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Troubles when mixing!!!

Hey TAs... got a few problems i face while im mixing and thought some ppl with more expertise might be able to help...

1) Im pretty sure about this... but even though songs might b of the same genre, eg uplifting/melodic etc... that doesnt mean they sound well wen mixed in together... am i correct? i experience like a clashing of the basslines as they r a lilttle different which sort of makes it noticeable im mixing... but htis only happens wen i mix certaintracks together....

2) WHen im mixing... if i get the beats absolutely spot on... when its mixing in, the level of the bass lowers quite dramatically... like its not even there and softens the level of the song... i quickly tap a record so its out a little so u can hear the bass again but not enough to make the beats hit at different times....

3) when i mix 33 and 45s, i find it very difficult to mix them perfectly without having to fiddle around with both pitches.. by moving them both slighty before i beat match... and even once ive dun this i still have to touch my spindle every 16-32 bars

4) this normally happens when im mixing 33 rpm and 45 rpm tracks together... where channel 2 is the slightest bit out... so i got to tap it up, but by 1/2 millimetre... and all of a sudden the track will increase in speed quite dramatically.... as if ive moved it 4% or so on my pitch range....

These are all problems i am facing lately and need some help as no one i know mixes....

Any help would be great.... thanks a lot

Nick

1)Yes some tracks don't work together, you have to make sure they go well as in they compliment each other, and preferably are the same key.

2)When you have beats right on top of each other they start to cancel each other out (phase cancellation), and make a flanger/phaser effect, this is where the EQs come in.

3)Uhh can't help you, it has never mattered to me what speed they are, just remember to speed up a 33rpm track, it doesn't take as much as speeding up a 45rpm track.

4)Either you moved the record ahead to much, or theres something wrong with your motor/pitch slider, or could be they weren't matched 100%.

1.) The tracks are in different keys. Look into harmonic mixing if you want to know about this futher.

2.) The frequencies are canceling each other out. Somebody else on here can prob. give you a better definition, but it shouldnt happen w/ every record pair, just those where the certain frequency matches

3.) What kind of tables do you have?

I have some stanton str8 60s atm.... i kno all the stuff bout 1200s etc lol.... but these are the ones i got to start off with... I think they might be the reason for all these little nigly problems..

Cheers guys

hey dude...just cause the basslines clash doesn't mean its out of key. Make sure that all of your phrases match. And as for the matching thing. Just keep on practicing...it'll get easier. I wouldn't worry too much about matching. Worry more about what tracks you play, the order you play them, how long you play them, etc. What makes a set is the tracks you play IMO

In response to (2):

If the tracks are perfectly beatmatched, there is no flange effect. It's only when similar frequencies are slightly out of phase does this effect happen.

good point. also if you just take the bass down on one of the channels that may help a little...but what you said you do....get it off sync slightly...Thats a good thing to do, that way the frequencies don't sound like they are fighting with each other

quote:

Originally posted by DannyO 1)Yes some tracks don't work together, you have to make sure they go well as in they compliment each other, and preferably are the same key. 2)When you have beats right on top of each other they start to cancel each other out (phase cancellation), and make a flanger/phaser effect, this is where the EQs come in. 3)Uhh can't help you, it has never mattered to me what speed they are, just remember to speed up a 33rpm track, it doesn't take as much as speeding up a 45rpm track. 4)Either you moved the record ahead to much, or theres something wrong with your motor/pitch slider, or could be they weren't matched 100%.

1) I personally wouldn´t make a science out of it. I play what sounds good and even break the fluidity melodywise to make it a changing set and shock sometimes.

2)True- working the EQ´s properly u can do wicked stuff. I actually sometimes use the phase cancellation to give it a bit of a change and then let the beat drop back in together with incoming percussion.


I don´t know if that belongs here... but would u give away some of ur best mixing techniques? Do u mind or not?

quote:

Originally posted by Phantomrebels 1) I personally wouldn´t make a science out of it. I play what sounds good and even break the fluidity melodywise to make it a changing set and shock sometimes. 2)True- working the EQ´s properly u can do wicked stuff. I actually sometimes use the phase cancellation to give it a bit of a change and then let the beat drop back in together with incoming percussion. I don´t know if that belongs here... but would u give away some of ur best mixing techniques? Do u mind or not?

1) I'm the last person here to make a science out of it, its DJing, you do it how you want, I don't stick to the norm or anything, I constantly try new things, at the moment I'm looking at other genres of music for influence on things to do to my sets.

2)I know what you mean about making an effect out of it, I've done it before, dropping 2 of the same records on top of each other, match them, then you can control the phase effect by moving one slight ahead or behind of the other.

I dunno exactly what your asking about mixing techniques, everything I do is normal to me, I think I do afew things which not many other people do, but hey, we can't all be the same.

quote:

Originally posted by DannyO 1) I'm the last person here to make a science out of it, its DJing, you do it how you want, I don't stick to the norm or anything, I constantly try new things, at the moment I'm looking at other genres of music for influence on things to do to my sets.

1) Better not, hey . That point should never b organised, coz sets would b boringly predictable.

quote:

I dunno exactly what your asking about mixing techniques, everything I do is normal to me, I think I do afew things which not many other people do, but hey, we can't all be the same.

Well... tips like cutting in house/techno sets (chopping in little snares and parts of bongo patterns... like playing around with a pitch using samples on a vinyl or CD (don´t have a sampler)

I agree 100% with what DannyO + Onceler have said.


One final thing.

This is an easy way to check to see if your tt is working correctly. Get a bpm counter and measure how quickly your tt respondes to changes you make in the pitch. Listen to hear the reponse. The changes in BPM should be smooth and unnoticable if they +/- 2% on one record. Check to see if your TT is able to hold a bpm after minor adjustments using the pitch. For example, play a record @ + 4% than record the bpm [normal reading]. Now quickly pitch the record up 1% to + 5% than quickly pitch it back down to 4%. The bpm counter should only detect a very minor change in bpm but than quickly return to its normal reading. If your TT takes awhile to return to its normal reading and/or an odd pitch changes occure when you make small adjustments something is wrong with your TT.

Also @ 0 % all the middle dots on the patter should not move. @ -3.3 % all the small dots on the top of the platter shouldnt move.


If you find you TT isn't responding correctly I suggest taking it in for an adjustment.

quote:

Originally posted by Phantomrebels Well... tips like cutting in house/techno sets (chopping in little snares and parts of bongo patterns... like playing around with a pitch using samples on a vinyl or CD (don´t have a sampler)

Well I don't do much right now regarding beatjuggling vinyl as I only have 2 decks, so I can't mix it up 3 way, what I do do is alot of incorporating breaks into my sets, finding breakbeat tracks that have a nice general trance sound to the beats (Key), then drop it in at varies points depending on what I want to do, since I only have 2 decks I have to stop the breaks at some point then bring it back and start it again, but it all depends on what I want to do, most the stuff I do right now is with my sampler and the effects, I use a Denon X1500 you can use the effects very well when there asigned to a matrixed channel and then use the xfader to go bad and forth, also the Echo 1 effct on it makes a loop of either 1/2/4/8 beats long, so it like having 2 samplers, unfortunately most of my tricks are todo with the X1500 right now, I do plan on getting a CDJ1000 soon and that will add massive amount of creativity for me, what I plan to do is not far of like remixing every track I plan, of course some tracks you don't mess with, but I'm gonna layer my own style right over trance and create something new, I also plan on getting a EFX1000 when it comes out aswell, along with a midi keyboard for Ableton Live, my brother is sponcered by Ableton and I've seen what it can do, I think it is the direction of the future, DVD video mixing will come and go, but will probably stick around for shows and MTV bullshit, anyway I just want to get more involved I hate standing there waiting for the next track, most the time having ideas on ways to change the set but not yet having the tools to do it, but soon enough I will.

Shit I ramble

EDIT: I haven't tried that way of testing turntables like Dave said, but the way I test them is, turn the table on and get the platter spinning, then turn the power off and then back on, but don't switch the platter on, now watch the strobe and see how smoothly it comes to a stop, if it jerks at all, the brushes are going and it will not hold pitch, or will eventually not hold pitch.

quote:

Originally posted by DannyO EDIT: I haven't tried that way of testing turntables like Dave said, but the way I test them is, turn the table on and get the platter spinning, then turn the power off and then back on, but don't switch the platter on, now watch the strobe and see how smoothly it comes to a stop, if it jerks at all, the brushes are going and it will not hold pitch, or will eventually not hold pitch.

that's interesting. I'll take note of that in the future

PRACTICE

so far great advice from everyone! as stated above...practice. it's just like an instrument, you have to practice all the time. remember, you're actually re-wiring your brain to think about two things independantly and sort them out quickly. it will take time.

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