Shows
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastDJ Jazzy Jeff On The Timelessness Of DJingIf you've been wondering whether you're too old to start DJing, DJ Jazzy Jeff has news for you: mature music lovers are driving the biggest DJ renaissance in decades, and it's the young crowd that's missing out.Fresh from a European tour that saw him playing everything from Wembley Stadium to intimate beach parties in Portugal, Jeff observed something remarkable happening in dance music...and we chat all about it with him on today's special podcast episode. Enjoy! If you enjoy this podcast and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple P...2025-07-0444 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastDJs: Fix those messed up music libraries!In this edition of our Inside Track podcast, we help you fix your messed-up music libraries, explain why yes, it is still important to use headphones as a DJ despite what some "young cats" might tell you, and help a new DJ who is feeling completely overwhelmed by all the possibilities that modern DJing presents. As ever, this was a really fun discussion, made more so by our wonderful live student audience here at Digital DJ Tips, who joined us for the recording. Thank you to them, thank you for listening, and we hope you enjoy the s...2025-06-2639 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastCan I "James Hype" At A Wedding?!In this edition of our Your Questions podcast, we have a mobile DJ asking if it's even possible to play like James Hype for 5-6 hours...and whether he should...We then tackle the classic gain staging issue of not going "into the red" before discussing harmonic mixing and whether DJ gear should always be horizontal! (Yep, you heard me right.) It’s the usual mixed bag of absorbing questions from our wonderful community. I hope you enjoy what we’ve got for you this month!As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of D...2025-06-1238 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastCalvin's Chicanery + What makes a REAL DJ?In this edition of our Inside Track podcast, we explored whether Calvin Harris ripped off Chicane for his latest single, diving into the ongoing debate around the derivative nature of pop music sampling versus simply copying the feel or essence of a track. Next, we discussed the importance of DJs learning to use all different types of DJ gear. With so many formats and technologies out there, versatility remains a crucial skill for any serious DJ.Finally, we wrapped up with a conversation about the three key things that need to happen for someone t...2025-05-2244 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastTricky requests, playing festivals, DJ challengesFrom how to deal with inappropriate music requests to the biggest challenges facing DJs in 2025, we answered a whole range of student questions here at Digital DJ Tips this week. Enjoy!As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of real-time feedback. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It really does make a difference.TIMESTAMPS00:00 Intro00:14 Episode overview01:16 How should DJs handle tricky...2025-05-0946 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastDJ behaviour, dissing VirtualDJ, recording setsIn this edition of our Inside Track podcast, we kick things off with the question, "Why are DJs always expected to be doing something? Is looking busy really that important?" We also dive into why popular software platform VirtualDJ sometimes gets a bad rep among the wider DJing community. And finally, we look at the importance of recording DJ sets, alongside some of the challenges that come with it.As always, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of valuable student f...2025-04-2438 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastMy First Vinyl Gig In 22 Years!By combining the best of the old way of DJing with modern technology, Phil feels he has an opportunity to entertain and educate a new generation of DJs about some of the most important fundamentals - and as you'll hear, he's taking it to a massive stage this summer. All is revealed in this special episode...Read the full article here: https://www.digitaldjtips.com/first-gig-on-vinyl-in-22-years/As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of student feedback. If you...2025-04-1023 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastWhen's the "right time" for DJs to hang up their headphones?We get all philosophical right at the beginning this week, with a question about when (if ever) DJs should finally hang their headphones up. We also talk about music curation vs. creativity, what to do when the gear in venues is unreliable, and we try to answer the question, "Why does no one make separates in the DJ world anymore?"These and other queries asked by our wonderful DJ community are all answered in this wide-ranging April edition of our Your Questions podcast. As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ T...2025-04-0340 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastApple for DJs, essential software, standalone vs laptopThe big news this week, of course, was the arrival of Apple Music as a streaming platform on all major DJ hardware and software. We then looked at the absolutely essential software that all DJs need before finishing up with a discussion on using laptop-free gear in 2025. As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of valuable student feedback. We'd like to extend a special thank you to everyone who participated in this very busy show! If you enjoy the po...2025-03-2749 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastMobile DJ growth, mixtape tips, volume levels...In this show, recorded live to an audience of Digital DJ Tips students, we tackle some of the big questions our community has asked our tutors in the last few weeks.We cover how to record great mixtapes effortlessly, what to do when you've established a mobile DJ business but want to grow further, how to set all the different volume controls on DJ gear (so that your mixes sound loud and clear), and more!As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live...2025-03-1337 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastReal cost of DJing, lossy vs compressed music, Rekordbox woesOn the Digital DJ Tips DJ school Inside Track podcast this month, we're looking at three topics that the DJ community is talking about at the moment. This month we've got:1. The real price of DJing - What does it really cost to take up DJing as a hobby? Not only getting the equipment but keeping up with subscriptions and so on. We do the numbers for you.2. Lossy versus compressed music - What's the difference between a lossless and a lossy file, and an uncompressed and a compressed file, and do DJs need to...2025-02-2737 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastAre DJs artists, DJing on phones, hobby vs pro DJsAn unusually busy podcast today with lots of questions so varied that I had to scattergun through them to a certain extent, but that made it more vibrant, and there was an awful lot of feedback from the community as well.As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of student feedback. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It really does make a difference.TIMESTAMPS00:00 Intro2025-02-1342 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastShould DJs scratch?, have you got G.A.S.?, marketing for DJsShould DJs scratch? - Some love it, some hate it, some can do it, some think they'll never be able to - but at the end of the day, how important is scratching for DJs?Have you got G.A.S.? - Gear Acquisition Syndrome is a trait that for some reason particularly affects hobby DJs. What is it? Is it a problem? And if so, how should you deal with it?The 3 ways to market yourself as a DJ - None of these promo strategies are wrong, but knowing what you are (and aren't...2025-01-2346 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastLaptops for DJing, playing for charities, record poolsIn this first edition of our Your Questions podcast for 2025, Digital DJ Tips students ask questions ranging from how to play charity events, to what laptop is right for DJing, to whether record pools are a good way of building a music collection, and many more. If you would like your question to be featured in one of these shows, become a Digital DJ Tips student - just head to the website and pick the course for you.As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded i...2025-01-0937 min
The Digital DJ Tips Podcast2024 wrapped - all the big changes from the world of DJingIn this final Inside Track podcast of 2024, we're looking back at the year. All the big stories, the culture changes, the software, the hardware, shifts in how DJing is done, AI of course, and some trends that we think will carry forward into 2025. It's all covered in this final end-of-year wrap. Let us just take this opportunity to thank everyone for being part of this podcast, whether you're a subscriber or a student, and I look forward to seeing you as we continue in the new year.As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the s...2024-12-1933 min
The Digital DJ Tips Podcast5 killer XDJ-AZ features, mono vs stereo, imposter syndromeIn the final Your Questions podcast of 2024 from the Digital DJ Tips DJ school, our students asked a whole range of questions, making it - as ever - a great listen for those learning to DJ.Tune in to find out why learning to DJ sometimes feels so difficult when modern gear is designed to make it feel so easy. We also cover how to improve the sound quality of DJ gear when DJing in clubs, and whether producers should mix in mono or stereo.Plus, one of the school's students convinces host Phil to...2024-12-1232 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastThe 3 types of DJ, lessons from DJ Jazzy Jeff, the problem with USB drivesWe kick off this episode discussing the three main types of DJ, because when you boil it down, DJs usually fall into these categories - and one of these types often makes a big mistake. We reveal what that mistake is (and why it happens) here.Next we cover the five big things I learned working with DJ Jazzy Jeff for a week. Jeff is one of the world's most respected DJs, and I got to work and stay with him recently to film a new course. Here we discuss some invaluable lessons he taught me.2024-12-0245 min
The Digital DJ Tips Podcast"All the gear, no idea?", residencies & dealing with requestsWe start our podcast this time around with a question from a student who's bought an awful lot of gear but is stuck knowing what to do next! We move on to talk about licences, insurance, dealing with requests, four channels versus two channels, whether it's wise to play five times a week, and many other topics all chosen by our fantastic students. As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of student feedback. If you enjoy it and you ca...2024-11-1445 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastMobile DJ tips, gear gimmicks, the future of jogwheelsMobile DJing has changed in recent years, and so there are simple things any DJ can do to keep up with the times and do a great job. We kick off this episode with the five most popular tips as voted for by our students.Our second topic tackles whether we've reached "peak features" on DJ gear or not. With nearly every new DJ gear release, there seems to be some gimmicky new feature or other. But how important are these really? Or instead, how much should our DJ gear simply do a job and stay out...2024-10-2448 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastNew XDJ-AZ & stems, imposter syndrome, using FX in mixingWith AlphaTheta having just launched the XDJ-AZ, it's not surprising that we had questions about that in this week's show.But we also had a wide range of questions from our students covering everything from how to transition with effects, to the height of DJ gear, to dealing with imposter syndrome.As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of student feedback. If you enjoy it and you can, please do give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It...2024-10-1042 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastAlphaTheta criticism, 4-channel mixing, how to DJ livestreamAs Pioneer DJ slowly fades from view and AlphaTheta takes over, we start this episode highlighting what we see as the five big issues the brand has to address to continue its success.Most DJs opt for gear with four-channel mixing capability - but how important is this? We look at what those extra channels are for, and share the real numbers on how many DJs actually use them.It really does make sense to dabble with livestreaming in this day and age, and it needn't be difficult or expensive, so we finish off the...2024-09-2648 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastDJ lighting tips, using headphones only, trance/techno mixingWelcome to our podcast answering another batch of questions asked by real students in our DJ school. This time around we started with a question about the best way to mix in just your headphones (out of the two most common methods), before moving on to talking about something that comes up again and again and doesn’t get any easier as our lives get busier – finding a way to fit DJing into your life!With the cost and capabilities of modern DJ lighting both moving in the right direction nowadays, it’s no surprise many DJs are da...2024-09-1229 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastYour 5 Proven Steps To DJing Like a Pro, Part 5: SuccessSo you want to be able to DJ like a pro, but it's hard to know where to start, it's hard to know what to practise, and it's hard to know if you're getting better.This proven five-step formula, first popularised in our book Rock The Dancefloor! (which has now reached its second edition and is a global bestseller), is your answer.Each of the five steps in this teaching method identifies an area to work on. When you work in all areas, it has a "multiplier effect". By approaching your DJing hobby this way...2024-08-1513 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastYour 5 Proven Steps To DJing Like a Pro, Part 4: PerformingSo you want to be able to DJ like a pro, but it's hard to know where to start, it's hard to know what to practise, and it's hard to know if you're getting better.This proven five-step formula, first popularised in our book Rock The Dancefloor! (which has now reached its second edition and is a global bestseller), is your answer.Each of the five steps in this teaching method identifies an area to work on. When you work in all areas, it has a "multiplier effect". By approaching your DJing hobby this way...2024-08-0811 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastYour 5 Proven Steps To DJing Like a Pro, Part 3: MixingSo you want to be able to DJ like a pro, but it's hard to know where to start, it's hard to know what to practise, and it's hard to know if you're getting better.This proven five-step formula, first popularised in our book Rock The Dancefloor! (which has now reached its second edition and is a global bestseller), is your answer.Each of the five steps in this teaching method identifies an area to work on. When you work in all areas, it has a "multiplier effect". By approaching your DJing hobby this way...2024-08-0112 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastYour 5 Proven Steps To DJing Like a Pro, Part 2: MusicSo you want to be able to DJ like a pro, but it's hard to know where to start, it's hard to know what to practise, and it's hard to know if you're getting better.This proven five-step formula, first popularised in our book Rock The Dancefloor! (which has now reached its second edition and is a global bestseller), is your answer.Each of the five steps in this teaching method identifies an area to work on. When you work in all areas, it has a "multiplier effect". By approaching your DJing hobby this way...2024-07-2509 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastYour 5 Proven Steps To DJing Like a Pro, Part 1: GearSo you want to be able to DJ like a pro, but it's hard to know where to start, it's hard to know what to practise, and it's hard to know if you're getting better.This proven five-step formula, first popularised in our book Rock The Dancefloor! (which has now reached its second edition and is a global bestseller), is your answer.Each of the five steps in this teaching method identifies an area to work on. When you work in all areas, it has a "multiplier effect". By approaching your DJing hobby this way...2024-07-1810 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastParties & DJ speakers, "tune up" gigs, how to promote rightThis one was recorded on 4 July, but despite the date, we still had a busy show answering questions from students about a wide range of topics.We covered the fallout from Pioneer DJ deciding not to support older controllers in the latest version of Rekordbox.We talked about the right way to promote events and why, despite loads of advertising and hard work, most of the people at one student's event were just people they already knew.We talked about whether it's ever okay to play parties with DJ monitor speakers, or...2024-07-1148 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastThe DJ software problem, DJing success 2.0, DJing with 45sIs it time to redefine DJ success? Drugs, groupies, private jets, insomnia, amnesia, hearing loss, mental breakdown: Say you're a DJ without saying you're a DJ, right? Well, we say no! It's time for a grown-up definition of DJing success - and I had one to propose to start the three topics we covered in this month's Inside Track.We moved on to "The strange world of DJ software". "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold" said poet WB Yeats (over a far more important subject), but that's how it feels with DJ software nowadays, as the...2024-06-2756 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastWhy no new DJ gear, back after 40 years, too shy to promote!We started with a question that a lot of people resonated with, which is the lack of exciting new DJ gear recently, and we looked into some of the reasons why new equipment might have slowed down. Also this week, we had lots of DJs working on their first gigs, but one in particular who's returning to DJing after 40 years wanting to know what might have changed.And we had a reticent British guy who felt that not only was he too humble to ask people to listen to his work, but also that as an artist...2024-06-1344 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastDeath of beatgrids, audio engineering for DJs, motorised jogsBeatgridding your music has been a necessary evil for digital DJs who want to use features like sync, loop, beat-tied effects, accurate hotcues, and so on, for many years. However, while beatgridding 2.0 improved on beatgridding 1.0 by handling songs with slightly varying BPMs a little bit better, not much has changed over the years – until now, that is – because new software is now able to use AI to basically kill manual beatgridding entirely. People, beatgridding 3.0 is here – and we talked about it in this pod, and what it might mean for DJs.We moved on to talk about audio...2024-05-2341 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastQuick mixing, getting gigs, why old songs sound badA really busy Your Questions show this month with hundreds of questions from our students, the best of which feature here.We talk in some depth about quick mixing, what it is, when to do it, and - more importantly - how to do it. We talk to a head teacher who's started to get the DJ bug and land himself some gigs, but now wants to know how to get more and more. And a student wants to know why older songs sound so bad when played directly against modern music, and what can be done...2024-05-0950 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastRecovering from DJ fails, best place to livestream, turntable loveFollowing the epic DJ fail at Coachella by Grimes, rather than piling in and criticising her, we thought we would use that as a springboard to talk about ways that DJs can avoid the inevitable errors that happen in any DJ set. The conversation on this podcast quickly underlined the fact that these things do happen, but that there are things that you can do to make it less likely, and to recover quicker should it happen. I also shared a classic story from my own past that still has me cringing now.We moved on to...2024-04-2553 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastKids & DJing, DJing with disabilities, USB controllersIn this month's show we tackled a wide range of questions. We spoke about producing music when half deaf, worries about DJing when visually impaired, keeping children interested in DJing, why the hell your software needs to have a database (and whether that database looks after itself), and lots of other questions across our big areas of DJing, gear, music, mixing, performing, and success.As ever, this pod is supported 100% by the students of Digital DJ Tips, and it was recorded in a live webinar with lots of student feedback. If you enjoy it and you can...2024-04-1138 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastBluetooth for DJs, rotary mixers, cheap DJ controllersA very tech-oriented edition of the show this time. We're looking at new Bluetooth features that have been added to DJ equipment and asking when DJs should be using these, and when they should not.We're also looking at the whole subject of rotary mixers because AlphaTheta, formerly Pioneer DJ, has just launched a mixer called the Euphonia, which is an extremely high-end (and very expensive mixer), utterly different to anything they've ever made before, being a rotary mixer, isolator, and effects unit that looks like it belongs to a different age. Our discussion talks about the...2024-03-2151 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastSync button, DJ mix genres, duplicate files, DJ lighting...1:57 Why do some DJs judge others for using the sync button? 8:49 Does the Engine DJ 3.4 update include the Denon DJ Prime 4? 14:10 What's the best way to clean up a messy DJ library? 21:00 How many genres should DJs include in a mixtape? 27:37 Tips for improving EQ blending between tracks? 38:22 Any advice for upgrading DJ lights? 42:25 How our DJ training worksIn this month's show, we start by looking at the perennial debating point among the wider DJing community of whether or not it's acceptable to use the sync button. It's one of those...2024-03-1547 min
The Digital DJ Tips PodcastRekordbox 7 news, music streaming '24, DJ studio set-upIn this month's three DJ topics, we start by looking at Recordbox 7 software which has just entered public beta. Does it deserve the jump from Recordbox 6? What new features are there? What has the community been wishing for in Recordbox and does it deliver this time? We take a deep dive under the hood with an exhaustive look at everything we found in this pre-release version of this major DJ package. Next we move to looking at DJ stands and accessories. Once you've bought your DJ gear, where are you going to put it? How are you g...2024-02-2356 min
New York SaidDJ CherishTheLuv - Growing up in the East Village, getting her Doctorate in SurvivaToday’s guest on the show is DJ CherishTheLuv also known as Cynthia. I met Cynthia back in the Spring and within a few minutes, I knew I wanted to invite her to be a guest on the show. Fast forward to a few days ago, our schedules aligned and we finally had a chance to meet in the East Village. I don’t want to give it away but here is some of what we talked about, growing up in the East Village, creating attractive design, the growth mentality, listening to your intuition, public speaking, talking to her phoeni...2016-10-291h 50