Imagine turning up at a gig and being faced with the above scene. That’s exactly what happened to our good friend DJ Rasp, who pushed this image out through the usual social media channels today. And it seemed like the perfect picture to illustrate a story I’ve meant to write for the longest time — what is biggest DJ disaster you’ve had to deal with when playing out, and importantly what did you do to recover from it?
As well as being a subject full of potential horror stories and equally hilarious anecdotes, this has the potential to be an incredibly useful resource to help DJs get themselves out of those sticky situations. Personally I’ve been very lucky and only ever had to connect my gear up to house installs via some pretty interesting cable and adaptor combinations. And due to a lack of a solid surface, my last ever house party was carried out on an ironing board, which was challenging to say the least.
So what has been your worst DJ disaster? Was it technology or people who sent it all horribly wrong? Booth in bits? How did you make it right? Were you able to fix it at all? And what did you learn from it that made you a better and more prepared DJ?
It was my first youtube broadcasted DJ gig ever. I had double checked everything before leaving home, and arrived to the venue full of confidence. I connected my stuff as usual, and by the time I finished I didn’t realize the cameras were already streaming. When the moment came to start doing a quick soundcheck before starting my set, my MIDI controller didn’t work, and my Traktor Audio DJ 8 wasn’t reading the timecode properly. I used CDJs for that venue, and I couldn’t use the jog wheel for back cueing and also couln’t set up the cue. Only play, nudge and pitch was working. I almost went nuts because the venue owners and the other DJs were giving me this heavy look: “he has no fucking idea what he’s doing”. So, I had to improvise. I did just what I needed from the keyboard and Traktor Scratch software.
I got to finish the set, and it didn’t go smooth, but at least managed to save face. Horrible experience though, and it all went straight to the net. I am pretty sure that my “wtf is happening” reactions were recorded.
That sounds like it would be interesting to watch how you got through that, poor set or not. Any chance for a link to it?
Saw DJ Rasp’s quote, and it was the exact same reaction I had a couple of weeks ago.
I had to play at a bar for an entire night, showed up, and saw there was only one turntable. The first few minutes, I didn’t know what to do.
Then I realised: I can put 1 deck in internal mode, mix / scratch in the next track with the tt, use instant doubles to move it to the internal playing deck, and this for each track. It saved me! I was missing 1 turntable, but I still had the fun of actual deejaying as I am used to (I love working on the decks & mixer, instead of looking at a computer screen).
So indeed, it was a good experience, as I learned there was no reason to panic, serato’s internal mode provided an excellent solution. As from now, I know I can rely on this backup mode.
I just did a gig last Saturday at a venue that had a Rane 62 installed. Either they hadn’t updated the firmware to work with Serato DJ (most other DJs I know are still on SSL even when using newer hardware) or something because the mixer was stuck in some weird midi layer mode. Every time i turned the headphone volume knob it would start beatjumping through the track. I also couldn’t use looping, switch to internal mode, or use the software or hardware FX even when clicking on the software or using my dicers. All I could do is re-midi map some of the knobs and use hot cues to get through the gig. It was almost like playing on straight vinyl.
I had a gig a few years ago when I used to play out with an NS7 which had always been reliable. It was a corporate function, 10 minutes from the start The power went off and refused to come back on. After 5 minutes of frantic plug checking, button pushing and swearing I grabbed my iphone, a spare Griffin cable and managed to hook something up to the system (sound engineer was a knowledgeable guy luckily!). After 10 minutes of hardcore hip hop (all I had on the phone..) the NS7 fired up again. Sold the NS 7 the next week.. No more controllers for me. And I also carry an ipad with backup music now….
I fear controllers for this reason. I know it’s silly, but I’m so afraid of that happening.
Mamania told me the story when he turned up at a gig, and found no turntables, even though they were marked off on the rider. The promoter’s answer to him was – “What are turntables???”………… Next step was to drive round the city for two hours trying to find a pair…….
Rasp and myself used to have a regular gig in preston at revolution about 10 years ago. the decks were on a wooden stand on a wooden floor. the manager at the time, Sam, was a big guy, and he’d walk past the decks to go to the bar. Problem was, him walking past the decks would make the needles skip.. a lot. I remember 5 minute tracks lasting 20 seconds and you’d be all… bugger put another one on quick!
I`m allowed to Play sum song s at a friends dj set in a Club, so my ppl like crazy I m cool playing that rough Underground stuff we used to hear in the car for warmup, all good until the amp went out. No Sound… ,I m standing there like a mule so I started kind of robotdance for 2 and a half minutes, till now the longest moment in my life. They said later I clipped it too hard. who knows ther s alwas sum jelous .uck.
Till then I always checked my gear and amps u have to work with.
Another one was stepping on the usb cable connector and with it breaking the usb Input no control no Sound from Traktor either, but that one was solved much quicker I putted sum wax on the wheels of steel,no one realized what happend.
Prepare and order is important, …but u can always make a show out of mistakes.
I was DJing in a dive in Manhattan regularly a few years ago. I mean, this was a dive. The ceiling fell in at one point on some people. And this wasn’t that long ago either.
Regardless, they had all of their amps and everything in a wooden box with no ventilation. One winter day they decided it would be smart to turn the heat on, since it was a basement. Well, once people showed up that ended up being a terrible, terrible idea. The walls started sweating, the floor was slick, we were clearing the dance floor to dry mop it so people wouldn’t fall.
But then, of course, the amps started overheating. So they started shutting down to cool off and come back on. So our frequencies are ALL over the place. One second there’d be no bass, so the DJ would turn up the bass (because science, or something), and then the amp would kick back in and BOOM it would be overwhelming. I was trying so many things, putting fans in front of the boxes, opening them up, god I was so glad when that night was over.
Moral of the story, clipping is real, and know your environment. Oh, and spin in dive bars more because it teaches you how good you have it. :)
Old school fail: turned up at a gig, open the car boot, realise vinyl is still in the hallway next to the front door back home.
New school fail: Forget to plug laptop into mains, 3 hours later we have silence.
Other than that there’s the regular stuff like lifting up the wrong needle or slamming the crossfader in the wrong direction.
Forgot my power supply for my laptop once. Battery wasn’t fully charged. Had only 90 minutes of power. Thank god my girlfriend could get it to me.
I’ve done that at a gig. Luckily the venue was near enough to home that I could pop back and grab it.
Exat same thing happened to me (including retour to home). At that very moment where you realise you have forgotten one of the most important items, you feel very…novice.
I had the cross fader fall apart inside the mixer about 10 minutes into a new years eve party. By some miracle the ups still worked. Had to shake the thing to get all the bits out.
I also unplugged the system on another DJ by accident trying to extract my laptop supply after finishing a set.
That second one is one of my fears . . .
I was playing a basement club, packed night, a good soundsystem and nice beefy monitors and everything was going swimmingly. Suddenly, my MacBook running Scratch Live was given a Bacardi and Coke by some dick who thought the 1inch wide frame to the glass booth was a good place to rest his glass. I didn’t see him do it as he was hidden from view by the monitor.
Amazingly, while a track was playing, I was able pop the keyboard out and tilt the MacBook and pour the drink out (it wasn’t just the dregs at the bottom of the glass, it was a full drink!) and carry on. After about half an hour the computer started to play up so the venue manager took it and held under the hand-dryer in the gents for 15 minutes while I spun some vinyl I’d got with me.
He brought it back, I plugged it and it carried on fine for the rest of the night. Amazingly, it kept on working for the next two years!!!
Years ago,in 1989 I had my brother and my friend who use to help me DJ get drunk and start a fights which ended the party and cost me my pay.
But recently at a outdoor event I had my speakers blow out and had to continue the event by using my radio which sounded terrible but did the job.
Especially since they were giving out awards and we needed the mic.
I’ve always been a person to pack a contingency plan for my contingency plans. I usually pack my own 25 foot extension cord, my own power bar, extra cables (1/4inch TR to TR and TR to RCA, RCAs, XLRs, USB…), USB keys (one with USB install-able OS and drivers, another with .exe and backup of essential software: 1hr to install and a third drive with a back up of my beatport crate), a back up laptop (with a clone of my Traktor file) that I use for recording… packing in such a way has saved my bacon too many times to count. It’s also helped friends of mine throw down a good set even though they’ve suffered extreme failures. I do what I can to help, because the show must go on.
Bravo sir. I can’t count how many time’s my toolbox of assorted cables, adapters, and other such odds and/or ends has managed to keep a gig going for friends.
I’ve even been known to carry a pair of spare white labels even though I usually play on my Pio 900’s. I’ve been thinking of picking up a pair of Serato timecodes too, my friends forget them all the time. Too bad they can’t use my Traktor vinyl.
I arrived at a bar where my DJ partner and I had a regular gig, and started to set up for the night. I go to plug into the bar’s sound system and then realize…
There is no sound system. The speakers are gone.
Fear working its way into my gut, I call the bar manager, who says they moved the speakers and amp out to one of their other locations. And forgot to tell us. It’s about 8:30 pm on a Saturday night. We have about an hour or so until our crowd arrives. The music equipment stores that rent speakers are closed.
Gulp.
My partner and I start calling our friends, praying that a friend with speakers is home. After half a dozen calls, I connect with a female friend whose drummer boyfriend might be home. She calls him, and he’s home. And he happens to have a pair of Mackie SRM 450s he’s not using that night.
My partner took off to get the speakers, and the night went on, just in time. We bought the speaker owner a bottle of good Scotch. And we brought our own speakers to that venue for the rest of our residency. Lesson learned!
Club had no CDjs instead 2 DVD players plugged into a mixer. Had to mix using 2 remote controls.
harsh
I had a wedding in the Adirondacks. We had to get to the location by pontoon. The bridal party wanted to walk out to the theme from The Office (U.S. version) but I forgot about it till the groom asked if I had it cued up. Luckily I thought to check if I could download the ring tone (pre smartphone days), it loaded seconds before they walked out and I played it through the microphone. good thing it looped long enough and they walked quickly!
I was djing a wedding at the Botanical Gardens in Brooklyn. I’m usually solo when I gig but one of my boys asked if he could roll with me. The quartet who were supposed to play the cocktail hour was late so I played til they got set up. They cued that they were ready and as I faded out my Mac died! I forgot the power cord!! Luckily it was a day wedding we hit a Best Buy while the quartet played! The second part is that as I prepping songs I realized the file for their first dance wouldn’t play in serato because it was an old iTunes purchase! I tethered my Mac to my boys phone and used his internet to download the song just in time!
Two occasions stand out, both in the days before Serato
1. Speaker fell onto one of the turntables flattening the arm and rendering it useless. The microphone replaced mixing.
2. School boy error, I turned up to an audition night without headphones. I got the residency, not because i was any good but because the others were horrendous.
Oh, and any occasion when I’ve tuned up to a bar with cheep decks (normally Kam – It happened quite a lot in the mid 90’s). I can forgive not having monitors but cant understand why certain bars would be tightfisted with their turntable purchases, feedback central.
All of that and the usual taking the arm off the wrong deck, selecting the wrong speed, using the wrong slider, drinking too much, snogging the wrong person etc etc…