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-- the "what i learned today" thread
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the "what i learned today" thread

well i know theres alot of info for basic techniques and broad ideas but how about the more specific ones? i learn something or notice something new every day so perhaps we can start a thread about the more obscure things having to do with djing in general.. i guess ill start


today i was mixing and i realized that i really need to learn how to adjust pitch using the pitch slider instead of physicially touching any part of the record or platter that is spinnig. here is what i noticed: when i touch the platter the turntable fights it with force...thats the nature of magnetics... it induces an opposite force when you put a force on it. so while that makes a strong motor like techs better for starting etc...if you touch the platter it will fight back so the force isnt steady. that means when i slow it down very very slightly, the turntable will put it back to where it was. so eventaully i keep slowing it down, adjusting, slowing, adjusting until i think its matched up but actually, i overshot the right pitch point so then its even slower and my beats start drifting.

also... i realized that there is threashold point where the static friction of the slipmat stops holding the record to the platter. that means that when its going and im slowing it down, and i pass the threashold then the record will start slipping alot faster since kinetic friction is smaller than static friciton... so with the same force that im trying to apply to the record to slow it down at a costant rate, if i pass the threashold of static friction then the slipmat doesnt hold the platter anymore and then the record slows down a whole lot. so my beats are way off now and i have to bring it back to speed. that happeend to me a few times today too.

so you dont touch the platter at all? i usually touch it to get the beats in sync,then i use the pitch slider moving it up (or down) then if beat gets screwed up again, i fix it using platter,then move it up again (or down) depending how badly i had to fix it


is there a more efficient way ?

well its just that when i touch the platter trying to make extremely fine adjustments the turntable seems to be fighting me so... i need to learn to make adjustments by riding the pitch instead

great idea!

yeah, riding the pitch is far superior in terms of sound quality, you won't hear it as much. i use a combination of both, i'm trying to stay away from touching the platter at all, especially when the deck is playing live. It's ok to do it in the headphones.

Thing is, i am afraid to move the pitch to adjust when it's really, then move it back, because it never seems to be just the right spot again, and i have to keep riding the sucker, taking my hands and concentration off of the faders and EQs.


anyway, here's my tip, i didn't learn it today, but it's a good one for saving your needles (on technics tables anyway).

if you are having a friend over to mix who hasn't done it much (or even if you are just clumsy, like i am), then sometimes they will drop the needle on the pitch dots by accident, which is really bad for the needle. most needles are designed not to break when you do this but still, it can't be good for it.

what you can do is use the little lever that raises the needle to catch it. what you do is put the lever up just a bit above the record, then put it outside the 12" of the record, above where it would drop on the pitch dots. now, get eye level with your decks, and slowly move it down (don't have the platter spinning) to where the tip of the needle is below the record level (somewhere within the slipmatt) and then stop, and move it up a bit to get the tension right (anyone who's tuned a guitar will know what i mean)

Now, if you (or your wannabe DJ friend) drops the needle, you have a saftey net to make sure you don't wreck them!

If i do this, and put on a few shitty records i don't care about, then i really don't mind letting people play with my decks.

yeah i did that to one of my tables but since i use the lever to lift the needle [i started doing this since i started becuase it was smoother than my fingers at the time] whenever i dont think abotu it and lift the lever out of habit... the needle goes really high lol...so wheni put it back down it takes like forever hehe : P

whoa, you use the lever to raise and lower the needle all the time?

lol yeah bad habit...keep in mind i started mixing from not knowing anything and i didnt know about tranceaddict or antyhing related to online forums until like...3 months after i started mixing. also i didnt have any friends who djed so yeah lol...lots of bad habits that im trying to rid myself of

nah, i wouldn't say using the lever is that bad of a habit. it's probably better for your records and needles. it's just not as fast is all.

wait, wait . . . I haven't been mixing for a really long time, but I use the lever constantly-you have a much better chance of not dropping/scratching the needle across the vinyl . . . I don't think it takes much longer . . are you telling me that I'm like the only one who uses it this much?? Is there any reason I shoudn't?

quote:

also... i realized that there is threashold point where the static friction of the slipmat stops holding the record to the platter. that means that when its going and im slowing it down, and i pass the threashold then the record will start slipping alot faster since kinetic friction is smaller than static friciton... so with the same force that im trying to apply to the record to slow it down at a costant rate, if i pass the threashold of static friction then the slipmat doesnt hold the platter anymore and then the record slows down a whole lot. so my beats are way off now and i have to bring it back to speed. that happeend to me a few times today too.

Im speachless

In a perfect world you wouldnt have to touch the platter
during a mix, If you do it during a melody you will
get that sluring sound.

So i try to use a combination of slowing it down by the
pitch and sometimes touching the platter.

lets say you slow down a record briefly with your finger
somtimes if your decks have a crappy torque, the platter
would slow down to the speed you wanted it to, but then
speed up very quickly, which throws your beats out of synch

I never touch the platter except for putting the beats in sync when I throw the incoming track. I pitch-ride for beatmatching and I correct live using only the pitch as well. I think it's the better way 'cos you don't have that weird sound, you hear the beat really catching up so that you don't have the problem of adjusting too much or something. With time and practice I think you'll even find it easier than using the platter (I did!).
Cheers!

well I've learned something the last few days....it doesn't have that much with the spinning to do, more of a "treat your gear right"...

well anyways, I was moving close to my table and by accident hit the tonearm so it went out over my slipmat....BAD THING....VERY BAD THING...the nedle got stuck in the slipmat and broke...and of course geting a needle for a Numark groovetool seems impossible here in sweden....so ALWAYS remember to put the raise-lever fully up and ALWAYS lock up the tonearm when your'e not using the TT...believe me, you will regrett not doing any of theese two the day you do the same thing as me

quote:

Originally posted by Vizay well I've learned something the last few days....it doesn't have that much with the spinning to do, more of a "treat your gear right"... well anyways, I was moving close to my table and by accident hit the tonearm so it went out over my slipmat....BAD THING....VERY BAD THING...the nedle got stuck in the slipmat and broke...and of course geting a needle for a Numark groovetool seems impossible here in sweden....so ALWAYS remember to put the raise-lever fully up and ALWAYS lock up the tonearm when your'e not using the TT...believe me, you will regrett not doing any of theese two the day you do the same thing as me

Schoolboy error Surely u have rigid deck covers that you put on ur decks when ur not using em

quote:

Originally posted by sykadelik Surely u have rigid deck covers that you put on ur decks when ur not using em

There are several decks that don't have covers, the stanton st-90 for example

Re: the "what i learned today" thread

quote:

Originally posted by DjJade well i know theres alot of info for basic techniques and broad ideas but how about the more specific ones? i learn something or notice something new every day so perhaps we can start a thread about the more obscure things having to do with djing in general.. i guess ill start today i was mixing and i realized that i really need to learn how to adjust pitch using the pitch slider instead of physicially touching any part of the record or platter that is spinnig. here is what i noticed: when i touch the platter the turntable fights it with force...thats the nature of magnetics... it induces an opposite force when you put a force on it. so while that makes a strong motor like techs better for starting etc...if you touch the platter it will fight back so the force isnt steady. that means when i slow it down very very slightly, the turntable will put it back to where it was. so eventaully i keep slowing it down, adjusting, slowing, adjusting until i think its matched up but actually, i overshot the right pitch point so then its even slower and my beats start drifting. also... i realized that there is threashold point where the static friction of the slipmat stops holding the record to the platter. that means that when its going and im slowing it down, and i pass the threashold then the record will start slipping alot faster since kinetic friction is smaller than static friciton... so with the same force that im trying to apply to the record to slow it down at a costant rate, if i pass the threashold of static friction then the slipmat doesnt hold the platter anymore and then the record slows down a whole lot. so my beats are way off now and i have to bring it back to speed. that happeend to me a few times today too.

DjJade,
I understand your concern, but I believe you are looking into this a bit too far. I completely understand 99% of everything you mentioned above... Actually, I used to do the same thing when i first started. Eventually, i realized to stop getting so technical and just feel it and go with the flow as weird as that sounds.
I would suggest to continue practicing, though it may be frustrating not having that pitch riding technique mastered. Unfortunately, its not something that is learned quickly for most ppl. However, when its learned, its like instinct and you dont think about it, you just do it. It will be like one of those things where your like "i understand the matrix".... if you know what i mean.

yeah i am starting to ride the pitch more...eventually ill be doing that all the time

i know i was getting technical and i know what you mean by the feeling but for me... i personally think of everything very technically and physically as well as ... feeling it beucase i think it enables me to understand it in a different way..so i was just sharing : )

quote:

Originally posted by DjJade yeah i am starting to ride the pitch more...eventually ill be doing that all the time i know i was getting technical and i know what you mean by the feeling but for me... i personally think of everything very technically and physically as well as ... feeling it beucase i think it enables me to understand it in a different way..so i was just sharing : )

Thats cool. Nothing wrong with the explanation, because I tend to get technical on how things work as well.. for some reason i like knowing and getting answers from little things or things that bother me. It always seems like little things like what you mentioned above are never really discussed for one reason or another, though they do exist.

quote:

Originally posted by Nabistai There are several decks that don't have covers, the stanton st-90 for example

Numark TT1650 (yeah I know...don't laugh now ) doesn't have it either (don't think any of numarks TT's has it)

the TT doesnt from what im aware. i herd that numark are bringing out a cover for it tho.

i have a few g&d remixes...anyone notice that all the basslines are almost exactly the same? dont get me wrong i love my mindcircus and southern sun and intuition remixes but wheni really listened to them the basslines are exactly the same...

just a though anyone else notice this about other djs or producers?

yeah, producers tend to use the same sounds in their tracks i notice. it's not neccesarily a bad thing, it makes them easy to mix anyway.

PVD uses the same kick drum in a lot of his tracks for example.

it's when the songs start to sound the same, in melody and structure (like dumonde for example, i know i am gonna get flamed for that one) that i get bored.

try PPK - Reload and PPK - Resurrection . . . they might as well be the two parts of the same song

yeah, there are a list of producers that use same or similar elements in different tracks.
Most noticeable to me is Paul Van Dyk.. usual bassline, kick drum and high clap/clash or whatever.
Then you got like Oliver Lieb, Katana, and others

yeah about the g&d... i was trying to make a mix and i wasnt really paying atention to what the songs were called or who made them but yeah i realized that i played 3g&d tracks in a row... at first when i realized i was like "bah thats cheating"

but then i had to concider that i didnt even notice...ofcorce i was out of it at the time but anyway...

keep this thread going peoples!

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