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In-ear monitor vs headphones: Which pair should DJs use?

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  The image of a DJ holding one side of their headphones with one hand while mixing tracks using the other is a familiar one and unarguably the most notable image people have of DJs. However, the rise of in-ear monitor technology has slowly nudged people to choose IEMs over headphones. Should DJs make the switch and forego the massive headphones? Image source: pexels.com One of the things that a pair of high-end studio headphones offer is clarity. Mixing and editing tracks require a DJ to have pinpoint focus on the sound and its nuances. Slight sound bleed from the headphones can lessen clarity and can make a huge difference in how tracks are mixed. Top of the line IEMs provide artists with unparalleled clarity and detail, but it is to be used with both ears in, which can be a problem for DJs who listen to mixes using their headphones and DJ speakers at the same time. For DJs taking on decks of large venues, DJ headphones is the favorable weapon of choice. The ears on thes...
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James Haidak: How To Improve Live Sets?

  Deciding to become a DJ is one thing, but continuously dedicating time to learn how to set a venue’s mood with your sound and programming is something else. Although there are no strict DJing rules, some helpful tips and tricks can improve your live sets. In this post, James Haidak shares tips to improve your live sets! 1. Practice. Like in other things, James Haidak believes that practice is also a vital task in DJing. It helps you enhance your skills and make much better DJ sets than a free-form approach to the craft. Your music will seem halfhearted when you only have a vague idea of what you want to play on a live set. As you develop your skills further, you will discover that accomplished groove-riders and turntablists spend countless hours perfecting their sets. Although James Haidak does not recommend pre-planning an entire live set, you should at least know your options well before you show up to perform at the venue. Prepare tracks that mix well and make different play...
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How to get better at sound mixing

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Some people find sound and music mixing so extremely enjoyable as a hobby that they choose to make it their careers. Just look at European-based DJ James Haidak, who has devoted his life to his passion for music. However, just like any worthwhile endeavor in life, sound mixing takes time and effort to perfect. In fact, many people who started and studied sound mixing went on to be the greatest music producers and sound engineers in the music industry. Image source: forbes.com On that note, James Haidak shares some helpful tips on perfecting the craft of sound mixing. On themes and contexts Many of the greatest sound mixers and sound engineers have extensive knowledge of the themes and contexts of a song. They know the song's message, its most recognizable cues, who the song is being played for, and more. Knowing all these things can provide some of the details that ought to be emphasized during the mixing. About context, a good indicator would be the song's artist....
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Training the ear for effective music production

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  Producing excellent music requires one to have ears that are both talented and skilled. Listening is a muscle that demands to be trained, exercised, and sharpened through critical and analytical listening. While a background in music theory isn’t a requirement for music producers, an understanding of audio concepts is essential. Image source: musical-u.com The objective of critical listening is to decipher the physical characteristics of a certain mix. Physical characteristics of a mix include the blending of the instruments, dynamic range, tone, and studio imaging. According to DJ-producer James Haidak, determining these qualities of a mix allows a producer to know how to arrange vocals, instruments, and other sounds without their different frequencies clashing with one another. A critical ear is not enough to produce sound that speaks to the psyche. Analytical listening deals with the artistic approach to musicmaking. Here, the feelings of songs are identified, altere...
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Some basic things about the master recording

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  The recording process is no longer new to James Haidak. In fact, he was (and still is) a music producer before becoming a DJ upon discovering techno when he moved to Amsterdam. In this article, he would like to discuss one of the key elements in recording - the master recording. And here’s what we need to know. Image source:  gstatic.com The master recording is, basically, the official and original recording of a song, or a musical performance. It is the final output that becomes the source to create copies of CDs, cassettes, LPs, and those that gets streamed online. A master recording can be stored on tapes, discs, or even hard drives. Before the 1940s, the master recording process would involve the transfer of acoustic energy from “the diaphragm of an acoustic horn to the mastering lathe.” The emergence of magnetic tape, in the late 1940s, would revolutionize recording as it allows separate sessions with the master disc, apart from the actual recording proce...
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How music is prevailing in the pandemic era

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  As a DJ and a music producer, James Haidak ponders on the music industry's state, amid tour cancellations and closure of venues, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, James will cite three movements in the industry, hoping if it will provide any tell-tale signs of either shifting or possible breaking. Image source: ytimg.com Classical shifts David Lang, a Pulitzer prize-winning contemporary classical composer, in a recent interview shares: "Our field believes at its core that it is about transmitting something to you live." Although, in that same interview, he admits that tour cancellation will definitely hurt dance, choreography, and theater. This is something in common with clubbing, reflects DJ James Haidak. These two genres depend on live performances' raw energy - something that can never be replicated, even by any virtual setting. Image source: bangonacan.org Notes on Pop music The first week of lockdown saw a revival of REM's "It...
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Sharing the initial stages of music production

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  Being a very well-exposed personality in the music scene, European DJ James Haidak has many insights to share about his industry, even when it comes to music production. For this blog, he shares the initial stages of the music production process.  1. Songwriting More than the lyrics and the verbal elements of a song, songwriting is the actual process of reconciling musical ideas to form a larger structure of melody, harmony, and rhythm. If you would, it’s the process of brainstorming that results at a beginning, middle, and end to the whole creative process. Songwriting is effective when it is relatable, especially to those who are listening to the resulting song. Indeed, this starts with something barer that is built upon along the process, notes James Haidak.  Image source: musictech.net 2. Arrangement Most music industry experts agree that in music production, the most often neglected aspect is arrangement. In songwriting, it is inevitable to come to a poin...
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