What makes a great DJ? There is no single answer to this question. At Dubspot, we want to help you figure out and achieve what great DJing means to you. The goal of our DJ program is to make that choice as well-informed as possible. The journey will be extremely rewarding, and we can’t wait to take it with you! In the meantime, here are some tips from our talented instructors and industry professionals to get you started.

DJ Shiftee

Thorough preparation is very valuable, especially with the constant barrage of new music DJs must face on a daily basis. I generally won’t play tracks in a live set until I have set Beatgrids, run them through Mixed In Key, marked every key section of the song with Cue Points, and set strategic loops on cool parts and vocal phrases. I also have to write appropriate notes in the comments field of my browser and organize the tracks into appropriate playlists. This way even if a song is brand new, I can play it as if I’ve known it for years.

Matt Shadetek

If you are a warm up DJ, don’t play banging stuff. Warm up the crowd properly. Nothing will get you not invited back worse than coming on to an empty room and playing every banging hit track. It won’t work, and you will piss off the promoter and the people playing afterward. Feel it out and warm up to a peak. The party will go well, and people will want to book you again.

DJ Endo

Check out the latest evolution of DJ Technology with Traktor’s Sample Decks. While it’s possible to drop your own loops and one-shots into Traktor’s Sample Decks and play them in perfect sync with what your DJing, I find it most intriguing that you can actually create your OWN samples. I often grab the favorite parts of all of my tracks and build a library of samples made out of tracks that I already own.

Raz Mesiani aka Badawi

There are two kinds of DJ’s – Those who take requests and those who don’t. Be the latter. Also, practice without headphones so you can master beat matching.

DJ Shiftee

If the DJ booth is visible to the crowd, you are performing whether you like it or not. Visibly acting like you are enjoying/engaged with what you are doing goes a long way. Energy is contagious.

Mike Rivera aka OneMic

Always be prepared. Even if the spot claims to guarantee turntables, CDJs, controllers, slipmats, needles, and/or built-in interfaces – BRING YOUR OWN! You don’t want to be unpleasantly surprised at the venue. Also, always bring a line in cable. If everything is just plain wrong at the gig, but you still have to play something, that line in will plug into your laptop, iPod or phone. That will be your gig saver.

Sean Clements

When blending tracks together, lower/cut the bass on one of the tracks to create room for the other track. If you cut the bass on the track you’re blending into, the vocals and other mid-range sounds will still be audible (but you’ll be hearing them with the old bass line!). If there are vocals on the old track, consider lowering the mids to save sonic space for the new vocals. Alternately, if you cut the bass on the track you are leaving, it creates a smoother transition to the new track because the heaviest elements of the old song will be gone drawing attention and emphasis to the new track.

Martin Perna

Develop a knowledge of tempo, especially if you play music within a wide range of genres. If you’re a digital DJ, make sure all your music is tagged with the accurate BPM. Even when you’re just doing recreational listening, make sure the BPM column in your iTunes (or another music library program) is visible, and make a mental note of the BPM of the song as you’re hearing it. You can go through each song and manually add the BPM, or use a program like Mixed in Key to analyze batches of music identifying BPM and key of songs (for harmonic mixing). If you’re using vinyl, use mailing labels or masking tape to make notes about BPM and breaks on the album sleeves of songs.

JP Solis

Know your tunes. Develop your musical memory by playing tunes over and over, until you can sing them in your head. If you can hum the tune when you look at the album cover, it’s yours.

Michael Walsh

When you are performing live and find yourself confused in a mix, turn your headphones and monitor down to regain control of your ears (and the mix). Your ears fatigue from high volume levels and you need to give them a break to perform well. Often, when DJs feel “lost” in the mix, it’s a matter of the headphones or monitor (or both) being too loud. Make a habit of turning down your headphones and monitor between mixes to give your ears a chance to bounce back and work properly.

Immerse yourself in the complete art of DJing: from the fundamentals of beatmatching and mixing to using effects and programming extended club sets. Whether you’re a beginner wanting to learn fundamentals or a seasoned pro looking to take your talent to the next level, our curriculum is designed to accommodate all skill levels and styles of music. This comprehensive DJ program covers everything from basic mixing to advanced digital DJing with both Serato Scratch Live and Traktor Scratch Pro.

About This Program

At Dubspot you’ll be working at personal student workstations equipped with industry standard and cutting-edge technology: Technics SL-1200 / 1210 series turntables, Pioneer CDJs, Pioneer DJM or Rane TTM mixers, Apple iMacs and MacBook Pros, Native Instruments’ Traktor Scratch Pro, Serato Scratch Live, vinyl, CDs, timecode, and MIDI controllers.

Our instructors teach you the necessary techniques and draw on their vast collective experience to give you insight into the mindset, workflow, and art of DJing. Graduates of the DJ Extensive Program will have an opportunity to perform at an event in a New York City venue, organized and promoted by Dubspot together with you and your fellow students. At Dubspot, we want you to do more than just learn. We want you to be great at doing what you love. Let us help you get there!

What’s Included

DJ Level 1: Rookie Sessions | Essentials I

DJ Level 2: Phrase Mixing | Essentials II

DJ Level 3: Beyond The Blend | Intermediate Skills

DJ Level 4: Preparation | DJ Psychology

DJ Level 5: Classroom to the Club | Advanced Techniques I

DJ Level 6: Club to the World | Advanced Techniques II

Additional Information

Visit the DJ course page for detailed information on this program here.

If you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.