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Posted by rdubwilkins on Jul-16-2009 05:51:

NON-live DJ mixing

Hi all, I have some software questions I've been trying to get answered for a while now...

First off, I can't and am not looking to DJ sets "live." I do produce electronic music, however. My questions center around trying to find the right software to enable me to create my own "perfect," non-live, DJ sets/mixes.

I use logic pro 8, I LOOOVVEEE it but it sucks in some areas for what I'm trying to do in terms of creating sets. I don't yet have an effective way to change BPM, beatgrid individual tracks, or a realistic enough "DJ mixer" EQ effect (one that can handle single and multiple tracks, and can be used in a DAW/producer kind of way, as I might expect to use in the "automation" mode in logic pro).

I'm vaguely aware that Ableton Live and/or Reason (in particular ReCycle) might be the best/only solution. Honestly, I'm looking for the easiest way, though, and am hoping to keep it as native to Logic Pro as possible.

I've experimented with Apple Loops to try and solve my BPM problems, but it was a total bust as far as I could figure. As of right now I'm using Virtual DJ, what I do is rerecord all the tracks in a set at a single, specific BPM; which is tedious and amateur to say the least, then use the stock EQing filters to mix together audio tracks.

Are there any plugins I can use within Logic to solve my problems? If it's better to just use another program, which should I use?

thanks for your time and effort, cya...

Posted by PutBoy on Jul-16-2009 08:09:

Wouldn't it be easier to do it live? It's not rocket science.

Posted by elzidane on Jul-16-2009 08:12:

there is a plug in called practice...try it.

Posted by rdubwilkins on Jul-16-2009 09:40:

quote:
Originally posted by PutBoy
Wouldn't it be easier to do it live? It's not rocket science.

ummm, I see what you mean, but no, not really.

My main reason for wanting to produce sets instead of mixing them is precision. They're mostly for video/sound art and also motion graphics design pieces. I need to exactly match certain things and to be able to edit and reedit in such a way that kind of makes traditional mixing too hard....

quote:
Originally posted by elzidane
there is a plug in called practice...try it.

Wow, thanks for handing me down that gem of a life lesson man, thanks for you're valuable time and consideration on the matter. I appreciate it, really...

Posted by PutBoy on Jul-16-2009 09:48:

quote:
Originally posted by rdubwilkins
My main reason for wanting to produce sets instead of mixing them is precision. They're mostly for video/sound art and also motion graphics design pieces. I need to exactly match certain things and to be able to edit and reedit in such a way that kind of makes traditional mixing too hard....

Well that's something totally different then. Still though, most DJ programs can sync the beats for you, Traktor will do this. And if you record the mix in Traktor you can change the mix afterwards, at least the mixing. So, conclusion, if you do it live in Traktor you will be able to get a precise mix with minimal effort.

Posted by david.michael on Jul-16-2009 12:25:

Ableton Live is really what you want, but you might also look into Mixmeister.

Posted by djsaekone on Jul-16-2009 13:01:

Acid Pro

Posted by Stu Cox on Jul-16-2009 18:26:

Yeah I'd recommend either Acid Pro or Ableton - Acid's easier to match tempos of tracks in, but Ableton gives you a bit more control if they wobble a bit.

I know someone who does his radio show using Mixmeister (mixes it offline beforehand cos he can't use a pair of decks to save his life) and he swears by it - looked good from what I saw but I didn't have much of a play.

I knew as soon as I saw the title people would go on a bent about doing it live - fucking predictable board

I've put a few sets together in Ableton (non-live) and it's good fun - I could tweak things until they're perfect and add in loads more detail than I would if it was a live DJ set. I was just doing it to create something that sounds cool - more like creating an hour-long piece using bits of different tracks than a DJ set as such I guess. I wasn't pretending to anyone they were live or saying "check out my sick DJ skillz", in fact I don't think I played them to anyone else in the end... just enjoyed making them and listening back to them.

Pull your heads out of your fucking arses and let people do what they feel like doing without making it a competition of who's more 'real'

Posted by djdk on Jul-16-2009 18:38:

quote:
Originally posted by Stu Cox
Pull your heads out of your fucking arses and let people do what they feel like doing without making it a competition of who's more 'real'

it aint 'real' unless your mixing using a pair of wind up grammaphones

blindfolded

and underwater

Posted by atxbigballer1 on Jul-16-2009 18:40:

Mixmeister is what i think your looking for!
Ableton LIve is cool and all but i think Mixmeister sounds and handles audio better!
http://www.mixmeister.com/

BTW i have Mixmeister and Ableton LIve!

Posted by rdubwilkins on Jul-17-2009 09:28:

awesome, will check all of it out ASAP!

btw, I d/l RyCycle 2.1 to try and use that, but it seems to keep freezing up when I load in a track. Is it meant to only analyze short clips? It won't even let me load a song longer than 5 mins!

thanks again guys, appreciate it loads!

-Rob

Posted by Ipooptoomuch on Jul-31-2009 05:29:

Does anybody know how I can use any of these programs to record midi input from my midi mixer while I am mixing live, then play it back and emulate the input after the mix is done? I need to be able to go back and change the mix with any live DJ software that uses midi controllers.