The life of a DJ is generally an exciting one, watching happy carefree people having a good time enjoying your skills on the mixer. However, there are times when things can go wrong and disaster strikes leaving you at the heart and soul of a now not so delighted throng of people. In some cases, there is nothing you can possibly do to stop being faced with a worst case scenario, others times, with a little careful planning you might have avoided being in the situation. So here are some of the worst case scenarios DJs might be confronted with and how you might have avoided them.
Some of the most common issues are:
- Break-downs or warning lights you don’t know how to fix;
- Failure to plan against all eventualities;
- Not being able to continue with your live set;
- Being complacent.
Get to know your equipment inside out
This tip applies generally to anyone starting out in the DJing business. There is nothing worse than playing to a crowd of people and suddenly there is a red warning light flashing on your controller or mixer. Your sound is awful and you have no idea why.
There is one easy way to avoid issues such as this, get to know your equipment inside out before venturing out. This includes taking the actual time to sit down and look at the manual that came with your equipment. If you learn how the technology works and what the warning lights mean, while you might have no control over them making an appearance, if they do you will instantly know what they mean and how to remedy the issue.
Be prepared for any eventuality
Often many worst case scenarios can be avoided from the onset simply by being prepared. Often issues arise on site due to cables, cords or adapters breaking down. You may be able to avoid issues by thorough preparation of your DJ bag and carrying back-ups. Pack adapters, cables, and cords to ensure you have backups if one fails. It may be that you never need to fall back on the back-up, but if the worst happens you will be glad you had the forethought to do so.
Preloaded mixes are valuable
While there is nothing that can compare with a live DJ set, mixing and scratching on the turntables, in the worst case scenario if all else fails preloaded mixes are valuable. If for whatever reason you cannot continue with a live set you can turn to your USB stick or storage device containing your preloaded mixes to at least give the crowd something to listen and dance to.
Always do a sound check
Never get complacent. You do not want to get playing to a packed out crowd blind. With this in mind always perform a sound check well before it is time to go on the stage.
The sound check is the ideal time for you to give your laptop, turntable, controller, and mixer a good check to ensure they are all working properly and the sound is good. The sound check is the time to determine whether or not something isn’t working properly, not when you have hundreds of people on the dance floor in front of you. With this in mind plan for the sound check hours before your big event, which gives you time to remedy any situations involving faulty or missing equipment.
Reply