Booth
DJ Booth
The place where the DJ performs. CDJs, a mixer, and monitor speakers are placed there. Because it sounds different from the floor, you adjust the volume at hand separately with the BOOTH MONITOR.
What is in the booth
A club booth usually has two or more CDJs and one mixer lined up. Some venues also have turntables. There is also a monitor speaker so the DJ can hear the sound up close, and headphones plug into the mixer.
The kind and number of pieces of gear differ from venue to venue. Checking with the venue what gear they have before you play saves you from panicking on the night.
Why the booth and the floor sound different
The booth is often a little away from the floor speakers, or facing a different direction, so the DJ hears something different from the people dancing on the floor. That is why the DJ sets the monitor speaker volume separately with BOOTH MONITOR, so the track is clear at hand.
Turning the monitor up too far tires your ears and makes it harder to tell your own sound apart from the floor's. Going out to listen to the floor now and then, or checking the floor's sound with one ear, tells you how it really sounds in the room.
How to behave in the booth
The booth is the DJ's workplace, and the gear belongs to the venue. Keeping to basics matters: do not put drinks near the gear, and do not plug or unplug cables without asking.
At a changeover, while the previous DJ is playing their last track, you plug in your USB stick and prepare your first track. To avoid stopping the previous DJ's track or changing settings without asking, it is safest to talk through the changeover beforehand.