Rule #5 – One Performance. One CD. One Track.
It’s awesome that you have 3 songs that you will be dancing to in your performance. It’s not awesome that you give the DJ a CD with 3 different tracks on it. Or you give her 3 separate CDs. Professional CD players (like the ones on a DJ rack) are typically set to either play one song and stop, or play continuously (sometimes they even repeat when they reach the end.) When the DJ has to turn into a mixmaster during your performance, you are running the risk of your song starting late. Or early. Or not at all. Finalize your music and hand it off to the DJ with all the mixes, blends, bells and whistles, in one track.
True Story- Someone handed the DJ two CDs for their performance and said the following:
“Play track 4 or this CD, and then around 3:35 cut over to track 7 on this other CD, then fade it down when we look at you.”
The DJ’s response made perfect sense to me:
“No.”
The DJ is not there to mix your music. They will press “play”, look at how long the track is, check the volume, and then they are free until the song ends. They may step out to the restroom, or to the bar. They may prepare the music set for that evening. They will be cueing up the next performance. They will be putting together intermission music. There’s a good chance they won’t even see your show.
What you can request of the DJ during tech rehearsal is that they make speed adjustments to the music, and let them know if you begin onstage or off. A good DJ will have this in their notes, and double check the settings before cueing up the music.
DJ Renzo, Washington DC-based DJ who has managed performances around the globe has the following to offer:
“If you give me a CD for your performance, make sure that it isn’t scratched. CDs are cheap enough that you can burn one for the performance, and then throw it away. You dont need to save it for your next performance 2 weeks later. Also, if you give me the music via a USB, or email, make sure it’s a format that I will be able to play. MP3 is universal. Don’t send me an M4a, or some other encoding. Make it easy for me, and I’ll make sure that you get the sounds you need to do your thing.
When specifying your speed adjustments, use percentages. Dont ask me to speed it up +3, or slow it down -1. That number doesn’t mean anything. If you tell me “increase the speed by 2.6%, keeping the pitch locked”, then I will take care of you.”
In Summary:
- Rule 1 – Stay as close to the original as possible
- Rule 2 – Maintain Consistent levels between edits.
- Rule 3 – Save your final recording in mono.
- Rule 4 – Test your music before you perform.
- Rule 5 – One Performance, One CD, One Track.
Keep these things in mind when editting your music, and you will be well on your way to hearing what every performer lives for – thunderous applause!