Hey, Mr. Digital DJ

A Mac, An iPod, And You

Justin Williams Skip to comments 14 Comments (Comments Closed Closed)

Want to learn how to use your Mac and iPod to DJ a party for your friends, a wedding, or any other type of social gathering? Justin Williams shows you how he used his hardware to put on a rocking wedding party.

Face it. Hiring a DJ is an expensive solution. Yes, they take care of all the musical needs for your gathering, but the price is so steep that sometimes you have to make sacrifices elsewhere. Every once in a while, someone will ask me to DJ a wedding or other social function for them. They seek me out because I am insanely cheap. How can I afford to be cheap? I am using Apple technology rather than messing with mixing boards, vinyl, and the rest of the tools of the trade. Armed with my G5, an iBook, and an iPod, I have created a system that works well for most small to medium sized get togethers. Mind you, this isn't going to work if you are trying to pump music out to a massive warehouse or auditorium, but for a general banquet room it is a perfect solution. ### What You Need Here is what I use when I set out for an event. You can obviously use what you have available to you, but I will be focusing on this technology for this article. Let's go through the purpose of each piece of hardware. ### The G5 PowerMac G5 The G5 is what is going to do our bidding. It will be pushing all of the music, house our music catalog, and just look really hot on top of your station. To control the music, you can go one of two routes. The more affordable route is to just use iTunes 4. With it's built in crossfading capabilities, you can easily create your playlist, and let it run. The one tip I will offer is to set your crossfade to 12 seconds to take into account songs with a lot of dead air at the end. The other solution, that is a big more expensive is to use the excellent MegaSeg program. What it offers over iTunes is the ability to use multiple sound outputs so that you can que up songs without any extra hardware. It also features automatic beat matching and crossfades, a requests list, and QuickTime video playback so that you can output music videos along with the music you are pumping. The only reason I choose not to use MegaSeg is that I don't do this kind of job more than once every year or two, so the $200 price tag is a bit steep for me. If you host a lot of parties, you should definitely invest in this great product. ### The iBook I carry the iBook for two reasons. The first reason is as a backup in case something were to happen to the G5. Before I head to a gig, I create a playlist of about five hour of music I want to play during my set. I then burn that music to a CD and play put it on the iBook. That way, if the G5 were to crash and burn, all I would have to do is plug the iMic into the iBook, hit play, and the music is back. I have never had to use the iBook in this situation though. What I mainly use it for is to listen to songs I have coming up. I like to check a song to see if there are any hard stop or long pauses at the end, so I can adjust what song to put on after. Also, if someone brings me a cd with a song they want me to play, I can easily listen to it without having to disturb the G5. A tip I will offer is that once you have played a song in iTunes on the G5, remove it from your iBook playlist. It's really bad to play the same song twice in a set, so that will eliminate any possibility of that happening. ### The iPod _Do you have xxxx song?_ I have 15 gigs of music that I carry around with my, and I don't know if I have a certain song every time. Rather than search through my G5 looking for the song, I hand over the iPod for people to browse through. I tell them that if I have it, it is on there. Not only does it cut down on my time searching for music, it impresses my guests because they think it is the coolest little gadget ever. ### The iMic You can think of the iMic as the gateway between the computer and the receiver. What it does is add a stereo input and output to your Mac. With it, I can easily plug the receiver into the G5 and get full stereo sound. If I chose, I could also add a microphone to the equation, but usually I am just there to play music, not talk. :) When I am at home, I get a lot more use out of it plugging my guitar into the G5 to tune it. If I need to explain what the receiver and speaker's purpose are, stop reading. You shouldn't be DJing. :) ### Setting Everything Up The first thing you should get setup is the receiver and the speakers. This should be self explanatory. Make sure you use a good quality speaker wire to get the crispest sound possible. I highly recommend Monster Cable. Yes, you are paying a premium, but an audiophile can tell the difference in the sound. Plug the iMic's outpout into the AUX inputs on the back of your receiver, and then make sure the receiver is set to AUX. This is usually going to be the main reason why you don't have sound. I have done it before. The receiver was still set to Video 1, but I spent a good half hour trying to figure out why I had no sound. I felt pretty dumb when I figured out the problem. :) Next, get your G5 all set up and running. Don't bother plugging the iMic in until you have everything all set up and launched. When you plug the iMic in, you need to check that it is set as the default sound output device. To do this, follow the steps below: Sound Preferences That's it. You should be able to play music now. Just make sure you don't bust your speakers! ### Conclusion Apple iPod From this article I hope you have grasped how easy it is to use Apple products to accomplish a task that used to take a lot of finesse and practice. Do I think that setups like mine will ever replace the real DJ? Of course not. Nothing is more exciting than watching the masters mix music live on stage, or seeing a guy at an Apple Store use two iPods and a mixing board to play tunes. If, however, you are on a budget and need a quick solution for music that is both viable and functions well, then you are set.

Justin WilliamsJustin Williams is founder and chief author for MacZealots. He switched to the Mac almost five years ago hasn't looked back since. When not blogging or coding, you can find him watching copious amounts of TV. Justin can be reached at

Reader Comments (14)

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1 Nathan Spindel remarks:
#1) On December 20, 2003 5:23 AM

Why use the iMic for stereo-out if you can use the G5’s stereo mini-jack line out and/or the toslink out?

2 Justin Williams remarks:
#2) On December 21, 2003 12:38 AM

For me, it is easier to stick with one technology throughout. For example, if the G5 were to crash and burn (god forbid), I would have to use the iMic for the audio anyway.

3 Andy Hughes remarks:
#3) On December 22, 2003 4:39 PM

Justin:
Thanks for sharing the article. I forwared the url on to Kerby.
Happy holidays!

— andy

4 will kerr remarks:
#4) On December 23, 2003 1:01 PM

I think that it’s interesting that you finish the article with the comment “If, however, you are on a budget and need a quick solution for music that is both viable and functions well, then you are set.” You are making $200 for an event, and you are bringing:
1 G5 - $3,000
1 iBook - $1,000
2 flat screens - each ~$1,500
1 iPod - $400
plus your consumer level (though expensive) speakers and receiver

And with all that, it would be physically impossible to actually match beats in the same way that a DJ could, who would bring to perform:
2 technics turntables - $350 each
1 DJ mixer - From $200 - $700
1 Behringer EuroPower EP2500 Power Amp (or similar) - $350
2 Behringer Ultrawave B300 Two-Way Active Loudspeaker (or similar)- $350

I would agree that an apple is a great way to listen to music, but if you look at the return on investment on these two methods, it seems that the actual DJ, that can beat match and doesn’t have as much gear would be the better choice.

Obviously, your computers are all pieces of gear that you already have, which is an advantage, but DJ’ing publically also has a way of making sure that something that you take along with you to a gig doesn’t come back home with you, which I could see happening with your iPod or your iBook - even at a wedding. losing either of those would be far worse than losing a few CD’s or records (and no one ever steals records - they’re too big, and no one owns a turntable besides DJ’s).

A slimmed down kit including
the iBook - $1,000
Tascam US-122 USB Audio/MIDI Interface - $150
Native Instruments Traktor 2.5 (for mixing your tracks - http://www.nativeinstruments.de/index.php?traktor2_us) - $200
a pre-amp or mixer to run the iBook into - $200
the above mentioned amp and speakers - $1,000

This would be a nice/technologically advanced set up that would allow you to show off that you are a cool mac afficianado, would allow you to mix tunes seamlessly, and wouldn’t involve you lugging around a fat ass $3,000 G5.

Somehow bringing $10,000 worth of equipment to a gig where you are only making $200 seems a bit over-kill to me. If your iBook crashes for a minute, well, reboot. If you need more space than it’s harddrive can handle in mp3’s, well, you’ve got more to worry about than your harddrive size, as you are now stuck at a 12 day wedding reception. And, if you want people to be able to see what you have available on your Mac, print up your playlist from iTunes before you get to the wedding - let them read a print-up from paper. Or, you can take the route of the less technically advanced, and actually bring records or CD’s.
long-winded response? yes, quite.

5 Justin Williams remarks:
#5) On December 23, 2003 3:11 PM

I am not trying to replace a DJ in every situation. I am trying to give people an alternative to hiring a DJ. Why hire someone to do that when you can just hook up your mac to a stereo and pump music out on the cheap.

6 A Griffin remarks:
#6) On December 31, 2003 9:57 PM

I just volunteered myself for a little New Year’s Eve gig for youth in the area using a borrowed iBook from my Dad and my iPod. I’ve got all of my tunes on the iPod, and use the iBook for use of iTunes for a bit more freedom for changing up playlists and such (though the the On-The-Go playlists were a lifesaver, an iPod still doesn’t quite qualify for use as the player itself, plus there’s just too much risk involved with accidentally bumping the touch-sensitive Play/Pause button). I just plugged an RCA cable into the audio-out jack, then into the Amp, and it sounded great, (though I may not be an audiophile, I have a pretty good ear for quality). I may have even talked the president of the group to invest in their own Mac to run their music on to replace their CD players, mixers, and yes, even a cassette player (I don’t mind losing the gig since it was volunteer work anyway). At previous dances of theirs, they had trouble finding songs and such due to poor cataloging. When I showed her that by typing the first three letters of the song she could find it in a snap, she just about died. Anyway, for the casual, informal DJ, an iBook, an iPod and a couple of huge speakers do the trick nicely.

7 Bob Kerstetter remarks:
#7) On January 2, 2004 5:38 PM

I have DJ’ed with an iBook, iTunes, $70 mixer and low-end pro-speakers. The find function built into iTunes is really fast for finding things.

8 Silver Glass remarks:
#8) On May 18, 2004 7:06 PM

Why choose Apple over all other brands?

would it make a difference if you hooked up the computer to an amp first, wouldn’t that do the trick for a bigger place?

9 Robb remarks:
#9) On July 2, 2004 11:49 PM

what do i need to hook up my ipod to my mixer a numark please help me!

10 Jonny Rocket remarks:
#10) On November 21, 2004 1:54 PM

Hi there,
We have been running a digital DJ club in London called Playlist for 6 months now. It’s going well, and you can read about this here, www.ipod-dj.com.
We are interested in all experiences as we see the dawn of new music consumption and delivery models, as we think we are at a very positive cultural moment. Please visit our site, and send us information about what you are learning. We want to get the mix right, and believe in collective effort.
Cheers
Jonny

11 bJamN soLo remarks:
#11) On August 15, 2005 7:47 PM

greetz,

I’ve been DJing with 20gig of mp3’s, a G4 Powerbook 15”, and a wonderful little app called MegaSeg. For a Mac user, MegaSeg ($199) is a great investment. It allows beat matching, external sound cards (for monitoring and mixing), and even supports hardware consoles like the Hercules DJ Console ($249) that will give you a tactile mixing surface and external, multi-output sound card for those hard core DJs.

The use of a Mac versus PC for DJing is a no brainer. Macs were made from the ground up to work well with multimedia. Has there ever been a Mac that didn’t have a sound card? Nope. That’s one big reason Macs are so much more stable during multitasking operations, especially multimedia (audio/video).

Check out MegaSeg.

enjoy,
bJamN

12 joel remarks:
#12) On August 30, 2005 7:10 PM

with 1 G5 - $3,000 1 iBook - 2 flat screens - 1 iPod - and some decent subs/ speakers (P.A)
i could do a hell of a show, all i need is a mixing desk, ableton live, and maybe a stage tecknition, for a wedding, mate it would be an all night rave, it be the best experience to ever blow your socks off.
in a secret location of course. man, i remember the days we would get our friend who builds flying remote plaines, to wire some speakers to an amp and a car battery, load that on a trolly and drag the hunk o junk up to the top of the park !!

yess. , an alternative to a dj, quite so, but you could do so much more than just dj with all that mac .
tell old bill with his two flight cases of early nineties to bog off !

13 Tim remarks:
#13) On November 17, 2005 7:58 AM

Here’s my take:

Whether its true or not, most everyone agrees that wedding DJs are expensive. A popular tip circulating the net is to replace your wedding DJ with an iPod and DJ your reception yourself. While this may sound like a great idea, there are some things to consider. Just as with any do-it-yourself project, you must be aware of all facets before you start.

The first most important job for a good DJ is to play music that the crowd enjoys. A simple shuffle has no way of knowing who is dancing to what. A person does need to run things, but not just any person will do. Putting your 12 year old nephew in charge won’t do you any good. The person in charge of the music needs a large amount of music knowledge. A good DJ should have this knowledge. A good DJ should be able to identify a song based on a few bars hummed out of tune or a snippet of lyrics that are slightly incorrect. Your DJ must not have a fear of speaking in front of a crowd, and this is not as easy as it sounds. One simply has to think of all the Best men who have hemmed and hawed their way through a wedding toast with the microphone held at waist level. Also, does he/she know how to auction off a garter or any of the other traditional reception activities? If not, will the bride and groom want to do these things while they should be enjoying their guests? Oh, and just like you would give your wedding singer or officiant a tip for performing your ceremony, don’t forget a gratuity for your impromptu DJ.

Unless you’re a music collector, chances are you don’t have a music library with waltzes, polkas, old country, new country, oldies, classic rock, new rock, soft rock, hard rock, hip hop, dance, etc. And, unless you want to subject your guests to your musical tastes, you should probably buy a selection of these songs. If you’re not up on popular waltzes and polkas, or don’t know which songs are currently topping the country Top 40, search the web. $25 dollars should buy you enough music on iTunes to cover enough various musical tastes that most guests will enjoy themselves.

Another task for a good wedding DJ is one who is covered by insurance. Sure, your homeowners policy might cover it, but I’d hate to see your premiums next year if an accident does occur. Don’t think accidents will happen to you? Are you serving alcohol at your reception? If you’re telling yourself, “All the drunk people I know never act like fools!”, stop and think about that again. Besides, many venues require proof of insurance because they don’t want to see their premiums raised because your grandma tripped on a speaker cable and broke her hip. Searching the web for “wedding event insurance” will yield a whole crop of insurers who will give you a $1 million dollar policy for around $200.

Equipment is of course another important factor a good DJ brings to your reception. Do you know where to get speakers? Or mics? Or Mixer?? Larger cities will have rental companies that can provide these things. You can even find many such companies by searching the web for “dj equipment rental”. Most wedding sized systems rent for anywhere from $250 to $500 dollars per day. In most cases, you must provide a truck or van to transport the equipment. Now, do you know how to set these things up? If not, will the rental company give you a tutorial? Some rental companies will give you a tutorial when you pick the equipment up, but make sure to take notes, because if you have to call them later they will likely charge you for a service call. Some equipment rental companies will deliver, setup, and test their equipment as well as pick up later, but this is extra.

That being said, if you KNOW your group will interact without being prompted (or just don’t care if they interact or not), and if you’ve got a person with an encyclopedic knowledge of music that will run your iPod (instead of enjoying your reception), and you have adequate insurance to cover any accidents that occur due to your iPod setup, and you have a large enough music library to make sure everyone gets to hear the music they want, and you’re able to get your hands on adequate dance lights and speakers, and will be saving money by spending $550 to $700 then by all means use an iPod. You honestly have no need for a DJ.

If planning and organizing all this sounds like just one more hassle, you’d probably do better to hire a professional so that you can enjoy your reception and spend your first day as husband and wife doing something besides returning rental equipment. For a few dollars more you’ll get professional equipment, professional knowledge from someone who has planned and performed at hundreds of weddings, peace of mind that any glitches will be resolved quickly, no hassles about tearing down equipment when the reception is over, and no worries about getting it back before you owe another day’s worth of rental fees.

14 Jason remarks:
#14) On February 4, 2006 11:30 PM

Went real simple at the company Xmas party and ran an i-Pod through a rented PA. Not only did the floor stay packed, the owner of the club kept the party open an extra two hours which allowed me to get in every stupid request from “Laffy Taffy” to “Mi Gasolina”. Apple rocks. Anyone with a decent music collection and a stage presence can DJ a party these days. Just ordered an iBook to do some more local gigs….