How To Plan A DJ Set - (10 Ways To Do It)

In this video, Lawrence gives you 10 ways you can plan and prepare your DJ sets.

Whether you're a complete beginner or need some inspiration, use these tips to make you a more confident DJ the next time you step into a DJ booth.

00:00 - 00:46 Intro
00:47 - 01:28 Listening To Music
01:29 - 02:36 Downloading / Streaming
02:37 - 04:48 Setting Cue Points
04:49 - 06:26 Mixing In Key
06:27 - 06:56 BPM
06:57 - 07:55 Playlists
07:56 - 09:21 Same Song Remixes
09:22 - 10:45 Think About Your Music
10:46 - 11:56 Mashing Up Genres
11:57 - 13:30 Performance Features

#dj #beginnerdj #howtodj
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[cryptout]

Here's a tip, make sure you really like the music you play in the mix you've practised. This way you have at least one fan.

[c.r.blankenship]

Some wisdom from the ?uestlove Masterclass on how he plans his sets:
1. Warmup
2. Rising Action
3. Climax
4. Falling Action
5. Conclusion
Make it a story, and plan the set using a story arc structure. I'm new to this, but in my practices so far in Serato Lite, this is how I've organized my crates, and it's been wonderful — I've ended up with what I think is a really fun set. Of course, this hasn't been tested in front of people yet, so there will be a bit of workshopping, but it was a really helpful tip to learn.

[BrianRivera]

To the DJs with small dick energy in the comments, no one cares about you “never planning a set”. This is obviously for beginners and shows important lessons to help anyone become a good DJ. I used to plan sets when starting out till I got comfortable and it’s transferred well to this day free styling 4-5 hours. If you’re new plan your sets into multiple “vibes” or “sections” and switch around till you get comfortable and faster!!

[DavidRobinsonakaDJTiggr]

As a bedroom DJ who only DJs for myself these will be useful. I use my mixes to tell a story of emotion and often will start 5-15bpm slower than I finish, start with more progressive tracks and end with more driving powerful tracks. Always willing to learn though.

[househeadspeakz]

I enjoyed the videos and the tips use to plan a DJ set. I would like to add to things. 1. practice, practice, and practice. None of these tips will work without practice. 2. know your music. I listened to every track I purchased. It gives me an idea of how I want to start my set and the tracks that follow. When I started DJjing, I use to create playlists for all my sets. Now, I pick a track as an intro and feed off it. Once you start to feel with your play, it becomes a part of you thus finding your voice. I learn this from my mentor who is 1/2 of a duo I am a part of.

[jackrabbid]

As a general rule of thumb : it doesn't matter how much you prepared for your set, CONSTANTLY read the room. Last year at a beach party, my segment was properly rehearsed and executed, unfortunately, the crowd wasn't responding much due to the fact that the musical terrorist before me conditioned the crowd to tunes like barbie girl, and hey ya....point is, if the ladies are dancing, then it means you're doing well. I got them back when I started playing twerking music, so there you go!😅

[deltahomicide]

Mixing in key was a game changer for me and something that I'm still learning

[PositiveSoundServices]

Going from a Clean version to a dirty version is my biggest UNCERTAINTY and inner urk that I'm not sure if the crowd is noticing but I DEFINITELY am!

[spin_soul]

One tip I got from a wedding DJ regarding mixing in key is you can do more than just go up and down one number.

9 times out of 10, you can actually go up or down 1, 2, 3 or 7 numbers, but not 4, 5, 6 etc. The closer the numbers are the more notes the two scales will share, so they will sound more harmonically pleasing, wity the exeption of jumping 7 (eg. 1a to 8a) which usually sounds as good as 1a to 2a. This expands your mixing possibilities massively and gives you way more freedom as far as combinations of tracks goes. Try it out!

[simonmatsuyama]

My most useful tip for preparation is to "TAG" all tracks. Playlists is useful for a specific gig, TAGs are great so you can search tracks fast in your library.

[Cheshire]

Tip - Set up cue points at phrase points leading UP to drops or breakdowns. This lets you look at the mix and land double drops on tracks without really needing to memorise them fully - VERY handy during both set prep, and also, when just doing a live mix on the fly.

[Ahmed.Saody..]

As an absolute beginner, this video gave me such a boost man, BIG thank you brother ❤❤❤.

[hotfutureyearscome]

When you know the crowd really well. you can prepare a 100 song set with key and BPM assignments really fast. the trick is to have proper folder management.

[Areabeatz]

I just got my Rev1 and attempting to go from producer to dj. I enjoy the idea of planning my playlist. I love to brainstorm how I'll go from one track or genre to the next. Great video. Cant wait until I master all the transitions.

[AM-]

As someone who is NOT an open format DJ (Only playing Techno or DnB/Jungle), the one thing that upped my game over the last 8+ years has been tagging/sorting tracks by vibe. When I first started playing, I was doing preplanned/semi-preplanned sets but tbh, personally that gets very boring and the more you play the more you realize the value of being flexible (playing a longer/shorter set then you were booked for, playing on faulty equipment/equipment you are not familiar with, trying to match the vibe of the person playing before/after you etc.)

The tags you use can be entirely personal to you. As an example, for my techno collection, I have 4 primary folders that I have segregated my tracks into:
- Deep hypnotic (usually staying in this folder since that's my sound)
- More upbeat/with breakdowns or melodies. (Use this sparingly, at peak times)
- Groovy/percussive faster paced (Fun to get into this folder towards the end of the night. Some crowds really dig this groovy stuff over the deep stuff so if I get that vibe, I'll spend more time in this folder)
- Flexible (usually can use these tracks to shift between the vibes above if needed)

I usually try to keep 40-50 tracks in each folder so that I am covered for as long as I need to play. I rotate in and out of the tracks on a weekly/monthly basis (removing tracks that I realize Im not playing and adding fresh tracks that I have found).

In terms of practicing transitions, I feel like with experience your ears get trained to instantly know which sounds will blend together but early on the more practice/trial the better.

[johnanzelmo]

This was a great video to watch for a DJ just starting his career and I am looking forward to more of these to add to my learning experiences.

[EricBishard]

I listen to music for days or weeks, I keep a checkout cart on stunting like beatport, I'll confine my listening to one of two genres. Only after multiple listens do things make it in my cart and sometimes I remove stuff and try to get the purchase down to a manageable size. 20 to 50 tracks based on the gig, set or project.

Next I download and do more listening while maintaining a rough spreadsheet of tracks in order. They may not stay on that order. Key, speed or just good match ups will sort that list again.

Next I start mixing, potentially changing the order again. And learning the cue points

[grahamkelly]

When I mix for myself I love to experiment and mix what comes to mind but it would be nice to structure a set that actually works 😁

[chasingthestoke]

Mixing in key is what I’m working on right now. Thanks for this video fam this is good knowledge 🙏