Laptop Tips And Tricks

Many Mobile Discos have made the change from the conventional CD or Vinyl based system to some software based one, usually running on either a full-sized pc or a laptop. The basic principles of both systems are largely exactly the same, which means you shouldn’t simply be drawn in by reading other DJs problem reports about how exactly their own laptop overheated during the first dance in a Wedding or how their full sized PCs power supply exploded halfway through a gig. You will find pros and cons of using both systems, but largely whether or not to make use of a full size pc or perhaps a laptop is dependant on personal choice, practicality, budget and space, and you’ll often find that DJ’s criticising the opposite machine, haven’t actually used the machine that they’re criticising!. If possible go to a DJ who already uses a system to that particular that you simply intend to use yourself, nothing sell a concept better than actually seeing it in use!, for the record, I’ve watched Mobile DJ’s use both PC’s and Laptops to DJ from, and neither, in my opinion, was more reliable or better than another, so it should simply be personal choice, rather than rumour or scaremongering making the decision on that score!.

Is managing a Mobile Disco from a PC or Laptop reliable?

Anybody who has ever encountered the windows blue screen of death, or worn out the Ctrl+alt+del keys on the keyboard will possibly dread the idea of using such a system like a platform to their DJ’ing!. In essence, a decent dedicated pc or laptop with a clean install, good quality hard drive and a reasonable quantity of memory will out preform most frequent home pc set ups which may be running several applications at a time, be infiltrated with virus or spyware traces, and also have a hard drive and registry full of corrupt enteries and partly uninstalled files.

The key to running a successful software based DJ system, is to find a passionate pc / laptop for the task, and to only run the operating-system and DJ Software on there, and never let it run other applications or even connect to the internet. By doing this cellular phone runs and remains clean and largely error free, will rarely have a corrupt file, and won’t get infiltrated or bogged down with other applications. This advice is given by DJ’s who have been using software and PC’s for several years, and have found this process of DJ’ing to be just as reliable as conventional DJ’ing from CD’s.

The advantages of using a Laptop or Pc to DJ

The benefits of converting your material to music files and taking advantage of your personal computer or Laptop to DJ from are many. The first is the obvious, gone are the days where you are carrying several heavy boxes of CD’s around with you, most DJ’s CD collections may be easily transformed into MP3 and can fit onto a 80gb – 200gb hard disk!. By converting to Software Dj’ing additionally you rid yourself of that long sort through several hundred CD compilations in order to find that elusive requested track that you just realize that you’ve gotten somewhere!. With most DJ Software, you are able to type in part or all of the artistes name or song title and discover it within a few moments!. It really is possible to find and cue up a request within 5 seconds – a thing that just can’t be done easily or quickly with a CD or vinyl collection.

Other advantages of an application based DJ system, range from the possibility to create playlists from commonly used tracks, and you could create playlists all genres, for example a playlist for background music, one for dance music, one for the 70s and one for that end of the night slowies. Obviously you can also group the tracks together and catalog them according to Genre that also makes finding tracks from particular era’s easier too. Some DJ Software will also permit you to group tracks together which have an identical BPM – a boon for DJ’s who mix.

Which DJ Software should I choose?

There are various brands and types of DJ Software about, again it comes down to personal preference which sort you select. It is always an excellent idea to look at reviews and discussions on DJ Forums and when possible to locate a DJ who utilizes a system in line with the software that is of interest to you, to help you actually see it in action, inside a disco environment.

Some DJ Software has a free trial offer, which allows you to download and install the program on your system and check out it for for free for a time limited period (usually 10 – 30 days). With respect to the price of the program, there can be differing features. Some Dj Software will simply permit you to cue up and be a musician using 2 “players”, others will have more comprehensive features, such as having the ability to fade between tracks, alter the pitch and tempo controls in a similar manner to standard CD and Vinyl turntables, some of the more costly software may even permit you to mix, or give a USB controller which looks and processes just like a twin cd controller!, some Software will even mix the tracks for you personally!.

Remember that a feature is only worthwhile for those who have a use for this!. Carefully consider what features you need, and which is those that you’ll have any use for. It would be pointless buying a Dj Software package that allows you to definitely mix, if you are a mobile dj who rarely has got the requirement to conquer mix. Most Software in its basic form, also has the option to add and install plug ins which give you additional updates and features, so its worth beginning with the basic packages and then adding additional features assuming you need them!.

My advice at this time, if you are new to, or considering Software Dj’ing is to download the free trials of the several software that is available, use them for the time limited period, and then buy the the one that you prefer, and the most comfortable to use.

Some dj software titles that are currently popular and well reviewed by Mobile DJ’s include OTSDJ, DSSDJ and PCDJ

What type of PC do I need to run my DJ Software program

When you have opted for software package, this will make it time to consider what pc or laptop to use it on. Unlike rumour, you do not need the most recent brand new pc or laptop to ensure that you run DJ Software from, and neither do you need a huge CPU processor. Most DJ Software will happily operate on a pentium 3 processor with 600mhz speed or higher, many of the newer 1.2ghz+ celerons will even flawlessly run DJ software with no problems and having to break right into a sweat. Try to buy just as much memory as possible afford, ideally 512mb of memory or a the least 256mb for many applications.

How big should I be )

A good sized hard drive may be the next consideration. Remember the bigger the hard drive the greater individual tracks that you could fit on the website. An average music file ripped at 192kbps is around 5mb in dimensions and thus a 100gb hard drive should accomodate 20,000 tracks on the website. However if you increase the excellence of the track in MP3 format, then your quality rises also, so a 320kpbs mp3 could be the size of 11mb in dimensions and so the same 100gb capacity would be reduced to holding only around 9000 tracks. Be sure to factor in space for the operating software, drivers and DJ software when exercising hard drive capacity!. You are able to obviously expand your hard drive capacity by fitting external hard disk drives to USB ports, which are also reliable. If at all possible try to make use of a system which runs USB2.0 as well as firewire as these run at faster data speeds than conventional USB1.1 although many Dj’s report no difficulties with hard disk drives and soundcards run from older 1.1 systems.

Give me Sound!

Utilizing a top quality soundcard is a must!, many laptops and motherboard based sound chips on full sized pc’s rarely do justice to sound quality or are designed with full time high quality audio playback in mind. Consider installing a pci sound card in your pc, or investing in a top quality USB external soundcard if you decide to make use of a laptop. Most 2 channel soundcards will suffice for DJ’ing in most mobile applications, where the audio is mixed between your players on the laptop and also the single output is then fed through a pair of “L” and “R” connectors around the soundcard, after which in to the mixer or amplifier.

However, if more creativity is required, or even the software programs are for use for mixing applications or even the utilization of a crossfader between channels on the conventional mixer will probably be utilised, you will want to purchase a 5 channel soundcard. This allows the soundcard to become setup, inside a manner that allows one set of “L” and “R” outputs to be used for “Player 1″ on the soundcard and fed into a person channel around the mixer, and the same for “Player 2″ – this allows each software player to have its own fader around the mixer – just like a conventional twin cd player.

What Quality?

Some Dj Software programs come complete with the means to “Rip” a cd. “Ripping” means placing the original Cd in to the PC’s CDROM and the process of converting the original music on the CD to MP3 Data, which is then stored on the hard drive being an MP3 File. In the case of OTSDJ, the choice is also there to transform to some file called OTS, this is a custom files regonised only through the OTSDJ software, however it sounds just as good as MP3 and is also a slightly smaller file size, meaning that more OTS files could be stored on a hard disk in comparison with conventional MP3 files.

If you are using a DJ software program which does use conventional MP3 files, then you will need to select the quality where to “rip”. This figure is measured in “Kbps” and often ranges from 32kbps and 320kbps. Lower ranges aren’t recommended for professional use on the PA system since they can sound dull and even distorted. Ideally for professional use, the DJ ought to be looking at ripping their CD’s to Mp3 files at 192kbps or greater.

192kbps is considered reasonable quality, however 320kbps is near cd quality and could be prefered by some Dj’s – however on smaller audio systems the main difference might be hard to detect. Because the quality is increased, the same is true the file size, along with a 320kbps file may be several mb larger than its 192kbps counterpart, this may also take more time to rip a whole CD at 320kbps than at lower rates.

For Dj Software which does not have ripping capability, Musicmatch Jukebox may prove to be an alternate for this process,

What are the disadvantages to being a Digital DJ?

The disadvantages!. Obviously the first cost of buying a PC / Laptop, a high quality soundcard, large hard drive and also the Dj Software itself is likely to total much more than buying a conventional CD Player or turntables. It also takes time to “rip” your cd collection to Mp3 and store them in your hard drive. In certain jurisdictions it is also illegal to convert original material to MP3 format for digital use without a licence, which can be expensive, when the Dj is to focus on the right side of the law. It’s the possible licence requirement that we discuss next.

Do I require a licence to play music from a laptop?

At the time of writing this article, a yearly licence is needed in Canada and the UK to use your personal computer or laptop to DJ from. In the united kingdom, a further licence and possible royalty payment can also be required for alteration. Although no fees have yet been advertised (April 2006) these controversal laws are likely to get this to form of DJ’ing unattractive in comparison with more conventional, and “licence free” alternatives.

Finally, my strategies for Software Djing

* Always buy and employ a dedicated pc / laptop purely for Dj use, don’t let yourself be lured to use the family pc or run other applications around the machine you utilize to DJ from, and do not allow this machine to connect to the web. On the pre-used machine, also begin with scratch having a format and fresh install of the operating system.

* Use a good quality soundcard, even if you need to upgrade or buy another USB one

* Always rip the music direct from an authentic CD at 192kbps quality or more. 320kbps is advised for high quality pa systems and is near cd quality. 192kbps is ok for smaller systems utilized by the Mobile DJ.

* You shouldn’t be very worried about purchasing the latest top of the line PC to operate from. Most Dj Software will happily run from basic P3 600mhz machines, but do check out the minimum requirements around the software authors website.

* Read reviews on the various software packages available. Keep to the features that you’ll use, since you can invariably upgrade extras later. Make use of the free trials of DJ Software that are around and use the time to get the best software to match you

* When you purchase a full sized PC ensure that it’s professionally flightcased – pc’s are not designed to become carried around.

* Pick a high capacity 100gb – 200gb hard drive from a reputable manufacturer. Where practical and legal always back up your data

* Fit your machine with a minimum of 256mb of memory, and ideally 512mb.

* Check out the legal aspect of converting original music to MP3 and whether a licence is needed to operate such a system.

Picking an Internet caf

These days you’ll find Internet cafs just about everywhere. Ask which connection the web caf has, it is a massive difference between dial-up and 100 megabit broadband therefore it will probably be worth visiting the more costly place if their connection is significantly faster.

Usually customers share the accessible bandwidth online caf meaning the more clients the slower the bond. An empty caf may therefore certainly not be considered a very bad thing. Check the prices and when there is a minimum time consumption before while using computer.

If you need to connect your digital camera/media player etc bring a USB-cable . If you don’t have one check with the caf should they have a USB-cable or perhaps a card reader so that you can remove the storage device from your device and hook it up to the computer.

Hotspots which enable wireless access are spreading quite fast nowadays. You can find them in airports, shopping malls, restaurants, etc. Sometimes they are free for clients if you bring your mobile device (laptop, cell phone, etc) you can connect without the need to visit an online caf. There is also a service called FON which is a large wireless connection community where you get free wireless internet access if you share your connection in your own home.

Surfing the net

More than once we now have composed a pleasant mail, hit the send button simply to have an error message in return. Striking the back button then only returned an empty screen. //&!! The easiest method to avoid this is to spread out up a text editor (e.g. notepad or WordPad) and write your message there. When you are finished choose the text, copy it, change to your e-mail and paste the written text.

Those from countries using unusual letters (such as the Swedish letters , , ) might find it very frustrating searching for how to type these letters on foreign keyboards. There are several approaches to solve this:

o Open up Ms word. Go to Insert, Symbol, select Normal text, select your characters and press the button Insert.

o Send an e-mail to yourself containing the special characters while you are in your own home.

Open the mail when you are online caf
Select all the special characters.
Copy them (make use of the keyboard shortcut for copying – it’s normally ctrl+C).
Switch for your e-mail program.
Start writing your e-mail.
When you need to use your special characters paste them (use the keyboard shortcut for pasting, it is normally: ctrl+V) then delete those you do not want to use.
Next time you need the special characters just paste them again (there is no need copying them again unless you copied another thing later).

o Learn the ASCII-code (a 3 digit number) of the character you need to type. You can then type the smoothness by holding down the alt-button and typing the ASCII-code. Don’t release the alt-button until you have typed all of the numbers. If you want to type the letter for example just hold down alt and kind 143. For any complete listing take a look at Wikipedia. Below you discover some common examples:

143 130 164

134 136 135

142 138 131

132 225 135

153 157 168

148 155 129

137 145 154

If a person with a different character set than yours continues to be using your computer you may find all kind of strange things happening when using the keyboard. Maybe someone from Japan used just the computer and switched to Japanese character set. If the computer has another language set (e.g. Japanese) you can change back to English by right clicking the word what bar (bottom right corner with two capital letters e.g. EN) and selecting your chosen language.

If you are on a really slow connection and have a lot of e-mails to open it is important to right click each message and choose open in new window or open the messages inside a new tab. When you start reading the very first mail, the others will be loading in the background. It might take longer for that windows to open however, you save time instead of opening one mail, reading it, returning, opening another mail, etc.

If you are on the slow connection you are able to disable pictures to make downloading go faster. In Ie go to: Tools/Internet Options/Advanced. Scroll right down to Multimedia and uncheck the checkbox Show pictures. This can drastically accelerate your surfing.

It’s also a good idea to have several windows open if you are visiting different internet sites (online Explorer menu bar select: File/New/Window). Type the URLs within the different windows and browse the one which loads first as the others load. Switch between your windows because they finish loading.

Sometimes you receive asked if you want the browser or chat program (e.g. MSN Messenger) to consider passwords. Don’t, I repeat Don’t select yes if you’re on the shared computer. Choosing yes means that passwords is saved and subsequently person who surfs towards the same site could possibly get into it without knowing the password. Also remember to log out after you finish, don’t simply close the window. Many times we’ve been to Internet cafs where someone left MSN Messenger open while they were logged in. We could easily have opened their mail, sent messages for their contacts, etc. Log out.

If you like playing video games it is possible to find the same game installed on the web cafs. If you want to keep going you can save your save game to the hard drive and e-mail it to yourself. Next time you need to continue playing just download it to the save game directory and you are set to go.

Should you connect your camera/media player/memory card to a computer you should take care when disconnecting your device. Before you decide to disconnect your device click the icon within the lower right corner called Safe removal of hardware (if available). Select your device in the window which pops up and choose disconnect. Hold back until you get a confirmation message that your hardware can be taken off safely before disconnecting your device. This process informs Windows that you plan to remove the tool and helps to ensure that you don’t encounter problems e.g. by taking out the device while information is being saved.

A great way to get information you need while on your trip is to post a question inside a web community such Virtual Tourist, wait a couple of days after which check it again. You can get notifications for your e-mail if someone replies for your post around the discussion forum which means you do not have to sign in towards the community to see if you have received any answers.

Chat programs

Utilizing a chat program for example Windows Live Messenger), Skype or ICQ is a superb method to keep in touch with people at home. You can keep conversations going with several people simultaneously, send pictures, etc. Many programs also permit you to make use of a cam and a microphone which allows you to make simple video calls to people. You can sometimes also make calls to fixed telephones and cell phones at very competitive rates. Check out your preferred service for details.

Personal expertise – The Evil E-mail Esquapade

Once when I was signing in to Hotmail with an remote Internet caf the guy before me had forgotten to log off. I possibly could not resist the opportunity and quickly sent an imitation love letter female randomly chosen from his contact list. As though it was insufficient, I came back a few days later and, can you believe it, the same guy had forgotten to log off again. Evil like me (sometimes) I just read her reply. She said she would be a bit unsure of what he meant – for obvious reasons. I replied to her once more telling how much I really loved her. Perhaps they are married now. Sometimes you have to help people getting their feelings kick-started.