Wednesday, September 30, 2009

FM104 Joan & Julius Live From Burger King Tumon!!



Joan & Julius from FM104's Morning Show doing it live from the new Burger King in Tumon! According to FM104 Management The Morning Show will be taking the show on the road from time to time. So be expecting to see more of Joan & Julius around the island doing their thing from your favorite places! More of the mix as the record spins!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Whats Hot This Weekend On Guam!


The Scooter Rally! Click Here For More Details!







Rock The Park! Click Here For More Details!!















Get ready for more Mixbytes with Wil! More of the mix as the record spins!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

DJ Roc Raida R.I.P.


We here at Guam DJ would like to pay our respects to DJ Roc Raida. According to All Hip Hop, master turntablist and DJ Roc Raida (born Anthony Williams) passed away on Saturday. He was 37 years old; the cause of death is not yet known.

Roc Raida's passing was confirmed by Busta Rhymes, who toured with the DJ. "I am sorry 2 say that on this day at 2:05 Sept 19th we lost another incredible life...Dj Roc Raida died 2day my personal Dj is gone," wrote the rapper on his Twitter.

Roc Raida was a member of the pioneering turntable crew the X-Ecutioners and won the DMC World DJ Championship in 1995. He released several albums as a solo artist, and collaborated with artists as diverse as Big Pun, Pink, Nelly, and Bill Laswell.

He also starred in Doug Pray's turntablist documentary Scratch. Check out a clip from the film featuring the X-Ecutioners below, along with Roc Raida's winning DMC routine.  More of the mix as the record spins.


Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Mix Tip Of The Day!


Promoting Yourself!

Here are some great ways to promote yourself to the public!

•Business Cards - Business cards are a cheap and effective way to get your name out there, and keep it out there. As a permanent way to market your DJ services, business cards are a hands down winner and cost effective too. You can get 1,000 cards printed for around $30; some are cheaper and some more expensive, depending on if you add color or graphics.
•Flyers and Brochures - These can help you let the town know about you and your services. You can do them yourself, very inexpensively, on your home computer and printer, then take a day to post on bulletin boards around town, in clubs, wherever your target audience may see them.Taking the time now to follow some of this advice on Disk Jockeys to get your foot in the door, will help in your long-term DJ promotion efforts ... and promotion is the first step to success!

  • Self Imaging - Whether you are on stage or just hanging out your image is always being watched! Image is the breaking point whether your going to be hot or not!  Always let people see the great side of you.

These are just some tips on how to promote you as a DJ!  More of the mix as the record spins!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The Manhattans Perform At The Red Cross "Red Ball" tonight!!!


Tonight The Manhattans will perform at the annual "Red Ball" for the Red Cross! If you wanna participate in this event it will be at the Pacific Island Hotel In Tumon. Tickets are going for $200.00 per person! This is an event that the Red Cross Guam Chapter has every year. Each year they always out do themselves by bringing out the great entertainment! More of The Guam Experience as time fly's by!

Guam DJs Get Together For A Scratch And BBQ Party!

A few years ago guamDJ.com through a BBQ for all DJs of Guam! Here are some of the highlights! More of the mix as the record spins!!

Friday, September 18, 2009

This Is Hot!

The Ultimate DJ!


Its Friday And Here Is An Event To Check Out!


If your looking for something cool to do tonight, go to the Micronesia Mall and check out Txt N Style with I Connect! Also DJ Clyde from Guam will be there on the wheels! So for great fun the Micronesia Mall is the place to be! For more details click here! More of the mix as the record spins!













DJ Clyde will be at the Txt N Style with I Connect so don't miss out!!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

MixBytes With Wil

Hurry Up!!
Working with labor intensive programs, especially audio and video programs one needs to ensure your computer is properly optimized for the task. I get a lot of requests from professionals in the audio and video field asking how they can keep their computers purring like a kitten and moving like a cheetah.


I’ve come across a series of software I personally use to keep my system in top shape. The following is the list:



1. Norton

2. Ad-Aware

3. MalwareBytes

4. Smart Protector Pro

5. Uniblue

6. Acronis Home 2009



The first three are self explanatory. These are virus and root kit scanners. Be very careful with root kit viruses. These things can do some serious damage. (Right Ron G!!??). Smart Protector Pro cleans up history usage. You can also set it to delete temp files and directories. The program from Uniblue is your speedster. It goes through your registry and removes registration keys which are not being used. Nice program which is sanctioned by Microsoft. It can also defrag your registry. I run this program several times a day. Acronis is a great program for imaging your computer. Don’t use System Restore. I stopped using it after I found out viruses love to hide in it, especially root kit viruses. You can set Acornis to back-up your computer as often as you like. I normally go manually if I make a significant change to my system



In addition to software, memory upgrades are great, especially with the price drops. Most computers bought in the last 2 years can be upgraded to at least 4 gb’s (Read your manual). This is true for laptops as well.



These are some helpful links:

http://www.mwave.com/ - Computer accessories for a great price and they ship to Guam!!!

http://www.liutilities.com/products/registrybooster/ - Uniblue Registry Booster

http://smart-protector-pro.en.softonic.com/ - Smart Protector Pro

http://www.acronis.com/company/inpress/2007/12-pc-pro-recommended.html - Acronis


Remember have as much fun as you possibly can, but be careful.

Peace Wil

More of the mix as the record spins!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Mix Tip Of The Day!

Scratching!

   For Club & Party DJs Scratching should only be done at a minimal! Scratching is just like a Guitar solo, its the icing on the cake, meaning it should only last for less than a minute. Also don't scratch over vocals and on love songs!  Now if you are a Turntablist then scratching will be used much much more. Remember scratching is the icing on  the cake!! More of the mix as the record spins!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

FM104 "The Morning Show" With Joan And Julius"!

Tune in every Mon-Fri from 6am-10am for The Morning Show with Joan And Julius!! Its Great music, contest and fun!! When listening to Joan and Julius you just don't know what going to happen! They are very spontanous and for sure to bring a smile to your face. You can listen to this duo on FM104 104.3 on your FM dial!  More of the mix as the record spins

MixBytes With Wil

Ripping!


It’s time to rip! Ripping is the art of extracting audio or video and digitizing it (in a nutshell). If you want to get that near perfect sound after ripping your vinyl the one thing you should not do is electronically enhance it, at least not too much. First things first, I use the Stanton 500V3. This is a cost effective cartridge and fits a regular s-shaped turntable (1200’s).




Before ripping I clean my vinyl with a little bit of water using a lint free cloth. Depending how old your vinyl is and how much it had been abused in the past, will probably depend on how much water you should spray on it while recording. For the most part I don’t need to spray my vinyl during the recording process (knock on wood). I know most cleaning solutions for vinyl has a little bit of alcohol in it; however I really don’t like using cleaning solutions with alcohol.



When recording ensure you don’t red line the input and always record flat. I can’t stress this more about recording flat. Just remember that old saying “the egg in the cake mix”.



As mentioned in my first post, I use Sound Forge 10.0 as my editor, but I also use it as my recorder. Once complete the file automatically opens in Sound Forge. Here comes the cool part about Sound Forge. There is a Noise Reduction suite Sound Forge has that’s incredible. The plug in is called “Click and Crackle Removal”. This is the first electronic enhancement I recommend. It does exactly that. It removes most, if not all the snap, crackle and pop from the recording. All the vinyl records I’ve ripped were almost cleaned entirely with this plug in. For those rare occasions the plug in doesn’t catch all the pops, there is a manual fix (that’s another MixByte article).



The second thing I do is trim the silences from the start and ending of each file. There is another plug in for this (Trim Silences at Ends). Again like the “Click and Crackle Removal”, this can also be done manually.



The third thing I do is Normalize the sound to “music” which is around -16 db. I have about 8 TB of space which gives me the luxury of saving in wav format. MP3’s are nice, however when saving as an mp3 try to save it at 320 kbps (kilobits per second).



Remember have as much fun as you possibly can, but be careful.



Peace Wil

More of the mix as the record spins!

Friday, September 11, 2009

MixBytes With Wil

Microphone Check….One, Two, Three!!!!


For some of you Dee Jays who have mastered the art of mixing and remixing are now getting into the art of production. Do you remember that kid in the side asking you if you can make a “break beat” for them to rap on and hopefully record them? Or maybe your significant other asking you to record them singing their favorite karaoke song? You grab a microphone and drop their vocals and wonder why they sound so “hollow” or maybe “tinny” and worst of all nasal. Yes……“been there done that.”




Before we get started here’s a brief description on microphones. Condenser microphones verses Dynamic Microphones, which is best for recording. Without getting technical condenser microphones are normally studio mics and dynamic mics are stage mics. Stage mics are for live applications. The industry standards for dynamic microphones are the Shure SM58s and Beta58s. Here’s my truth when recording vocals, I’ve actually used both types of microphones for recording.



The lead vocals I’d use a condenser mic and sometimes for back-up I’d use a dynamic mic. It also depends on the quality of the vocals you are recording. Like it or not, not everyone can sing like Mariah Carey and using a condenser microphone will capture every “nook and cranny” so to speak. The best way I can describe this is when using a camera. If you noticed when using a High Definition camera it captures almost everything including the flaws, but when using a lower resolution camera (3.2 pixels) it looks like there is a natural filter.



No matter which mic is used always start by recording flat. There’s that flat word again. Using Sound Forge to record the vocals I find the software very user friendly when cleaning the vocals. First thing I do is use the preset plug in “Graphic Dynamics”. I select the remove -35db option. This is a really good plugin for removing hiss. His hides around the -35 db range. Secondly I normalize to music around -16 db. When saving the file don’t overwrite the master (rename the file). Just in case the file was changed inadvertently, you have the master to fall back on.



Depending on your multi-track software, this is all you should do to the file. Try to keep it as close to the original sound. I use Acid Pro 7.0 for the mixdown. Acid Pro has a fantastic chain feature. I can chain my VST plugins and listen to the EFXs at real-time without physically changing the sound file. Talking about vocals can lead us to a discussion or lesson that could go on forever. My point in this simplified example is to make you aware at which HZ the tinny, hollow or nasal sound comes from. Start by cutting everything below the 80 hz and work your way up. Don’t roll off the frequency do a complete cut. A majority of the vocals I’ve worked with have been cut up to 400 hz in some cases up through 600 hz. In Acid Pro all these effects can be done at real-time. Now add delay, reverb to taste. Got questions, let me know.



A little bit later we can talk about the technicalities of recording vocals, everything from microphone placement, distance, pop filters, natural reverb, should I go condenser or dynamic, how is the attitude of my singer at the time of recording, composite recording. There’s actually a long list of things to look for when recording vocals.



Remember have as much fun as you possibly can, but be careful.



Peace Wil

More of the mix as the record spins!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Mix Tip Of The Day!


Speech! If your a radio DJ or club DJ speech plays a very big part. One way to practice is in your car with music from the radio or your cds, just practice talking like you are introducing a song or a segment. Always try to also talk from your gut to give you that full and clear sound. It would also help to do like jaw exercises to loosen up those jaw joints so you can speak and pronounce clearer. Here is one more thing, when speaking practice timing and don't speak over lyrics. More of the mix as the record spins!!

Get Ready For MixBytes With Wil!


We will have a new daily segment on the Guam DJ Blog called MixBytes With Wil.  Wil will give you the deep insights on mixing, pc and equipment.  This is something cool and new with Guam DJ! 

I’ve been Dee Jaying for a greater part of my life. I actually started working with the first generation of belt driven turntables and mixers. You remember the Tamon mixers or the Pioneer mixers which had no cueing system? I had to reroute the turntable signal to a separate amplifier just to cue a record. You remember records? Those black circular things we use to play. Well that was about 40 pounds ago. Oh by the way this is Wil from M.E., Music Energy…..




For about 10 years I’ve dabbled with digital music production from remixing to premixing. Currently I’m working on music productions with singers and musicians. I’m also working with some of the most talented Deejays on Guam. Wassups to Doctor D and Ron G!!!



I’m telling you these are exciting times. With a very small investment you can have a decent home recording/remix studio. That’s basically what I’m here for. Let me help you put your ideas on paper so to speak. Like me, I’m sure a lot of you had melodies, rhythm patterns or maybe vocal enhancement ideas and didn’t know how to achieve that right sound. I’ll be sharing with you some of the basic/advance techniques I use to get that right sound.



These techniques can actually be used with any sound editing or DJ remix software; however I must tell you now I am a Sony Creative Software power user.



This is what I use:

1. Sound Forge 10.0-Sound Editor

2. Acid Pro 7.0-Multi-Track

3. Vegas Pro 9.0-Video Editor

4. DVD Architect 4.5-DVD Burner

5. CD Architect 5.2-CD Burner

I use a S%^t load of VST plugins, these are a few:

1. Antares Bundle-Auto Tune

2. Orange County-Vocoder

3. Sony Plugins



Link: http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/default.asp



Check back periodically for updates, ask questions and remember have as much fun as you possibly can but be careful.



Peace Wil

More of the mix as the record spins!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The Mix Tip Of The Day!


Respect your fellow DJs!  One thing that DJs always complain about is another DJ that copies a mix or technique, but always remember duplication is always the best compliment. If that other DJ didnt like what you did then he or she wouldn't copy it. More of the mix as the record spins!

Vinyl Vs Technology

As a lover of vinyl I am still not convinced that there is anything that sounds better.  As a DJ I still love the feel of vinyl.  Not to put down new technology, but I think the new mixing softwares or devices are taking away the entertainment side of being a DJ.  These days you see DJs just sitting behind a PC and just looking at a screen forgetting that they have people to entertain.  I believe in making things easy, but not to the point where it takes away the talent of a DJ.  Keep vinyl alive!! More of the mix as the records spins!

Monday, September 7, 2009

The Mix Tip Of The Day!

DJ Names!  We all want a stage or DJ name that will make us unique in the DJ world.  When looking for a name make sure it is a name that you want to carry for the rest of your life.  Picking a name seems easy but can be crazy! Try to use names that that are catchy, easy and the main thing match your character.  Try to stay away from profanity, sexual and racial names.  These type of names will only bring you bad and negative publicity.  More of the mix as the record spins!

DJ Replay

 Spent 20 years spinning as a mobile/club DJ (representing Club Mocambo, High Definition and Sounds to Go). Now DJ Replay is looking into the other aspects of DJ work and that is with Radiio Broadcasting. More of the mix as the record spins!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

DJ Tony So Reveals!


Formerly of Guam and now spinning in Hawaii! DJ Tony So reveals his secrets of success as " The DJ Hawaii"!


Describe your DJ style:


Customer Service Oriented. I listen to my Bride and Groom and work with their taste and style of music and compliment it with my experience. If their selection of music is not getting the results they want on the dance floor it's my job to troubleshoot the party and fix it in the mix. My goal is to share the dance floor with everyone. Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, Aunty, Uncle, Family and Friends. It's a celebration and everyone should enjoy themselves.

How many other DJs do you work with?

I have an assistant. I do have associates who DJ for my company, but are separate entity. I have high standards and expectations for DJ's I refer to represent Me if I am already booked and a client wants the consistent customer service and trust that I provide. I am here to help match the right DJ if I am not available for your event.

Do you have replacement DJs in case you become unavailable on the wedding day?

Yes. I have a protocol of DJ's that are ready to cover me if there is issues with my health or circumstances.

Do you specialize in any ethnic and/or international events?

Please inquire via email at tony@thedjhawaii.com or call (808)753-7233

Is the bride able to meet the DJ before booking?

Yes. I think it's very important to build a rapport with my clients. This will give me a better understanding about their personality and mine of course. A Bride should know if she likes the DJ's personality and if she thinks she will be happy working with him or her.

If you do not have one of the songs pre-requested by the couple, do you require that they provide it?

Only if it's for a special performance and/or dance routine. If not I can buy the song and make sure it is the right version. If it's something that is playing on radio or was playing on radio, chances are I can get it or I have it already.

What is your usual attire?

We dress for the occasion. I usually wear black pants (Never Jeans) and a nice button up dress shirt. Because Hawaii is a tropical Island over dressing or out dressing the Groom is not a wise thing. I learned from one guest mistake when he decided to out dress everyone and almost matched the grooms attire. Everyone was congratulating him. The staff at the Hotel, the vendors and some of the guest who really did not know the Groom. It was so funny. I dress well and fit the part.

Do you bring your own equipment?

Yes. I work with professional grade equipment design to withstand a beating from hours and hours of fun and exciting energy built from every wedding I do.

What (if any) special equipment, such as disco balls or lighting, is offered with your service?

Our Lighting is to enhance the dance floor when we get the dancing started. We use the newest technology available which is LED Lighting. It adds a nice accent to the room without the flash into peoples eyes. The lighting is there for an ambient effect.

What is your minimum amount of time you will DJ for?

I don't know about time. I think it's more about price? It all depends. That's something we have to talk about. I seek to understand first, then I share my opinion when I understand my client's needs and requirements. Communication will solve most issues and understanding my clients needs and reasons will give me a better perspective.

Do you usually emcee the reception and/or talk between songs?

I emcee most of my events, because that is what I am well known for in Hawaii. I am not over the top but I deliver a smooth, non-intrusive show and program for guest to enjoy. I don't like to get in the way of the "Life of the Party" I encourage everyone to enjoy themselves and allow them to experience their fun with friends and family. Being in public and having fun with others in not always an easy task for some. But if I can encourage "just one person" to be themselves and don't worry about what people think about their dancing I feel I did more than make a person dance. I feel like I built their self esteem. Everyone deserves to be confident and it starts with inner self value. At your Wedding Celebration your guest should rediscover or discover why they should LOVE. When they see The Bride and Groom they should see the true meaning of LOVE. See it and Feel it with The DJ "Tony So"

Do you take any breaks?

No. I am non-stop and in the mix with my music so I'll wait til' the night or day is over before I take a break. I am committed from start to finish.

Will you arrange for recorded music to play during your breaks?

I have an assistant to cover me if I have to step out for a moment. Music will be playing as required.

Do you require a meal break? If yes, do you require that the wedding party provide your meal?

Negotiable

How much time do you usually need to set up? Do you require that the site and/or couple provide a table for you to setup on?

I like to be on site at least two hours prior to the event starting. This gives everyone the peace of mind that I am setup early and ready to go anytime when called upon. I rather be stuck in a room ready, rather than in traffic on the H1 here in Hawaii. H1 is like leaving a baseball stadium after any ball game. You're crawling out the parking lot. I respect traffic and will not test it. Leaving Early to my events is part of my commitment for every client I work with.

Do you have any extra space requirements?

A Table and Power for my setup is really all I need. If the event is out doors we can plan on how we deal with plan B.

What is your overtime rate?

Negotiable

Do you charge for travel expenses? If yes, how much do you charge?

Negotiable

Questions Provided By: WeddingWire.com

The Mix Tip Of The Day!

Practice , Practice, Practice!! It doesnt matter what kind of DJ you wanna be, learn how to mix before you learn how to scratch.  Most DJs these days try to scratch before they even know anything about mixing. So learn how to mix first and Practice, Practice, Practice! More of the mix as the record spins!

Female DJs

Here on Guam we only have less than a handful of Female DJs on Guam.  I know in the U.S. and Japan there are quite a few Female DJs making their mark in the industry and I say more power to them.  So here is a tip for all you females out there!! There is a lot of room for you in the DJ industry!! Hope to see more of you in the clubs and circuit in the future!  More of the mix as the record spins!

Friday, September 4, 2009

The Mix Tip Of The Day!


When purchasing music, try to buy variety and not just one genre. You never know when the Opera or Country and Western music will come in handy!! Also think about the ages between 15 - 60 yrs old.  Its always good when you can satisfy the majority. More of the mix as the record spins!

Here Are Some Things Going Down This Weekend!

The Hush Luau: Click Here For Details



 
 
 
 
 
Club Fab "Fabulous Divas": Click Here For Details 









Ed Stock: Click Here For Details

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Mix Tip Of The Day!

When doing clubs or party's DJs tend to spin only what they like to hear. Remember you are the key to the parties success.  The people come first! More of the mix as the record spins.

DJ DRD

For more than 3 decades DJ DRD has been entertaining the people of Guam in the clubs and parties.  Back in the 80s DJ DRD has probably touched every DJ booth and every club on Guam, but he is better known for The Ten Four Disco that was located in the Hilton Hotel. He has also played at clubs like Jimmy Dees Chamoritta Lounge, The Gold Disc and The El Gecko. He was also involved with a DJ crew from the 80s called Music Energy.  DJ DRD has also won DJ championships with crews like Power 104.  In Guam DJ DRD is considered one of the legends or pioneer of DJs on Guam.  If you wanna find DJ DRD you could find him now doing radio at KIJI FM104 in Tumon Guam.  More of the mix as the record spins.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Mix Tip Of The Day!

Always categorize your music by BPM ( Beats Per Minute ) and not by Title. This will be easier when your in the mix.  More of the mix as the record spins.

Ronnie Perez

Radio DJ by day and Club DJ by night! Ronnie Perez has been entertaining Guam since ever since!  WIth his specialty of House Music he brings the party everywhere he goes! If you wanna see Ronnie check him out on September 5th at Sam Choys for "The Hush Luau". More of the mix as the record spins!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

What Type Are You?

What DJ category do you fall under?

  1. Club DJ
  2. Private Party DJ
  3. Radio DJ
  4. Room DJ ( Hobby Only)
  5. Turntablist (Trick DJs)
On Guam most DJs fall under the club or party DJ.  Guam does have a handfull of Turntablist (Trick DJs). These Turntablist from Guam could give the DMC Battles a run for their money. What DJ category do you fall under?  More of the mix as the record spins.