If you check out the forums at DJForums.com or ScratchLive.net, you'll most likely come across some advice from Gearwire MVP Candidate Nem0nic. Nem0nic has some great experience as a DJ, using Torq, and knowing the music business.

What is your background?

I was a full time club DJ for 13 years starting in 1987. I'm also a professional audio engineer. I specialize in audio for live television (everything from sporting events and news to musical performances), but I also regularly work in other capacities - from post production to live PA. I majored in recording engineering at the University of Memphis, and originally intended to be a vocal jazz major.

How did you get started in music and what advice would you give to someone who just started?

I was a singer in just about every kind of group I could be a part of: high school choirs, church, bands, etc. I had a great music teacher and choir director in high school (Mrs. Edwards), and she really pushed for excellence.

My advice for someone getting started is to always work on your craft. I know it's cliche, but practice makes perfect. Strive to own every aspect of your craft. If you work with hardware, know the hardware inside and out. Yes, it should always be fun - but if you're serious about it it's also a lot of work. And for those of you looking for a job in the music industry, I would add this. Get in "sideways". Want to work in audio? Get a decent fundamental background, then instead of applying at recording studios, try looking for local freelance work in a related industry. Want to be a tech for a touring band? Look for local backline providers and try to get work with them instead. It's usually MUCH easier to segue into the position you want if you're already working in a closely related field.

Who are your musical influences and what genre do you listen to most?

I have 4/4 in my blood and listen mostly to all things electronic, but my tastes are pretty varied, and you'll find everything from the Misfits to Benny Morton on my iPod. I'm a big fan of BeBop jazz, and Parker and Gillespie inspired me to listen to more jazz. Early electronic stuff that still gets me going includes all the early electro (Kraftwerk, Pretty Tony, Mantronix, Bam, etc) and early synthpop (Thomas Dolby, Telex, Art of Noise, etc). The first time I heard Beltram's Energy Flash, I lost my mind. My start in electronic dance music was heavily influenced by Belgian labels like Kaos and Antler Subway and the acid house scene in general.

What's your inspiration?

I love what I do. It allows me to get up in the morning.

What's your motivation for helping people out on forums?

Until the original Final Scratch was released, I had only ever posted in one forum (ArsTechnica), and I was there mostly because I was into the overclocking and mod scene. When I bought the first Final Scratch, there were some issues I was able to resolve because of my background in audio (ground loop issues). Everything just kind of went from there. After that, I regularly participated in several forums and created my own website, which is dedicated mostly to helping resolve common DJ issues. DJing has been a source of pleasure for me for going on 20 years. I like having a way to give back to the community.

What's your favorite piece of gear and why? What gear do you use?

With all the digital stuff I use, my favorite piece of kit is still my turntables (Stanton T.120). I was on my 4th pair of 1200s when I had the opportunity to try the then beta version of the 120s and loved them. It's still my favorite physical interface to perform on. I'm a big fan of the bump buttons, and I love their torque. When I got my pair, the 1200 MD3s went into the closet.

The rest of my gear includes a Denon DN-x500 mixer, KP2, Numark D2 Director, Traktor Scratch, M-Audio Torq/Conectiv, Final Scratch 2, M-Audio Firewire 410, M-Audio Oxygen 49, Feena Electronics FMDJ9393SE, Behringer Nano, BBE and Aphex maximizers, PreSonus FaderPort, Stanton CD decks, KRK monitors (ST6s and Rokit5s), various computers, and other miscellaneous stuff.

What are your favorite sources for gear-related information?

Nowadays, my favorite sources for info are industry professionals. I keep in touch with people ranging from product managers to salespeople at a number of retail outlets. I also keep an eye on Google Patent Search and read various periodicals (Remix, Mix, EM).

What's the best music related advice you've ever given?

Know your equipment. Take time to learn how the equipment around you works. Learn how to work in different environments. If you understand the underlying dynamics of equipment, you'll be at home no matter what the manufacturer.

What's the best music related advice you've ever received?

KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT! No kidding. I had a recording engineering teacher that would get in and do something nasty like half-patch a point on your patchbay, then you had to come in and find the problem in a certain amount of time. If you understand HOW things work, you can get your head around those issues and fix them quickly.

What's the best and worst thing about being a musician?

I don't know if I'd consider myself a musician - more I'm the guy that lets OTHER PEOPLE be musicians. That said, I love performing and being in front of a crowd. I was always the DJ that would stay in the dark DJ booth and get off on the dancefloor reactions. DJing is still my favorite thing to do.

The worst thing? Well, it used to be hauling all those records and equipment in and out of venues. I had a folding handtruck and everything. Those days are over pretty much with the advent of digital DJing, but on my day job I still am required to put up and take down heavy equipment, install speakers in a grid, etc. Standing on a cherry picker three stories up holding a speaker cabinet or 100' coil of speakon above your head sucks.

What is the best and worst thing about online forums?

Best thing is free answers to your questions. I love the idea that so many people offer their time to others online without compensation. Google can pretty much answer any question you have now because people have taken the time to make information accessible (many times in online forums).

Worst thing is the noise. Whether intended or unintentional, it's often hard to find those answers. The noise is sometimes so bad that people give up before they get a question answered.

What music-related topic do you think is most neglected on forums?

Music Business. Answers to questions regarding topics from fair use and intellectual property to contract law are often full of inaccuracies or outright falsehoods and urban myths. People who have trusted online sources before (and indeed gotten good answers to past questions) can find themselves trusting an urban myth and end up in legal hurt. This is especially important in the digital age, where laws are bent and rules are changed regularly.

What are the 5 forum posts/threads where you are most proud of your contributions? (Give actual URLs)

I compiled a list of tweaks from a number of sources that could be applied to Windows XP in order to help with DVS performance. While the Stanton forums are no longer online, that post has propagated to MANY other forums and websites, including most of the DVS forums. You can still find it at places like Windows XP optimizations for Scratch LIVE

Related to the XP Tweaks threads, I wrote a step by step guide on how to use a batch file to control services on an XP system.

• Easy Way to Temporarily Stop XP Services
• Stop Windows services easily with batch files

I've participated in an ongoing thread about DJing on ArsTechnica since 2002. It's helped many young DJs answer questions. The community there is great, and it's a joy to post there.

• DJing?

I've posted extensive information about 2 new DVS systems (Torq and Traktor Scratch) right after they went retail. I got a great reaction to those threads and helped alot of people learn the pros and cons of the systems. Although I posted several threads on multiple forums regarding these releases, I like posting this stuff in the SSL forums the best because it's a competing product with an avid user base and they keep me honest. Alot of the tests I performed were at the request of SSL forum users.

TORQ-

• M-Audio Torq is now on shelves.
• Torq

TRAKTOR SCRATCH-

• Traktor Scratch! Blowing SSL out of the water.
• Traktor Scratch user review online

Anything else you would like voters to know? Any interesting music related stories?

Just that my helping people through my website and the forums has inspired me to try and change careers and find myself a place to work in the DJ products industry. It would be amazing if I could once again make some aspect of DJing a full time career again!