I am often asked by people on SL what I look like and also what kind of equipment I use when I DJ Live at the clubs. So below are a few photos of both myself and also some of the hardware used. Although not nearly half of this stuff is required to DJ on Second Life, this is my own personal studio setup which I use for other projects. It just so happens to be a great setup for sound quality when broadcasting on internet radio or indeed SL.

When I say studio, it’s really just an attic conversion. Well, I gotta make it sound a bit more special than “Me in the loft” hahaha…

(Later I shall type a full tutorial for those who use SAM Broadcaster to DJ on SL. With hints and tips on how to make your sound and mic work the way you want)

For now…..here are the photos….Click to see larger image.

And for those who wish to know more about me, well I shall save it all for another day. However, I shall quickly say that over the last 20 years I have DJ’d in clubs, pubs, radio, Paltalk and now mainly on SecondLife. It’s been a blast over the years. The biggest change of course was when cd took over. No more did I have to carry cases of the vinyl! Ohhh! How did I ever manage! And of course, now the PC has re-invented the DJ in more ways than one! Basically anyone can now DJ. Well, anyone can spin an mp3 at least.

To be a good DJ takes more than having the right tracks. My own real life experience over the years taught me a lot. And with the various styles of DJ’n around, I moulded myself into the DJ I am today. Yeah sure I used to dabble in the beat mixing with the vinyl and of course pitched controlled cd players. However, these days I prefer not to mix live when broadcasting!!! I prefer to work in the studio and create the perfect mix, complete with edits and over-dubs.

Mixing live these days can be done too easily and it all sounds fake to me. Virtual DJ, MixMeister are great tools and do a great job for sure. But there is no way that a properly laid down studio mix can be beaten. It’s all about the timing. Anyone can match the beats. But there is more to it than that. How many listen for basslines and match them in proper time. ie. One bassline riff, slides seamlessly into another….with the beats aligned so perfect? Of course, not forgetting the vocal timing too. It’s far too much for me to type it all here. For those on the dancefloor, they probably won’t even notice how good a mix is. They dance, chat and before they know it, another track is playing and the party continues. Get it wrong however…and be prepared for some strange looks!

Some clever things can be done with vocals too…..like similar lyrics….mix those together well…and you can have a very interesting mix indeed. But of course, workin in the studio can allow for even more than just a simple repeated loop.

I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of the vinyl, cd and now PC world of DJ’n and I have to say I have loved every single year. Every time I work on something new, whether it’s adding sound FX to the dry voiceovers or doing simple filtering on a mixdown, there is always a tweak to try. But wait…what if I also try this…and then…oh I like the sound of that. Sometimes I find myself playing with so many options and plugins, I spend more time messin about than I did creating the rough mix!!! All part of the fun.

Anyway I once again have started to gab a bit more than I planned! (again, the DJ in me, never shuts up!)

So for those who like to be really nosey, a couple of pics of me in the studio. As a reference, thee were taken during October 2009. I may one day add my old 80′s and 90′s pics! LoL The poor FaceBook community was never the same again after I posted those! Onwards….