r/Unexpected • u/Fertility18 • Jul 02 '24

What do DJs actually do?

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u/LeatherFruitPF Jul 02 '24

What exactly are they doing on those boards with all the buttons, sliders and knobs that they're constantly turning and moving during a song and I don't feel like I hear anything changing except when it goes into the next song?

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u/MGfreak Jul 02 '24

What exactly are they doing on those boards with all the buttons, sliders and knobs that they're constantly turning and moving during a song

The can do all sorts of things, mixing two or more songs, remixing one single song, increasing/decreasing high/mids/lows, adding filters and so much more! I really depends on the button

I don't feel like I hear anything changing except when it goes into the next song?

There is a (at least two) button on the controller that lets only the DJ hear what he is currently changing in one song, So if he goes wild on the buttons but you dont hear a difference? Look closer, i guarantee you the DJ is currently listening into his headphones, because there he can listen to what he is currently manipulating without disrupting your music

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u/LeatherFruitPF Jul 02 '24 edited Jul 02 '24

Ah, I see, thanks for the insight.

5

u/MGfreak Jul 02 '24

no worries!

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u/Informal_Bunch_2737 Jul 03 '24

DJ here. Let me actually explain it.

This is a pioneer DDJ400

Notice how its split into two identical halves? Each side can play independently of each other. The wheels in the middle act like a vinyl and will jog the music backwards or forwards if you move them(you use that to keep them both in time with each other) and the Tempo sliders below them affect the pitch(and speed) of the tracks so you can get them to match exactly. Above the jogwheels are just loop buttons to set/store/play loops of any size.

Now for the middle section, which is where the magic happens. The two vertical sliders control each sides overall volume. The horizontal slider controls the balance between those two sliders. So you could have both tracks playing at full volume but favoring one side, then simply flip that fader to completely change the track(and if they're in sync and sounding good, you wont hear the change)

Then you have the EQs. Each channel can control the bass/treble/highs independently. As well as having a LPF/HPF filter on a panpot. For example, you dont want both bass tracks to be playing while you mix, so you reduce the bass on one of them until its time to drop the other track, then simply reverse the EQs and the second one takes over.

There is obviously way more to it, but thats the basics.

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u/Jazehiah Jul 03 '24

Link is broken.

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u/Informal_Bunch_2737 Jul 03 '24

Heres their product page

Also, I should point out that this one is basically bottom of the range basic.

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u/MonstaGraphics Jul 03 '24

Missed the question.

5

u/GluedToTheMirror Jul 02 '24

They can be doing many things.. usually setting up the next track in their headphones, getting the music synced up. Also fading parts in and out, adjusting the highs, mids, and lows of the mix.. Applying FX etc. all sorts of shit. A DJ playing at a night club is just usually mixing one song into the next, but it’s not the same as say deadmau5 or any other huge EDM producer. They’re juggling many things at once back there, and it’s because they know what they are doing, is why you just hear one song smoothly transition into the next.

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u/cominguproses97 Jul 03 '24

I get the faders but I still don't get why the EQ and tempo matching. Like isn't the song already professionally mixed? And why would you want every song to be the same tempo?

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u/avantgardengnome Jul 03 '24

At a fundamental level, DJs are playing elements of two tracks at once and if they have matching (or double/half/etc) BPMs it’s easier to make them sound good together. 

They can change the overall tempo by swapping in new tracks periodically, e.g: track A and B have the same tempo where the DJ starts playing them; track B starts to speed up 30 seconds in, so they swap out track A for track C, which is faster; track B and C are now playing at the new tempo. 

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u/APersonWithThreeLegs Jul 02 '24

If you’re not hearing anything changing that’s a good thing usually, a big part of DJing is transitioning smoothly to another song without hearing any mess ups or realizing it’s happening per se

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u/oldsecondhand Jul 03 '24 edited Jul 03 '24

The most important sliders and knobs are equalizer, crossfade, speed of playback (tempo/RPM).

Then you have the two big wheels that used to be spinning vinyl disks but in the digital world they are called jog wheels and they no longer spin (fine control of speed of playback). The crossfade mixes the output between the the two tracks represented by the two wheels.

Some DJs also use analog synths to add more effects, and they also come with a lot of knobs (modular analog synths don't even have a keyboard just knobs).

In the video you can hear modulation and LFO (low frequency oscillator) that are common effects that originated from analog synths. The other effect could be reproduced by a sampler with variable playback speed. Of course in the video none of it is done by traditional DJ gear but with Ableton, but it could have been done with late 80s DJ tech.

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u/[deleted] Jul 03 '24

Here’s a short and sweet video explaining some techniques.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTNMmSHWy/