Eli5 – What is a DJ like Tiesto actually doing when performing a live show?

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I don’t really know much about the process of remixing a song but I can imagine it is a process that is like editing a video – layering tracks, adding beats, etc. They are clearly not doing that kind of editing live so they are basically playing something that’s already had some amount of that already done.

So what are they doing live besides maybe mixing between songs?

I just don’t understand what all the knob fiddling is about.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Yes, they are mostly mixing between songs. Doing that well and smoothly requires a certain degree of skill and experience. But the real skill of a DJ isn’t mixing, it’s song selection. Knowing exactly what song to play next based on the crowd and the flow of the set so far. Guys like Tiesto rose to fame in the 90’s/00’s based on their song selection ability rather than their technical mixing ability.

As for the knob fiddling, here’s a good firsthand overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBlgwO8Fd-E&list=PL-IaIfDYdsAkuIDGKc78TP7aFI9kULp2N&index=3

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