Serato DJ Pro, Native Instruments Traktor, VirtualDJ, and Pioneer Rekordbox are amongst the most commonly-used DJ software. Experienced DJs may take this a step further, using four, six, or even eight different decks.Īside from the mighty turntable, DJs can perform in front of an audience using a laptop, DJ software, and some sort of DJ controller (usually shaped like a turntable). Turntable decks are also used to play two or more songs simultaneously. This way, they can move from song to song without the music stopping. DJs use turntable decks to play one song on one side and another song on the other.
When it comes to DJ sets, the turntable is king. His Paradiso Amsterdam live set is worth watching.
While the sounds that come out of his MPC are pre-recorded audio snippets (one-shot samples), there’s no denying that he’s playing his electronic controllers as if they were real instruments. Others go the extra mile and use keyboards and drum pads to play virtual instruments and drums in front of an audience.ĪraabMuzik’s minimalistic approach to a live set, for instance, revolves around playing one or more MPC controllers live in finger-drumming style. Some electronic-music artists will simply map their projects to a MIDI controller to launch scenes (i.e., play certain music passages), combine different samples, and do some live effect processing. These DAW projects are fully customizable, meaning it’s up to each artist to make his or her own.
#ELECTRONICS AND LIVE PERFORMER FULL#
While DJing is about combining full songs, electronic-music live sets revolve around a DAW project with short samples, virtual instruments, and audio effects that can be controlled via MIDI. However, DJs and live artists perform entirely different functions on stage, whether they’re using the same resources (such as a laptop) or not. Electronic-music live sets tend to include pre-recorded samples, albeit in the form of music stems, not complete songs. When you see an artist performing live with a laptop, it’s easy to assume that-just like a DJ-he or she is simply combining pre-recorded tracks in a controlled setup. But what do electronic music artists do when they’re playing a live set? Live sets are ordinary live music performances, featuring one or more musicians who play an instrument in front of an audience. Outside the electronic music niche, it’s pretty easy to distinguish a DJ set from a live set. DJing is an art form in itself that mainly revolves around the ability to select and combine tracks flawlessly.
#ELECTRONICS AND LIVE PERFORMER HOW TO#
In other words, DJs don’t need to know how to play an instrument to perform live. While some DJs do play drum beats or melodic passages over their songs, DJ sets don’t usually include any element commonly associated with a live-music performance. When performing live, DJ-set artists hit play on pre-recorded tracks, twist some knobs to change their sonic character, and switch from track to track using a crossfader. It’s common for DJ-set artists to play songs by other artists in addition to their songs. wav files) and combine them using a crossfader, looping, and audio effects. To prepare for a DJ set, they select a few audio files that fit well together (usually.
In a DJ set, artists use a turntable or DJ program to mix pre-recorded tracks.