Thinking of doing DJ course

aaf

I'm thinking of doing one of these DJ courses. I've never done any DJ related stuff at all and never played with any programs (Reason, Logic etc). I'm just interested in it as a hobby for now. Passionate about all kinds of music but especially Indie/Dance. Now, I know some of you will say that I can just play around with any of those programs and pick it up. However, the courses obviously go into much more than just playing with software.

DJ/ Music Production Course @ Sound Training Centre

DJ Training School @ Dublin Media Centre

Anyone complete either of those courses? Any opinions or advice? I'm fairly handy with computers/technology/digital media etc.

seannash

"just play around with any of those programs and pick it up"


seriously!!

why the hell wouldnt you give it a go before hand?

what have you got to lose by trying it yourself.you could find it remarkably easy and save yourself alot of money.


ask this in the djing forum too and youll get more help

seannash

this is one of the topics they cover on that first course


"Purchasing Recorded Materials"


really:D

aaf

seannash wrote: »

ask this in the djing forum too and youll get more help

Damn, posted in the wrong forum. Cheers. I will play around with the software but I would've thought the real-life experiences and exposure to actual night clubs etc would be very interesting.

Anima

I haven't done any of these courses but I always have a bad feeling towards them. That they're trying to get Joe Retard to fork over a grand for really nothing more than a 13 year old would learn in 6 months of trying to learn the program/skill/field.

I mean think about it, if you love music so much, why haven't you tried to learn something before? If you're too lazy to sit down and learn Reason or whatever, how is a course that teaches you the basics going to help if you won't put in the work?

I don't want to sound negative but as Seannash said earlier, a module/subject called "Purchasing Recorded Materials" would be ringing alarm bells for me. Its a subject on how to buy a record for christ sake. Thats retarded.

Maybe if its a just a hobby and you have a ton of cash, its worth it but anyone serious should really not bother and just figure things out for themselves. It will stand to them much more in the long run because there is no set path, no rules, no right way, only what ends up in the vinyl/cd/mp3/flac.

rayzercork

if your willing to put in the time, you could probably learn it all yourself. djing wise ask a friend or a local dj to show you the ropes then practice from there. production wise check out freeware apps like Reaper and LMMS and youtube for tutorials. stick with it for a bit and make up your own mind whether you want to fork out cash down the line to step up a notch. djing and producing are not for everyone so dont waste your money buying anything until youre really sure what you want

alan kelly

Maybe check out macprovideo.com or groove 3. Both these sites sell tutorials for about 30euro. I find them much better than getting snippets of tutorials on youtube.. I suppose everyone has their own way they want to learn.. Good luck:)

LeBash

I was at the Beatyard thing yesterday and there was an introduction to a group of lads that are now running really cheap courses on Reason, Ableton and a few others.

So basically, pick a program, (if it means anything, my personal choice is Ableton, as I found it so easy to use) and then choose that course and i think it was roughly 100 Euro for a 5 sessions, (one a week). I didnt hear how long each one was though.

http://realsounddublin.blogspot.com/

I would say that I picked up most of the stuff I know from youtube and messing around with things, and its going to save you 100 Euro

ksri

The guys made some good points in the responses, though I do think there is something to be said for DJ courses.. They're similar to driving lessons, everyone can teach themselves to drive but it can save you a lot of hassle and bad habits if you learn the basic skills properly to begin with.

I had looked at those courses originally and found especially the STC to be too expensive at 1000e. Eventually I decided to go with Rap Ireland DJ School for 300e, there was none of the bs about buying records, just an intensive course on mixing, scratching and set building. An added benefit was that classes were held in a nightclub so it was a whole different ball game learning to play with the full sound system.

The web address for them is http://rapireland.com/dj-school

I've seen other classes offered on gumtree etc but I'd say you're best to stick with the main ones...

Jev/N

ksri wrote: »

The guys made some good points in the responses, though I do think there is something to be said for DJ courses.. They're similar to driving lessons, everyone can teach themselves to drive but it can save you a lot of hassle and bad habits if you learn the basic skills properly to begin with.

I had looked at those courses originally and found especially the STC to be too expensive at 1000e. Eventually I decided to go with Rap Ireland DJ School for 300e, there was none of the bs about buying records, just an intensive course on mixing, scratching and set building. An added benefit was that classes were held in a nightclub so it was a whole different ball game learning to play with the full sound system.

The web address for them is http://rapireland.com/dj-school

I've seen other classes offered on gumtree etc but I'd say you're best to stick with the main ones...

No, because that's not what being a DJ is about

empirix

man, if your using Traktor and a midi controller, these days its a piece of piss, especially if only using 2 decks, the software beat matches for you, which is probably the somewhat tricky part of djing along with having a fairly decent ear, a monk with no arms could dj with this stuff!

cloudydsound

djing is the simplest thing in the world, i had it down in a day or two...beatmatching that is

if you have any bit of an ear for music you'll pick it up as fast, if you don't, it might take a week or two....seriously, it's really really easy

whatever about production lessons but DJing lessons, to me, is a joke

learn the 8 bar
catch the beat at start of 8 bar
adjust tempo

there, money saved