Become a Radio DJ

Becoming a radio disk jockey requires a strong vocal presence, a willingness to work unusual hours for low pay, and the flexibility to move from station to station or even from state to state.

An entry-level radio DJ may also be responsible for a station's clerical work or commercial production, so a background in office management or electronics may also prove useful.

A radio DJ's workday can range from a four hour shift on the air to a day-long remote broadcast from a distant location.

A radio DJ may be asked to create his or her own advertising copy , so a strong writing background is fundamental.

A number of colleges and universities offer broadcasting as a major, so a radio DJ candidate should enroll in a suitable program with a radio broadcasting component.

Working as a campus radio DJ can provide real world experience, along with a more professional air check tape. Although a degree is not strictly required in order to break into the radio business, program directors often give hiring preference to degreed candidates.

College programs can also provide technical training for a radio DJ assigned to work a board, radiospeak for operating a studio control panel.

Disc jockey

A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" (sometimes spelled "disk", although this is now uncommon) referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.

There are several types of disc jockeys. Radio DJs or radio personalities introduce and play music that is broadcast on AM, FM, shortwave, digital, or internet radio stations. Club DJs select and play music in bars, nightclubs, or discothèques, or at parties or raves, or even in stadiums. Hip hop DJs select and play music using multiple turntables to back up one or more MCs/rappers, perform turntable scratching to create percussive sounds, and are also often music producers who use turntablism and sampling to create backing instrumentals for new tracks. In reggae, the DJ (deejay) is a vocalist who raps, "toasts", or chats over pre-recorded rhythm tracks while the individual choosing and playing them is referred to as a selector.[1] Mobile DJs travel with portable sound systems and play recorded music at a variety of events. According to a 2012 study there are approximately 1¼ million professional disk jockeys in the world.

Equipment and techniques

Club DJ equipment may consist of:
Sound recordings in a DJ's preferred medium (for example, vinyl records, Compact Discs, computer media files, etc.);
A combination of two devices (or only one, if playback is digital) to play sound recordings, for alternating back and forth to create a continuous playback of music (for example, record players, Compact Disc players, computer media players such as an MP3 player, etc.);
A multiple Sequencer which can mix MIDI tracks with Digital Audio;
A sound system for amplification or broadcasting of the recordings (for example, portable audio system, PA system) or a radio broadcasting system;
A DJ mixer, which is an (usually 2- or 4-channel) audio mixer usually equipped with a crossfader used to smoothly go from one song to another, using two or more playback devices;
Headphones, used to listen to one recording while the other recording is being played to the audience, or to listen to both recordings simultaneously; and
Optionally, a microphone, so that the DJ can introduce songs and speak to the audiences.
Other equipment could or can be added to the basic DJ setup (above), providing unique sound manipulations. Such devices include, but are not limited to:
Electronic effects units (delay, reverb, octave, equalizer, chorus, etc.). Some club DJs use a subharmonic synthesizer effect which either doubles low frequencies with energy added an octave lower or synthesizes harmonics such that the impression of a very low bass sound is added to the mix.
A computerised performance system, which can be used with vinyl emulation software to manipulate digital files on the computer in real time.
Multi-stylus headshells, which allow a DJ to play different grooves of the same record at the same time.
Special DJ digital controller hardware that can manipulate digital files on a PC or laptop;
Samplers, sequencers, electronic musical keyboards (synthesizers), or drum machines.
A Midi Controller used to trigger different aspects of DJ Software, such as Serato Scratch Live, Virtual Dj, and Traktor.

DJ mixer

A DJ mixer is a type of audio mixing console used by disc jockeys. The key features that differentiate a DJ mixer from other types of audio mixers are the ability to redirect (cue) a non-playing source to headphones and the presence of a crossfader, which allows for an easier transition between two sources. DJ mixers are also used to create DJ mixes.

Spelling of disc

Disk and disc are the two alternative spellings of the descriptive word for things of a generally thin and circular geometry. These variations are due to the way in which the words originated. The discussion here somewhat focuses on disk storage as an electronic media. Generally in computer terminology, disk refers to magnetic storage while disc refers to optical storage.

Structure

A typical modern DJ mixer generally has between two and six stereo channels for connecting and mixing audio sources. Each channel usually has a phono input with RIAA equalization for turntables and one or two line level inputs for sources such as CD players. Controls for individual channels are arranged in vertical columns (channel strips), starting with a switch or a knob selecting between the inputs. Below the input selector is a gain (or trim) control, used to match signal levels between channels. Next follows an equalizer section, used to fade parts of tracks in and out; a common basic technique is to kill the bass on one channel while mixing so the basslines of two tracks don't clash. A typical mixer features separate knobs for the low, mid and high frequency ranges. Some more controls may follow, such as a balance knob, built-in sound effects and aux-sends for external effects units. Below there's normally a cue switch sending the signal to the headphones, letting the DJ preview and beatmatch a track without sending it to the master output, but on some mixers there's a different way to select the cued source. The channel strip ends with a fader which sets the channel's signal volume in the final mix. The signal may pass through a crossfader. On simple mixers there are normally two channels assigned opposite ends of the crossfader, sometimes with a button to reverse the crossfader's direction. More advanced mixers have assignable crossfaders in which each channel can be assigned to either end of the crossfader or to bypass the crossfader entirely. Many scratch mixers have a crossfader curve control that effectively changes the distance the crossfader needs to travel to open the channel fully, letting to shorten it to a millimetre or two, which is useful for speedy scratching.