DJ Glossary
Plain definitions of the DJ terms that come up when you hire a DJ, talk to a venue or start learning to mix.
Beatmatching · Booth monitor · BPM · Club-standard DJ setup · Cue point · DJ controller · Gain staging · Mobile DJ · Open-format DJ · Phrasing
Beatmatching
Adjusting the tempo of the incoming track so its beats line up with the track that is already playing, then keeping them locked while you blend. On CDJs and controllers you do it with the pitch fader and jog wheel; on turntables, with the pitch slider and a hand on the platter. Sync buttons can match tempo, but you still choose when and how the second track comes in. For a client, beatmatching matters most in club and dance-heavy sets. At a wedding dinner it barely comes up. More on beatmatching →
Booth monitor
A speaker aimed at the DJ, not the crowd, so the DJ hears the mix without the delay and room echo of the main system. In a big hall or a loud club, the main speakers can arrive late at the booth, which makes mixing by ear unreliable. When you book a venue, ask whether the house system includes a monitor feed or whether the DJ has to bring one.
BPM
Beats per minute: the tempo of a track. House music usually sits around 120–128 BPM, hip-hop often 85–100, and drum & bass around 170. DJs use BPM to plan which songs will blend cleanly and how to move the energy of a night up or down. If you hand a DJ a must-play list, they will often check the BPM of each song to work out where it fits in the set.
Club-standard DJ setup
The gear most clubs install and most touring DJs expect: two or more Pioneer CDJ/XDJ media players and a matching DJM mixer, sometimes with two turntables added. DJs prepare music on USB sticks in that format so they can walk in and play. For a private event, asking whether a DJ uses a club-standard setup is less useful than asking what they will actually bring and whether it has a backup.
Cue point
A marker saved in a track so the DJ can jump straight to a chosen spot, such as the first beat, the drop or the vocal. Hot cues let a DJ restart a song from a set place, skip a long intro or line up a clean entrance for a first dance. Well-prepared cue points are a sign that a DJ has listened to and organized their music before the gig.
DJ controller
A single unit with jog wheels, faders and a mixer section that controls DJ software running on a laptop, such as Rekordbox, Serato or Traktor. Controllers are common at weddings and mobile gigs because they are compact and run on one power outlet. They are not a lower grade of DJ by default: what matters is the sound system they plug into and whether the DJ has a backup if the laptop fails.
Gain staging
Setting the level of each track and each piece of gear so the signal is strong but never clipping, from the channel trim on the mixer through to the venue amplifier. Good gain staging keeps songs at a consistent volume and keeps the sound clean when the system is pushed. When a DJ plugs into house sound at a venue, gain staging is the part they need to agree on with the in-house technician. More on gain staging →
Mobile DJ
A DJ who brings their own sound system, lighting and microphones to the event, rather than playing on a club's installed rig. Most wedding, corporate and party DJs in Toronto work this way, and many also act as the MC. When comparing mobile DJs, compare what equipment is included and how much setup time the venue allows, not just the hourly price.
Open-format DJ
A DJ who plays across genres in one set, for example hip-hop, Top 40, Latin, Afrobeats and house, instead of sticking to a single style. Open format is the default at most weddings and mixed-age parties, where the crowd wants songs they know. Ask an open-format DJ how they handle requests and what they play when the room stops responding. More on open-format dj →
Phrasing
Mixing so the structure of two tracks lines up: intros, verses, choruses and drops arrive together rather than colliding mid-section. Most dance music is built in blocks of 8, 16 or 32 beats, and a mix that respects those blocks sounds smooth even when the songs are very different. Phrasing is one of the clearest differences between a DJ who is mixing and one who is just pressing play. More on phrasing →
Keep going
The Learn to DJ section walks through these skills in order, and the guides cover hiring, quotes and venue logistics.