Gig Prep - What is your M.O. ?

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TJS

TJS

GetSomeJuJu
Nov 8, 2018
350
372
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Ankeny, IA
www.jujulab.rocks
Do you prepare a playlist, choosing every song, placing them in the order to be played at the gig both harmonically and according to bpm?

For this recent weekend wedding, I had spent quite a bit of time prepping the playlist to ensure some good mixing. It was actually more challenging than usual but in any case, it took quite a bit of time. When the wedding came around, they were WAY behind schedule after cocktail hour and for the dinner. Dinner took forever to serve so by the time the dancing started, about half of the playlist was going to be used. At this wedding, I got inundated with requests (to a ridiculous level...as in kids coming up with phones, scrolling through and just standing there filling out one song request after the other. Of course, that's not doing song requests. That's trying to "play DJ" so I didn't feel the need to respond to everything coming in). Having said that, I wanted to respond to some or half of them but I also needed to get in the bride and groom's requests in a truncated time-frame (which is more important).

My point in bringing all of this up is about efficiency. I spent a ton of time on a playlist ordering it well, knowing I'd get requests that I'd move in and out of it but with all of these factors above combined, half of it wasn't even played so it begs the question on if there is a way to prep more efficiently ..or if that's even possible. Do most of you simply mix on the fly (based on harmonic mixing? based on bpm? both? Obviously mixing on the fly and having a folder of the bride/grooms 'must have' songs to mix in along with mixing in the spur of the moment requests cold solve the problem. Just wondering what others do.
 
I don't prepare a playlist as much as I prepare a tracklist, so I have the songs I "think" might be played all ready in one area (unfortunately also called a playlist by most apps). I usually have a few of those for each event (separating cocktail, dinner, dance music, special stuff).
 
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TJS said:
Do you prepare a playlist
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Nope.

TJS said:
...choosing every song
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Never.

TJS said:
placing them in the order to be played at the gig
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IF I were a rank amateur or a jukebox or a Spotify-jock.

TJS said:
both harmonically and according to bpm?
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Done as often as possible but only live and on the fly while playing to audience, requests and dance-floor vibe....you know like with some semblance of skill & art.

If you are not creating a soundtrack that is fluid and reactive and unique to the moment, your not involved in an artform.
 
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TJS said:
placing them in the order to be played at the gig
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IF I were a rank amateur or a jukebox or a Spotify-jock.

TJS said:
both harmonically and according to bpm?
Click to expand...
Done as often as possible but only live and on the fly while playing to audience, requests and dance-floor vibe....you know like with some semblance of skill & art.

If you are not creating a soundtrack that is fluid and reactive and unique to the moment, your not involved in an artform.



Okay, that's amazing and all... and I'm in awe of your evidently jaw dropping artistic orchestration of a fluid audio experience for your audience :-/ ... But instead of calling someone a rank amateur and a jukebox if they do it that way, the more helpful way to approach the question would be HOW does one AVOID doing it this way? Because, you see, that was the whole point of the initial question. No one comes out of the womb automatically "creating a soundtrack that is fluid... and unique to the moment". So I was asking folks how they achieve that w/o prepping literally every song in order in advance.
 
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Just the opposite, I preach to clients that it's a waste of time to try and pre-plan every single song and the order. What I DO want from the client is at least a short-list of their favs and any do-not-plays they have. From that, I can tell what pushes their buttons their buttons and blend it with guest requests, along with what I know works a dance floor. Now don't get me wrong, I do like to be as prepared as possible and usually have cheat sheets with hot material from different eras. I just choose to apply it fluidly, in the moment.
 
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So, Rick, it sounds like you have a skeletal structure of songs along with their "must play' songs in hand (and of course an idea of the genre's and decades they like) and just choose songs on the fly and in the moment based on the vibe you're catching from the floor.

I certainly read the floor and change accordingly but that was my initial point. I find that I'm doing that quite a bit (which is good) to the point that I end up wasting some of the playlist that I spent time ordering every song on and was trying to find a way to punt doing that.
 
TJS said:
Okay, that's amazing and all... and I'm in awe of your evidently jaw dropping artistic orchestration of a fluid audio experience for your audience :-/ ... But instead of calling someone a rank amateur and a jukebox if they do it that way,
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Sarcasm noted and no offense taken, cuz Im wearing my big boy undies, but if you are fully pre-programming and play-listing the program for your performances, you are not being artful and likely exercising amateurish behavior and practices. So I stand by my reply, unwaveringly.

OTST, employing that methodology is equally as pitiful as the poser DJs that plug in premixed programs on a thumb drive then pretend to wiggy wiggy when people and cameras are watching. Just ain't right nor legit nor honest.

I acknowledge that in this day and age many don't embrace honesty ot legitimacy...but I don''t have to brush their teeth every morning so WGASWGAF, right?

TJS said:
the more helpful way to approach the question would be HOW does one AVOID doing it this way?
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Really.

Are you actually 54 years old?

The underlying naivete in your "HOW does one AVOID doing it this way?" query belies a man of your years.

Q: How to avoid doing that?

A: Um...don't do that.

TJS said:
Because, you see, that was the whole point of the initial question. No one comes out the womb automatically "creating a soundtrack that is fluid... and unique to the moment". So I was asking folks how they achieve that w/o prepping literally every song in order in advance.
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The answer you desire cannot be provided in a ignornet forum.
The skill you refer to must be learned through actual experience and effort and trial and error and risk and sweat-equity and not in some VR environment or by reading unvetted and specious advice from faceless forum posters...imagine getting and relying on advice from Dramachoman.

There is no secret. The skill and ability to program, mix and deliver valuable, entertaining result is learned and polished and honed and relearned over time through by individuals that honor the craft through dedication and commitment to said craft.
 
wifedj said:
Sarcasm noted and no offense taken, cuz Im wearing my big boy undies, but if you are fully pre-programming and play-listing the program for your performances, you are not being artful and likely exercising amateurish behavior and practices. So I stand by my reply, unwaveringly.

OTST, employing that methodology is equally as pitiful as the poser DJs that plug in premixed programs on a thumb drive then pretend to wiggy wiggy when people and cameras are watching. Just ain't right nor legit nor honest.

I acknowledge that in this day and age many don't embrace honesty ot legitimacy...but I don''t have to brush their teeth every morning so WGASWGAF, right?


Really.

Are you actually 54 years old?

The underlying naivete in your "HOW does one AVOID doing it this way?" query belies a man of your years.

Q: How to avoid doing that?

A: Um...don't do that.

The answer you desire cannot be provided in a ignornet forum.
The skill you refer to must be learned through actual experience and effort and trial and error and risk and sweat-equity and not in some VR environment or by reading unvetted and specious advice from faceless forum posters...imagine getting and relying on advice from Dramachoman.

There is no secret. The skill and ability to program, mix and deliver valuable, entertaining result is learned and polished and honed and relearned over time through by individuals that honor the craft through dedication and commitment to said craft.
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Any "true" professional will have their event mapped out as a game plan .. as they say "A goal without a plan is a wish" .. or maybe you like "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail". So for a DeeJay, that would include mapping out a desired or requested music list. Managing it, adjusting it, and accommodating changes to it along the way is part of the artform.
 
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Yes, I would agree with what you mention in the last few paragraphs. Learning a craft is about practice, commitment, and gaining experience. I never said it was only about reading comments on a forum. I I joined this forum to learn from others and gain insight into better ways of doing things ...because I want to hone the craft. It is why I asked the question I did regarding prep and what that looked like for others. When I asked "how to avoid doing it this way" the question was motivated by how a person can be adequately prepared for a gig without relying on that amateur methodology you mentioned. Doing all of it on the fly would be only ONE way of accomplishing that. I can also think of others. So the questions was to get feedback to see if most do it that way (i.e. on the fly). So, no...it had nothing to do with being "naive at 54 yrs old".

Again, and this applies to anyone, if you're a Dj that has been doing this for a long time, why not pass on actually helpful information without resorting to pompous belittling responses in the process that even include jabs at age. What's the point of all that? Take a higher road, especially toward fellow Dj's who are trying to hone their craft as well. Isn't that the reason most of us are here anyway?

And, yes, I say all of that with my big boy undies on too :laugh:

Thanks for the input.
 
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steve149 said:
Any "true" professional will have their event mapped out as a game plan .. as they say "A goal without a plan is a wish" .. or maybe you like "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail". So for a DeeJay, that would include mapping out a desired or requested music list. Managing it, adjusting it, and accommodating changes to it along the way is part of the artform.
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Find some apples and then you can compare.

WHAT WAS ACTUALLY POSTED:
Do you prepare a playlist, choosing every song, placing them in the order to be played at the gig both harmonically and according to bpm?
Click to expand...
You incessant need to defend by distraction and out of context "apologism" is, at best, unnecessary,
 
steve149 said:
Any "true" professional will have their event mapped out as a game plan .. as they say "A goal without a plan is a wish" .. or maybe you like "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail". So for a DeeJay, that would include mapping out a desired or requested music list. Managing it, adjusting it, and accommodating changes to it along the way is part of the artform.
Click to expand...


So Steve, it sounds like you would say that your perspective is that mapping out a game plan involves choosing each song and ordering each one then?...and then switching it all up as needed on the fly.
 
TJS said:
So Steve, would you say that your perspective is that mapping out a game plan involves choosing each song and ordering each one then?
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Up to you with the expectation that it WILL most likely be changed in almost every case. I would advocate identifying tracks you plan to use, making an overall game plan on how you would use them, maybe even picking a number of 3 song sets that play nice together .. as it's easier to handle the game plan with small bits that can be used in various combinations.

Choosing every song and their order is necessary for things like fashion shows, but timelines of most events are in constant flux.
 
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TJS said:
if you're a Dj that has been doing this for a long time, why not pass on actually helpful information without resorting to pompous belittling responses in the process that even include jabs at age. What's the point of all that? Take a higher road, especially toward fellow Dj's who are trying to hone their craft as well.
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Seriously, the knowledge and education you seek is valuable and those that have it desrve to be failry compensated for it.

Also, BECAUSE IT NEVER ENDS and there is typically NO THANKS OR RESPECTFUL APPRECIATION and it just breeds more LAZY COOKIE CUTTER POSERS. (Typing thank you in a forum is meaningless "lip service" typically driven by selfishness desires to GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING.

TJS said:
Isn't that the reason most of us are here anyway?
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No. We're here to consume Dramacho's sage advice.
 
wifedj said:
Find some apples and then you can compare.

WHAT WAS ACTUALLY POSTED:

You incessant need to defend by distraction and out of context "apologism" is, at best, unnecessary,
Click to expand...
No apologism (is that a word?) but still more useful than "If you are not creating a soundtrack that is fluid and reactive and unique to the moment, your not involved in an artform."
 
wifedj said:
Find some apples and then you can compare.

WHAT WAS ACTUALLY POSTED:

You incessant need to defend by distraction and out of context "apologism" is, at best, unnecessary,
Click to expand...


I don't think anyone is necessarily defending anything. This was all just an effort to drill down into seeing how folks differ in gig prep and why. It sounds like your perspective is that "true dj-ing" is doing everything on the fly (either harmonically, via bpm or both). I can see some value in that...and I can certainly see how that can save in prep time on the front end (excluding the hours of practice that is inherently involved. Clearly that is where the prep time is) However, to say that if someone orders their songs in advance, they're a rank amateur, seems a bit excessive. They still have to have good mixing skills to make those songs flow in order to dj well.

That's the one thing I have found with DJ's. There's too much of "my way is the only way and the purest way" bs that goes on. It's like the never ending argument of vinyl versus controller. The world is full of different people who organize differently, think differently, perform differently etc so it's never made any sense to me to bash another dj's way of doing things. It seems better to be willing to consider how others do things and why. Just my two cents.
 
wifedj said:
Seriously, the knowledge and education you seek is valuable and those that have it desrve to be failry compensated for it.

Also, BECAUSE IT NEVER ENDS and there is typically NO THANKS OR RESPECTFUL APPRECIATION and it just breeds more LAZY COOKIE CUTTER POSERS. (Typing thank you in a forum is meaningless "lip service" typically driven by selfishness desires to GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING.


No. We're here to consume Dramacho's sage advice.
Click to expand...



1572994002452.png


:laugh:
 
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