A couple more "new guy" questions about DJ'ing

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DJ Forbes

DJ Forbes

DJ Extraordinaire
Jul 30, 2021
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I had good birthday party gig over the weekend and had an amazing time. I've started keeping a small tablet and pen beside me when I DJ so that I can jot down anything I have issues with, things to remember (good or bad), or stuff that pops up in my head throughout the event. Two things from this past event that I wanted to bring back to the group to get your thoughts on...

1. Do you use a padded mat to stand on? I have some lower back issues and even with very well cushioned shoes, my lower back starts to bother me a little bit after 4 or 5 hours. A lot of it is just from standing in one spot without much movement. We have a really nice padded mat in my kitchen at home, and I've used them at a workbench before. Just wondered if anyone brings one to their gigs?

2. This one is odd to me. I use Serato Pro and a Pioneer DDJ-SR2 controller. With Serato, the letters on your laptop "A" and "Q" can be pressed to make Deck 1 or 2 play backwards. I must have done this by accident while searching for a song, and had to quickly transition to the other deck. Thankfully it just sounded like music at first and the crowd was a little tipsy, and never noticed. My question is, in what scenario would you ever need to play a track backwards? Have you ever done it intentionally? (aside from hearing all those encoded messages we always heard heavy metal songs were sending out when we were kids, LOL)
 
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Yep, A&Q has bit me a couple of times. I believe I have locked out that shortcut . Never had the need to play a song backward but can't wait too hear the responses . I use what is called a bakers mat to stand on that helps .
 
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This year I started carrying a mat with me to mobile events. I don't use it in the bars though. The mat I use came with one of the standing desks we use at my job. Someone decided that they didn't want it so I got to keep it. If it wasn't given to me I would have still ended up getting one because my feet and ankles really start to hurt after 4 hours of standing.

I've only used the reverse feature to do a trick in a battle routine but now that I've moved to the Reloop turntables which have a dedicated reverse button, I don't need the to use the software reverse feature. You can disable it in Serato's preferences by checking the "Playback Keys Use Shift" option.
 
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The backwards feature is handy if the artist backward masked a song with a subliminal message 😁

For those that don’t know, some artists, like Judas Priest, got sued because someone killed themselves and parents were convinced that the child was playing their song over and over backwards and it was saying “do it”.
Judas Priest had to come to the USA to defend themselves. They basically, said, “We were 24 years old and broke. If we could figure out how to hypnotize people into doing something, it would be, ’buy more records’”

Many other artists were accused as well.
 
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I use a good mat and comfortable yet dressy enough shoes.
extra mats are also good to cover short cord runs.

taking notes is an excellent idea. I still do it, but I use my cell phone and tablet to keep track
 
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Scott Hanna said:
The backwards feature is handy if the artist backward masked a song with a subliminal message 😁
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Scott , I didn't think you where that old?? :laugh: Can not remember the Beatles tune that had a subliminal message.
 
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I've always used 4 rubber "puzzle" squares; three across with the fourth attached to the center piece. The three are just right for an 8-ft rectangular table with the 4th square attached to the middle square which goes under the table. My Monster Power strip sits on that square.
 
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sonic-vision said:
Yep, A&Q has bit me a couple of times. I believe I have locked out that shortcut . Never had the need to play a song backward but can't wait too hear the responses . I use what is called a bakers mat to stand on that helps .
Click to expand...
Same here - locked out / disabled. I also lock the playing deck - I have accidentally loaded a new track on the playing deck before.
 
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I put memory foam insoles in my dress shoes. This helped tremendously with my particular dress shoes that I wear. I also bring a tall Stool, and while I don't sit often, I do sit during during dinner/speeches. I usually have a quick sit down session during any slow dances that I might play at weddings.

Other events like parties I don't sit much at all. If I do, it's early on or during a slow dance if I play one. if I do a Karaoke job, I would sit down while people are singing if I feel there is no reason for me to look active and stand.
 
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ittigger said:
Same here - locked out / disabled. I also lock the playing deck - I have accidentally loaded a new track on the playing deck before.
Click to expand...
I have done this. It will ask me if I want to load that song or hit cancel. I hit cancel and that's it.
 
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