Virtual DJ is a simple but very effective piece of software and using it to mix like a pro couldn’t be easier. But to stand out from the crowd it’s important to scratch beneath the surface and really make it work for you. Check out these 10 tips for mixing songs on Virtual DJ like a Pro.
1. Make playlists for every set
Making playlists is easy to do and can make your live performances so much better. You don’t need to enter the land of the robots and play live sets that are entirely preplanned, but if you save some of your creative concepts from your practice sessions, you have a back-up just in case your memory fails when you’re under pressure up on the stage.
2. Controller or sound card?
Remember, you can use Virtual DJ without having to buy a midi controller, but without one, you will need a sound card that has multiple outputs. This will enable you to cue your records in headphones.
3. Understand filter folders
Filter folders are a great way to quickly organize a big collection of music in an intelligent way. To add one, just click the blue folder icon (as you can see in the bottom-left corner of the screenshot). You can then define what the filter does. In this case, the filter is set to create a folder of all tracks in the collection that have the genre of ‘house’. There are many different ways that your collection can be filtered – it’s really worth taking the time to learn them.
4. Analyse your tracks
Give Virtual DJ every chance to make things easy for you. Information like bpm, song length and key is very useful when you’re playing a set, but Virtual DJ does not find that information on your tracks unless you tell it to. To do this is quite simple: load a track onto a deck, or find an unanalyzed track in your playlist window, click the right button on it, and then select “BPM – reanalyze”.
5. Save cue points for every track you practice with
This will mean that when it comes to a live performance, you are not put off your creative flow by having to fiddle about.
6. Use loop points
It’s simple to extend an intro or an outro when using Virtual DJ. You can make your mixes so much better by looping the bits that are easier to blend with the next track.
7. Understand different outputs
If there is any advanced setting that you need to know about when using Virtual DJ, this is the one. As you can see from the diagram, there are a few options that are fundamental to making your performance work.
8. The sync button is your friend
If you’re mixing records together, you should be using the sync. Think of Virtual DJ as a platform to make the fundamentals of DJing easy. Then you can concentrate on other aspects of your performance.
9. Remember that VJing is an option
One additional aspect of performance that Virtual DJ opens up is VJing. Don’t forget that Virtual DJ is about more than just music.
10. Virtual DJ is an ideal practice tool
Another area where Virtual DJ has the edge over other DJ software is that you have your own internal mixer, which is great for practice. You don’t need to plug in a controller or fire up a sound system to be able to do that all-important rehearsal to find out which songs in your collection mix well together.
The post 10 Tips for Mixing Songs on Virtual DJ like a Pro appeared first on DJ Master Course.