As mentioned in previous posts and in my “About Me” section, I’m currently studying Audio Engineering as part of my college curriculum and I’ve had an absolute blast in doing so. However, I don’t believe many know the full story of how this came to be, and this would be worth looking back on when people ask how it all started. When I get asked this question (which was a lot this past weekend), I never give a definite answer; I may leave out details one day and add them the next. The purpose of this post is to give the clearest answer possible in hopes that it gives others a much deeper understanding of what is now my livelihood. To start, we must go back over ten years ago…
I was in the sixth grade and hardly remember any of it. The only thing I can recall right now is that I had to turn in a summer book report and now had my first ever locker; this meant I could customize it however I wanted. It had loads of crayons and was topped with a dry erase board (I think us students were competing against each other to see whose locker was the best). It also taught me the importance of responsibility, as I’d always leave crayons in my pocket which ended up in the washer and stain my pants (weird fashion trend, I know). Fast forward a bit to spring of that year, I was playing video games at a friend’s house when he unveiled one of the coolest franchises to ever exist, DJ Hero. For those who’ve played Guitar Hero, the premise is pretty much the same, except with turntables and old school hiphop. I was completely mesmerized by the idea of mixing two songs together for one cohesive sound. Then one day, I was at my grandparent’s house surfing Amazon out of boredom when I came across my very first dj controller. It definitely was foreign to me, which made things all the more interesting. For Easter that year, I asked my dad if it was something I could have. He looked at it, and went along with it, and it was ordered that day.
When I came home from school one day, I heard this noise coming from inside the house. I walked into the living room to find my dad at his computer attempting to scratch a couple songs together. I don’t remember what he said exactly, but it was something like, “Timmy! This is so cool, look at this!” He proceeded to play two songs together which were entirely out of sync and started pressing random buttons and knobs. Both of us were amazed at its capabilities and would always play with it in our spare time. Eventually, I got good at timing songs together for mashups and in the next year, I told myself I was ready to upgrade.
Christmas of that year, I got a second dj controller with more buttons where I could jump to certain parts of a song quickly. It made for cooler sounds, loops, and transitions. However, I never took it seriously until I started learning from YouTube videos. It was at this time when I first discovered Electronic Dance Music; I didn’t know what it was, I just copied what I saw. Eventually, after being exposed to it so much, I ended up starting to enjoy it. I get that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea since it does feel very repetitive. However, I believe it really depends on the setting when you’re listening. Hearing it with a bunch of other people with bright lights surrounding you is a much better experience than listening at home.
Fast forward to another Christmas year and it was time to update yet again. We had some old speakers up in the basement, but I needed a new mixer for proper connectivity. This was the moment when things really started taking shape. I started doing gigs at my school for Halloween and summer parties/picnics. Word started getting around about me, leading to more gigs. I’d always have to setup my equipment, which in turn gave me a good introduction into the field I’m pursuing. I’ve since then had many gigs and learned many lessons, which I’ll highlight later.
My very first dj controller/mixer (Gemini Firstmix)
My second dj controller/mixer (Gemini Firstmix Pro)
My third dj controller/mixer (Denon MC3000)
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