Well some background on why i am asking:

I use virtual turn tables on my computer, to mix, cause i cannot yet afford actual equipment.
the program lets you count bpm, by you clicking a button, it counts the number of times you click for the beat, and divides that by the time you did it for, giving you the bpm. i usually do it for 30 sec or so. When i match the songs up, bpms that is, they always seem to fall out of sync.

I was wondering, is there a certain way of counting bpm to get the accurtate count? do it over the entire song?at the biginning, end? any usefull programs out there that do it for us?

help from experienced djs would be much appreciated.

Simply taping a button as accurate as you can still isn't that acurate. Even my BPM counter on my DJM-600 isn't acurate enough to count beats. I don't use virtual turntables so maybe someone else can help you out.

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The problem lies in human error. When you are tapping a button, each time you tap it, you aren't always going to tap it at the same interval that you tapped it the previous time. Each time you tap it, you're either shifting you're BPM up or down... It can be very hard to lock onto the precise beat that you really need with VTT.

Since pitch adjustmants usually have to be bumped fractions of a percent up or down to match, The tap method can really only be used for a general ballpark BPM match. In order to use VTT effectively you'd either:
A.) Have to know the exact % difference between 2 songs by trial and error
B.) Use the 2 sound card method and try to match your incoming record the way you would CD tables. The tap method is very inaccurate.

I believe other programs like acid and such will match BPM for you, but then again, this isn't really dj'ing now is it?

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Blithe is a member of the Regressive Party.

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The only thing BPM counters are good for is getting you in the general range of BPM's.. You want it to sound good, yer still gonna need to work on your ears

yeah i thought that hard work was gonna be the only real solution. I was hoping to be able to count bpms to be able to train my ears, to was a 130bpm track sounds like in comparision to a 140.

but i will just work at it

thanks again.

but any tips on when i should count bpm in a song?
it does change over the course of a song, like gets faster. any ideas?

bpm counters and beat indicators lick ass

they do more harm than good
learn to beatmatch without them

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quote:

Originally posted by DJ_Shockwav bpm counters and beat indicators lick ass they do more harm than good learn to beatmatch without them

I absolutely agree with you. But, it can be a great help sometimes, allthough in most cases, BMP counters really suck...

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quote:

Originally posted by Push2005 Ik ben net terug begonnen met cassettes op te kopen... Die pitchcontrol is echt ongelofelijk !

quote:

Originally posted by Orko but any tips on when i should count bpm in a song? it does change over the course of a song, like gets faster. any ideas?

Song's 99.9% of the time hold to the same tempo through the entire song. Sometimes when I cue up my tracks it will sound flawless, but when I drop it in it can get a little crazy. This can be due to:

A.) Not giving the tune enough time to see if it matched up 100%
B.) Can't hear the record well
C.) My tables suck and can't hold pitch

Heh, like has been said... it's all in the ears. Don't count BPM's... Just get the feel for it all, after mixing a ton of different tunes, you'll know what sounds good at what pitch and such.

Above all: Don't think of BPM as a number, think of it as a feeling (At least when mixing)

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Blithe is a member of the Regressive Party.

Proud member of the Anti-Emo Adolescent White American Sulker Alliance... aka: "Quit crying f**ker and dance."

i have a bpm counter on my cddj and on all 3 of my tables........don't ever go by them though they give you a general idea but since they go off of A.I. they aren't very close to what the bpm actually is. virtual tables.....never tried them besides the dm^2 but that beatmatched for you


what program are you using for mixing?

the bpm counting in virtual turntables doesn't actually average it out over the period u tap the beat for... it just averages 2 successive taps... that's why it's so inaccurate...
the bpm capabilites in bpm studio and mixmeister are a whole lot better... but still not exact... they count the peaks in the track and average it over the time of the track... there's always a slight variation that needs to be made... but once u hit the spot... that's it! i've had tracks matched up for like 3 minutes using mixmeister...

i have numark axis 8 cd players with a bpm tap button. they work most of the time and i always use them to create a perfect loop and effects, i also use them to beatmatch sometimes. their awesome. btw im planning on selling them, so if anyone is interested please email me at [email protected].

quote:

Originally posted by djshawnb i have numark axis 8 cd players with a bpm tap button. they work most of the time and i always use them to create a perfect loop and effects, i also use them to beatmatch sometimes. their awesome. btw im planning on selling them, so if anyone is interested please email me at [email protected].

Haha, you put they're awesome, and I'm selling them the sentence afterward... they're that awesome eh?

___________________
Blithe is a member of the Regressive Party.

Proud member of the Anti-Emo Adolescent White American Sulker Alliance... aka: "Quit crying f**ker and dance."