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Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How are you different from other DJ/MC/production sites? – One of our key differences is that we exist in the "real world" as well as the virtual. We are not going to simply provide a space on the web for artists to upload their demos, or just give one-off prizes from running the odd competition here and there, we will be establishing regular nights where DJs and MCs can get some real experience and producers can hear their tunes played out on club systems. Also, the website is completely free to use i.e. free to submit and listen to demos with unlimited bandwidth on demos that are posted on the site.


  2. How do I submit a demo? – Firstly you need to register with the hiddenabilities.co.uk website. Once registration is complete, log into your account and go to the upload page to submit your demo electronically. Note that your mix will not be posted on the site if a full tracklist is not included.


  3. In what format should I submit my demo? – You should submit your demo, whether it be DJ mix, MC demo or a track in MP3 format (CD if sending through the post). Please use a sample rate of 44.1kHz with a bitrate of 192 kbit/s for DJ mixes/MC demos and 320kbit/s for producer tracks when converting audio to MP3 to ensure good sound quality (particularly for producer tracks, which may well be played on a club sound system at our nights!). Also, please limit each demo to 60 minutes.


  4. How do I convert my .wav file or CD to mp3? – There are a number of free programs out there that you can use for this purpose e.g. dbPowerAmp (Windows), MediaCoder (Windows), Wimpy Audio Encoder (Windows), LameBrain (Mac) or iTunes (Mac, Windows). You will need to choose a provider and then see the individual instructions on how to specifically convert audio files to MP3. Please note that the above programs are provided purely for your information only, we are not responsible for software provided by third parties and are not specifically recommending any of the above suppliers.


  5. Why is my upload speed sometimes slow? – Unfortunately, Internet Service Providers limit upload speed when compared to browsing/download speed, that is why uploading is slow. You should be able to upload at a speed of around 1.5MB per minute. So, if you are a DJ submitting a 60 minute mix to the site, it will take around 40 minutes to upload, a 30 minute demo will take 20 minutes to upload etc. Anyway, it’s still much faster than physically posting the demo (which we still give you the option to do)! For producers, in practice it should only take around three or four minutes to upload one track. At hiddenabilities.co.uk we recognise that it's important to know just how long a file is going to take to upload so we have developed a way of accurately tracking how long is left on a download, so you know where you stand. Also, if you are uploading a large file we recommend you do this on your personal connection at home (if you have one!) as internet servers at your workplace will likely be busy with lots of other stuff, so you'll probably find it's likely to be much slower.


  6. How can I get to perform at one of the hiddenabilities.co.uk club nights? – This one is all down to you really. If you submit worthy demos then you will have a great chance to play at one of our events. It really is that simple! Around five or six DJs and MCs (genre dependent) will get to play at our regular club nights, so there will be plenty of opportunities.


  7. I'm a promoter/venue and would like to book one of the artists on the site, how do I do it? – Please send an e-mail to bookings@hiddenabilities.co.uk with details of the event you're holding and which DJ or MC you're interested in booking for the desired time slot.


  8. I see you have RSS feeds on your site, what are they and how can I use them? – RSS feeds are a tool that allows you to keep up-to-date with content that is posted on the site. All you need to do is get yourself an RSS reader (i.e. Google Reader, newsgator, bloglines) and either click on one of the RSS buttons you see on the site for a one-click-does-all approach, or you can simply enter the RSS feed (e.g. http://www.hiddenabilities.co.uk/rss/rssdjmixes.xml) directly into your reader and subscribe that way. Either way, subscribing to a hiddenabilities.co.uk RSS feed will allow you to know when any content is updated on the site (i.e. new demos added, news stories etc) so you can always be up-to-date!


  9. I have other questions that you haven’t been covered in this section, how can I contact you for more answers?! – Please visit the contact us page to find the appropriate e-mail address for your question.