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Recording your promo mix...would this be wrong?

To use a computer mixing program to record a promo. This way it would be a completly flawless recording. when I actually do a gig I exclusivly use vinyl, but when I'm recording I always hear once or twice when the beats go very slightly out of sync and it's no longer a flawless mix. I'm a perfectionist, so this bothers me. what do you guys think

It would at least showcase your track selection to whomever is listening to it. That's a plus. My heart does not agree though. I think if you were to do anything like that, you should do this...

1. Play track 1 and mix in track 2. Do it till its perfect.

2. Mix into track 3. If you mess up, play track 2 again without touching the pitch faders. Mix track 3 again till perfect.

3. Use an audio editing program to splice track 2 at any given point and adjust your volumes so its unnoticable. It should sound perfect.

I know I might get flamed for this suggestion, but at least this way you can say you were truly mixing your tracks. It may take more time, but I think its a better approach. I used it when I made my first mix for myself. Anyone think this would be alright for a demo that would be handed to promoters?

It's not really a "demo" of your skills at that point...

just do it again.... how can you expect to get everything perfectly in one go? even if you mix a set and the beatmatching is perfect on the first try all the way through. how do you know, if you dont try a couple more times, what can make your mix better? trying other positions on the tracks you can mix it in, using different eq patterns, mixing in at the break, change the track order, etc. i ALWAYS try variations when i'm re-recording. also, i'd rather have the promoter judge me on what i can actually do, not wut i think i can do.

Oh yeah, I forgot. Whatever you decide to do...just make sure you can back it up.

Who cares.

Just do it on the computer if you feel like it. This right here is a debate that could go on forever so just follow your own instincts.

Many people insist that it should not be done, because your skills are not proven. Well any idiot can try and record a demo 50 times he's bound to get it right somehow; so it's not exactly skills 100%.

What's important is controling your flow when playing live and such. That; no matter what people tell you; cannot and never will be reproduced on a demo cd ( unless off course it's recorded in a club ).

I don't think recorded material and live gigs are the same world at all so working it differently; is somewhat ok.

As long as you don't record a perfect promo and then play the gig and trainwreck constantly you should be fine. It wouldn't surprise me that even big name DJs alter their promo mixs at least a bit.

just know that while you are using your "pro tools" to create that perfect mix, there is a dj out there that can do that on the wheels of steel.

feels shitty huh?

quote:

Originally posted by stupidisco just know that while you are using your "pro tools" to create that perfect mix, there is a dj out there that can do that on the wheels of steel. feels shitty huh?

I think technology should be viewed as another means of creativity not a way to cheat

Well, the reason I brought this up in the first place is because in another thread, the issue was brought up that you demo should be 100% flawless. this being the case, this would be one way to make a flawless demo cd. Now, I wouldn't believe in doing this if i couldn't back up my mixing. The problem I have is when I record my mixes and play them back in studio monitors I can hear the beats or snares go slightly off beat once in a while. however, in a club situation, you wouldn't even notice these things.

who told you that demos had to be 100% perfect? what a silly statement.

a demo is a showcase of your skills with spinning, not how great you are at splicing sound waves in a computer program.

yeah basically if they get a perfect demo they are gonna think 2 things:
1. you cheated or did something fake to make it perfect
2. you are a wonderful dj and they will expect you to spin perfect when you go live.

i never edit my mixes, or demos. i am also a perfectionist, i understand your problem. but i just am waiting for the day when i spin that perfect mix...

quote:

Originally posted by dknylady who told you that demos had to be 100% perfect? what a silly statement. a demo is a showcase of your skills with spinning, not how great you are at splicing sound waves in a computer program.

my best advice for you is to take it slow. you are not going to become a professional dj overnight. keep practicing until making a flawless demo is easy for you. then you will be able to show a producer, promoter, or just anyone who wants to hear you how good you really are.

if you're going to make a cd sound perfect to play for people, that is one thing. but boasting that you are much better than you really are is just plain senseless. you might as well take someone else's demo and put your name on it because it isn't a true representation of your skills. i've been spinning for two years and haven't taken any shortcuts. i've only made two mixes that i would call "demos", but i am proud of myself for being able to back up my work and call it my own.

pEy

at least once every couple of weeks i record my mix sessions straight from the mixer. I don't worry too much about editing aside from normalizing and triming the silence in the beginning and end. By recording alot of my practice sessions i can learn where i mess up and what needs to be done to correct it. I LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES!!! I DON'T USE SOME OTHER METHOD TO MAGICALLY FIX MY FLAWS! This will help you progress alot on programing, beat matching, fading, eq's, effects, levels, and counting measures, and so forth. It will most likely take a long time to learn how to fix mistakes, but, by having the ability to study your work from another point of view you can truly improve your skills as a dj and to produce that promo mix that will propel your confidence and skill.

quote:

Originally posted by JRB Well, the reason I brought this up in the first place is because in another thread, the issue was brought up that you demo should be 100% flawless. this being the case, this would be one way to make a flawless demo cd. Now, I wouldn't believe in doing this if i couldn't back up my mixing. The problem I have is when I record my mixes and play them back in studio monitors I can hear the beats or snares go slightly off beat once in a while. however, in a club situation, you wouldn't even notice these things.

Another thing, demos and mixing IMO should have flaws. I honestly love electronic music because there's a connection between technology and the human touch. It seems more natural and real to me to hear minor mistakes and the pops and clicks of vinyl than to only hear digital, noise free, mechanical precision mixing. When i hear mix sets like that i usually turn it off because to me there's no connection. That's the way i feel about most big name dj's mix cds. The only albums i've been raving about and listening to are stuff like moonshine's Mixed Live sets where there are people in the audience. That's fun.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ_Octane Oh yeah, I forgot. Whatever you decide to do...just make sure you can back it up.

Agreed 100%

Do it with any style but be sure you can backup your mix with your skills in real life.

Though it does indeed show your skills as how you pick songs and how you take the listener on a journey.

For me, i would rather see someone play a enjoyable set compared to a flawless set.

imo.. you can submit tiesto live @ TE 2000 or oakey's tranceport cDs as your demos.
If you can produce the goods in real-life then its great. The demo is only used as a stepping stone for u to get that one step higher. Once you're that much higher, the demo loses its importance.

Only way to do a demo is to record it live and not splice tracks.

I would never consider altering it. 'Cuz when u spin in front of the crowd, the promotors are gonna expect big things from you. And if you disappoint, you're probably screwed.

Do it live.

Only way I would put it through is for tweakin' my Eq's...

quote:

Originally posted by T:REBEL I would never consider altering it. 'Cuz when u spin in front of the crowd, the promotors are gonna expect big things from you. And if you disappoint, you're probably screwed.

and don't forget that promoters talk to each other. so once you've submitted a freaking awesome demo, but then fold under the pressure of a club atmosphere.. you're not going to get too many gigs after that. put some time and effort into mixing and develop a talent so that you can back up your work. that is really the only way if you wanna move ahead with your talents.

pEy

quote:

Originally posted by stupidisco just know that while you are using your "pro tools" to create that perfect mix, there is a dj out there that can do that on the wheels of steel. feels shitty huh?

Right on! That was exactly my thinking

Plus like it was been said above, if you make a mix clearly superior to your skills, you can get seriously burned...

It really bothers me when I get near the end of recording a promo cd and I screw up a bit. I never really trainwreck, but something will always go off noticeably. I don't fix it though by redoing the mix. It bothers me to death when I hear it, but it is a true demonstration of me completing a straight set. There is no editing in a live situation. I want people to know exactly what to expect from me.
I think of it as: It's kinda like lying on your resume. You can say you got a 4.0 in nuclear physics and that you're a genius, but if you're lying, don't know your shit then you will eventually be exposed and look like an idiot. What's the point?
I like people to know everything up-front and if anything, undersell myself so that when I begin doing whatever it is I do, I will either meet or exceed their expectations. I like being perfect, but I am not so I won't present myself as perfect in a promo cd or anything else.

quote:

Originally posted by Dirk W. It really bothers me when I get near the end of recording a promo cd and I screw up a bit. I never really trainwreck, but something will always go off noticeably. I don't fix it though by redoing the mix. It bothers me to death when I hear it, but it is a true demonstration of me completing a straight set. There is no editing in a live situation. I want people to know exactly what to expect from me. I think of it as: It's kinda like lying on your resume. You can say you got a 4.0 in nuclear physics and that you're a genius, but if you're lying, don't know your shit then you will eventually be exposed and look like an idiot. What's the point? I like people to know everything up-front and if anything, undersell myself so that when I begin doing whatever it is I do, I will either meet or exceed their expectations. I like being perfect, but I am not so I won't present myself as perfect in a promo cd or anything else.

Exactly.

Editing a demo with your computer and sending it out to promoters or using it as a promo is like lying on your CV.

Yes i've done a mix and not exactly edited it, but mixed the tracks till i got it right then join the best mixes together in wavelab a while ago, when my skills were still quite shaky. I didnt send it out to promoters, just to a couple of friends. I don't feel like i've cheated myself because i feel i've made a good CD that flows really well and got the feeling that buying decks and everything was not a waste of money as i've cretated something good even if it wasn't totally live. It was also a very good learning excersise.

I do draw the line at doing this and sending it out to promoters as its not what I can do! However I still struggling to make a perfect full demo cd, but when i do i knowit'll be worth it.

Stop lying to yourselves; Just do it whatever way you prefer.

Some people say " It's cheating " if you do it digitally;
But playing the same set 20 times till you get it right how is that not the exact same thing ( cheating )?

quote:

Originally posted by jdat Stop lying to yourselves; Just do it whatever way you prefer. Some people say " It's cheating " if you do it digitally; But playing the same set 20 times till you get it right how is that not the exact same thing ( cheating )?

Yes, both ways are massively cheating. But doing it 20 times is at least not AS bad.....at least you could do that after 20 tries. And even so...just because doing it 20 times is cheating doesn't mean cheating is ok.

They're expecting some of your best work.....so if you can't quite consistently match what you send that's not a big deal, but you better be able to get really damn close consistently or it's not a demo.

If you want to make a cd by using a computer or rehearsing it, that's fine, but just make sure whoever listens to it KNOWS how you made it...don't pretend you did it live on your first try if you didn't.

My take on the demo thing is this:
I look at it as a sales pitch, it's selling yourself, so your going to want it to be as good as it can be. what if you were tired or something and you were a bit off on your mixing. you sure wouldn't say "oh well, this is my demo and thats that" you would delete and do it again at a later time. Now, I don't believe in just straight computer on a program like Tracktor; However, If you were recording your demo and you had a spot that was just off a bit and you stopped, went back to the last track, started again and finshed it out. Then went into Protools, connected the two good parts and called it good. I don't see how that would be so bad. as long as you can back it up with the skills when it counts. The club system will be a lot different than listening to a CD in your home anyway.

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