start with first track and step by step create some "waves" of body responce during listening… I adore to feel some frisson. Do you know – the physical body responce on music… So I love to dance, then fly then dive deep in the ocean in my mind and feel different heartrate, goosebumps and especially when my pupils dilate 👀🥰🥰🥰🥰
But such work on one set takes min 14 days everyday matching tracks, searching remiixes, building new story. 😝 So beatmatching and keymatching its not enought for me in this case…🙄
I mentioned that bpm doesnt mean that track is fast (moving) or slow (calming). It can be 120 bpm but doesnt match in energy level. So its important to mark stars⭐⭐⭐ (energy level) of each track in your playlists I guess… It helps 🙂
Great video thank you for the help.
Love this! Super useful for a beginner ❤
One of the things that worries me the most – do i have to contact the original authors for permission?
Top tip for planning a set. Don't. Learn as much as you can about your current tunes, learn the one's you like and have a vague idea of maybe the ones you might want to play. But, just go out there and play on the fly. It is terrifying, but also liberating.
J hYpe worst human
Anyone see the kid with the north face shirt on backwards in the crowd? 😂
When I mix for myself I love to experiment and mix what comes to mind but it would be nice to structure a set that actually works 😁
Tip – Set up cue points at phrase points leading UP to drops or breakdowns. This lets you look at the mix and land double drops on tracks without really needing to memorise them fully – VERY handy during both set prep, and also, when just doing a live mix on the fly.
question. I live in salt lake city and want to start djing at a local club. The owner asked me if I had any mixes of what I would play at a club. Does that mean Ill need to download my whole set via MP3 and send it to him?
More a video about preparing a DJ set than actually planning what to play.
A failure to plan, is a plan to fail. Always do some kind of pre planning for a set. It’s easier to change direction when you’re already headed somewhere. You run the program, play the tracks you’re feeling, and gauge response and adapt. Don’t get pigeonholed into playing just your set, but having a set prepared ahead of time means you’ve already done the thinking, and if you or the crowd is not feeling a track, adapt.
Let’s say I want some changes in tempo, not to drastic, for example starting around 120 and going up to 128. What’s the best way to do that? Always mix with master tempo synced and then increasing it imperceptibly during the set? Or choose tracks with same tempo and then transition to faster songs in some way? Thanks
It' s over there!! |/:).
I; will never get it!! |/:).
How did you get the tempo to go from 126.00 to a single decimal 126.0? I cannot not that setting anywhere.
What is the best DJ set to use
Please contact the producers, artists, etc for permission before you make remixes of already existing songs. Otherwise, you could be sued for tons of money by these artists. If you can get in contact with anyone involved with the actual song, and if they say "no", then forget about remixing this song.
This content is intellectual. A book I read recently was of similar calibre. "A Life Unplugged: Reclaiming Reality in a Digital Age" by Theodore Blaze
Thanks
How do I beatmatch old songs with a lot of tempo variations?
How do I mix tracks with little to no intro?
How do I effectively travel around the camelot wheel withoubt having like 50,000 songs in my library?
Thanks.
Camelot system is bad. Learn keys, learn the circle of fifths. Camelot system reduces ones ability to learn the theory behind music, and will hinder growth!
Never plan a set. Might as well pre record it and just press play. Very dull!
Is it important to set the que points or is that not an option?
Awesome video man, tons of great tips and examples! Well done!
The worst part of djing for me is when people who don’t DJ or understand it make request for songs I don’t own or like.
Bro, that blond guy is NOT a house-dj..
Please be respectful 😊
Great presentation and tutorial, you have a clear and informative teaching style! Keep it up 👍🏻
Thank you so much for this
Thanks for the video! i
What is the website at 7:27?
Thanks for all the tips 🎉
As a bedroom DJ who only DJs for myself these will be useful. I use my mixes to tell a story of emotion and often will start 5-15bpm slower than I finish, start with more progressive tracks and end with more driving powerful tracks. Always willing to learn though.
Love all your videos guys!! amazing job!!
Anyone know the earphone name?
Learn Harmonic Mixing as well so mixes don't sound like train 🚂 wrecks…
Thank you
How to plan a set.
Tip 1:
Never plan
Please reveal the truth about why pro DJs never touch the tempo faders. Do they have it preset in Ableton or something? I am super curious about this one.
BEGINNER QUESTION HERE!
Can someone tell me their thoughts/advice on EDM mixing? Does key matter as much or are you more focused on BPMs? I'm mostly interested in EDM mixing.
No proper dj,s here im afraid