Back to back DJing: a beginner's guide
What is a back-to-back set?
A back-to-back set, or b2b, is two DJs playing one set together, taking turns. Each picks up where the other left off, so the set becomes a conversation: you answer the other DJ's track with one of yours, and together you take the set somewhere neither of you would go alone.
DJs play b2b because it's fun, and because you learn fast from someone else's choices and mixing. It keeps a long set fresh, and it's a way to play with friends, or with DJs whose sound you like.
The usual formats
- Track for track: you each play one track, then hand over. It's quick and lively, the closest kind of conversation.
- Two for two (or three for three): a couple of tracks each, so there's room to build a mood before you hand over.
- Timed blocks: say 15, 20 or 30 minutes each. Good for longer sets, or when your styles are further apart.
Agree the format before you start. You can change it during the set if you both want to.
Etiquette
- Agree the sound and the energy first: the genres, the tempo range, and where you want the set to go.
- Mix in on the phrase: bring your track in at the start of a phrase, often every 16 or 32 bars, so the change feels natural.
- Leave the other DJ room: don't take the set somewhere they can't follow, and leave them a track they can mix out of.
- Read the crowd and each other: listen to what your partner is building, and answer it.
- No surprises at the handover: make it clear when your turn is ending, and let them finish their mix before you change anything.
Skills that help
- Beatmatching: matching the tempo of two tracks and lining up their beats.
- Phrasing: knowing where a track's phrases start and end, so you mix in at the right moment.
- Reading your partner: noticing their energy, key and style, and picking a track that answers it.
You don't need to be an expert to start. A b2b is one of the best ways to learn.
How it works with DJ back 2 back
- Two DJs, two places, one set. Each of you plays your own gear, in your own room, and the app links you over the internet.
- One of you is live. The other hears the live set through their own gear, and mixes their next track in.
- The handover: when it's their turn, the live DJ presses Handover and the other presses Accept. The set is theirs. Hand it back the same way.
- At the handover: you may hear a short blip as the set passes from one of you to the other. It's only in what you two hear live. The recording and the stream run about 20 seconds behind, and join your two halves cleanly, so the blip isn't in them.
- Waveforms: with VirtualDJ or CDJ-3000s, the DJ taking over sees the live DJ's track as a waveform, and can mark where they'll mix in.with VirtualDJ, CDJ-3000s or a Denon player, the DJ taking over sees the live DJ's track as a waveform, and can mark where they'll mix in.
- The countdown: where the app has the beats but no waveform, a countdown of 32, 16 or 8 bars shows on both screens. The live DJ starts it, and the DJ taking over can ask for one.
- Recording and going live: on a Mac, tick Record this set, Going live, or both, before the set. Each happens only if you both tick it.
- Sessions: in the beta, a session lasts up to an hour, and either of you can leave at any time.
Getting started
- Sign up
- Download the app
- Set up your sound once
- Find a DJ on Live, or invite one you know
- Questions? Read the FAQ, or email support@djb2b.com.