Edition 2: DJ Dictionary – Popular Mixing Styles Terms

This second edition of the DJ dictionary covers mixing styles that are quite popular.

Train Wreck

This is the word used when two tracks are playing simultaneously and the beats are not in time. To the audience it may sound incoherent. It’s a jumble, hence the term train wreck. Often used by amateur DJs.

Turntablist

Is an individual who uses turntables and vinyl records in a way that cutting and scratching of records is done to give new musical sounds from sections of the records. They can use more than two records.

Hamster Style

A normal disc jockey setup involves the turntable on the right playing on channel on the right and the turntable on the left playing on the channel on the left. The hamster style has the opposite kind of setup. Right turntable-left channel and left turntable-right channel.

Hydroplane

This is performed by the disc jockey applying pressure with a finger or two as the record spins, but without stopping it. The idea behind it is to cause light friction that result in a bass kind of friction sound.

Looping

This is alternating between two different copies of the same record. To achieve this, the crossfader is used to cut a phrase in one of the records then cutting the same phrase in the second record. The same sound is played again and again. Looping is a foundation of hip-hop beats.

Strobing

This is beat juggling; where one alternates between two records while pulling or tapping the records slightly with a hand to control the tempo. 

A disc jockey can separate snares, kicks and cymbal sounds and make a new sounding. Strobing was first famously demonstrated and associated with DJs Shortkut and Yoshi. 

Scratching can take many forms and there are many types of executing different kinds of scratching techniques, which include airplane phasing/scratch, baby scratch, bubble scratch, chirp scratch, crab scratch, flare scratch and forward, as well as backward scratches. Some of the techniques are named after the entertainer who is believed to have introduced it, such as the flare scratch. The techniques may also be associated with the kind of sound it makes as the expert turns the tables. There you have it, a basic guide to mixing styles and the terms used in the field. The speed and consistency of the art of scratching will vary from one expert to the other, as the DJ skill is more of an art form.

DJ Dictionary - Popular Mixing Styles Terms

A DJ should have his own unique style, but all are just an offshoot of the following mixing styles terms. This is just the first installment of three.

Backspin

This is the act of spinning records backwards for a quick and short spurt. The DJ creates a sound effect, as well as gives more energy.

Bleeding

This happens when the crossfader breaks up after being used for long. When a crossfader is fully to one side, an opposing channel must not be heard, but since the crossfader is broken it allows a “bleeding” through of its opposing channel. It makes it hard to control the channel heard by the audience.

Break

Is a moment during play of a track where its main beat becomes a little more subtle. The music industry has ‘discovered’ breaks and made tracks that are a completely new electronic music genre that’s composed almost wholly of breaks. The break usually happens between downbeats and may last for greater than a loop.

Build

This is the moment in musical tracks that has a building sensation that’s strong and climaxes in an explosive sound and is followed by the main beat or a break. The build creates energy in the crowd.

Crossfader

Is the sliding device located on a mixing board that allows a DJ to move audio output smoothly from right to left or vice versa. The movement causes a decrease in volume and increase in the source. It’s also known as a fader and when its one side completely, only that audio source will be played.

Cueing

It’s finding the right opening point in a track. When using vinyl records, the DJ places the needle in a groove then moves it back and forth until it reaches the opening point. For CD players, one just selects the track and can scan through it to get the right point.

Downbeat 

It’s the loops first beat commonly indicated with an extra sound burst or accent from an instrument, say crash cymbals. For instance, if a track has sixteen beat loops then you should notice a downbeat after 16 beats each time.

Loop

Electronic dance tracks have sound loops. The loop is the sound played over and over again. The sequence is coherent. A track can have many loops, but they might not be played during the track. The most common loop has 16 beats.

Scratching

This is achieved by moving the record needle along the groove front and back to cause a sound. The record will be played backwards and forwards at varying speeds. As the Toronto DJ does this, he will have one of his hands on the fader and the other on the record. The fader should be used to vary volume to create unique sounds.

Tips for Selecting the Best Wedding DJ

For many event planners, the selection of a wedding DJ is one of the most crucial decisions that they have to make. This task is very important because these are the people who determine the type of entertainment the guests will be subjected to during the event. The quality of entertainment will determine how successful the event is. The more entertained the guests are, the happier the guests will be and the better the event will be. These are some of the tips that you can keep in mind as you go out there in search of an entertainer for your event. It is important that you settle for the person with as many of these qualities as possible.

The Important Steps in the Selection Process

The first step you should consider in the selection of an entertainer is to determine the best match of entertainer for your event. The entertainer needs to be familiar with the type of activities that you engage in or be at least familiar with a member of your family. This can be achieved by asking your friends and family for referrals to an entertainer they think will be most appropriate for the job. You could also take the initiative and attend other bridal fairs and talk to as many entertainers as possible. Attending such bridal fairs will give you the opportunity to experience the quality of service that these professionals provide first hand. In case you have a busy schedule that will not allow you to attend many of these events, you can opt to do an online search for an entertainer who can provide quality services for your event. You will be surprised about how easy you will find a good profile.

Interview Tips for the Entertainers

You need to interview at least three wedding DJs before you settle on the best one for your event. Some of the questions that you can ask include the type of equipment that they use. In case you need a sound system for your event, you can ask whether he or she will be able to provide it. You need to ask him if he will be more of a performer or he will be at the background providing the music for the guests. You need to ask the type of music that he will be playing for the event. Many a toronto djs specializes in various genres and this will provide a pivot point for deciding who will be best for your event.