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Posted by Inertia on Jul-11-2002 01:23:

newbie playing Digital DJ

well, im a newbie, i live in the dominican republic where trance
isnt nearly as big as in other places. namely ive been playing
salsa, merengue and that type of music, but i want to addict the
crowd to trance. since changin from one song to another just
after it finishes without really haing to beatmatch anything or actually mix anything, im not good with trance in aspects of
crossing from one song to another without 'trainwrecking' and
all i really have been using is Atomixmp3 (not nearly enuff cash
or knowledge for TT's anytime soon)

so i ask you:

good programs for mixing @ parties
ideas on ways to get the crowd hyped up on trance

and a few other things:

beatmatching: i still kind of dont get it as ive heard lots of
different things. am i supposed to make both songs tempo's match
in eanings of bpm to do a smooth transition and then get the the
songs back to normal? explain this cuz its kind of confusing. i
have visualizations of how i want to mix i just need the know how.

Posted by Inertia on Jul-11-2002 15:44:

ok, this isnt funny anymore

25 views and not 1 reply? cmon, throw me a fricking bone

Posted by DJ LIQUID on Jul-11-2002 15:47:

Re: ok, this isnt funny anymore

quote:
Originally posted by Inertia
25 views and not 1 reply? cmon, throw me a fricking bone

Posted by Inertia on Jul-11-2002 15:51:

biatch... mofucka....

Posted by Scottaculous on Jul-11-2002 17:11:

I'm not familiar with Atomixmp3 but all beatmatching is the same.
Bpm = beats per minute and it's exactly as it sounds. The number of beats per minute. The larger the number, the faster the track.

Your goal is to not only match the bpm but beat the match. Since you're using a program it's easy to match bpms.

After that you need to match the beat of the incoming track with the track that's playing. So as you hear the beat of the main track, you want your incoming track to make a beat as well. When that's achieved the beats overlap each other and it doesn't sound like horses galloping.

Posted by JohnSmith on Jul-11-2002 17:31:

quote:
Originally posted by Scottaculous
Your goal is to not only match the bpm but beat the match.

beat that match!

but no seriously, inertia..

that's a pretty good explanation. you don't match the songs first, and then "put them back to normal" you leave them at the speed you matched them at. to make a good set, you should have songs all about the same speed.

if you try to mix salsa with hardhouse, it ain't going to work.

that said, in answer to your questions, i think VTT is the best program for doing DJ work on computer. nothing is automated though, you have to beatmatch manually with your ears. although you can tap out the BPMs if you want, it's not reliable.

and as for ways to get the crowd hyped. well, you have to play good songs! and, don't just look at your equipment either. look out into the people, and see what they are liking. if they look bored, change it up a little, play something faster. if they like what you are playing, then keep playing that stuff.

in general, it's OK to get a little faster and more energetic in your set, this seems to add energy to the music.

I hope this helped!

also, you might want to check out this site http://www.recess.co.uk

Posted by Scottaculous on Jul-11-2002 17:40:

quote:
Originally posted by JohnSmith
if you try to mix salsa with hardhouse, it ain't going to work.

lol! I like to hear someone's best effort.

Posted by d0odx on Jul-11-2002 18:09:

i used to use atomix
but then i realized it sux.

Get traktor...

if u go on efnet msg zigx

thats me
ill help ya get it

Posted by Inertia on Jul-11-2002 22:58:

quote:
Originally posted by Scottaculous
I'm not familiar with Atomixmp3 but all beatmatching is the same.
Bpm = beats per minute and it's exactly as it sounds. The number of beats per minute. The larger the number, the faster the track.

Your goal is to not only match the bpm but beat the match. Since you're using a program it's easy to match bpms.

After that you need to match the beat of the incoming track with the track that's playing. So as you hear the beat of the main track, you want your incoming track to make a beat as well. When that's achieved the beats overlap each other and it doesn't sound like horses galloping.

ok, i get the main picture, but what i still dont get is youre pretty much telling me to have all my songs at the same bpm, so how is it done when sets are started out soft and get harder, say like Paul Oakenfold in 98 @ gatecrasher, and no it wasnt a fancy dj thing, just the set got progressively faster n harder...

anyways, im supposed to get both tracks to beat in the same time, say like get the bassline synced, so when i turn from one trak to another, it sounds smooth. but am i supposed to snap the fader from side to side or go smooth on it... these things are so complicated over the net... wish someone could teach me in person....

anyway, thanks

Posted by Inertia on Jul-12-2002 06:18:

hmm, i got the idea of how beatmatching works, i was confused, but now i get it, was reading recess.co.uk

anyways, looks like manual beatmatching would be easier on an actuall TT than a virtual mixer but what the hell, ill get the hang of it...

is VTT really that good? the interface is pretty ineficient, but it does have 3 channels and supports the DH better than anything else ive seen. its not very user-friendly, not that that really matters, but if the interface were a bit better presented, mixing would be easier on it. i do miss atomixmp3s visual support, you could actually see the beats and sync them by hand, which was a big help, yet its a technique that would never work in a set cuz its too inaccurate and unreliable...

im setting of to make a skin for VTT that fits my needs...

oh and d0odx, what efnet specifically, US, EU, irc.efnet.org, what?

Posted by fluoxetine on Jul-12-2002 15:54:

Hey there,

You don't have to have all your tunes at exactly the same bpms really. The only time it comes into play is if you're trying to make a harmonic mix that is not only beatmatched but matched by key as well. Even then you can get away with 1 bpm difference or so without the mix sounding out of tune. As for a set getting harder and faster, I think that probably has more to do with the types of tunes played. Two tracks both at the same bpm can have a very different feeling of velocity. If you really want things to get faster I suppose you could very gradually keep inching the speed up...say 2 bpm's over the course of two tracks without anyone even noticing a change in pitch, by the end of a set you could, I suppose increase the tempo quite a bit.

Also when beatmatching, make sure you keep the phrasing of the two tracks being mixed correct...most trance tunes are built on a 32 beat structure, meaning every 32 beats something new is added or something is taken away. You have to make sure that you have both tracks lined up this way. As for the crossfader, there are many ways to approach that, but in general you can move it across gradually, best done a little bit every 32 beats until the track coming in is sounding loud and full and no body will notice your final shift to eliminate the previous track.

I'm not sure if that all made total sense but I hope it helped a little