Gigs & business
MC
An MC works the microphone over a DJ set — hyping the crowd, introducing records, and in some genres performing lyrics over the music. In others the role is closer to a host who speaks rarely.
In practice
A voice lives in the mids, so a set with an MC needs mid space. In some genres they are the music, in others an intrusion.
If you work with one regularly, agree the shape: when they come in, when they leave the record alone, and who ducks for whom. Talkover on the mixer handles the level automatically and is far better than either of you reaching. Leave the mids a little clearer than you otherwise would on records they will speak over, and expect the best working relationships to feel rehearsed, because they are.
Mids
Where a voice sits
Talkover
What handles the level
Rehearsed
What good pairings are
Where these come from: Genre convention and mixing practice, not a catalog figure. For what we can measure, see the control that manages it.
Why it matters
How much an MC talks is entirely genre-dependent, and getting it wrong is jarring. In jungle, drum and bass, garage and grime the MC is part of the music; in house and techno a voice over a record is usually an intrusion, and a promoter putting an MC on a techno night is making a decision the floor will notice.
For the DJ, the practical fact is that an MC changes the mix. A voice sits in the mids, so a set with one needs more mid space than a set without, and the two of you are competing for the same range unless somebody plans for it.
Frequently asked
Should there be an MC on a house or techno night?+
Usually not. In those genres a voice over a record reads as an intrusion, where in jungle, drum and bass and garage the MC is part of the music.
How do I mix with an MC?+
Leave more mid space than usual, because a voice sits there. Use talkover for the level rather than either of you reaching for a fader.
Is a host the same as an MC?+
The same role with a different emphasis. A host speaks rarely — introductions and announcements — where an MC in some genres performs continuously over the music.
Related terms
Talkover
Talkover automatically reduces the music whenever the microphone channel detects speech, then restores it when you stop. On club mixers the amount of the dip is adjustable, typically between about 6 and 24 decibels.
Mic input
A mic input takes the very low signal a microphone produces and amplifies it to line level, with its own gain, usually its own two-band EQ, and on club mixers a talkover control that ducks the music while someone speaks.
Selector
A selector chooses records and lets them play, with little or no blending. The term comes from Jamaican sound-system culture and now describes anyone whose value is entirely in what they play.
VJ
A VJ performs visuals live alongside a DJ or band — mixing video, generative graphics and lighting cues in time with the music. It is a parallel performance rather than a backdrop.
Explore: Reading the room · Talkover · Mic input · All DJ terms