This year, we at Masterchannel have recorded three DJ sets, each in it’s unique location highlighting the beauty of Norways landscapes. But creating this video can be done by any DJs, so today we’re breaking down how we did it!

Preparing the music

1. The first thing we did was creating a Spotify playlist with songs we thought could fit the vibe we wanted. In the playlist we aimed for 40-50 different songs.
2. The second thing we did was to download the songs. Here you can use services like Beatport, Traxsource or other pay-per-song platforms. You can also search for free downloads on SoundCloud or YouTube as their are plenty of artists releasing their music for free, through downloadgates.
3. After downloading the songs, we used Rekordbox to sort the songs, find the BPM and key and see what songs that transitioned well together. Here, we aimed for DJ sets that lasted between 30 and 40 minutes which typically ends up as a set with 9 to 12 songs.

Finding the location

1. After we had our DJ set, it was time to find a proper location to film at. We aimed for places where few people would show up, and in 2 out of 3 sets we recorded it as a sunrise set for that specific reason. Here, we used Google Maps to find locations that checked out certain criterias:
   • It should be located so we actually got the sunset / sunrise. If you record a sunrise DJ-set, you need to film to the east. If you record a sunset DJ-Set you need to film to the west.

Recording the DJ set – Filming

1. After finding a location and having the DJ set prepared, it’s time to film it. We had multiple cameras in our shots, as it creates a better vibe when you can switch between different angles.
   • You can e.g. use a Go-Pro or a phone to film yourself from straight forward.
   • You can use a phone or a more wide angle camera to film the DJ and landscape.
   • You can bring a friend to film some hand-held shots as this creates a more dynamic vibe.
   • If you have a drone, that’s an extra plus for those hovering landscape videos.

Recording the DJ set – Music

1. In our DJ sets, we used a pioneer mixer which is fairly easy to record with. It can be wise to bring two USB sticks so you have one you play music from and one dedicated to recording.
2. Click record before you start the play you first song and then play throught the whole set. The DJ set will then be recorded on your USB stick, and can be exported to your computer afterwards.

Post-production

1. After you have recorded your DJ set, make sure that you upload it to a service like Masterchannel so it can be fully mastered. That way it will sound much better on YouTube.

1. To edit the videos, use a software like CapCut. Here, you’ll drag & drop in your video files, the Masterchannel mastered DJ set, and then you can start edit in the way you like.

We hope this is helpful and here’s our DJ sets for inspiration: