Do you preplan your sets?

[BAMAXXX]

For those that rock shows, do you pre plan your sets? Do you know how your going to mix? Or do you just do what you feel that night?

[dj daywalker]

I just had my first gig last night I knew the first 2-3 songs I was going to play but after that really had no idea. If you preplan the entire set its going to be a hit or miss. You have to be able to read the crowd. For example I had a song cued up to go next then the drop of the current song came and the crowd was really feelin it and I ended up changing the next song because of it. I was like oh, if they are really feeling this song then I should play this other song instead of the one I have cued up.

[Austin GoGreen]

Yes and No. I have tons of crates of music. Some include pre-planned sets. These sets may be routines I used in battles or on mixtapes, things I know sound good. Some sets may be 50 tracks, others may be 3 or 4.

There's no wrong or right way. I know a lot of dj's that map out sets. I think of the night as a game. I have a playbook with plays I know work and I have several audibles in case things go differently.

[Philhouse]

I pre planned a set for the very first show I ever played, luckily it all went smoothly and the crowed was feeling everything I was playing, but since then the most I'll ever plan for a gig is just having a crate of 40-50 songs that I'm really enjoying at the time and that I think will go well with the crowed I'm playing to. I find that playing randomly is when I have the most fun and where I get the most creative.

[Austin GoGreen]

I pre planned a set for the very first show I ever played, luckily it all went smoothly and the crowed was feeling everything I was playing, but since then the most I'll ever plan for a gig is just having a crate of 40-50 songs that I'm really enjoying at the time and that I think will go well with the crowed I'm playing to. I find that playing randomly is when I have the most fun and where I get the most creative.

For sure! Nothing beats reading a crowd and beating them with beats. Its often, but when I get the right crowd and we're completely in tune with each other, nothing is better than playing live off-the-top.

[mantis]

Preparation is the key but it doesnt mean you have to completely preplan your set. Just prepare playlists of tracks that work together and file them together - if you use a dvs then you can simply use digital playlists and if you use cds, you can make playlists on cd.

if you practice often enough then this will all be ok

[purex like soap]

no, i just have a planned play list. I stray from that some of the time if i get requests for songs that are on my list.

[Era 7]

i just make a crate of tracks for the evening.

[DJ ATX]

I have playlist but rarely ever go by it. I plan maybe the 1st 2-3 songs. After that I tryout different stuff and see what the crowd is grooving to and go from there.

Rather than planning your set, your time is best served in first learning and/or practicing the basics. Beat matching. Phrasing. As long as you have the basics you can mix anything with a beat/melody. Next is to KNOW your music library.

[DTR]

I plan maybe the 1st 2-3 songs.

:stupid:

[sss18734]

Next is to KNOW your music library.

This is the key here. Plan your music, not necessarily your sets.

[Andrew1207]

I have general crates that are good for just about all gigs I do more or less, which I can then just sort by key/bpm. I will then also create some crates specifically for the gig itself that may not be as universally applicable. I never plan a whole set out song for song, that's really only appropriate for shows/festivals

[Ocie]

For those that rock shows, do you pre plan your sets? Do you know how your going to mix? Or do you just do what you feel that night?

I don't plan sets, personally. I like to be able to drop a wide range or tunes. If the crowd is feeling the tempo and vibe, I go from there.

Like ATX said, know your music library. Being at the point where you just know what track would work great next is great. If you know multiple tracks that would work, even better.

[L2daGee]

I have been DJing for 15+ years, and have not once made a set list. I play what I want, when I want, and read the crowd to help me decide what works when.

[DJArmani]

sometimes, but after a few songs i already know what the crowd wants so i just kind of get my flow and continue without a track list.

[BurntToast]

I don't play sets for anyone, but if I did, I would probably get a list of about twice as many songs as I would need for the set. I would plan the first few songs to get things going, and after that go from the list. That's not to say I wouldn't stray from the list and pull something out that I thought would work.

[monomer]

I pack a crate. I'll plan what song go's first, after that it's all on the fly.

For whatever reason when I practice, hours go by. Live: not so much.


It's all about knowing the music.

[Adzm00]

For those that rock shows, do you pre plan your sets? Do you know how your going to mix?

No. I might know 2 or 3 tracks that I'd like to play if I think the it will go down well with the crowd on the night. You can tell those who preplan everything, usually laptop users with a traktor/ableton tracklist, boring as fuck.

[KLH]

It's all about knowing the music.
That's the truf right tharr.

I'll pare down music to a crate/playlist that represents what I think that the crowd will mostly want to hear (based on theme). Doing so allows me to get a handle on BPM ranges so that I can concentrate on the ebb and flow of the first half of the night. Still, in the second half, it's mostly requests.

-KLH

[mostapha]

I pack a crate.

:stupid:

It's even easier in the digital world. I have a bunch of iTunes smart playlists set up so it's easy to find songs that fit a style…I usually go through that, plus the top section when sorted by import date, plus a classics playlist (in iTunes). Figure out what I think I might like…and throw them in a new manual playlist with the date. Make sure everything has cover art and listen on shuffle for a while, jumping through tracks…then it's bouncing b/t throwing things out and adding in things I'm reminded of.

Then, when it's time to play, it's just a matter of picking that iTunes playlist in SSL and figuring out where to start……which usually doesn't happen until right before.

Tagging helps, but I think the best things are cover art and having the music fresh in your mind from the preparation.

Basically…nothing's changed from when I was on vinyl except that there's a lot more music and it's harder to find specific things because cover art browsers on software still kinda suck.

[frankwite]

I have several crates readily to pull tunes from, so while I'm there reading the crowd I'll make a crate for the crowd on the fly. I'm always going to have some type of crate or playlist, because for me it helps me keep up with what I've already played that night or didn't play.

When I first started out trying to just read crowds even though I was reading them there were so many songs that I could've played. I was always like man I should have played that too. Having over 10,000 + songs at your fingertips I don't care who you are you can't remember every song you have available. That's why I have my crates labeled by genre's and years and it works perfectly for me.

I say if you walk in the door prepared to just read a crowd all night you're in for a long night if you don't know your library of over 10,000 + songs.

[DJ ATX]

you're in for a long night if you don't know your library of over 10,000 + songs.

I think they have a name for that....JUKEBOX. :lol:

[DYM]

There's a difference from statying organized with your music and being an automated jukebox.... Please keep that line distinct.

[Atomisk]

I don't plan my sets out at all, but I do have my guilty pleasure... I have a TON of edits, premade transitions and mashups that I play to supplement all that fancy impress stuff you get when you pre-plan your sets. These aren't simple transitions, generally they require a lot of manipulation from VSTs or the kind of editing that is only available in a DAW.

[c-hawk]

I could see pre-planning for a wedding reception as you'd be basing your lists on the wedding parties desired song requests but for other parties/events, just wing it baby!

[djshire]

You NEVER preplan a set.....in its entirety. You go with the flow, you follow the crowd, experiment a little, have an idea or narrative to go on, but you should not have a playlist that you follow.....you're not a jukebox.

[jazzyj]

You NEVER preplan a set.....in its entirety. You go with the flow, you follow the crowd, experiment a little, have an idea or narrative to go on, but you should not have a playlist that you follow.....you're not a jukebox.

unless you're a wedding/event dj....


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[Interracial Tea]

i have songs that i know transition well together, so i'll play those out. that and the first couple of songs i plan to play is the most i'll plan out.

[CC Ricers]

i have songs that i know transition well together, so i'll play those out. that and the first couple of songs i plan to play is the most i'll plan out.

This. I just have short segments composed of tracks that I know work well as a whole. I sometimes pre-plan the first song but not always.

[drumpusher]

I wing it.

[DJ STU-C]

if im making a mix cd ill grab a load of the tracks im wanting then stick em in a crate in serato and listen to them then drag em into some kind of order. then ill have a blast at mixing em see what it flows like.

when i used to play in bars etc id literally just have my 2 cd cases and flick through selecting what i feel is right to play at the time, i found id get into a habit of playing a few tracks in the same order if they mixed nice

[mostapha]

Having over 10,000 + songs at your fingertips I don't care who you are you can't remember every song you have available.

That's why having 10k songs is stupid. If you can't pare your collection down to a couple hundred that you bring for the night, you suck at being a selector/curator of music…which means you're probably a crap DJ.

Note that this doesn't apply to mobile jocks. They do a completely different thing that takes completely different preparation & workflow to achieve.


This. I just have short segments composed of tracks that I know work well as a whole.

That's not called pre-planning. That's called learning.

[jazzyj]

Note that this doesn't apply to mobile jocks. They do a completely different thing that takes completely different preparation & workflow to achieve.

yea.. now that i read his OP.. i think this is meant for club dj's :)

[frankwite]

That's why having 10k songs is stupid. If you can't pare your collection down to a couple hundred that you bring for the night, you suck at being a selector/curator of music…which means you're probably a crap DJ.

Note that this doesn't apply to mobile jocks. They do a completely different thing that takes completely different preparation & workflow to achieve.



That's not called pre-planning. That's called learning.

I'm so glad that you cleared that up for us mobile dj's.

[Sigma]

I always used to pre-plan something when I played live, usually 30 minutes or so. Pre-planning allows you to do something that goes that extra mile technically, but I suppose it depends what type of DJ you are. As I played hip-hop, people kind of expected a bit of fancy trick mixing/cutting. But pre-planning is never a replacement for being able to wing it, cos unless you're some big name guy then you have to be prepared to forget your pre-planned bit if nobody is into it. It also depends where you're DJing. If I was mixing top 40 rap (not that I ever would really) then I wouldn't pre-plan anything because the people listening almost certainly wouldn't appreciate it.

[bumpyjonas]

Weddings and most formal gigs structure is an absolute necessity, regular gigs the music the crowd wants to hear dictates everything.

[djshire]

unless you're a wedding/event dj....


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I was going to refrain from saying that, just to be nice....for once....

[Tektonix]

Nahhh, I just kinda go with the flow. Certain gig's when it's a structured kind of thing where they want certain type of music, certain flow or whatever ill create like little checkpoint's/transitions and wing the inbetween of those. For the most part i just kinda go at it and hope for the best, It works for me C:

[jazzyj]

However.. even with mobile gigs.. sometimes you just never know where the crowd may lead you once you get beyond the "event" songs...


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[Djsmylez]

I have all my music organized by genre and bangers and 'starter' type songs etc...

Before a gig, I run through them very quickly and create a custom crate for just that party and where I think thr vibe will go based on people that will be present.

My rule of thumb is to have twice as much music as I have time to play. If I'm doing a 4 hour gig, i need to get 8 hours of music. You cannot have a setlist cause your crowd will fall asleep on you.

Reading the crowd is a creative process. At some point during the gig, the songs seem to pick themselves.

Then there are gigs where all the prep you did goes right out the window and you gotta completely fly by the seat of your pants... A good dj is a prepared one.

[Interracial Tea]

god damn it. i hate this thread now. i have a really big gig tomorrow and now i'm debating whether or not i should go on with my planned set or wing it.

[Sigma]

god damn it. i hate this thread now. i have a really big gig tomorrow and now i'm debating whether or not i should go on with my planned set or wing it.
If you can wing it, then it's not a choice you have to make. Try your pre-planned set and if it doesn't work, wing it. It's really only a problem if you can only DJ if you pre-plan a set.

[jazzyj]

The last wedding we did, I had to wing it because the Bride never got back to me on what kind of genres she wanted for her reception and so we just went with the flow - talked to some of the crowd individually beforehand, and it all went well.

[Bassline Brine]

I think of the night as a game. I have a playbook with plays I know work and I have several audibles in case things go differently.

I think that's a really good way of looking at it, and probably the best description of how I look at it as well. You can't go to either extreme (completely unprepared or overly prepared to a T).

[hoff]

I usually prepare a playlist specific to the vibe of club or party I'm doing that contains ~4x the music I need for the time I have. I never pre-plan a full set or even one transition really. Winging it allows you to have full control over the feel of the night, and change on the fly without throwing your entire game off. It's also more exciting, and some of the best transitions I've done have come from random 'ooh that would sound good right now' moments. I find I'm much more creative when I'm in that performing environment vs my couch.

[Buddy McKarthur]

It depends on what I'm mixing for. If I'm just making a quick little mix for fun or to upload to YouTube, I usually just pick out a few tracks, throw 'em on and start mixing. However, if I am competing in a battle, I usually like to pick out specific tracks ahead of time and decide what exactly I will do in the real mix (what effects, samples, where I'll scratch etc.). It really is impossible to completely plan out a whole gig, so don't count on it. You can pick out a few tracks ahead of time, but you never know what's going to happen. Also, if you are going to pre-pick tracks, make sure you have double what you think you will need, because as I said, you never know what's going to happen.