Familiarizing Yourself with Virtual DJ

 


Select "Basic Interface" when you get started. When you boot up Virtual DJ, you will be asked to choose a skin. This is how the program looks, and different skins have different levels of complexity. Choose "Basic Interface" to learn the ropes before moving on. Virtual DJ is an enormous, robust program, and you'll be tempted to play with everything when you get started. Resist the urge, and learn the basics of the program first.

 
 

Import your library into Virtual DJ. When you first open up Virtual DJ, the program will prompt you with a folder asking you to find your music. Use the search bar (Finder for Mac, My Computer for Windows) to navigate to your music library and select the folders you want to use.

• iTunes users can click on the file labeled "Itunes Music Library.xml", found under "My Music" → "iTunes Library."

 

Understand the basic layout of virtual DJ. There are three main areas that you need to learn to start DJing:

• Active Waveform: this is where you can see the rhythm of the song. Active waveform consists of 2 parts: the waveform and the Computed Beat Grid (CBG). The part on top (the waveform) shows the musical dynamic. The (often square) marks below represent sharp, loud sounds, like the hit of the drum or a screaming vocal note. This helps you follow the main beat of your mixed track. Line up these squares to line up songs. The CBG, on the lower half, shows your song tempo so you can follow the beat even when you can't hear it.
• Deck: These match the songs you are playing. Imagine you had a record with a song on each deck — Virtual DJ mimics this control with digital songs and turntable imagery. The left deck is represented with a blue display on the waveform. The right deck is a red display.
  • Left Deck: this is a virtual version of a DJ deck on your left. The left deck simulates the functions of a conventional phonogram.
  • Right Deck: the right deck is the same as the left deck, but on your right hand side. This allows you to play and edit tracks simultaneously.
• Mix Table: you can adjust the volumes of the right and left decks—as well as left/right speaker balance and other aspects of your audio—using the mix table.

 

 Click and drag songs into Virtual DJ to use them. You can drag songs to either turntable. In general, the left deck is for the song currently playing and the right is for the song you want next. You can use the file-browsing section at the bottom of your screen to find your songs and audio files .



 

Change your skin and features under "Config" in the upper right corner. Config is where you can personalize your DJ experience so that it is good for DJing, remixes, song production, or even editing. Click on "Config" in the upper right-hand corner to bring up your options. While most of them are advanced—"Remote Control," "Network," etc.—click on "Skins" to bring up some helpful and accessible options. 

 

 

 

 Download new skins for features and graphics. Check out the Virtual DJ website for a list of free skins and features you can download. These features help customize your set so that you are comfortable and efficient when working. The downloads are automatically checked for viruses, and they are rated so you can find the one you want

 

 

 

 

 

Understand the basic buttons and functions of Virtual DJ. Most of the virtual buttons are marked with easy-to-understand symbols.

• Play/Pause: Allows you to pause a song and play a song from the paused position.
• Stop: Stops the song and rewinds it to the beginning.
• Beatlock: Locks the tempo of the song, and makes sure that all of your performed tasks are synchronized to match the beat. For example, if you try to scratch a disk on the left or right deck, beatlock will make sure that the disk continues playing with the rhythm of the song. Beatlock is the feature that gives Virtual DJ the advantage over conventional disc jockey equipment.
• Pitch: Lets you increase or decrease the speed of the song, also known as BPM (Beats Per Minute). Moving the control up slows the song, and moving the control down increases the BPM. This sound-editing feature is useful when you want to increase or decrease the speed of combined tracks to make them line up perfectly.