"This is my guide for how to go from a newbie to a moderately successful DJ on Second Life. ... If you do read it and have comments or corrections, I’d love to hear them. (Mail me at tantari.kim at gmail.com.)"
Continued from Chapter Two Part One
* * * * *
Proofing the Playlist
You wouldn’t think of selling a wine without tasting it. In the same way, you shouldn’t think about performing a set without listening to it first! Often you’ll find things that require you to go back and re-do previous steps.
The first step is to make the WinAmp playlist match the notes file. WinAmp makes it easy to move the tracks around with a simple click and drag. That's why I use it. (Make sure to save your notes file and your playlist from time to time, just in case your computer crashes!)
Start listening. Go do something else for a bit while you listen. Check out Facebook or chat with people on Second Life for a while. Try to listen to the music as if you were in the audience, just don’t tune out so much that you aren’t paying attention. I’ll often work on Making Theme Quotes (see next section) while doing this, as it keeps me thinking about the mood of the entire piece. You’re trying to pick up the mood and the flow. If you feel a bad transition, you need to change something. Often I can switch the order of two songs within the same section. If a song feels out of place or you can't find a good spot for it, you can drop it. (I put it in the section of the notes called “Dropped for Time”, so I can pull it back if I change my mind.)
When I get to the end of the set, I’ll sometimes do a second listen. If anything is wrong, you have to go back to previous steps to correct it. Did you find out that you don’t have enough great tracks? Go back to Researching New Material to get some. Did you find that the story you’re trying to tell is the wrong one and you now have a better one? Go back to Building the Playlist. I think a set is ready when it’s “pure concentrated awesome”.
Still too long? Listen again and remove the one that is the weakest or just doesn’t fit the flow or theme very well. You want to be very close to 2:05 when you’re finished. (Why 2:05? You'll lose a little time with cue-ins and cross fades. From experience, 2:05 will play at about 2 hours in a live set.) Got stuck? Put it away and work on a different set for a while. Come back to it later. I’ll often put a set aside because it “doesn’t have enough awesome.” (Yes, that’s a perfectly legitimate reason for me.) I find that my mind will keep ticking away on it while I’m at work or doing other things.
Making Theme Quotes
All of my sets have a short title and then an inspirational quote after it. You don’t have to do this, but I think it gives the audience a taste of what’s to come and excites them about what they’re going to see. I encourage you to try it and see if it fits your style.
The easiest way to do this is to go to Google and search for “quotes about rainy days”. I’m looking for short things, things that can fit on a motivational poster, so I click the “Images” tab at the top. Then I start reading. Often I’ll do this while Proofing the Playlist; that is listening to it. If I find something good, I’ll write it at the top of my working notes, just under the title. After a while, I’ll have a list of about 10 to 20 good quotes that fit the mood and message I’m trying to convey.
At this point, I settle on a final title. Sometimes it’s a brief snippet of lyrics from a song. Usually it’s a word or two. Then I take the best quote or two and stick them as the description after the title. Now I have a title and a “blurb” about it that I can send to my fans and potential audience.
What do I do with the rest of the quotes? I keep them and use them during the set!
At this point, your notes file should be complete. I've included the one I use for Mood for a Rainy Day below. Notice the blurb up top, then the Theme Quotes. Then the track lists with music style and some other quotes peppered in like song lyrics I want to use during the set performance. Lastly there are the songs that I cut. I can go to them if I need to fill extra time.
This is a Journey Into Sound with DJ Tantari. Tonight's Journey is a Mood for a Rainy Day - Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday.
Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.
When life gives you rainy days, wear cute boots and jump in the puddles.
Rainy days, rainy nights, wash the world, set to right, cleansing streets, set apart, rainy days cleanse the heart.
Pluviophile - someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.
The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.
Smell the rain, and feel the wind.
--Moody Rock
W:\Music\Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin.mp3 (slow) (Moody. Nostalgia. Love.) good opening
5 second fade to next song was REALLY good here.
W:\Music\Vince\Dream Academy-Life in a Northern Town.mp3 (walk) (Haunting. Nostalgia) very good
W:\Music\80s misc\Alan Parsons Project - Dont Answer Me.mp3 (fast walk) (I'm alone. Leave me alone. There is no hope.) great tone fit
--Mid Rock
W:\Music\Verve - Bittersweet Symphony.mp3 (walk) (Moody. Beautiful. Things are bad, but I won't change.) very good
W:\Music\ELO\Electric Light Orchestra - Love and Rain.mp3 (fast walk) (Bad love. Heartache.) very good
--Straight Rock
W:\Music\ELO\Electric Light Orchestra - Rain is Falling.mp3 (walk) (Rain is falling. Sad. Missing you. Love) good fit
W:\Music\Compilations\Grand Theft Auto_ Vice City, Vol. 3 - Emotion 98.3\02 Africa.mp3 (fast walk) (Love. Go to her. Haunting vocals. Chill. Almost sad.)
--Hard Rock
W:\Music\DJ Sets\For a Girl\Superchick - Stand in the Rain.mp3 (walk) (Devistated. Crying. Hurt. Going on anyway. Angry.) Good tone.
So stand in the rain, Stand your ground! Stand up when it's all crashing down!
You stand through the pain, You won't drown. And one day, whats lost can be found. You stand in the rain!
W:\Music\They Might Be Giants\06 - John Henry\08 - TMBG - John Henry - Why Must I Be Sad.mp3 (run) (Angry. Sad. Alice Cooper.) good tone.
--Chill Electronica
W:\Music\Ryoksopp\Royksopp - Melody A.M\Royksopp - 04 - In Space.mp3 (fast walk) (Cheerful. Mellow. Relaxing. Instrumental.) Pretty good.
W:\Music\The Longest Journey soundtrack\The Longest Journey - 35 - Eagle.mp3 (fast walk) (Haunting. Chill. This is who I choose to be.) Pretty good.
--Mid Electronic Rock
W:\Music\Massive Attack - Teardrop.mp3 (walk) (Melancholy. Teardrop. Rich and deep.) good
W:\Music\Moby\Moby - Porcelain.mp3 (fast walk) (Regret. Goodbye. Dreamlike) good
W:\Music\Ryoksopp\Royksopp - Beautiful Day Eithout You-imt.mp3 (fast walk) (Mellow. A little sad. Out in the world. Without you. Going beyond you.) good fit
W:\Music\Ryoksopp\Royksopp_-_remind_me_(zabielas_ingeborg_mix)-tronik.mp3 (run) (Atmospheric. Moody. Thick bassline. Chill.) good fit
--Electronic Rock
W:\Music\Depeche Mode\Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence.mp3 (fast walk) (Enjoy the silence. I like it quiet. Moody. Dark.) Good.
W:\Music\Above & Beyond\Tri-State\Above & Beyond - Alone Tonight (Original Mix).mp3 (run) (Alone. Mournful. energetic. Wishing for better) Good fit
W:\Music\Deadmau5\Random Album Title\07 I Remember.mp3 (run) (Mellow. Moody with a nice beat. Remember.) very good fit.
W:\Music\Kaskade\I Remember\12 Raining.mp3 (run) (Mood of a rainy day. Sad. Nostalgia.) very good
W:\Music\Kaskade\I Remember\04 Turn It Down.mp3 (run) (Turn it down. Chilling. Smooth.) very good
W:\Music\Kaskade\I Remember\15 4AM.mp3 (run) (The mood of late at night. Nostalgia. Yearning.) very good
W:\Music\Keo Nozari - Close Enough (Interstate Remix).mp3 (run) (Lonely. Afraid of love. Sad.) good
--Orchestral
W:\Music\Clint Mansell\Requiem For A Dream\30 Ghosts Of A Future Lost.mp3 (walk) (Orchestral. Cinematic. Dead of night. Thoughtful. I hear you. I come back for you. I'm only with you.) Good--Very slow
W:\Music\Ryoksopp\Royksopp-Dead to the world.mp3 (slow walk) (Instrumental. Mellow. Chill. Peaceful. Forgotten love.) good finale piece
------Weak
W:\Music\Depeche Mode\Depeche Mode - Blue Dress.mp3
W:\Music\Mannheim Steamroller\Fresh Aire VI\06 Nepenthe.mp3 Too slow
W:\Music\Depeche Mode\Depeche Mode - Waiting_for_the_night.mp3 (walk) (Waiting for the night to fall when everything is bearable. Moody.)
W:\Music\Ryoksopp\Royksopp - Melody A.M\Royksopp - 09 - She's So.mp3 (fast walk) (instrumental. Groovy. Moody.) a little weak?
W:\Music\Mannheim Steamroller\Fresh Aire\07 Fresh Aire.mp3 (slow walk) (Slow. Thoughtful. Smooth. Instrumental.) too slow
W:\Music\Mannheim Steamroller\Fresh Aire\12 Mist.mp3 (slow walk) (Very slow. Sad. Nostalgic.) Finale piece? Too slow
------Off Topic
------Wrong tone
W:\Music\Depeche Mode\Depeche Mode - World In My Eyes (1990) (Kraftwerk Razormaid Remix).mp3
W:\Music\Depeche Mode\Depeche Mode - Useless.mp3 (fast walk) (Dark. Restrained anger.)
W:\Music\Porter Robinson\Porter Robinson & Madeon - Shelter.mp3 (fast walk) (Cheerful. Sad. Trust in me. Watching over me.) too cheerful
W:\Music\Noel Gallagher - Teotihuacan.MP3 (fast walk) (Instrumental. Cool. High tech.) Too cool for this set?
W:\Music\DJ Sets\Divas\Porter Robinson - Sad Machine.mp3 (fast walk) (Sad. Hopeful. Cybernetic. Robot.) Too cheerful? Wrong tone?
W:\Music\Compilations\Donnie Darko_ Soundtrack From The Motion Picture\17 Mad World.mp3 (walk) (Worn out. Tired. The world is crazy.) too dark
--Jazzy Rock
W:\Music\Dave Thompson - Standin In The Rain.mp3 (fast walk) (Bluesy. Lonely. Stood up.) Don't like the tone.
W:\Music\They Might Be Giants\01 - TMBG\11 - TMBG - TMBG - She's An Angel.mp3 (walk) (How can things be this good? She's too good for me.) not moody enough? Too happy?
W:\Music\They Might Be Giants\02 - Lincoln\10 - TMBG - Lincoln - The World's Address.mp3 (run) (The world is a sad, broken place.) too cheerful tone?
W:\Music\DJ Sets\Wolf\Steve Conte - Stray Wolfs Rain Opening.mp3 (fast walk) (Stray. Nothing to lose. Alone.) Too powerful.
W:\Music\Ulrich Schnauss\Goodbye\09 Goodbye.mp3 (walk) (Etheric. Haunting. Goodbye. She is gone forever. Let it go.) Too much love. Too much of a finale song. Can't continue after it. Leave it out for now.
W:\Music\Daft Punk\Musique, Vol. 1 (1993-2005)\12 Human After All.mp3 (run) (I can only do so much. Human after all.) Too cheerful?
------Cut for Time
W:\Music\MLP - My Little Pony Fanmusic\Play\Slow\ISMBOFepicly - Even the Happiest Pony Gets Sad Sometimes, Right (Secrets and Lies).mp3 (run) (Chill. Cheering up.)
W:\Music\LTJ Bukem_Earth 1-7 ohne 4\LTJ.Bukem.presents.Earth-Volume.6.(2002)-.-Pityba\08 The Freckles - See The Rain.mp3 (fast walk) (Instrumental. Chill. A little jazzy. Cheerful.) Not bad.
W:\Music\Kaskade\08 Nobody Else - 7A or 5A.mp3 (run) (Chill. Vocal. Nobody else tonight. Warm.) too warm? Kind of a good mood.
W:\Music\Alan Parsons Project - Some Other Time.mp3 (walk) (Epic. Alone. Lonely.) too dark?
W:\Music\They Might Be Giants\06 - John Henry\06 - TMBG - John Henry - I Should Be Allowed to Think.mp3 (run) (Vocal. Disgruntled. I'm controlled.) too angry? Leave it in for now.
W:\Music\Ryoksopp\Royksopp - What Else Is There.mp3 (fast walk) (Regret. You don't see me. Pain.) good fit
W:\Music\Ryoksopp\Royksopp - Melody A.M\Royksopp - 05 - Poor Leno.mp3 (fast walk) (Sad. Melancholy. Lonely. Love.) good
Continued on Chapter Three.
Tantari Kim
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