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Programming your tracks

Here is a question that comes of much debate. I would like to see how many of you program or mark your records, and to what extent. Here is my view on it...

I purchase usually 20+ vinyls a month. With so much music memorizing BPM's, Intros, and Outros is impossible for 99.9% of people in this world. In addition to knowing the path of the music, what key it is in etc. etc. So yes, I do 'program' my music by BPMing it and counting the intro's and outro's. Some would say that this is cheating or compromising the artistry of DJing. I think this is wrong. I feel that by doing this I am only adding to my ability to program a great set, which to me is the most important thing. By programming a record I have to spend less time with the finer details, like beat matching or pre-cueing a track. I can do more creative things like throw down accapellas a little longer or do other tricks I have up my sleeve.

My question is this, do you feel that programming a record (and by programming I mean labeling it with whatever information you choose, BPM, RPM, intro', etc.) is a positive thing or not? Second, if you do program, how far do you take it. Feel free not to answer the second part if you feel you are revealing any of your 'secrets'

Your response will be appreciated.

Coop

I never have tried to label records with bpm, seems pointless, why rely on calculations etc when you could just use your ear?

Just seems like it would be a lot of extra effort.

I receive roughly the same amount of vinyls per month as you do, but I don't do anything like writing down the BPM or key or anything. I tend to listen to my vinyls any chance I get so that I get to know the song inside and out -- in my opinion this is the key (no pun intended) to memorizing the finer details of the song like its relative speed, the key, and so on.

I can only do this for the songs I know well, though...when digging through my vinyls to pick the next song in a mix, I can usually think about the harmonics of whatever it is I'm going through and remember kind of how it goes, how it builds up, etc...and from knowing the song itself I can remember its relative speed.

Don't let a number (BPM) dictate whether or not to use it -- instead, go on the mood of the song, the harmonics, the relative speed of it in relation to what you're currently playing...also, pick your tunes on-the-fly. It makes things a bit more dynamic and a little more fun All in all, just get to know the songs well and you won't have any problem remembering all those details. Granted, you won't be able to remember that a given song is 133.75 BPM, but you'll have a general idea.

Good luck

i dont think there is anything wrong with it.. its really up to you. carl cox does it sometimes and so does other famous DJ's... hey, if it makes you a better DJ, then do it... if it doesnt help, then why bother.

sometimes i write the rpm on the label but thats about it. i listen to my records and cds and play around mixing different songs and what not, to get an idea of what goes good with what and their relative speed etc.

back in the day i would write the bpms down on my cds but the more i practiced the more i realized that the mood or style of the song was way more important than the bpm. so i stopped.

I mark my records with sticker labels. I mark the earliest cue point that I repetitively use when I start the record from. (That way I when I am off the TT's I can create sets in my head cuz it helps me remember how many bars till the records has the intro breakdown.)

I sometimes write down the BPM so that I know which records I can mix and match within the sets im am creating in my head. (i remember stuff visually, so when I write the BPM down on the record, I remember seeing the record with the BPM written down in my head, and that helps me to beatch match under 10 secs.)

I dont think its a bad idea to do the pre-preparation of your music. it gives you that edge.

Any body can mark their records if they want. I dont think its cheating, i actually think its smarter. Especially for Live mixing situations... Whatever preparation you do that makes you better at DJ'ing sounds clever to me. not cheating....

I don't like marking or writing on my records because to me, it takes the fun out of DJing. I can understand the point of doing that when you are recording a set. But I am sure if I were to burn a set I'd know the tracks pretty well to know when to mix in and out of them.

There's no wrong or right way. As long as it works for you, do it.

I've never marked any of my vinyls, I mean, the beatmatching takes like two seconds anyway, and you get time enough to listen to the two tracks to see how they fit before you do the transition. Of course I do agree that it would be convenient to mark the record with key/bpm but ultimately I think it's way more fun not to.

Being able to build a set on the fly is a skill not many DJs posses, in a personal view i'd never mark my vinyls with anything, as i consider one of my main skills to be able to judge the track i'm playing and fit a track instantly to it.

It's something that sets apart a good DJ from a great DJ, in my opinion.

I know a lot of DJs, some mark their records but most of them don't. I can tell you now that the ones who mark their records with key are a damn site better than the ones who don't in terms of set building (even on the fly).

I key all of my records. Writing the key of the record is only useful if you know how to use it though. But I am definately for anything that makes people get into their music more and even understand it better.

You will probably find that in time you wont need to write the BPM on your records as after a while you get a feel for the difference between your tracks. I have found myself categorizing them subconciously according to how they work in relation to each others BPMs.

To become a good DJ you do have to put in a bit of theory work. Besides, all of the top DJs are also producers and you have to admit that musical knowledge helps.
Someone once posted that they thought harmonic mixing was mixing by numbers and it made DJing something anyone could do. That's partly true but only in the numbers sense. Music is both systematic and mathematical.
Think of it like this, you have a finite number of records in your box. You can only play one of them after the track that is currently playing. Some DJs will say that you should feel the track that's right and most people will have an inclination as to what they want to play. Ask yourself this though, 'what makes a track right in the first place'? In most cases it is actually the key of the track. Naturally the style has to be appropriate but that should be a forgone conclusion.
With that in mind, why not know every record in your box that's compatible? It gives you more choice and will teach you a thing or two.

Along time ago I used to write the amount of bars in the intro and outro but I find that I can remember all of them now. Just takes a bit of practice. Also if you mix harmonically that becomes less important as you don't get key clashes.

Remember, DJing is about making people dance and not how you made them do it. Ok so a gun would work, but that would be taking the fun out of it... at least for them.

Just my two Euros worth.

Cheers
Nem

i didnt use to key or bpm all my records and to be honest, i thought that people who did were ruining it for themselves and making it too technical and programmed.

then i read up on teh camelot program and it seemed to take mixing to the next level. after that i keyed all my tunes and did the bpm....mixing is now much less frustrating and more fun

main reason why? no trial and error, you know beforehand if it will sound good or not. the bpm isn't that big a deal....as most djs after a few months practice can judge that well by ear ...key on the other hand, takes longer to learn.

writing down intro/outro is interesting, ive thought about it, but honestly i cant be bothered :P i just do it by looking at the vinyl. and this is probably one case where you should really know the records. usually when i get a new tune and am mixing it, my mixing in 'phase' isnt that tight. but the more i play it, the more familiar i get with the breakdowns, etc.

i think more and more djs these days are keying and bpming to get that extra edge...

I don't bother programming my records. I get to know my tunes, I listen to them often, I learn how they go by heart. (and i have a good memory ) Every mix I do is played by ear. But, like others said, if programming works for you, then go ahead and do it. For me, it's more fun taking it a new way each time but to each his own.

DJing is a personal thing, so whatever works for you, shoot for it. Personally, I never like to write anything down or memorize any numbers...even after Nemesis and Montie and everybody else taught me a whole new aspect of DJing(harmonics, keys etc...), I never bothered writing the keys down or BPMs. I try and have the most clear cut, pure connection with the music based on it's sound and mood, so I can mix with emotion rather than numbers. Sounds kinda cheeky, but it's made me about 4728974x better than I was before, not to mention beatmatching and other "technical" skills are like 2nd nature.
Even though your method is really deep in terms of the intro.outro thing, BPMs and keys, always remember that those are just that: numbers. Mixing is about what YOU need to do to get the feel YOU want. Granted, like Nemesis said, DJing requires a bit of musical theory and quantitative approaches(i.e keys and the feel of a mix can be dicated by a scale of numbers, some argue.), the most important thing not to forget or let go is your own interpretation of your music.
Hope this helps. I don't mean to sound like a fucking motivational speaker, but I find that people who aren't"tainted" buy the commercial and mass appeal aspect of music are the ones who stick with the basics and nothing more...something that I advocate in every aspect of whatever I do.

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