Rides : How To Impress Her With Your Car, As Told By Jordana Brewster

If you think that pulling up in her driveway in a vintage '70s Maserati will be enough to win her over, then you’ve got a lot to learn about what women find impressive about men and their machines. In fact, it’s not so much about the car you drive, but how you drive the car, that matters to the opposite sex. AskMen talked to Jordana Brewster, star of Fast Five, the latest installment from The Fast and the Furious series, available October 4th on Blu-ray, about what women think are the biggest turn-ons and the biggest turn-offs when it comes to men and their cars.

No.5 You'll get the most mileage out of your manners

It’s pretty common-sense to make the effort to get out of your car and make the short walk to her door when picking a woman up for a date, but good manners don’t end there. Just because automatic unlock exists that doesn’t make the gesture of opening the car door for her any less significant. And if you really want to impress her, continue your display of chivalry on the way back to the car after dinner.

As Brewster says, “I can always tell a gentleman when, walking toward the car, they’re on the side of the street. It’s so old-school, and that’s pretty important.”

 

No.4 Women like a little speed

Even in driving school, they teach you that it’s actually safer to go with the flow than follow the speed limit. Keeping that in mind, it’s OK to show a woman a little of what your car can do without going overboard. If she’s holding onto her seat belt like she’s dangling from a helicopter then you’ve gone too far; if she relaxes her arm on the window and seems to like the wind in her hair then she’s enjoying the adrenaline rush as much as you.

“If it’s done with confidence, speed can be pretty hot,” says Brewster. “I appreciate speed because of my involvement with The Fast and the Furious."

No.3 Suppress your road rage at all costs

Sure, it’s embarrassing to be cut off by another dude, but you’re not really defending your date's honor or restoring your manhood when you’re screaming through soundproof glass and honking your horn. Most women are looking for a man who’s level-headed, so think of any mishaps with jerks on the road as an opportunity to show your date just how cool and collected you can be. Nothing’s more attractive to a woman than a man who makes the other guys around him look like uncivilized meatheads. 

“Raging on someone is not a good thing,” explains Brewster. “It tells me that they’ve got some unresolved issues. Also, backseat driving – if I’m driving and you tell me what to do, that’s not OK."

No.2 Every guy should drive stick

Just because you can’t afford a nice car doesn’t mean you can’t impress her with the type of car you drive. Driving stick is ALWAYS hotter than driving automatic. It shows her that you’re the kind of guy who is not easily distracted, and that you’re capable of doing more than one thing at a time, presuming you’re also engaging her in witty conversation.

“I think driving automatic is pretty easy, but when you drive stick, there’s so much to do,” says Brewster. “When someone makes it seem seamless, it’s pretty hot.”

…but if you can afford a nice car, a woman will always be impressed by a classic, no matter how much or how little she knows about cars.

"I drive a Ranger Rover, and I love that car," says Brewster. "I also love the Aston Martin. It’s so sleek and beautiful, same thing with the Maserati -- I love the lines on it; it’s sleek and sporty without being cheesy. I really like classic James Bond-esque cars."

 

No.1 Don't go to the garage or the gas station for things every guy should know how to do

There are certain luxuries in life that every guy should indulge in: going to the barber for a shave, for instance. But paying the extra few bucks to have a high school kid pump your gas for you isn't one of them, ditto for changing your oil. There are certain things men should just know how to do, and they should take pride in doing them. Women are impressed by a man who, even at a very basic level, understands the machine he's driving.

"[Every guy should know how] to change a tire. And when a red light comes on, he should know what that red light is and what to do without going straight to the garage," insists Brewster. "And if the car’s overheating – and this is something Paul Walker did in Brazil that was so impressive – the car broke down and there was smoke coming out and the engine was in the front. He knew exactly what to do, and where to pour the water. That I thought was pretty cool."

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Video : How To Be a DJ

DJ Tech : Exercise Your Name: How To Make A DJ Drop

If you are reading this, chances are you are a practicing DJ or controllerist, and aspire to perfect your craft every day. Heck, even the pros are trying to get better every day. So here’s an easy-to-make weapon for your dj tool-box that will help you stand out from other performers: Great Dj Name Drops.

Name drops can vary wildly from cheese ball ” SUPER STAR DJ MAGNUS IS THE MIX TONIGHT!” to more tasteful varieties. The core idea is regularly branding the night with your own personal touch and letting people know (live or in a mix tape) who is behind the decks. It’s usually best to keep it simple, however you can get creative and make something funny, witty, or impressive using FX, pitch adjustments, and phrasing.

LET’S MAKE ONE!

NAME DROP OPTION 1 (ROBOT) - Use the built in ‘Text-to-Speech’ function built into both PCs and Macs for a retro robot sound. In PCs, it’s Microsoft Sam. For Macs, it’s Alice (plus a few other optional voices).

For PCs:

• Go to your Start bar, and click ‘Settings’, then ‘Control Panel’.
• Next, click ‘Speech’.
• In this window, you will be able to type in whatever name drop you would like MS Sam to say.
• Record Sam saying your name drop with a sampler, DAW, or other recording device.

For Macs:

• Go to ‘System Preferences’ under the Apple icon and click ‘Speech’.
• Check the “Speak selected text when the key is pressed”, and click the ‘Set Key’ option. Click ‘OK’.
• Type your desired name drop into any text editor, and when you press your designated key combo- you will hear Alice read it aloud.
• Record Alice saying your name drop with a sampler, DAW, or other recording device.

With your favorite DAW, record your voice saying your DJ name drop, or, you can import your already recorded ‘Text-to-Speech’ sound clip for further processing. If your going to record the drop using a MIC, be sure to use a large diaphragm condenser so it picks up the full range of your voice including the essential low end.

• Tip- For a low-fi, compressed sound, the built in mic on a MAC can sound good with enough processing.

SWEETEN’R UP LIKE A PRO

I like to add FX to the vocal to really make it sound cool. Most DAWs will have the basic plug-ins, but 3rd party VSTs will give you a professional punch and sound. It’s important to keep in mind that you want your drop to sound special, but too many FX can drown out the words and make them unintelligible. Think of it like a cake- you wouldn’t want ALL frosting, would you?

Try adding:

• Pitch adjustment: Up or down, to make the vocal sound like a chipmunk or a giant.
• Reverb: Normally, a little goes a long way, but with DJ drops you can get pretty generous. Just be sure you can still understand what is being said.
• Delay: Pretty much an essential to name drops, as it will make your vocal blend into the music being played and not sound so dry.
• Chorus: Makes your drop sound robust and wide.
• Panning: Get your name to move left and right. Just keep in mind that many clubs run their sound systems in mono, which can make your drop cut out if you are only using the left or right channel.
• Compression: This one is very important. You can make the freshest name drop ever, however if it isn’t compressed on the way out, it’ll sink in your mix! In a few words, compression will raise the quiet parts of the vocal to the same percieved volume as the loud parts- making the small nuances in the vocal audible. You can read more on it here: Compress With The Best- A How-To

After getting everything recorded and sounding saucy, make sure to throw a limiter on the master output of your DAW. Although understanding limiters can be a bit daunting at times, just adjust the threshold/input to where you’re seeing some gain reduction, and bring the output down to around -0.3db.

A handy trick is to play a popular mastered track, and match your vocal so that it sounds equally as loud. You don’t want your name drop to get lost in the mix!

Examples:

• PC/Mac synthesized voice: djscratchmyass
• Recorded voice with DAW: DjScottBrio Name Drop

SO I’VE GOT A NAME DROP… NOW WHAT?

Now that you have your personal calling card, you can do a number of things with it.

• Add a cue point to the beginning and load it into an extra deck in Traktor for quick access through the night.
• Drop your name drops and samples in Serato’s sampler.
• To really get creative drop cue points on each word or even syllables so you can cut up and re-arrange the drop, controllerist style.
• Some Djs will load up their name drops and a rack of standard samples (like the classic airhorn) on a hardware sampler like the Roland SP-404
• Having the samples in hardware form means zero latency, dedicated interface and dedicated effects without the complication of 3 or more decks.

Want more on this subject? There are lots of great suggestions in the DJTT forum thread found here:

“How do you setup vocal shots/DJ tools?”

Future Or Current Promoters - This is a MUST READ! - Craig Mills

1. YOU NEED TO FILL A GAP – Hopefully you’re an avid clubber. You know already which clubs and DJs you like. And the fact that you’ve decided to put on your own night probably means that you have a good idea as to what you would change about your favourite club nights. This is your starting point. What are the other local clubs doing wrong? Is it that:

• Their music policy is trendy but boring? – Then maybe you need a tongue-in-cheek night with a bit of attitude and energy
• They program their music badly, playing “bangers from start to finish”? Then maybe you should make a point of pacing things well, with good warm-up DJs, and obvious musical progression
• They have a bored guy hidden behind a rack-mounted CD player doing the same old tired mixes? Then maybe you need to show off what you do, by putting your equipment centre-stage and introducing improvised or live elements
• They have the same music in all rooms? Then maybe you need to have two different (but complementary) musical styles across the venue

What we’re looking for here is where you can stand out, as there’s no point trying to copy anyone else – why would people abandon your competition to start coming to your unproven night otherwise? Note also that what’s making you different is not necessarily something musical. Sure you’re going to play a certain style or styles. But it’s HOW you do it that’s going to make the difference.

2. YOU MUST BE CONSISTENT

This is more important than being musically “cutting edge”. Trends come and go. Sounds come and go. But if you can come up with a formula within which musical style is only one element, you now have something that is harder for others to copy and easier for you to repeat week in, week out.

So how do you achieve consistency? By following your formula once you have it, and by playing the music you’ve chosen as part of that week in, week out. That way everyone knows what they’re getting. It’s far better to overplay than underplay music. If your night is every week, then as a rule of thumb you want to be playing two-thirds the same tunes every time.

New music should fight to get into your playlist. Old music should only drop off when you’ve got something better to replace it with.

People are only coming to your club for a few hours a week, so they’re not going to get bored of what you play. Unlike you, they don’t spend the other 6 nights mixing those same tunes for fun/practice! You are going to get bored of music much quicker than your audience, so don’t chop and change to keep yourself amused – find your formula and your big tunes and stick to it, changing things deliberately and thoughtfully. All your DJs should be able to play out of the same “box” and deliver the same experience to your punters.

Having a consistent, reliable playlist and formula is also important for booking guest DJs, as you need to be sure that your music is going to be the same in 2, 3, or 6 months as it is now – otherwise how can you book guest who complement your sound?

One of the best ways to make sure you’re staying consistent is to have formal meetings about the music, every week. We used to like doing it actually in the club itself. Acknowledge the records, sounds and styles that worked and didn’t, and formalise your big tunes, your “keep trying” and your “not again” records.

It’s good to involve your club manager, too. Not only is this politically a good idea but it can be genuinely helpful. One manager I recall would say thing like “guys, it was a bit flat,” or “the girls all seemed to be moaning about the music this week,” (or sometimes, of course, “it rocked!”)

Often, his views as an outsider to the musical process were at odds to ours – comforting us or bringing us down to earth, but always useful. (It will also give you a chance to talk to him about other issues surrounding the club at the same time.)

3. BREAK YOUR OWN RULES EVERY NOW AND THEN

The beauty about doing the above is that when you choose to deliberately break that formula, to stop yourselves going stale or getting really bored, your fans will go with you on it.

One of the joys and challenges of running a club night, especially a weekly one, is programming your music over the months and years. There are nights in the year that beg for you to do something different – public holidays being a main one. There’s money to be made by putting special event on using these “extra” dates, and this is a good chance to spread your wings and try those styles you’ve been thinking about but that your formula won’t allow.

Classics nights, back-to-backs, DJ play-offs, and new sounds (my night, Tangled, used to do all of these, with nights like “Tangled goes Techno”, “Tangled Harder Faster”, “Tangled New Talent”, “Tangled Classics” and so on) allow you to experiment with new (or old) sounds and ideas, groom exciting young talent for future residencies, and generally try stuff out.

Even if you don’t use public holidays, you can use the end of the month to do an all-nighter with a different music policy, or have a classics night once a quarter, or whatever. Just keep your inconsistencies consistent, if you know what I mean, and make sure you don’t break things by straying too far from what you normally do!

SUMMING UP

I hope you agree that approaching your music policy professionally and not just letting your creativity dictate things is a worthwhile approach.

For instance, if you think of your event as a “dubstep night”, and dubstep dies, that’s it for you! But if you’ve done your homework and actually, you regard what you’re doing as a dress-down underground-leaning night that plays minimal warm-up music before letting rip with new fierce tunes at midnight, then changes again to play a full hour of big scene-stopping anthems at the very end – well that’s formula.

And while you may be executing that formula with predominantly dubstep when you launch your night, over the years you can morph into new styles while keeping the framework identical – and keeping a loyal audience who trust you to deliver the overall experience they’re used to.

Our nights ran for 13 years and we saw 4 or 5 generations of clubbers through our doors, and while our music policy changed fundamentally but gradually several times through that period, our formula didn’t. Find your formula and you’ve got a better chance of DJing every week in a successful club for as long as it makes you happy to do so. There are few better feelings.

NEXT TIME…

We’ve come a long way from just thinking about a club night – we’ve worked out who we’re going to run it with, how we’re going to keep the business side of it ship-shape, and planned out our music properly. Next time, we’ll figure out how to find the right venue. See you then!

This Was Taken from the Good Folks Over at DJTECHTOOLS