Talk How Too

[smithys 0]

I hope you can help i am new too this how do i use the mic and what to say at a disco thanks

[Andy Westcott 0]

I'd say that if you don't know what to say, say nothing. Talking isn't that important, and pointless and badly spoken waffle is far worse than nothing.

 

I'd suggest picking a suitable point during the early evening and welcome the guests to the venue.

Something along the lines of,

"Good evening everyone - welcome to the :cense: village hall, where TONIGHT... we celebrate KAREN'S 40th BIRTHDAY!!"

 

Say it correctly and it will almost always generate a cheer from some of the guests.

 

From there, just a few announcements during the evening along the lines of,

"Brian has requested some Quo, so here's 'Caroline!"

 

You may also be called on to announce such events as the opening of a buffet, a birthday cake being cut, or introduce someone who wishes to make a speech.

 

Finally it may be in order to announce the penultimate track, and then the last track, and maybe say goodnight to everyone:

"Goodnight everyone, - I hope you've all enjoyed yourselves. If you are driving, mind how you go. Goodnight all and God bless."

 

The important thing is to PRACTICE what you want to say - do it in the car, or when at home on your own so you don't feel too much of a pillock. Then practice at minor gigs such as young kids' parties - these tend to be far less intimidating to a newbie, which I assume you are.

This will enable you to commit to memory the key phrases you wish to use at certain key points in the evening, reducing the chances of you stumbling mid-sentence or just forgetting what you intended to say. It's all happened to most of us at some point!

 

Also prepare your next phrase during the songs leading up to the event to be announced.

 

Finally, remember this:

Unless you can pull it off, don't try to be a stand-up comic or a cheeky devil. Some can get away with it but most can't. Use the guests as 'props' by all means, but don't take the miccy out of them - it's not cool, and it could turn nasty if you pick on the wrong guy.

 

Practice, practice, practice.

Edited March 1, 2008 by Andy Westcott

[Norfolk DJ 0]

Good advice given by Andy, which I agree with. Some DJ's can get away with joking all night long, but it should be generally avoided as most people don't like it.

 

You can have a great night by saying little; letting the music do the talking.

 

One other bit of advice, don't try a stupid voice over the mic. Just be yourself, those cheesy voices were something which was ok in the 70's.

[jukeboxdj 0]

 

 

One other bit of advice, don't try a stupid voice over the mic. Just be yourself, those cheesy voices were something which was ok in the 70's.

 

SCREAM IF YOU WANT TO GO FASTER!!

 

Excellent advice guys

 

cant add anymore just be confident and as andy said practice practice practice

 

gl

[davemoody 0]

Most people nowadays don't like a DJ to talk all the time.

 

Concentrate on the music first and you will find if you get a full dancefloor for most of the night, no one will comment that you didn't say much.

[Robster 0]

ok i do local pubs disco and karaoke and quizzes so tend to talk a bit BUT i would say exactly what the other guys have said don't talk just for the sake of it.

 

When i first started i was VERY nervous i didn't make myself loud enough on the microphone and did not turn down the music enough so i tended to get blank looks and "what did he say?" expressions and comments.

 

maybe this was just me but i have found i have to turn my self up a lot louder than i intially thought .

maybe it was because i was used to levels when i was singing and not talking.

Another easy mistake to do is leaving effects still on the microphone if its been used for singing.

 

hope any of this helps the bast way i found is practice and experience.

 

Good luck and enjoy it

[Norfolk DJ 0]

One extra thought here. Don't worry if you can't mix. Alot of DJ's feel that they have to talk between tracks because they are not good mixers. It doesn't matter.

[superstardeejay 0]

Look at Peter Kay & friends' portrayals of DJ's either in his adverts or in Phoenix Nights.

 

Then do the opposite.

 

[Dream Catchers 0]

When you are setting up, before the guests arrive, get somebody to listen to your mic check to make sure you are clear.

Don't be tempted to put too much bass on the mic to make your voice sound deeper.

Make sure you hold your mic at the same distance from your mouth to keep the volume steady.

When I first started I used to hold the mic close to the voice coil and then touch my thumb on my chin, that was a nice position for me.

 

Jim

[old soul 0]

I'd go with all the above advice, but just to add a couple of things. If speaking is something you are nervous of, then I would suggest as said, just say a brief hello and welcome to... at the start of the evening. Once you've said something once, you'll relax and find it much easier if and when you need to say anything later or make announcements, you don't want to spend half your night worrying about when you have to say something.

 

Another tip, if you have the ability to turn down the mid range on your mixer whilst speaking, then this will make you far more easily understood, obviously cut some volume to the music too.

 

If it makes you feel any better, I've done a lot of acting in the past, to some fair sized paying audiences at times, and had some big parts. I've never had any real nerves being on stage, but oddly, still get nervous now before I open my mouth for the first time when DJ'ing. Once I've made the first announcment, I no longer worry about it and relax. So don't worry, plenty of us experience it smile icon

[smithys 0]

Thank's to you all for that smithy :Thumbup:

[NRG Roadshow 0]

Cant really add anything to the advice given, its all sound advice.

 

The only think I think I can add......

 

If you have nothing usfull to say, shut up and let the music do the work for you.......personally I cant stand a DJ who loves the sound of his own voice and I think the majority of the people in the crowd will agree with that too.

I dont mean be mic shy, a DJ with a personality is one of the reasons why people hire a DJ and dont make do with an ipod, just make sure if you say anything the crowd need to know and your not just waffling for the sake of waffling.