Operation Manual

The work of a disc jockey can be divided into three tasks:

1. Choosing the music (programming)

2. Mixing the music

3. Modifying the music (remixing)

The first task consists of choosing the appropriate music, which obviously depends on the type

of evening and your style. Generally a good rule of thumb is to avoid playing all the hits” from

the very start of the evening and to keep some in reserve to generate new interest when the

audience starts to become tired.

VirtualDJ allows instant access to all your titles, playlists, and a list of suggestions. It’s

ultimately up to you to decide what makes your audience move. The software cannot replace

your talent.

The second task consists of “mixing” the tracks. DJs are accustomed to connecting their tracks

in a fluid way by keeping a constant flow of music in order to give the impression that the

music is seamless. This mostly applies only to a certain category of music, where the rhythm is

very pronounced, such as house, hip hop, or r&b.

Traditionally, the DJ mixes a track in two phases:

Initially, a DJ will modify the speed of the track he wants to mix in, in order to equal the speed

of the current track. This stage is necessary to prevent the songs from clashing and give

synchronized beats. The speed of the music is measured in BPM (Beats per Minute) — This

measures the number of beats over one minute in time. A song with 160 BPM is very fast,

whereas a song with 60 BPM is very slow.

The traditional DJ uses the “pitch” adjustment on the turntables to accelerate or slow down the

number of revolutions of a record and thus changing its BPM. In VirtualDJ, the BPM is

calculated automatically as soon as you load a track to either player and the pitch can be

adjusted automatically to match that of the song already playing. Once BPM on both songs are

the same, it’s necessary to sync or line up the beats so the two tracks sound as one.

Traditionally, the DJ will put their headphones on only one ear and listen to the track that they

want to introduce (known as cueing). With the other ear, the DJ listens to the mix that the

public hears. The DJ will then speed up or slow down the incoming track with their hand and

using the pitch control, in order to synchronize the beats. In VirtualDJ, the rhythm window

indicates the position of the beats of each song, allowing you to easily see whether the songs

are matched and synced. Then, when the two tracks are beat-matched and synced, the DJ will

begin using the crossfader, volume faders and equalizer to bring the new track into the mix.

This is called a transition.

The third task of a DJ is to modify the music with various effects or by mixing various tracks or

samples, in order to create an impression of a “remix” and to give a more personal and artistic

feel to a mix.

INTRODUCTION TO DJing