|
Best technique for mixing chill out/ambient/downtempo tracks
|
View this Thread in Original format
| Spirit5 |
Yesterday I had posted something about techniques for mixing chill out/ambient/downtempo tracks. I basically asked what is a good or "proper" way to mix these kinds of tracks, since some of them are beatless, and or are really slow and subtle. I'm used to mixing trance, with the 16/32/64 beats, where you bring in the next track. chill out/ambient/downtempo are quite different. Since there's no beat in some of these tracks, I just don't know where to bring in the next track. Is it by phrases? Some tracks are easier than others.
Another thing I've wondered about is mixing these kinds of tracks with trance or prog. I think prog might work a little better because it's at a lower bpm and some prog is more "ambient" then trance. I have used chill tracks in some trance sets, like to start it off, and then use a trance or prog track with a long "ambient" intro. I have also tried mixing in a chill out track at the end, by mixing it in at the breakdown of the trance track, and fading out of the breakdown in the actual track, or sometimes i've layed them ontop of each other, which works sometimes, depending on keys/harmonics of the tracks. I know Ferry mixed in some downtempo tracks in his "Infinite Euphoria" CD from two years ago (don't own it though), and Paul Oakenfold's famous "Perfect Presents Another World" had clips from the "Blade Runner" and some tunes from the group "Dead Can Dance", which both are not exactly dance music, they were pretty much beatless. I'm just wondering if it is okay and what is the best way, in someone's opinion, to mix trance/prog with chill stuff, and the best ways to mix just chill stuff together. Thanks. |
|
|
| placebo |
| quote: | Originally posted by Spirit5
Yesterday I had posted something about techniques for mixing chill out/ambient/downtempo tracks. I basically asked what is a good or "proper" way to mix these kinds of tracks, since some of them are beatless, and or are really slow and subtle. I'm used to mixing trance, with the 16/32/64 beats, where you bring in the next track. chill out/ambient/downtempo are quite different. Since there's no beat in some of these tracks, I just don't know where to bring in the next track. Is it by phrases? Some tracks are easier than others.
Another thing I've wondered about is mixing these kinds of tracks with trance or prog. I think prog might work a little better because it's at a lower bpm and some prog is more "ambient" then trance. I have used chill tracks in some trance sets, like to start it off, and then use a trance or prog track with a long "ambient" intro. I have also tried mixing in a chill out track at the end, by mixing it in at the breakdown of the trance track, and fading out of the breakdown in the actual track, or sometimes i've layed them ontop of each other, which works sometimes, depending on keys/harmonics of the tracks. I know Ferry mixed in some downtempo tracks in his "Infinite Euphoria" CD from two years ago (don't own it though), and Paul Oakenfold's famous "Perfect Presents Another World" had clips from the "Blade Runner" and some tunes from the group "Dead Can Dance", which both are not exactly dance music, they were pretty much beatless. I'm just wondering if it is okay and what is the best way, in someone's opinion, to mix trance/prog with chill stuff, and the best ways to mix just chill stuff together. Thanks. |
Mixing tracks with long outros/intros is probably your best bet, I doubt you could beatmatch an ~80bpm chillout track over a 130bpm trance track ;) You can beatmatch chillout tracks with each other, it just takes alot of practice, and you have to find tracks that just mix well into each other, in the same realm as mixing hiphop, but with chillout you get alot more breathing room becuase most of those songs have intros and outros.
And don't worry about rules...break them. That's how you develop your own style :) |
|
|
| Spirit5 |
| quote: | Originally posted by placebo
Mixing tracks with long outros/intros is probably your best bet, I doubt you could beatmatch an ~80bpm chillout track over a 130bpm trance track ;) You can beatmatch chillout tracks with each other, it just takes alot of practice, and you have to find tracks that just mix well into each other, in the same realm as mixing hiphop, but with chillout you get alot more breathing room becuase most of those songs have intros and outros.
And don't worry about rules...break them. That's how you develop your own style :) |
Yeah I'll stick to trying to do that, because I had noticed that there is a huge BPM difference between genres. But it would be cool to find a way to bridge the gap between them, downtempo trance, if there is stuff like that out there. Chicane used to do that, there's still some "chilled trance" stuff, I know Ljungvist just released two tracks called "Chicago" and "Perhaps Another Time" which fit this sub genre (even though it hasn't officially been established). I think Ulrich Schnauss comes close, his stuff isn't quite as slow as some downtempo or ambient music, but it's not quite up there with even prog stuff. I think his stuff is around 110 and 120 BPM, so about the same as some house music. So if I can find tracks like that, it would be cool to start to mix those together early on in a set, or later on somehow, to bring the energy down later in a set, after playing at say 130 on up.
Don't know how many DJs "bring down" the mix, instead of just building it up to a peak,which is fine, but I guess as an inspiring DJ (i still have a ways to go) I'de like to do this sometimes, be different. Perhaps some sets with just this kind of music if I'm playing in say a bar or a lounge, where there might not be a huge dancefloor and not everyone might want to dance, but just chill out. It would be cool to play "trance-like" stuff but "trance-like" stuff you can chill too, not just dance to, as some places aren't exactly huge dance clubs like Space. |
|
|
| placebo |
| quote: | Originally posted by Spirit5
Yeah I'll stick to trying to do that, because I had noticed that there is a huge BPM difference between genres. But it would be cool to find a way to bridge the gap between them, downtempo trance, if there is stuff like that out there. Chicane used to do that, there's still some "chilled trance" stuff, I know Ljungvist just released two tracks called "Chicago" and "Perhaps Another Time" which fit this sub genre (even though it hasn't officially been established). I think Ulrich Schnauss comes close, his stuff isn't quite as slow as some downtempo or ambient music, but it's not quite up there with even prog stuff. I think his stuff is around 110 and 120 BPM, so about the same as some house music. So if I can find tracks like that, it would be cool to start to mix those together early on in a set, or later on somehow, to bring the energy down later in a set, after playing at say 130 on up.
Don't know how many DJs "bring down" the mix, instead of just building it up to a peak,which is fine, but I guess as an inspiring DJ (i still have a ways to go) I'de like to do this sometimes, be different. Perhaps some sets with just this kind of music if I'm playing in say a bar or a lounge, where there might not be a huge dancefloor and not everyone might want to dance, but just chill out. It would be cool to play "trance-like" stuff but "trance-like" stuff you can chill too, not just dance to, as some places aren't exactly huge dance clubs like Space. |
Yeah, sometimes you can use tracks as bridges, lets say you have some prog track that has a good breakdown to where you could drop in a chillout track. That's what I usually do, just use some records as tools to mix into different stuff. |
|
|
| Spirit5 |
| quote: | Originally posted by placebo
Yeah, sometimes you can use tracks as bridges, lets say you have some prog track that has a good breakdown to where you could drop in a chillout track. That's what I usually do, just use some records as tools to mix into different stuff. |
Yeah i'll work on that. No records anymore, just WAV and MP3s, which is good because it's easier to find chill stuff digitally then on vinyl. I have a few ambient versions of trance tracks on vinyl though, but they are only a few minutes anyways (I sold my TTs for CDJs last summer). But I really like Ljungqvist & Lansberg's track "Perhaps Another Time", check it out on AudioJelly, it's definitely a good bridge track. I'm going to work on a mix next week and use it and see how it goes. Thanks for the input. :) |
|
|
| placebo |
| quote: | Originally posted by Spirit5
Yeah i'll work on that. No records anymore, just WAV and MP3s, which is good because it's easier to find chill stuff digitally then on vinyl. I have a few ambient versions of trance tracks on vinyl though, but they are only a few minutes anyways (I sold my TTs for CDJs last summer). But I really like Ljungqvist & Lansberg's track "Perhaps Another Time", check it out on AudioJelly, it's definitely a good bridge track. I'm going to work on a mix next week and use it and see how it goes. Thanks for the input. :) |
No prob dude, haha, I'm straight vinyl right now, I really need to invest in some CDJs ;D |
|
|
| PersianMafia |
could you match a 65bpm downtempo track with a 130bmp say prog breaks track, without touching the pitch and just aligning the beats to look like:
X - X - X - X (65bmp)
X X X X X X X (130bpm)
How would this sound? Anybody got samples of this? |
|
|
| Omega_Blue |
| quote: | Originally posted by PersianMafia
could you match a 65bpm downtempo track with a 130bmp say prog breaks track, without touching the pitch and just aligning the beats to look like:
X - X - X - X (65bmp)
X X X X X X X (130bpm)
How would this sound? Anybody got samples of this? |
that's about what i was gonna say. the only thing is, 65bpm is pretty in slow. check out danny howells ARC NYC 3-27-04 set. it's got a real slow bpm r&b track that he mixes in with a chillin house track in the above mentioned manner. it actually sounds really cool.. the house track's snare kinda mimics the offbeat of the r&b track much like an open hi-hat |
|
|
| Omega_Blue |
alright i just uploaded a sample of that howells set..
right click, "save as"
the first bit going from a higher bpm breaks track to a low bpm r&b style one.. and the second going from a different slower bpm track into a chilled housey-track. good stuff. howells is the man. |
|
|
| placebo |
| quote: | Originally posted by Omega_Blue
that's about what i was gonna say. the only thing is, 65bpm is pretty in slow. check out danny howells ARC NYC 3-27-04 set. it's got a real slow bpm r&b track that he mixes in with a chillin house track in the above mentioned manner. it actually sounds really cool.. the house track's snare kinda mimics the offbeat of the r&b track much like an open hi-hat |
I believe that is the same way some djs mix hiphop tracks out of dnb -- 180 bpm dnb track into a 90 bpm hiphop one |
|
|
| Basstard |
| wish i had the patience to try that. oh well i'll stick to trance ;) |
|
|
| PersianMafia |
| quote: | Originally posted by Omega_Blue
alright i just uploaded a sample of that howells set..
right click, "save as"
the first bit going from a higher bpm breaks track to a low bpm r&b style one.. and the second going from a different slower bpm track into a chilled housey-track. good stuff. howells is the man. |
Thanks! That sounds awsome. Sounds like a goood set too! |
|
|
|
|
