When looking at requests for articles and content on our site, we noticed a recurring theme: DJ’s out there are really interested in production, but many aren’t sure how to get started, or haven’t had the opportunity to really dive in. We want to fix this – so we’re announcing a competition that aims to both educate on the topic of production and find members of our community who have it in them to produce some killer tracks! Learn how to enter and what it entails after the jump.

HOW TO GET FROM WAX TO TRACKS

5 competitors will be selected via YouTube, where any DJ – yes, that means you – without commercial (meaning label-issued) releases may submit a video detailing their musical background and what they believe they would bring to the competition.

We thought long and hard about how to structure this contest: we wanted to go beyond the typical structures of production competitions, and create something that incorporates all facets of production. In the end, we came up with a “4 phase” model that integrates all the skills you’ll need to produce excellent music.

Along the way, we’ll have a panel of judges – one from DJTT, one Ableton Ninja, and one celebrity judge, who will both offer words of encouragement and provide constructive criticism.

The four phases will include Sample-Based Producing, Mixdown, Remixing, and Creating an Original Track.

TOOLS + PRIZES:

Those selected to compete will receive a free copy of Ableton’s production software Live 9 Standard, as well as a selection of resources we’ve compiled from across the web that’ll help you really get on your feet.

The grand winner of the competition will receive our biggest prize package to date – over $5,000 of prizes from notable pro audio companies including:

HOW TO ENTER

As noted in the video, make your own video reply to enter (this means going to the YouTube video page and clicking the “Create a video response” link pictured at right). Don’t worry – we’re not looking for the next cinematography star – focus on communicating your passion for music and DJing and what you think you’d bring to the table as one of the five Wax To Tracks competitors.

We’ll be choosing 5 competitors who will regularly chronicle their experience learning the ropes of production – and checking in with them along the way! We’ll choose the 5 competitors in the next two weeks – and announcing them on our Twitter and here on the DJTT blog!

The contest is open to anyone in the world – just be honest if you’ve had production experience in your video entry. You’ve got until next Friday, August 2nd to submit your video (keep it less than two minutes long) – but the sooner the better as we’ll be watching them carefully! Contestants will be announced shortly after that.

PLAY ALONG AT HOME

Even if you’re not chosen as a finalist to compete in the competition, we’ll be releasing almost all of the challenge project files and completed projects under a Creative Commons license, meaning that everyone will be able to take the assets and play along at home!

We couldn’t be more excited to see what all of you have to offer. We’ll see you in the studio – if you have any questions, hit us up in the comments!