Beginner's Guide

What do you invest into your art? Yeah you DJ, but do you produce? When I began Deejaying, you had to purchase a set of direct drive turntables, mixer, cartridges/styli, head shells, headphones, and a set of vinyl just to start out. Times have changed and that upfront financial investment is no longer needed.

As with all art forms, you should be prepared. Being a DJ or producer are not careers. If you realize this from the beginning, your progression will occur more rapidly. As there is less stress there is more focus.

With that being said, a lot of time will be spent in your bedroom studio learning how to master what you do. I recommend at least one hour of day set aside without distraction for practice. This gets broken down into 30 minutes of study and 30 minutes of use.

First begin with 30 minutes of study. Grab an e-book on music theory. Then learn how to read sheet music. With continued progression to reading about artists that influence you. What do they do, what software are they using, and how they got started.

The second 30 minutes will be use. Time to pull out your computer and equipment. Get on there and just rock out with your whole heart. Do not care about technicality. Enjoy yourself and feel the music. Everything else comes with practice. As always, hit that record button.

You should listen to every recording you make. Put it on your phone or MP3 player. What did you like? What made sense? What hurt your ears? YOU need to be your worse critic.

How do you know when you are ready to take the act out of your bedroom? Listen to your last mix front to back. Was everything in Key? Was every mix beat matched perfectly? Was there any sound clash? Were the correct levels maintained all the way through? Are you happy with how every single mix turned out? If you can answer yes to all of these questions, it’s now time to start seeking out your first gig.