Changeover

Between two DJs, the changeover happens while the floor keeps dancing. The incoming DJ plugs in their headphones, loads a track on a free player, and the two mix over. It takes a few minutes and needs a free channel, a free player and room at the booth.

A live act is different. The gear has to be set up, cabled, powered and checked, which takes 15–30 minutes for a typical club setup. In a club that happens next to the booth while the previous DJ plays on, so the floor never goes quiet.

Example

The warm-up DJ plays until 01:00, the live act starts at 01:00. The live act arrives at 00:15, sets up on a side table from 00:30 and line-checks quietly on headphones through the club mixer. At 01:00 the DJ fades out, and the live act’s channels come up.

What to watch for

• Agree who runs the mixer during the changeover, and which channels the incoming act uses.
• The outgoing DJ’s USB stick stays in its player until the last track ends. Use another player.
• Space and power for a live act belong in the tech rider. Finding a free socket at 00:45 next to a busy booth is hard.
• At festivals, changeovers are fixed in the stage timetable. Overrunning a slot shortens the next act’s set.