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-- what is up with me

what is up with me

i have not mixed in a month i have tried the past couple of days and it feels like i have dropped hard in my mixing game. i have a party to play this friday and i feel like ive lost my mixing touch.

i cant even think of the songs anymore to cue in and mix w/ other songs.

i usually mix 2-3 hours a day.

Re: what is up with me

quote:

Originally posted by dj_jamesrusnak i have not mixed in a month

i'd say there's your problem right there

It will come back really quickly. Don't worry.

Yeah, I find I have good days and days where I give up after about four tunes coz of my poor skillz. Just keep at it man, go out and get some fresh inspiration from other good DJs. It doesn't really matter weather you fuck up as long as you learn from it.

Re: Re: what is up with me

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Morello i'd say there's your problem right there

I dunno, if he "usually" mixes 2 - 3 hours a day, he shouldn't just forget how to DJ after a month.

dj_jamesrusnak, has anything else changed since you last mixed well? New environment? New equipment? Change of taste? Major changes/distractions/tragedies in your life that could be sucking away your inspiration?

It sounds like an inspiration problem rather than a technical/skill problem since you say that you just can't think of what tracks to mix. Search for new music instead of trying to mix the old... maybe you're just tired of the music you've got or your tastes are changing.

Also, what do you use to mix, just out of curiosity?


edit - and I mean search for music that is fresh to you, not necessarily "new" music.

it all depends though on how long he's been mixing for

someone pretty new to this, takes a month off, i can see it happening

someone who's been at it for years, i can still see being a little rusty after a month off

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Morello it all depends though on how long he's been mixing for someone pretty new to this, takes a month off, i can see it happening

Very true... good point.

quote:

someone who's been at it for years, i can still see being a little rusty after a month off

This doesn't sound like "a little rusty" though => "i cant even think of the songs anymore to cue in and mix w/ other songs. " But, I get your point.

You can definitely get rusty. I just moved back to turntables from an all digital setup that I was using for almost two years now. It took me about an hour or so to shake off the dust and start mixing well.

Not being able to think of songs to mix is a bit strange though. Ever try looking at your music and then picking one you feel like playing? Try that.

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Morello it all depends though on how long he's been mixing for someone pretty new to this, takes a month off, i can see it happening someone who's been at it for years, i can still see being a little rusty after a month off

totally agree with this

even when i took a break from mixing because i had constant ringing in my ear i came back after about a month or so and used my opposite ear and recorded the set. It was bomb except for one transition which you could just hear me adjust and was fine afterwards.

and there's always people who really have to work hard at being a good dj while for others it just comes naturally

Re: Re: Re: what is up with me

quote:

Originally posted by david.michael I dunno, if he "usually" mixes 2 - 3 hours a day, he shouldn't just forget how to DJ after a month. dj_jamesrusnak, has anything else changed since you last mixed well? New environment? New equipment? Change of taste? Major changes/distractions/tragedies in your life that could be sucking away your inspiration? It sounds like an inspiration problem rather than a technical/skill problem since you say that you just can't think of what tracks to mix. Search for new music instead of trying to mix the old... maybe you're just tired of the music you've got or your tastes are changing. Also, what do you use to mix, just out of curiosity? edit - and I mean search for music that is fresh to you, not necessarily "new" music.

I usually get better after a 2 week/month break. Like realise a new innovation to mixing (like say, only changing bpm in bits with kicks, or similar) and generally improve in some areas although slight lack of practive means I'm slightly worse but improve again after a mix or two.

It does indeed sound very much like an inspiration problem, get some new tunes

I have the same problem... Except I hadn't mixed in about 2 - 3 months... Lots of reasons why but mainly just lost interest. Started back around a week ago and thought I was mixing really well... Then I recorded myself and listened back to it...

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Morello it all depends though on how long he's been mixing for someone pretty new to this, takes a month off, i can see it happening someone who's been at it for years, i can still see being a little rusty after a month off

nail on the head there..

if i dont mix for a few weeks I'll be rusty.. not with beatmatching though just getting the right transition because Ive forgotten.. Guess its like anything else that requires a skill.. stop practising and your gonna lose your edge... An hour or so of mixing will get you right back into things.. Listen to a few of your sets or an hours worth of tracks you want to mix before you actually mix them...

Also I get the feeling you mix with cdj's/mp3's?

and other thing... mixing with new tracks feel so much different and it seems to feel like I mix better.. Mixing with old tracks will just bore you and thats the time when you know u need new tracksw.. stay fresh

i got the mixing skills back

i picked up serato scratch live and that shit is so fun i love mixing with scratch live

sometimes that's really all it takes, something new to re-ignite the fire inside you

i would often switch genres when i found my mixing to hit plateaus, next up i'm either trying DnB or 3 deck mixing, layering loops and acapellas overtop

if you're not challenging yourself to move forward, you're standing still

dj tools

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Morello sometimes that's really all it takes, something new to re-ignite the fire inside you i would often switch genres when i found my mixing to hit plateaus, next up i'm either trying DnB or 3 deck mixing, layering loops and acapellas overtop if you're not challenging yourself to move forward, you're standing still

Spot-on. I find I have to play different genres from time to time, to keep my enthusiasm intact. Different genres excite me at different times.

when ever I get these slumps, mixer's block? lol
one thing I do is instead of trying to mix, I just listen to the tracks and mix in my head and after awhile an idea comes up...or
I just keep at it, just keep playing tracks on top of each other, like a brute force hack...the first hour is always f-ing horrible, everything sucks but then suprisingly something comes up...

what ruined my inspiration was when i started recording my sets and put them online, it was just too much work with it while the results wherent realy good enough for beying posted anywhere. also started posting charts and stuff and everything suddenly wherent free anymore lol.

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