“Don’t forget to record your set, Don’t forget to record your set, Don’t forget to record your set”
These are the words you will most often hear me mutter for the whole week leading up to a gig. Then for about an hour before my set, I’ll be looking for post it notes around the house to stick on my DJ controller, while still muttering the words…..
“Lainie FFS DON’T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR SET”.
Regardless of all this ‘mental note to self’ stuff, nine times out of ten I forget to record my set.
The truth is that there is always a level of nerves that follow me when I am about to play a set. When you are a DJ, there is so much that could potentially go wrong tech wise. You will generally have all these things on your mind before a gig:
Will the speakers work, do I have the right cords and leads, did I forget anything, did I bring my laptop, (in my case) did I bring my glasses so I can see the screen, will the internet be accessible (if you are only streaming – not advisable but people still do it), did I remember to bring a backup of my music.
I guess with all this stuff on a DJ’s mind, it’s no wonder that when you are about to start your set, the last thing you remember is to press record. You just want to jump into it and get your flow on and get people dancing asap.
Pro’s of hitting record:
- You have evidence that you can DJ and you can show it off for all to hear and enjoy.
- It is great to add to your Soundcloud page so you can send people who might potentially want to get you to do a paid gig somewhere.
- You can listen back and find ways you can improve your skills.
Con’s of not hitting record:
- The self-flagellation you give yourself for forgetting can be ruthless.
- When you nail your set, there is no evidence of this for you to go back and see what worked so you can replicate the magic.
- I can’t think of a third one because honestly, it’s not the end of the world, it’s just bloody frustrating.
When you record a digital set, the settings for where you will find it on your computer are different for each software. I’ve done a little video showing where you find the record button on a Rekordbox set up. You choose where the folder will be in the recordings tab of the controller tab in your settings.
Look at this short video by clicking on the link below which will explain more. The picture underneath shows a screen shot of the dashboard explained in the video.
For Serato DJ Pro, here is a clip to explain how to record your set, keep in mind the free versions won’t allow recording. One of the many advantages of paying for the software.
Don’t fret Traktor people here is a relatively boring explanation but it’s easy to understand and that’s what we want!!
Whatever happens, whether you forget or remember to record your set, the main thing is that you show up and give it everything you have!
Peace Out Ladies
Lainsta
SpiN SiStas 