Tips for DJing outdoors
There’s certainly a thrill to playing music, as a DJ, in the open air and for a live audience. Indoor gigs are fantastic in their own right, but a well thought out outdoor DJ setup can create a unique and exhilarating experience for everyone involved.
But being an outdoor DJ comes with its fair share of challenges as well as opportunities. To help you with DJ setup ideas, we’ve put together this handy blog. This way, you can be more confident than ever that your next outdoor DJ set will be your best yet.
Why DJ outdoors?
There are many different occasions in which you might be called upon to DJ outside of the confines of a club, hall, bar or venue.
Festivals
Outdoor music festivals can range widely in style and in vibe. From the setting to the size of the stage, and even the number of audience members… But one thing stays the same: An enthusiastic crowd looking for a good time.
Pool Parties
Pool parties are similar in many ways to beach parties but can vary more widely in what sort of experience you are looking to create.
Beach Parties
Especially for Aussie DJs, beach parties are an event you’re bound to experience at some point. While many beach settings call for a more relaxed and vibrant atmosphere, you’ll still need to consider your outdoor DJ setup.
Rooftop Parties
Rooftop events are trendy, scenic and enjoyable for all. As an outdoor DJ at a rooftop venue, you’ll need to consider a number of factors to set yourself up for success.
Garden Events
Whether it’s a wedding or a community get-together, garden and park events often call upon the services of a versatile DJ to set the mood.
How to Prepare for an Outdoor DJ Gig
1.Check the weather
Unpredictable weather is even worse than bad weather. Make sure you’re appropriately aware of the chances of extreme heat, wind and rain, and consider how that will affect you, your equipment and your crowd.
2.Sound quality
Sound works differently outdoors. From sound dispersion and wind interference to outside noises, you may need to step up your sound quality.
3.Power supply
What sort of accessibility and availability is there to reliable power sources? If there isn’t sufficient power onsite, you may need to consider backup solutions such as a generator.
4.Equipment protection
The outdoors is, well, outdoors. And to that end, everything from dust to moisture and even bugs and insects can mean your equipment is exposed to damage without proper protection.
5.Crowd engagement
Often, but not always, an outdoors event attracts large crowds and sometimes even louder or rowdier crowds. Consider how you’re going to best engage and manage them to ensure the performance is a success.
Tips for Successful Outdoor DJing
Invest in rain covers
Rain covers and environmental element resistance covers are critical for protecting your valuable gear. It will also give you peace of mind knowing that while you’re busy getting the party started, the weather isn’t raining on your parade (figuratively at least). Check out our range of Decksavers and protective covers & bags!
Bring back up equipment
Backup cables, a spare set of headphones, more electrical supplies… You can’t have too much gear on hand when playing outdoors. If you anticipate something going wrong and prepare accordingly, you’ll never be caught unawares and unprepared.
Arrive early to do a soundcheck
Arriving early is important for indoor and outdoor DJ gigs, but you need extra time to adjust your sound levels during the sound check to accommodate for the acoustics of the outdoor settings.
Secure everything!
Secure your equipment and your DJ setup to prevent wind and other vibrations from causing an accident, knocking something out of alignment or just throwing you off your groove. Hint: Cable ties are your best friend.
Be power independent
While not always possible, if you’re able to carry spare power banks or generators so that you know you have access to a stable power supply no matter what, you’ll have a far less stressful outdoor DJ gig. Check out our range of generators HERE.
Bring personal protective equipment
You don’t need hi-vis vests on, but some sunglasses to shield your eyes from a glaring sun, a hat, sunscreen and water are important. Staying hydrated in particular is often forgotten about but outdoor events, even at night, can be very physically demanding and dehydration is a real possibility.
Read the (lack of) room
There’s always a lot of crowd engagement and feeding off the audience in a DJ set. Just because the crowd may be bigger outdoors and just because it may be harder to read and react to their activities, it’s just as if not more important to adapt your set to the vibe of the outdoor event.
Emergency plan
Safety might not be the most exciting part of a DJ setup, but always make sure you have an emergency plan for both an external emergency, but also for events such as equipment failure or sudden changes to the weather.
Communicate with the organisers
There’s often a lot that goes into the planning of an outdoor event and your client may not have thought about the DJ setup. Make sure to communicate and coordinate ahead of time so that the experience is smoother and so that when you arrive on the day (or night) you know exactly what you’re doing and where you’re going.
Get ready for your outdoor DJ gig with DJ City
As we mentioned at the top of this article, playing an outdoor DJ gig is its own unique and rewarding experience. But as with all live performances, things can and probably will go wrong. To ensure that you and your audience have as smooth and enjoyable an experience as possible, we recommend you come prepared.
Make sure to reach out to the DJ City team. Our enthusiastic DJ experts know a thing or two about playing outdoors and can help not only find you the right equipment for your needs but also provide a few more tips for the best way to go about an outdoors DJ setup.
