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selling or leaving
my dream was always to mix in clubs and so in the end of the summer i bought a djm600(pioneer) and 2x cdj100(pioneer). from the day i bought the mixer until today i practice 4 times a weak for about 2 hours each time. i've tried so many times but it just doesnt mix!. i've tried the "auto bpm" function on the mixer and suddenly i got a hang of it for a week perfectly and then i just lost it. so lets just say that i suck if i'm trying to mix already for 4 monthes and nothing works.the question i want to ask is if until now it didnt work so i should probebly give up my dream and try to sell it or should i keep on trying to practice?
the truth is that i am really pissed of from it now
but i know that if i sell it i'll be even more pissed after like smoking a cigaret.
(i forgot to mention that i try to mix hard trance and trance)
I say just keep trying man, you will get it. Disregard that auto BPM stuff.
get two songs that you know are the same BPM or close, and match them.
how can you get two the same BPM? well, you could use the beat counter on your mixer i guess, or, software to find some that are the same. OR, even better, take a CD of yours, and burn a copy, then play both copies of the song together.
mess around with the pitch and jog wheel, and get a feel for it. then maybe you will be able to mix them?
just a suggestion, i hope it works out for you!
Re: selling or leaving
| quote: |
| Originally posted by yonih my dream was always to mix in clubs and so in the end of the summer i bought a djm600(pioneer) and 2x cdj100(pioneer). from the day i bought the mixer until today i practice 4 times a weak for about 2 hours each time. i've tried so many times but it just doesnt mix!. i've tried the "auto bpm" function on the mixer and suddenly i got a hang of it for a week perfectly and then i just lost it. so lets just say that i suck if i'm trying to mix already for 4 monthes and nothing works.the question i want to ask is if until now it didnt work so i should probebly give up my dream and try to sell it or should i keep on trying to practice? the truth is that i am really pissed of from it now but i know that if i sell it i'll be even more pissed after like smoking a cigaret. (i forgot to mention that i try to mix hard trance and trance) |
Yeah man, give it some time. You dont expect to learn how to play an instrument and get a spot in an orchestra in a summer do you. I gave my self 4 years before I go back to school and try something else. I have been working seriously at mixing for about a year now, and am just starting to get confident to want to play out. I have also jsut started getting some offers now I'm lookign for them.
Just dont expect something to happen over night. An dont try to force it. If you get frustrated, back off for a bit. I mix for shit if I'm in a bad mood, or not having fun doing it.
When you get frustrated walk away and come back to your decks an hour later. It takes time. I'm a year into it and I am still learning the finer points of beatmatching (specifically correcting while in a transition).
Don't give up! It will come with time!
thanks all of you who replyed.
i hope i could keep on getting mad and trying before i throw it out of the window and than i'll really know that i gave up.
so thanks anyway for all of your support i needed it.
I have the same setup that you do, so I know that it's not the equipment that is lacking (no offense intended). But I've been working at djing for almost three years and I'm just at the point now when I am really confident of my skills. I'm going to be playing out in a couple of months at a rave and I feel much more confident about it than my first time (which was about a year and a half ago).
The most important thing to remember is that you are doing it for the love of the music (or at least that is why I am doing it). Create a story with your music, don't just play the next cd in your collection. Most importantly, listen to other djs, and listen to your own mixes. You can learn SO much just by listening to where you made mistakes and realizing what you have to correct. Do a search on here, look in the sticky, search the web for tips and tricks on how to dj. The web sites are ALL over the place. Keep reading this forum and you will learn stuff about djing that you never knew before. There is a lot of knowledge on this site and on the web. USE IT! Read about djing techniques, go to clubs or raves and watch the djs mix (some call this trainspotting). Use all of your abilities to learn how to become the best you can be.
Most of all, never loose your passion for the music that you spin. This is what carries me throughout those hard times when I think that I suck and will never make it. The music you spin is more important than the skill you have in mixing. This isn't always true, but for trance it is anyway. Do you think PVD or Oakenfold, Tiesto or Armin van Burren made it big because they are oh so great on the decks? They don't really do that much special, to be honest. It is all in the music that they choose to spin, and in what order they spin it in.
Just remember, it is a dj's job to bring the music to the people! It is your job to sort through the crap and spin the good stuff. Make sure it's good!
IMO im pretty sure you seen some results, try listening to a mix that you did 3 monts a go and do a mix now and listen to it. Im pretty sure youll see the difference. I picked up on beatmatching in less then a month, the only reason it was so quick for me was because i played with beatmatching on the computer. Oh it was a pain in the ass, every transition i wanted to break my monitor 
.
What i did was, everytime i got really pissed and i didnt want to go on i just forgot about mixing and just play my music, listening to what goes together and tried a bit later. Make sure you don't lose your passion for the music and you turn into a mixing robot. and like flesch said it's how you read the crowd and the tracks you chose.
try to find someone that spins to give you a couple of pointers that helped me a lot.
I think you should keep going even if it takes you 10 years :d
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Dj Flesch Most of all, never loose your passion for the music that you spin. This is what carries me throughout those hard times when I think that I suck and will never make it. The music you spin is more important than the skill you have in mixing. This isn't always true, but for trance it is anyway. Do you think PVD or Oakenfold, Tiesto or Armin van Burren made it big because they are oh so great on the decks? They don't really do that much special, to be honest. It is all in the music that they choose to spin, and in what order they spin it in. |
i agree with all of the advise given
give it time
it's going to take a while
it doens't happen overnight
learn to walk before you run
i've been doing this almost 2 years now and i learn new things every single time i turn on my decks
and yes there will come a point one day when you will get it and everything will "click"
then you take that skill and develop it further
record yourself every time you play and take a listen afterwards
pick it apart
find out what you liked and what you didn't like
then try and improve on what you didn't like
i listened to a mix i made when i just started
and i compare that to what i can do now
it's like night and day
then once you have the beatmatching down
there's other things to take a look at, but think about that when the time comes
just concentrate on learning to beatmatch
maybe your dream is just to be in the music business...
why don'T you try writting some songs
Here is my expierence... I have had my dex for about 4-5 months now. During the first month i practiced everyday for about an hour or 2. After that month, I practiced when i could, school and work really cut into that time. I felt as tho I was getting nowhere, but then I started to realize that I was beatmatching faster and more accuratly (although still not even close to where I should/want to be). Anyways my brother kept bugging me to spin for his party on New Years and I kept telling him no. I wasn't at all confident in my skill progression. I mean I could beatmatch the tracks usually but I was struggling with phrase matching. Well on New Years Eve I ended up drinking a bit to much and I losened up to the point where I threw on a few records. Before I knew it I was tearing it up. I losened up, stop caring about every little mess up, and I was just doing it for the music and fun. I did an awesome job I only had 2 bad transitions I think (that is good for me atm). I still can't believe the transitions i pulled off or the accuracy of my beat matching. Everyone at the party commented to me at the end.
All I can really say to you is don't give up cause I guarantee you are better then you think you are. Here is a something that really seemed to help me. I stopped telling myself "I need to go practice". I practice when I am in the mood, like after I hear some good hard trance. I spin for shit if I am not feeling the music. Sometimes I go throw some tunes on, do one transition and then i am out of the mood. Forcing yourself to practice isn't a good idea IMO.
OK, I am done ranting now. Hope it all makes sense.
I don't have much wisdom or experience in this...
but what i do .. is leave the decks aside, for a while... then just forget all about them...
then listen to other type of music... after a while... you will miss trance... ok.. yes... LOL... then listen to sum trance.. but not too much... just a few min sessions at a time... and THEN!!.. during those quiet times... thats when the magic happens for me... i start thinking about trance... and start thinking about what would be great.. like what would work with what...
but hold it there... listen to sum more trance in snippets and then you can mix in ur head.. like combos and shit... lol.. i know this sounds weird but try it and then email me ok!!!
Umm.. yeah... when you've reached that stage, thats when the real magic kicks in... then next time you hit the decks you will mix because you WANT TO an FEEL the musical vibes surround you... not just because you HAVE to mix...
Your best work will come this way... it does for me...
Remmeber... mix because the music moves you, inspires you to be creative.. not just to mix because you need to...
It may be hard @ first.. but after a while you will get the drift of it...
i dont have much again to say to all of you but ....
THANKS
i tryed all those ideas and they were like the same that came to my head like mixing myself and then listening or stopping for a while and then trying again.
and that's another reason why i got pissed off mixing.
i tryed all the examples before and i still suck. but i guess i have to keep on trying.
DONT GIVE UP!!!!! 
if you need to take a few days off then thats cool...come back refreshed and ready
it took me 2 years before i really noticed any progress 
im positive your better then you were on day 1
maybe you could try trading in your cd decks of turntables...they are a like but have a different feel to them
keep your head up and dont ever give up 
dont give up, and practice more, no matter how bad it may seem, you will start to get the hang of it
when i first got mine, i swear, i practiced like 4-5 hours a day, and it seemed like i wasnt going anywhere, but after a while you just get the hang of it, and then i had to start all over again when i practiced for mixing breaks (which isnt fun when youc an already mix trance), but dont worry, it will come to you
| quote: |
| Originally posted by DJ Arsalan IMO im pretty sure you seen some results, try listening to a mix that you did 3 monts a go and do a mix now and listen to it. Im pretty sure youll see the difference. I picked up on beatmatching in less then a month, the only reason it was so quick for me was because i played with beatmatching on the computer. Oh it was a pain in the ass, every transition i wanted to break my monitor . |
Here is another thing that you can try that I just thought of Get out your favorite cd and go get all of the tracks that are on that mix disc. Be it by PVD, AVB, Oakie, Tiesto etc, just make sure that it's a well known dj and you like all of the tracks (or at least most of them). Then try to recreate the cd yourself and compare what you did to what the original dj did. This may help you to learn where to transition etc during your mixes. It will also show you different tricks that you can do too. My personal opinion is Matt Darey's Euphoria Vol 2 CDs. These two discs are packed with killer tracks and great technique and tricks.
You can buy it here:
http://nrgmusic.com/album.nrg?m=WW99155
Though, I'm sure you can find it cheaper SOMEWHERE
Here is a tracklisting:
disc 1
DSP - Intro
William Orbit - Barber's Adagio For Strings (Ferry Corsten Remix Radio Edit)
Moby - Natural Blues (Perfecto Dub)
Starparty - I'm In Love (Ferry Corsten & Robert Smit Remix)
Sagitaire - Come On (Sagitaire Mix)
Des Mitchell - Welcome To The Dance (Airscape Remix)
Delerium - Heaven's Earth (Matt Darey Remix)
Rhythm Of Life - You Put Me In Heaven With Your Touch (Lange Mix)
The Space Brothers - Shine 2000 (Signum Club Mix)
Private Productions - Sexdrive (M&B's Instructor Mix)
Tomski feat. Jan Johnston - Love Will Come (Original Mix)
Timo Maas - Der Schieber (Rapid Eye Remix)
Moby - Why Does My Heart Hurt So Bad? (Ferry Corsten Remix)
Flickman - The Sound Of Bamboo (Yomanda vs High-Gate mix)
Hi-Gate - Pitchin'(in every direction) (Original)
Moloko - The Time Is Now (Matt Darey Vocal Mix)
Digger - Church Of RA
Faithless - Why Go? (Ferry Corsten Remix)
DSP - Outro
disc 2
DSP - Intro
Chicane feat. Bryan Adams - Don't Give Up (Original Mix)
Transa - Supernova
DJ Tiesto - Sparkles (Original Mix)
Sasha - Adelante (Dumonde Remix)
Ernst & Ben - Provider (Pulser Remix)
Z2 - I Want You (Lange Mix)
Hurley & Todd - Sunstorm feat. 'Song For Guy' (Mike Kolgin Remix)
Tillman & Ries - Bass Fly (Michael Woods Remix)
Quivver - She Does (Quivver Mix)
Alena - Turn It Around (Space Brothers Remix)
Darude - Sandstorm (Original Mix)
Ralph Fridge - Angel (Quake Remake)
Dutch Force - Deadline (Original Mix)
Sanctuary - Sanctuary (Original Demo)
Matt Darey pres. Mash Up - Beautiful (Original)
Brother Grim - Energy
Aurora - Hear You Calling (En Motion Remix)
Sundance - Won't Let This Feeling Go (Angelic Mix)
DSP - Outro.
I got my decks 6 days ago, and i got 14 vinyls with it, all of different styles ( well all hard house / trance). I can already mix 18 songs together, not smoothly, but i can match the beats. Once i matched the beats and they kept going, i wrote down what the pitch on each track is. The only reason i could do this so quick is by using the beat Lights on my Mixer ( I no this is wrong, but it helped me) Now that i have got all the speeds down, i have practised a couple of times with them in front of me. Now i am going to remove the sheet and see if i can do it. I will be able to guess where the pitch should be, but i will be able to practise now to do proper beatmatching. I will keep doing this until i dont need the sheet at all. then i will try changing the pitch on one deck,without looking at it and then try matching the other one to it. Once i have got this i will treat myself to a load of new vinyl.
My method might not work one bit, but then again its only a sugestion. Just keep trying and mix when you feel like it or just like the other TA's said and it will come trust me!
Hey there is no wrong way to learn how to dj. Do whatever is most effective for YOU! Writing down which tracks go together is a great way to learn which tracks to spin when.
Another piece of advice I can offer is that if you are close to a beatmatch and the track is about to end, then drop your needle back a couple of minutes or rewind and give yourself some more time to transition through. Try slowing the tracks down in tempo so that they don't come unmatched as quickly and it will give you more time to beatmatch also (the track will be longer).
Just remember, when you are practicing, you are doing just that! Don't worry if it sounds bad at first, that is why you are practicing in the first place. This is how you find techniques that work well! Unless you are recording, don't be afraid to try something new because if you screw up, then rewind and try again until you get it close to what you had intended.
Again, make sure you use tracks that withstand the test of time. Ones that hopefully you will never get sick of!
maybe tutoring should help
Hey man:
You know I had the same problem a while back.
I wanted to learn so bad but no matter how hard I tried I fell flat on my face.
I got a friend of mine to come over who is really good at beatmatching.
He was a house guy. and he showed what he did.
I started picking up on it.
He explained the whole 4 4 structure and 32 beat rule.
Which I didn't know believe it or not.
He then taught me how to do it with the monitors and that helped so much.
So that is my suggestion get 2 headphones and a splitter and get one of your friends that is good to come and help you out.
It's kind of like lifting weights it helps to have someone to push you.
Peace bro.
dj'ing is like any other instrument you can find....you won't learn it over a night...it will take time, and patience
hell I've played guitar for over 8 years and I can say that the first 3 years was horrible....fealt like I'd never l�earn to play it good but after that it got better and better....
the same goes with mixing....I've had my gear for 6 months now and I've just learned to beatmatch fairly good...but still I need more practice
ohh yeah remember that it doesn't do anything if you fuck up at home....if your'e trying to do a match and don't succeed then rewind the track and try again and do that over and over until you get it right....always remember that no one cares if you fuck up at home
have you seen any improvements? even the slightest of improvments means you are getting somewhere, don't give up on your dream, that would be the worst thing to do. And 4 months is nothing, give it a little more time, I once met this guy whos a really big dj in england and he told me it took him 18 months to learn how to beat match but I listened to him and now he is one of the best and can beatmatch two random tracks in a split second
It's been a while since I've read this forum.. Some of you guys might not realize how old TranceAddict is now, and how much influence it had on young DJs around the world.
When I first started reading this site/forum, I didn't have any DJ equipment at all.. I mixed with Traktor and Mixmeister. Now, I have a Thursday/Friday/Saturday club residency at one of Washington DC's most visible clubs, with occasional mixes in other places. I think I will also have a full-night (10pm-3am) residency on Fridays at a very posh 21+ lounge in the coming weeks.
Yes, it takes a lot of work.. You probably won't make any money in the beginning.. Equipment is expensive, and your day job must be solid so you can support this habit. But it does pay off if you're good at what you do. I mixed at my current club for 4 months for free, 2-3 times a week, just because I loved playing my music to other people.. Now, the door is open for more serious things. You get to know the promoters, club managers, etc. It helps a lot in the long run.
Even in a city like Washington, D.C., New York, or Miami, there aren't a million good DJs. While it's not possible to become the next Sasha or John Digweed, because they came into the club scene when it was still young and fresh, it is VERY possible to become a famous and well-respected local DJ. Just because the chance of you becoming a superstar is small, it doesn't mean that the chance of you playing at clubs, having a great time and ENJOYING this hobby ISN'T. It's possible, I'm a prime example of that. Just keep practicing, and remember to keep an open mind about the music you play.
Just two more words of advice before I go to bed..
1. Learn how to mix with the pitch-slider only. Don't touch the record while it's playing. If you want to have smooth 30+ second mixes in the future, you will probably start using this method anyway. If you can, learn it first and get a jump-start in your beatmatching.
2. Make a point of listening to different music every week. If you like trance, listen to house (even if it's only 4-5 songs). If you like house, listen to oldies. Do *whatever* you can to learn as much about music as possible. Imagine that you get a gig at a club where the crowd is 25-40 years old. 140bpm trance isn't going to cut it.. What are you going to do? Being a good DJ requires you to know EVERY genre of music, even if you don't like them/play them.. Until you get famous, people won't come to see YOU play. They'll come to listen to a specific type of music. If you are not able to play what they want to hear, it will be very hard to find gigs.
That is all. I hope this gets some replies.. I wonder, are there any other TA's who became pretty successful at DJing after getting their start here?
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