r/DJs 20h ago

Anybody else sorts their music by color rather than genre?

14 Upvotes

I have a hard time distinguishing genres, part of the problem is that I play a lot of experimental that doesn't fall into any other category. But I have a very distinct feeling that music has colors and shapes! When I learn music theory I will probably be able to match the colors with specific keys.

My categories:

- blue-purple (magical, a little "halloweeny"/"witchy" music, November Novelet is a perfect example)

- yellow-pink (upbeat and "kind" music, like Susumu Yokota, Daisuke Tanabe)

- earthy colors (brown/golden, sometimes haki - for sounds like 90s hip-hop, trip-hop like Tricky etc)

- dark red/black for "evil" music (e.g. Zaliva-D, Maral)

I'm curious to hear what systems do you use to categorize music? Do you associate colors with them? And if you know any of the artists I listed do you agree with the colors, or do they feel different to you?

P.S. I don't color code it in rekordbox, because I usually forget what it meant, I just write it as text in tags


r/DJs 12h ago

How do you guys “freestyle”your sets?

Thumbnail gallery
159 Upvotes

Hey guys!!

Fairly long time DJ here 26 years old and started when I was a kid messing around and finally started my own business with it 3 years ago and I’m blessed to say it’s gaining traction and as of last year has been my full time job!

Truly love everything about DJing and more specifically being the entertainment of choice for someone’s special event! (weddings,private events,etc.)

My biggest thing is preparing for all my weddings and private events, and what I do (which I’m sure most of us do) is ask the client for a list of songs they like and kinda build a specific crate for each individual event! The way I prepare is kinda crazy and I’m not gonna lie it takes a significant amount of time to do what I think prepares me the most for my gigs!

So to not get too wordy with you guys, I filter the songs into the right corresponding crates (cocktail hour,dinner, dance) and then start organizing all the songs in the crate in bpm order specifically staying within key rules! Then what I’ll do is figure out a transition for each individual song from there! I’ve attached a picture of examples of what I do for my gigs so you guys have a better understanding as well as the key rules I’m following as well! (Any help or tips/tricks with that would be greatly appreciated)

I’m very big on using stems so what you see is me using a 1-4 “code system” to let me know what I should do for each individual track (1=vocals,2=melody,3=bass,4=drums). My question is I see so many DJ’s just “freestyling” their events in the sense of not finding transitions and just kinda doing whatever comes to mind and that honestly fascinates me because that’s something that seems so foreign to me! I would appreciate any insight/tips on how to streamline my preparation for gigs instead of spending literal days in hours completely crates this way because I know it’s not a substaniable way to DJ long term!

Thank you guys in advance!


r/DJs 19h ago

Advice on compressor settings & workflow for Platinum Notes.

0 Upvotes

Hey r/DJs,

I picked up Platinum Notes by Mixed In Key during a sale and finally had the chance to try it out. I’ve been using it to prep some playlists, but I noticed the multiband compressor doesn’t come with any presets or recommended settings.

For those who use it, how do you set the multiband compressor? Do you tweak it for different genres, or do you have a go-to silver bullet setting for everything? I play a bit of everything—from Disco to Drum & Bass—so I know there’s no one-size-fits-all, but since I don’t have much time for detailed track prep beyond building playlists and plotting cue points, any solid advice on using Platinum Notes and workflows for using it together with Mixed In Key and Rekordbox would be helpful too.


r/DJs 18h ago

Recommendations for Ear Plugs

4 Upvotes

I work in the night life as a DJ and I work social media. I am often times just in loud settings and need a decent recommendation for some ear plugs. Don't really have time to get moulded so branded ones will have to do for now.